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The Kink Kontroversy
Rock · 1965 · 10 tracks

The Kink Kontroversy

The Kinks

November 26, 1965 · PRT

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The Kink Kontroversy is the sound of a band outgrowing its own skin.

While the world still expected the Kinks to be the purveyors of loud, simple power-chord anthems, Ray Davies was already looking over his shoulder at a vanishing England.

It is a record that feels both urgent and exhausted, balancing the high-octane energy of their early live shows with a new, cynical brand of songwriting that would soon define their career. The guitars still snarl with a proto-punk bite, but the lyrics have begun to trade teenage lust for adult disillusionment.

Tracklist · 10 Tracks
01
Milk Cow Blues
3:44
02
Ring the Bells
2:19
03
Gotta Get the First Plane Home
1:48
04
When I See That Girl of Mine
2:10
05
I Am Free
2:29
07
The World Keeps Going Round
2:35
08
I’m on an Island
2:16
10
It’s Too Late
2:32
11
What’s in Store for Me
2:04
12
You Can’t Win
2:40
Moments Worth Listening For
The weary, descending guitar riff of Where Have All the Good Times Gone that signals a shift from youth to reflection.
The explosive, distorted opening chord of Till the End of the Day that recaptures their early garage rock fury.
The frantic, almost desperate vocal delivery during the climax of their cover of Milk Cow Blues.
The sparse, jangly isolation of I'm on an Island which introduces Ray Davies' recurring theme of social withdrawal.
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This album stays in step with the catalogue across the board — no axis departs enough to be worth its own note. Hover the dots to see where each one sits.

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