THE KINKS The Journey – Part 3 2xLP( BMG)
The Journey is a themed overview of The Kinks that began with Part 1 in 2023, celebrating the British Invasion progenitors’ 60th anniversary and spanning the years 1964-1975. That set began with the groundbreaking rock and roll single“ You Really Got Me” and ran through material including“ The Hard Way” from Schoolboys in Disgrace. Part 2 gathered songs from an overlapping era and followed a redemptive theatrical arc for a character dubbed“ the journeyman.” Part 3 is a catch-all collection that carries listeners through the Kinks’ comeback for Arista Records as a hit-making force on US radio, beginning with 1977’ s Sleepwalker and continuing through 1984’ s Word of Mouth. Songwriter Ray Davies describes his bleary-eyed, somnambulist lifestyle after moving to New York City in the title track of Sleepwalker, at one point imagining himself as a vampire. 1978’ s Misfits offered its tender and inclusive title track as well as“ A Rock‘ n’ Roll Fantasy,” describing a hapless character who lives only for his favorite band. 1979’ s Low Budget reflected Davies’ views on hard times in the States as documented on singles including“ Catch Me Now I’ m Falling.”“ I bailed you out when you were down on your knees,” sings Davies as a symbolic Captain America sending an unanswered call for help. The bluesy grit of“ Low Budget” is a recession-ready portrait of a more transatlantic character who’ s down and out and doing his best to get by. Guitarist Dave Davies uncorks his most wicked, twanging riffs and adds bristling harmony to his brother’ s chorus vocal. The chugging disco stomper“( Wish I Could Fly Like) Superman” began as a demand for a club-friendly track but is elevated by Mick Avory’ s resolute beat and Dave Davies’ edgy guitar. Ray Davies ' lyrics describe an everyman overwhelmed by his responsibilities and the social problems of the day. 1981’ s Give the People What
They Want offers hopeful wishes in the wake of a broken relationship in the uplifting“ Better Things.” The paranoid and raging“ Destroyer” borrows the riff from early Kinks single“ All Day and All of the Night” and revisits the character from“ Lola.” State of Confusion saw the Kinks return to the Top 10 in the US in 1983 with the breezy and nostalgic“ Come Dancing.” The song captures memories of the Davies brothers ' late older sister Rene, who died while dancing on the same day she had given 13-year-old Ray his first guitar. The Arista run concludes with 1984’ s Word of Mouth and the Kinks’ last pair of radio mainstays.“ Do it Again” is a hard rock anthem for anyone grinding through a grueling routine on the job. Dave Davies’ evocative“ Living on a Thin Line” picks up common Kinks threads while musing on good days gone by and abuses suffered by everyday people at the hands of tyrannical leaders. Although the set’ s song selections lean on the period’ s brightest highlights, it’ s surprising that the otherwise worthy“ Around the Dial” from Give the People What They Want makes the cut and“ Juke Box Music” from Sleepwalker does not. Wistful ballad“ Don’ t Forget to Dance” from State of Confusion, the Kinks’ final Billboard Top 40 hit, is also absent. Unlike the prior two installments, the second platter of Part 3 contains 16 songs drawn from a live show. The material was captured in 1993 at the Royal Albert Hall, where the band first played in 1964 in the wake of“ You Really Got Me.”“ This is the song that’ s responsible for making us come here tonight,” says Ray Davies when introducing the feral rocker. The concert testifies to the Kinks’ influence on the era’ s leading Britpop acts, including Pulp and Blur. Standards including“ You Really Got Me,”“ Sunny Afternoon,” and“ Dedicated Follower of Fashion” are in the mix, but some later selections appear that help complete the Kinks’ arc. Think Visual and UK Jive are ignored, but the refreshing“ Only a Dream,” jangling and rootsy“ Scattered,” harmony-laden“ The Informer,” and
14 illinoisentertainer. com october 2025