The Kinks

1964 Kinks (5)

There are nine covers and five original songs on the Kinks' debut album. Three original songs are superb: "You Really Got Me", "Just Can't Go To Sleep" and "I Took My Baby Home". And the other two are quite nice as well: "So Mystifying" and "Stop Your Sobbing".

1965 Kinda Kinks (10)

One of the Kinks' worst albums. Two cover songs. Two excellent songs: "Tired Of Waiting For You" and "Wonder Where My Baby Is Tonight". And eight disappointments: "Got My Feet On The Ground", "Don't Ever Change", "You Shouldn't Be Sad", "Look For Me Baby", "Come On Now", "Something Better Beginning", "Nothin' In The World Can Stop Me Worryin' 'Bout That Girl" and "So Long".

1965 The Kink Kontroversy (11)

One cover song, "Milk Cow Blues". Six great songs: "Till The End Of The Day", "Where Have All The Good Times Gone", "I'M On An Island", "It's Too Late", "I Am Free" and "The World Keeps Going Round". And five disappointments: "When I See That Girl Of Mine", "Ring The Bells", "You Can't Win", "Gotta Get The First Plane Home" and "What's In Store For Me".

1966 Face To Face (14)

One of the Kinks' greatest albums. One timeless classic - "Sunny Afternoon" - arguably their greatest song ever. Four fabulous tunes: "Dandy", "Rosy Won't You Please Come Home", "Party Line" and "Session Man". Five fine songs: "I'll Remember", "Most Exclusive Residence For Sale", "A House In The Country", "Rainy Day In June" and "You're Looking Fine". And four disappointments: "Too Much On My Mind", "Fancy", "Holiday In Waikiki" and "Little Miss Queen Of Darkness".

1967 Something Else By The Kinks (13)

One of the Kinks' finest albums. Twelve fabulous songs: "Waterloo Sunset", "Tin Soldier Man", "Harry Rag", "Two Sisters", "Death Of A Clown", "Afternoon Tea", "David Watts", "Situation Vacant", "Love Me Till The Sun Shines", "Lazy Old Sun", "Funny Face" and "End Of The Season". And only one disappointment: "No Return".

1968 The Kinks Are the Village Green Preservation Society (15)

One of the Kinks' most celebrated albums. Five timeless classics: "Picture Book", "Village Green", "Starstruck", "Monica" and "The Village Green Preservation Society". And ten fine songs: "All Of My Friends Were There", "Do You Remember Walter", "Sitting By The Riverside", "Animal Farm", "Last Of The Steam-Powered Trains", "People Take Pictures Of Each Other", "Johnny Thunder", "Big Sky", "Phenomenal Cat" and "Wicked Annabella".

1969 Arthur Or The Decline And Fall Of The British Empire (12)

Five timeless classics: "Victoria", "Shangri-La", "Some Mother's Son", "She's Bought A Hat Like Princess Marina" and "Drivin'". Five good songs: "Australia", "Nothing To Say", "Arthur", "Young And Innocent Days" and "Yes Sir No Sir". And two disappointments: "Mr Churchill Says" and "Brainwashed".

1970 Lola Versus Powerman And The Moneygoround Part One (13)

Two timeless classics: "Lola" and "Apeman". Five excellent songs: "Get Back In Line", "Strangers", "This Time Tomorrow", "Rats" and "Got To Be Free". Two fine homages to the English music hall tradition: "The Moneygoround" and "Denmark Street". And four weak tracks: "Top Of The Pops", "A Long Way From Home", "The Contenders" and "Powerman".

1971 Percy (7)

There are seven songs on this soundtrack album (as well as six instrumental tracks). Five songs - "God's Children", "Dreams", "Just Friends", "Moments" and "Willesden Green" - are quite good. But two of them - "The Way Love Used To Be" and "Animals In The Zoo" - are a bit disappointing.

