The Kinks Are the Village Green Preservation Society

The Kinks Are the Village Green Preservation Society
LP/CD by The Kinks
Released	November 22 1968
Recorded	November 1966- October 1968
Genre	Rock,Pop,British Invasion
Length	38 min 46 s
Record label	Pye (UK), Reprise (US)), Sanctuary (2004 Reissue)
Producers	Ray Davies
Professional reviews
All Music Guide review	5/5	link
The Kinks Chronology
Live at Kelvin Hall (1966)	The Kinks Are the Village Green Preservation Society (1968)	Arthur (Or the Decline and Fall of the British Empire) (1969)

The Kinks are the Village Green Preservation Society is an album released by the British music group The Kinks on November 22, 1968. Songwriter and band leader Ray Davies crafted the concept album as a gentle, nostalgic homage to English hamlet life. The songs were assembled from material recorded over a two year period prior to the album's release, as Davies moved away from producing commercial hit singles into more a personal, uniquely nostalgic style of songwriting. The album's theme and style were very much out of step with the heavy social and psychedelic pop music trends of the day, and the record was indifferently received by the public upon its initial release. However, it soon achieved a cult status as one of the band's best and most loved albums, and its reputation as a pop masterpiece has continued to grow over the years. It is number 255 on the List of Rolling Stone's 500 Greatest Albums of All Time.

A 2004 three-disc reissue package of the album includes a history of the difficult, complex evolution of the record, and a large number of alternate mixes and bonus tracks.

Track listing

1. "The Village Green Preservation Society" (Davies) - 2:45
2. "Do You Remember Walter?" (Davies) - 2:23
3. "Picture Book" (Davies) - 2:34
4. "Johnny Thunder" (Davies) - 2:28
5. "Last of the Steam-Powered Trains" (Davies) - 4:03
6. "Big Sky" (Davies) - 2:49
7. "Sitting by the Riverside" (Davies) - 2:21
8. "Animal Farm" (Davies) - 2:57
9. "Village Green" (Davies) - 2:08
10. "Starstruck" (Davies) - 2:18
11. "Phenomenal Cat" (Davies) - 2:34
12. "All of My Friends Were There" (Davies) - 2:23
13. "Wicked Annabella" (Davies) - 2:40
14. "Monica" (Davies) - 2:13
15. "People Take Pictures of Each Other" (Davies) - 2:10

Additional tracks on early release versions:

1. "Days"
2. "Mr. Songbird"

Personnel

• The Kinks - Arranger
• Dave Davies - Guitar, Keyboards, Vocals
• Ray Davies - Guitar, Composer, Keyboards, Harmonica, Vocals, Producer
• Mick Avory - Drums
• Peter Quaife - Bass, Basckup Vocals
• Nicky Hopkins - Keyboards
• Rasa Davies - Backup Vocals