The Kinks hit their creative stride with ‘Something Else’

Spencer Patterson

Friday, Aug. 8, 2003 | 8:19 a.m.

To most rock 'n' roll listeners, the Kinks are one of two bands.

Many still think of them as the British Invasion act of the mid-1960s, the one that recorded such timeless hits as "You Really Got Me" and "All Day and All of the Night."

Others remember the Kinks from their 1980s brush with pop success, an era that produced "Come Dancing" and other high-charting singles.

For me, though, the Kinks' most vital musical period is the one sandwiched in the middle, roughly from 1966 through 1974.

Though the band's efforts during this time were generally overlooked by the mainstream -- both here in the U.S. and in their native England -- they remain the most lasting testament to the quartet's underappreciated musical contributions.

"Face to Face," released in 1966, essentially kicked off the developmental stage. But if that album was the Kinks' "Rubber Soul," "Something Else" is the band's "Revolver," officially signaling an end to its days of screaming fans and mop-top hairdos.

The Kinks of "Something Else" are four self-assured men proud of their British heritage, and not afraid to sing about it. Brothers Ray and Dave Davies filled the album with nifty little ditties -- songs with such quaint titles as "Afternoon Tea" and "Lazy Old Sun" -- that make listeners feels as if they've time-warped to a peaceful country home for a quick visit.

The disc contains some of the band's best overall work, including rollicking opening cut "David Watts," the fanciful "Death of a Clown" and the glorious "Waterloo Sunset," one of the finest songs to come out of late-'60s Britain.

Along with upgraded sound, Castle Records' 1998 reissue also contains seven bonus tracks from the same period, which fit in comfortably with the album's placid vibe. Two, "Autumn Almanac" and "There's No Life Without Love," stand out, though there isn't a throwaway in the bunch.

Listen to "Something Else" on a quiet Sunday morning with your coffee and newspaper. If you dig it, check out the two albums that followed, 1968's "(The Kinks Are) The Village Green Preservation Society" and 1969's "Arthur or the Decline and Fall of the British Empire."

Both have also been re-released on Castle Records with bonus tracks and should be available online if local record shops don't have them in stock.

Artist: The Kinks.

Title: "Something Else By the Kinks."

Year of release: 1967 (Reissued in 1998, Castle Records)

Tracklisting: "David Watts," "Death of a Clown," "Two Sisters," "No Return," "Harry Rag," "The Solider Man," "Situation Vacant," "Love Me Till the Sun Shines," "Lazy Old Sun," "Afternoon Tea," "Funny Face," "End of the Season," "Waterloo Sunset." (Bonus Tracks:) "Act Nice and Gentle," "Autumn Almanac," "Susannah's Still Alive," "Wonderboy," "Polly," "Lincoln County," "There's No Life Without Love," "Lazy Old Sun" (alternate take).