1971 Muswell Hillbilly (12)

Quite different from the Kinks' previous records. Essentially a country rock album. All the songs are quite good: "Holiday", "Have A Cuppa Tea", "Muswell Hillbilly", "Alcohol", "Complicated Life", "Holloway Jail", "Skin And Bone", "20th Century Man", "Here Come The People In Grey", "Oklahoma U.S.A.", "Uncle Son" and "Acute Schizophrenia Paranoia Blues".

1972 Everybody's In Show-Biz (10)

One classic tune, "Celluloid Heroes", as well as seven very nice songs: "Sitting In My Hotel", "Supersonic Rocket Ship", "Look A Little On The Sunny Side", "You Don't Know My Name", "Motorway", "Hot Potatoes" and "Unreal Reality". But two songs are quite forgettable: "Here Comes Yet Another Day" and "Maximum Consumption".

1973 Preservation Act 1 (11)

Two timeless classics: "Sitting In The Midday Sun" and "Here Comes Flash". Five good tunes: "Sweet Lady Genevieve", "One Of The Survivors", "Daylight", "Demolition" and "Money And Corruption/I Am Your Man". And four weak songs: "Where Are They Now?", "There's A Change In The Weather", "Cricket" and "Morning Song". 

1974 Preservation Act 2 (16)

An ambitious concept album with 16 songs and 5 tracks featuring bizarre announcements. Musically, the album is all over the place, and AllMusic, in a very negative review, referred to it as "a mess, an impenetrable jumble of story, theatre, instrumentals, 'announcements', unfinished ideas, guest singers, and, on occasion, a song or two". However, except for a few weak songs, this is actually a very impressive and original achievement. Thirteen unique tunes: "Mirror Of Love", "Shepherds Of The Nation", "When A Solution Comes", "Scum Of The Earth", "Second-Hand Car Spiv", "He's Evil", "Oh Where Oh Where Is Love?", "Flash's Dream (The Final Elbow)", "Flash's Confession", "Nothing Lasts Forever", "Artificial Man", "Scrapheap City" and "Salvation Road". And three disappointments: "Introduction To Solution", "Nobody Gives" and "Money Talks".

1975 Soap Opera (11)

One of the Kinks' most original albums. A delight from start to finish. The best song is "Holiday Romance", previously released as a single a year earlier, in 1974. And the rest of the album is excellent as well: "Ordinary People", "Ducks On The Wall", "Rush Hour Blues", "You Make It All Worthwhile", "Underneath The Neon Sign", "Everybody's A Star (Starmaker)", "You Can't Stop The Music", "A Face In The Crowd", "Nine To Five", "When Work Is Over" and "Have Another Drink".

1975 Schoolboys In Disgrace (10)

Four excellent tunes: "Jack The Idiot Dunce", "The First Time We Fall In Love", "Headmaster" and "The Last Assembly". Four fine songs: "No More Looking Back", "Schooldays", "I'M In Disgrace" and "Education". And two disappointments: "The Hard Way" and "Finale".

1977 Sleepwalker (9)

Nine fine songs: "Life Goes On", "Mr Big Man", "Life On The Road", "Juke Box Music", "Sleepwalker", "Brother", "Sleepless Night", "Stormy Sky" and "Full Moon".

1978 Misfits (10)

Three superb songs: "A Rock 'n' Roll Fantasy", "Black Messiah" and "Out Of The Wardrobe". One fine tune: "Misfits". And six disappointments: "In A Foreign Land", "Live Life", "Permanent Waves", "Hay Fever", "Trust Your Heart" and "Get Up".

1979 Low Budget (11)

Despite being a relative failure in the UK, "Low Budget" was a great success for the group in the US both critically and commercially, peaking at number 11 on the American album charts. Nine very good songs: "National Health", "Little Bit Of Emotion", "Pressure", "In A Space", "Wish I Could Fly Like Superman", "Low Budget", "Catch Me Now I'M Falling", "A Gallon Of Gas" and "Moving Pictures". And two disappointments: "Attitude" and "Misery".

