The Kink Kontroversy

The Kink Kontroversy is the third studio album by the English rock band the Kinks, released on 26 November 1965 in the United Kingdom and in March 1966 in the United States, where it was the first American Kinks album to feature an identical tracklist to its UK counterpart. It is a transitional work, with elements of both the earlier Kinks' styles (heavily blues-influenced songs such as "Milk Cow Blues" and variations on the band's power chord-driven hits from 1964–1965 such as "Till the End of the Day") and early indications of the future direction of Ray Davies' songwriting styles ("The World Keeps Going Round" and "I'm On an Island"). The liner notes were written by Michael Aldred.

The Kink Kontroversy
Studio album by
the Kinks
Released26 November 1965 (1965-11-26)
Recorded
  • c. 5 August 1965 ("Ring the Bells")
  • 25–26 October and 3–4 November 1965[1]
StudioPye, London
Genre
Length30:12
Label
ProducerShel Talmy
The Kinks chronology
Kinda Kinks
(1965)		 The Kink Kontroversy
(1965)		 Well Respected Kinks
(1966)
The Kinks US chronology
Kinkdom
(1965)		 The Kink Kontroversy
(1966)		 The Kinks Greatest Hits!
(1966)
Alternative cover
North American release
Singles from The Kink Kontroversy

Background

The album's title is a mocking reference to the notorious reputation the band had developed over the previous year, including onstage fights and concert riots in Europe, which led to a ban on the group's concerts in the United States.

"Where Have All the Good Times Gone" makes several references and/or allusions to Beatles and Rolling Stones songs.[4]

Release

The single "Till the End of the Day" was a major hit, reaching #8 in the UK[5] and #50 in the USA, spending eight weeks or more in each chart.[6]

American singer Bobby Rydell covered "When I See That Girl of Mine", which was released as a single in the US a full month before the Kinks' version was made public.

Reception
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[7]
Encyclopedia of Popular Music[8]

AllMusic praised the album as the Kinks' coming-of-age, commenting that their raw early material was being replaced by more thoughtful and sophisticated songs. They pointed out "I'm on an Island", "Where Have All the Good Times Gone", "Ring the Bells", "The World Keeps Going Round", and "I Am Free" as particularly strong examples of this.[7]

Legacy

American indie rock band Sleater-Kinney used the same album cover layout as an homage for their 1997 album Dig Me Out.

Track listing

All tracks are written by Ray Davies except where noted.

Side one

  1. "Milk Cow Blues" (Sleepy John Estes) – 3:44
  2. "Ring the Bells" – 2:21
  3. "Gotta Get the First Plane Home" – 1:49
  4. "When I See that Girl of Mine" – 2:12
  5. "I am Free" (Dave Davies) – 2:32
  6. "Till the End of the Day" – 2:21

Side two

  1. "The World Keeps Going Round" – 2:36
  2. "I'm on an Island" – 2:19
  3. "Where Have All the Good Times Gone" – 2:53
  4. "It's too Late" – 2:37
  5. "What's in Store for Me" – 2:06
  6. "You Can't Win" – 2:42

Personnel

According to band researcher Doug Hinman:[9]

The Kinks

  • Ray Davies – lead vocals, electric and acoustic guitars; harmonica ("Gotta Get the First Plane Home"); piano ("Ring the Bells"); producer ("It's too Late", uncredited)[10]
  • Dave Davies – backing vocals, electric guitar; acoustic guitar ("Ring the Bells"); lead vocals ("I am Free" and "What's in Store for Me"); co-lead vocals ("Milk Cow Blues", "Where Have All the Good Times Gone" and "You Can't Win")
  • Pete Quaife – bass guitar; backing vocals ("I am Free" and "Till the End of the Day")
  • Mick Avory – drums ("Milk Cow Blues", "Ring the Bells"; possibly "The World Keeps Going Round" and "It's too Late"); tambourine ("Till the End of the Day"); maracas ("Gotta Get the First Plane Home"); bell ("I'm on an Island")

Additional musicians and production

  • Clem Cattini – drums (all tracks except "Milk Cow Blues" and "Ring the Bells"; possibly "The World Keeps Going Round" and "It's too Late")
  • Rasa Davies – backing vocals ("Till the End of the Day")
  • Nicky Hopkins – piano (all tracks except "Ring the Bells")
  • Alan MacKenzie – engineer
  • Alan O'Duffy (credited as "Irish") – assistant engineer
  • Shel Talmy – producer; electric guitar ("It's too Late")

References
  1. Hinman 2004, pp. 62, 68, 72.
  2. Matijas-Mecca, Christian (2020). Listen to Psychedelic Rock! Exploring a Musical Genre. Santa Barbara, California: Greenwood Publishing Group. p. 102. ISBN 978-1440861970. the band's last beat album The Kink Kontroversy
  3. Turner 2003, p. 561.
  4. Swanson, Dave (1 December 2015). "How the Kinks Took Big Steps with 'The Kink Kontroversy'". Ultimate Classic Rock.
  5. "Kinks | Artist | Official Charts". officialcharts.com. Retrieved 24 October 2012.
  6. "Billboard – Music Charts, Music News – The Kinks | Billboard". billboard.com. Retrieved 24 October 2012.
  7. Unterberger, Richie. "The Kink Kontroversy – The Kinks : Songs, Reviews, Credits, Awards : AllMusic". AllMusic. Retrieved 24 October 2012.
  8. Larkin, Colin (2007). Encyclopedia of Popular Music (5th ed.). London, England: Omnibus Press. ISBN 978-0857125958.
  9. Hinman 2004, p. 72.
  10. Aldred 1965.

Sources
  • Aldred, Michael (1965). The Kink Kontroversy (Liner notes). The Kinks. Pye Records. NPL 18131.
  • Hinman, Doug (2004). The Kinks: All Day and All of the Night: Day-by-Day Concerts, Recordings and Broadcasts, 1961–1996. San Francisco, California: Backbeat Books. ISBN 978-0-87930-765-3.
  • Turner, Alwyn W. (2003). "The Kinks". In Buckley, Peter (ed.). The Rough Guide to Rock (3rd ed.). London: Rough Guides. pp. 560–561. ISBN 978-1-84353-105-0.
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