Legacy Edition of RCA Debut Album on 180g Double LP!
Bonus LP Includes Demos, Alternates, 1972 BBC Peel Sessions, and More!
Anchored by lead singer/songwriter/guitarist Ray Davies and his brother, lead guitarist/vocalist Dave Davies, The Kinks became one of the highest-regarded English rock bands thanks to immortal singles like "You Really Got Me," "All Day and All of The Night," and "Lola."
Ray Davies' evocative lyrical gifts and the band's simple, relentless musical style influenced countless bands throughout the 1960s and '70s, particularly in the nascent genre of heavy metal.
Released in 1971, Muswell Hillbillies, their first album for the RCA label, was a vivid portrait of working class life in the band's North London home; Rolling Stone called it Ray Davies' "signature statement" as a songwriter. Sonically, Muswell Hillbillies was a marked departure from the band's rough-and-tumble approach of the '60s, taking influence from turn-of-the-century British music hall and country styles, with expanded arrangements thanks to the brass section The Mike Cotton Sound. (The Kinks would explore more diverse styles as the 1970s wore on, experimenting with concept albums and theatrical staging.)
While Muswell Hillbillies did not enjoy the same commercial success of its predecessors, it remains one of the most acclaimed studio albums in the band's 50-year history.
"Throughout it all, Davies' songwriting is at a peak, as are the Kinks themselves. There are a lot of subtle shifts in mood and genre on the album, and the band pulls it off effortlessly and joyously -- but it's hard not to hear Dave Davies' backing vocals and have it not sound joyous. Regardless of its commercial fate, Muswell Hillbillies stands as one of the Kinks' best albums." -Stephen Thomas Erlewine, allmusic.com
Features:
180g Vinyl
Double LP
Bonus LP includes demos, alternates, 1972 BBC Peel Sessions, and more
Gatefold Jacket
Selections:
LP 1 - Side 1:
1. 20th Century Man
2. Acute Schizophrenia Paranoia Blues
3. Holiday
4. Skin and Bone
5. Alcohol
6. Complicated Life
LP 1 - Side 2:
7. Here Come the People In Gray
8. Have A Cuppa Tea
9. Holloway Jail
10. Oklahoma U.S.A.
11. Uncle Son
12. Muswell Hillbilly
LP 2 - Side 3:
1. Lavender Lane
2. Mountain Woman
3. Have A Cuppa Tea (alternate version)
4. Uncle Son (alternate version)
5. Kentucky Moon
6. Nobody's Fool (demo)
LP 2 - Side 4:
7. Acute Schizophrenia Paranoia Blues (BBC Peel Session)
8. Holiday (BBC Peel Session)
9. Skin and Bone (BBC Peel Session)
10. 20th Century Man (alternate instrumental take)
11. Queenie (backing track)
12. Muswell Hillbillies radio spot
Bonus LP Includes Demos, Alternates, 1972 BBC Peel Sessions, and More!
Anchored by lead singer/songwriter/guitarist Ray Davies and his brother, lead guitarist/vocalist Dave Davies, The Kinks became one of the highest-regarded English rock bands thanks to immortal singles like "You Really Got Me," "All Day and All of The Night," and "Lola."
Ray Davies' evocative lyrical gifts and the band's simple, relentless musical style influenced countless bands throughout the 1960s and '70s, particularly in the nascent genre of heavy metal.
Released in 1971, Muswell Hillbillies, their first album for the RCA label, was a vivid portrait of working class life in the band's North London home; Rolling Stone called it Ray Davies' "signature statement" as a songwriter. Sonically, Muswell Hillbillies was a marked departure from the band's rough-and-tumble approach of the '60s, taking influence from turn-of-the-century British music hall and country styles, with expanded arrangements thanks to the brass section The Mike Cotton Sound. (The Kinks would explore more diverse styles as the 1970s wore on, experimenting with concept albums and theatrical staging.)
While Muswell Hillbillies did not enjoy the same commercial success of its predecessors, it remains one of the most acclaimed studio albums in the band's 50-year history.
"Throughout it all, Davies' songwriting is at a peak, as are the Kinks themselves. There are a lot of subtle shifts in mood and genre on the album, and the band pulls it off effortlessly and joyously -- but it's hard not to hear Dave Davies' backing vocals and have it not sound joyous. Regardless of its commercial fate, Muswell Hillbillies stands as one of the Kinks' best albums." -Stephen Thomas Erlewine, allmusic.com
Features:
180g Vinyl
Double LP
Bonus LP includes demos, alternates, 1972 BBC Peel Sessions, and more
Gatefold Jacket
Selections:
LP 1 - Side 1:
1. 20th Century Man
2. Acute Schizophrenia Paranoia Blues
3. Holiday
4. Skin and Bone
5. Alcohol
6. Complicated Life
LP 1 - Side 2:
7. Here Come the People In Gray
8. Have A Cuppa Tea
9. Holloway Jail
10. Oklahoma U.S.A.
11. Uncle Son
12. Muswell Hillbilly
LP 2 - Side 3:
1. Lavender Lane
2. Mountain Woman
3. Have A Cuppa Tea (alternate version)
4. Uncle Son (alternate version)
5. Kentucky Moon
6. Nobody's Fool (demo)
LP 2 - Side 4:
7. Acute Schizophrenia Paranoia Blues (BBC Peel Session)
8. Holiday (BBC Peel Session)
9. Skin and Bone (BBC Peel Session)
10. 20th Century Man (alternate instrumental take)
11. Queenie (backing track)
12. Muswell Hillbillies radio spot
