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The Kinks - Muswell Hillbillies Audio CD

A fair review of the The Kinks "Muswell Hillbillies" Audio CD. Please note that the below review is the views of the authors, and authors only. You can get a complete list of all The Kinks reviews here, or go back to the The Kinks tabs.

The Kinks Band: The Kinks
Title: Muswell Hillbillies
Rating:
Release Date: 2004-08-24
Media: Audio CD

Tracks: 1: 20th Century Man 2: Acute Schizophrenia Paranoia Blues 3: Holiday 4: Skin & Bone 5: Alcohol 6: Complicated Life 7: Here Come the People in Grey 8: Have a Cuppa Tea 9: Holloway Jail 10: Oklahoma U.S.A. 11: Uncle Son 12: Muswell Hillbilly 13: Mountain Woman [#][*] 14: Kentucky Moon [#][*]

excellent exercise is country rock by classic brit combo
This album is a drastic move away from that style as it embraces american themes and country flavour. The Kinks had by the early 70s exhausted their fascination with all things British which had epitomized the albums "Something Else" "The Kinks are the Village Green Preservation Society" and "Arthur". While I would not call this a country album as such there is a distinctive rural american feel that touches on country, blues and folk along with good old rock and roll. This album stands as a distinctive statement for a band with a long and distinguished career. The album has a mood and a flow and feels very much like a piece rather than tracks just thrown together. An enjoyable listen from beginning to end.


Different generation

Ray seemed to always be out of step with the present day "rock band mentality". It has always seemed to me that the Kinks were unlike other bands of thier era in that they sang songs that dealt with generations past. They seemed more interested in writing about another England, an older,more genteel England. Several songs on Muswell Hillbillies were about celebrating the old ways and thier fear and mistrust of the new Government. Some may call songs such as 20th Century Man or Here come the people in Gray paranoid ravings, but I see them as the voice of a man who is afraid his old way of life (his old England) is being taken over and trod upon by beauracratic, lifeless, souless people. Have a Cup of Tea (according to Ray) was about his actual grandmother. How many rock bands sing about thier grandmothers? Skin and Bone speaks of the overwhelming desire of many to become fashionably lean and emaciated. He almost says it's ok to be a little chubby and not to kill yourself trying to be skinny and fashionable. If you listen to the Kinks albums that came before this one, you'll see the thread of wistfulness for a past life time in those works as well. Listen to Village Green Preservation Society and you'll hear what I mean. Even the 80's Kinks ask us to Come Dancing and remind us Don't Forget to Dance. I think Ray Davies was an old man in a young man's body. An old mind in a young rock band. Listen to Muswell hillbillies. If you are open minded, and interesed in the Kinks YOU WILL LIKE IT. .


very much a transitional record
This LP has always split the Kinks landscape. I know there are many who rank Muswell Hillbillies with the best work of the Kinks that started with Face to Face in 1966 and certainly continued through Lola in 1970. Many rank it with their golden period; many see it as the start of the big decline. This is a transitional album, much different from Lola, and I see it as the beginning of a more superficial and derivitive Ray Davies. Don't get me wrong. When compared to stuff like Soap Opera, Low Budget or Schoolboys In Disgrace, this looks like classic stuff. But compared to ANY of the 66-70 period (Face To Face, Something Else, VGPS, Arthur and Lola), this is pretty mediocre stuff. I admit it's grown on me, and there a few places they go on this album they never revisited, but as one reviewer put, the bridges are either non-existant or inferior to Ray's previous stuff. I guess I see Ray dumming down his style somewhat on this LP, perhaps to accomodate a new record company (RCA)that wanted commercial product. What he delivers is a concept album that is more American roots than anything English. Perhaps that's why I was so disappointed when I first bought it in 1971. Ray had eshewed exactly what I loved so much about his style. At any rate, time has been somewhat kind to this LP, and the faux dixieland, country and blues doesn't turn me off as much as it used to.

Still and all, it's a transitional LP. Sadly, it was transitioning to some pretty mediocre music, with the possible exception of Sleepwalker and Misfits.


A Masterpiece
38 years later, I love it more than ever. I can offer no insightful historical analysis of this album, but I will say that from the first time I heard it, I liked it. Muswell Hillbillies is simply a Kinks delight. While it has none of the catchy guitar hooks or slam chords, or even any of the delightful Ray Davies falsettos, it has heart and guts. Ray Davies obviously thwarted RCA's fantasies of cashing in on the Kinks when he wrote this strange pop album. But don't fool yourselves, he was going for the art of it and not the splash. This is a fun, fun record with varying genres of pop music, very English, and very much a good time. It isn't my favorite, but it occupies a warm place in my heart.


The Kinks best album
Muswell Hillbillies is the most consistently good Kinks album I've found. After I discovered Ray Davies' two recent solo albums, I've done a lot of digging in the Kinks catalog. Most albums by the Kinks seem to have 2 or 3 strong tracks, this one has 10 truly excellent ones. The bonus tracks adds little to the original album.

Muswell Hillbillies has a strong album feel to it, despite the variation in musical styles (rock, country, blues, jazz, music hall). The approach is melodic, yet powerful. The lyrics can be described as social commentary, but they are treated with a lot of humour. Most of the lyrics stand out as very literate and original.

I can't believe I've missed out on this classic for so long!
.


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