1981 Give The People What They Want (11)

Two excellent songs: "Destroyer" and "Better Things". And nine fine tunes: "Add It Up", "Yo-Yo", "Predictable", "Killer's Eyes", "Back To Front", "Art Lover", "A Little Bit Of Abuse", "Around The Dial" and "Give The People What They Want".

1983 State Of Confusion (9)

The Kinks' most popular album of the 1980's. It includes "Come Dancing", their biggest hit of the decade, first released as a single a year earlier, in 1982. There are also nine other great songs: "Don't Forget To Dance", "Heart Of Gold", "Young Conservatives", "State Of Confusion", "Clichés Of The World (B Movie)", "Property", "Labour Of Love", "Bernadette" and "Definite Maybe". 

1984 Word Of Mouth (11)

Eleven good songs: "Too Hot", "Guilty", "Summer's Gone", "Massive Reductions", "Going Solo", "Missing Persons", "Do It Again", "Sold Me Out", "Living On A Thin Line", "Word Of Mouth" and "Good Day".

1986 Think Visual (11)

Eleven good songs again: "Lost And Found", "How Are You", "The Video Shop", "Repetition", "Working At The Factory", "When You Were A Child", "Natural Gift", "Welcome To Sleazy Town", "Rock 'n' Roll Cities", "Killing Time" and "Think Visual".

1989 UK Jive (10)

Ten fine songs: "Down All The Days Till 1992", "War Is Over", "Now And Then", "How Do I Get Close", "What Are We Doing", "UK Jive", "Entertainment", "Loony Balloon", "Aggravation" and "Dear Margaret".

1993 Phobia (15)

The Kinks' last album. It was critically panned and Ray Davies has expressed displeasure with it, commenting, "I hated Phobia, the album we did for Sony, because now I see the tempo of all the songs was wrong". And yet, while devoid of any classic tunes, the album doesn't have any weak songs neither. It has two excellent tracks: "Only A Dream" and "Scattered". And thirteen good songs: "Phobia", "Opening/Wall Of Fire", "Drift Away", "Still Searching", "Don't", "Babies", "Over The Edge", "Surviving", "It's Alright (Don't Think About It)", "The Informer", "Hatred (A Duet)", "Somebody Stole My Car" and "Close To The Wire". The album also includes "Did Ya", first released as a single two years earlier, in 1991.

Other songs (33)

superb "All Day And All Of The Night" (1964)

excellent "You Still Want Me" (1964) 

fine "You Do Something To Me" (1964)

superb "A Well Respected Man" (1965)

excellent "Set Me Free" (1965)

good "I Need You" (1965)

good "See My Friends" (1965)

weak "Never Met A Girl Like You Before" (1965)

weak "Ev'rybody's Gonna Be Happy" (1965)

weak "I Go To Sleep" (1965)

weak "Who'll Be The Next In Line" (1965)

good "Dedicated Follower Of Fashion" (1966)

good "Big Black Smoke" (1966)

fine "Dead End Street" (1966)

weak "I'M Not Like Everybody Else" (1966)

excellent "Autumn Almanac" (1967)

good "Mr Pleasant" (1967)

fine "This Is Where I Belong" (1967)

good "Wonderboy" (1968)

good "Days" (1968)

good "Mr Songbird" (1968)

good "She's Got Everything" (1968)

fine "Polly" (1968)

fine "Lincoln County" (1968)

excellent "Plastic Man" (1969)

fine "Mindless Child Of Motherhood" (1969)

fine "This Man He Weeps Tonight" (1969)

fine "Berkeley Mews" (1970)

superb "Holiday Romance" (1974)

very good "Father Christmas" (1977)

superb "Come Dancing" (1982)

very good "The Road" (1988)

excellent "Did Ya" (1991)