#0066: The Kinks - Face To Face [*****]

The first thing that struck me was how much like the Beatles it sounded.  Indeed the opening track even had all the cheeky mischief of some of Lennon's more comical output.  But once that initial impression had faded, it became clear this was much more than another cloned cash-in on the Fab Four's era-defining sound.  

These songs have great character both lyrically and musically.  From the first song I knew that I was in the hands of a songwriter of skill and imagination.  Clearly defined and smoothly navigated A and B sections with melodies that negotiate each turn in a manner that delights and impresses.  

The production is interesting too.  From track to track, still operating in that reasonably primitive 60s framework, it's not just a formulaic treatment of the composite tracks with regards reverb and panning.  

Even on tracks that give way to what could easily be an endless and tiresome jam (Rainy Day In June), the spontaneity and transience of the idea is preserved by not making too much of it.  They appear as interludes used as epilogues.  

Occasionally we get sound effects interlaced with the songs and as introductions.  The lyrics discuss everything from big houses to the weather, and while those are fairly bland topics to explore in every day conversation it is the carefree delivery that stops it being dull.  I've a feeling Blur may have been influenced by The Kinks.

Little Miss Queen Of Darkness is a stand out track for me.  It's such a happy-go-lucky tune but the lyrics present quite an acerbic view of the subject.  Even here at what perhaps constitutes satire, still they manage to sidestep the pretentious.

12 tracks in and I'm enjoying it so much the idea of whether a song I know might be on here hasn't even entered my mind.  And then there it is; Sunny Afternoon.  Bold as a mandrill's buttocks it sits there in the penultimate position, familiar and comfortable and you would expect it to seem out of place among the album tracks.  But the fact is it's no better than any of the songs preceding it.  

I've always liked what I've heard of the Kinks but never got around to hearing more.  This is an album that is consistently good with very few weak points and even then they're not really stinkers.  I'm Not Like Everybody Else and Dead End Street didn't really grab me but these were only included on the 1998 re-issue as a bonus track along with a handful of others.

So I can breathe a sigh of relief.  I really didn't want to be let down by this one.