#157: The Kinks - Something Else by the Kinks (1967)

We would like to start by apologizing for the long pause since that intro post. Unfortunately, one of our guest bloggers has run into some technical difficulties in getting us his posts. This has caused a bit of a logjam effect, so we've decided to post what we have now and retroactively go back and add his once we have them. So, without further ado, The Kinks!

Emily: I’ll admit, I was a bit skeptical when Zack wanted to include The Kinks on this pantheon of classic rock. It’s not a name you hear very often compared with the epic likes of the Beatles, Stones, and Who, and I had very minimal exposure to the band beyond You Really Got Me and the other album we listened to by them. However, I trusted his musical judgment and agreed to add Something Else into this experiment of classic rock classification. Though I still don’t think the Kinks are quite as on par with the other three bands, I can see (rather, hear) the important influence they had. Some songs on the album have an ethereal, lilting, dreamy quality to them that doesn’t sound very rock but definitely sounds very ‘60s. Most of the second half of the album, however, is essentially proto-garage rock. It was a unique, almost revolutionary sound for the time and influenced one of the most large and important sub-genres of rock music. Now, that accomplishment is worthy of this musical pantheon.

Favorite Tracks: Afternoon Tea; Love Me Till the Sun Shines; Two Sisters

Matt Brune: The Kinks are the quintessential mod band of 1960s London. Though The Kinks would have limited success after the mid-60s, they would remain a fulltime band until 1996, longer than The Who, The Rolling Stones, and The Beatles. But, back to 1966: This album has some precious gems amongst it. No Kinks fan could possibly overlook that beauty that is Waterloo Sunset. It is hard for me to pick favorites, as there are no bad songs on this album. It had a brilliant balance of songs that were reminiscent of the initial phases of the British Invasion, as well as the psychedelic tunes that were brewing and would eventually run out the mods. Two Sisters, Situation Vacant, and Waterloo Sunset were, in my opinion, the best tracks, but that is subject to change next I listen to this album.

Favorite Tracks: Waterloo Sunset; Two Sisters; Situation Vacant


Zack: From discussing my Mount Rushmore theory with other human beings, I have concluded that the most controversial of the four is easily the Kinks. It’s certainly understandable. As influential as the Kinks were/are, they’re being compared to the freaking Beatles, Rolling Stones, and Who. Obviously, part of the reason I included them is my previously discussed bias. If you’re too lazy to click the link, then I’ll just say that my dad is a HUGE Kinks/Ray Davies fan and I’ve been listening via osmosis for years. But even I have to admit that the Kinks sort of lack that clearly-identifiable trait that makes them stick out. The Beatles are pop-rock. The Stones are blues-rock. The Who are practically protopunk. The Kinks are…the most likely to write a song called Afternoon Tea? The most difficult to pigeonhole? All four of these bands change their sound to some degree as they progressed, but the Kinks make one of the bigger jumps. It’s easy to forget that they first burst onto the scene with the hard rock classic “You Really Got Me.” Years later, they were writing silly acoustic ditties about trannies. They, of course, had a psychedelic phase as well. If you had to give them a sub-sub-genre, I guess it would be pop-rock, but that seems to only cover about half their repertoire. After much thought, I’ve decided that their claim to fame is that they are the most conceptually sound. Not an easy task when you consider that they’re up against the band that made Tommy and the overall brilliance of the Beatles. But it’s definitely true. The Kinks simply do not make albums as songs; they make them as storybooks. While they definitely got better at it as time progressed, it’s just as true for Something Else, one of their earlier works. Maybe the subject material isn’t as united as you’d expect, but the tone of each song works to reflect a certain mood on the listener. Furthermore, they use the album as a palette to express their unique blend of hard rock, psychedelic, and pop brand. The execution on this technique is near flawless, making it a great example of the Kinks sound, both to someone whose dad has been pumping it into his brain from the time he was young and someone who has never checked them out before.
Favorite Tracks: Waterloo Sunset; Death of a Clown; Afternoon Tea