The Kinks Are The Village Green Preservation Society

Introduction To The Village Green

The Kinks Are The Village Green Preservation Society is probably the archetypal “English” album. There are others but this is the one that takes you into middle England probably more than any other album that you will hear.

All the songs are Ray Davies compositions and all of them stick with you from the first listen, and take you to a place that may be in the past, but almost magical, and makes you feel that you don’t want to leave.

I will choose a few of my favourites from the album, although I have the three=CD edition with lots of alternative takes, radio sessions and extra songs. Some are unfinished demos that are interesting but maybe not essential.

The Village Green Preservation Society

This song opens the album beautifully and sets the scene and mood for the album. I was tempted to include the lyrics but that would just flood this piece as all the words are essential to the song.

Do You Remember Walter?

This is very English with lots of observations but it sort of grates a little on me for some reason, I think coming straight after the wonderful opener doesn’t help it.A song of lost friends.

“People Never Change, but memories of people can remain”.

Picture Book

Ironic that the sentiments in this song are probably truer today than when it was released. This is about taking pictures of people, although now it’s more selfies, though I have nearly ten thousand pictures on Instagram.

Johnny Thunder

Is just a beautiful interlude, I think about a tramp or homeless person, but again you can sing along to this. Although it does refer to LA so may be slightly out of kilter with the album, the music is right there, Remember these are all my impressions so my interpretations may be off target from what Ray Davies was trying to communicate.

The Last Of The Steam-Powered Trains

With a Howlin’ Wolf “Smokestack Lightnin’” riff this lopes along like a real steam train or “Puffer Train” as Ray opens with before speeding up on the middle eight, that back to the main riff.

Big Sky

It is a talked song with a morse code guitar motif before hitting a tune with the actual chorus.

Sitting By The Riverside

A more relaxed piece and this is a very English Summer song but has some disturbing noises encroaching towards the final.

Animal Farm

This is a wonderful tune which=h grabs your heart completely, everything about this, verse, chorus and middle eight are perfect.

Village Green

This is a bit more staid than the opening song but still conveys the mood very well.

Starstruck

A warning of the lure of the big city lights.

Phenomenal Cat

This is an absolute beauty, a lovely cat song that has inspired a poem which which you can read below. And again a very English feel, making me think of Lewis Carroll’s “Cheshire Cat” in “Alice In Wonderland”

All Of My Friends Were There

A Musical Hall Ooompah Intro before the song slows into a descending chord sequence taking us toward the end of the album. Lots of alcohol in a very English accent. I think this was the end of the original album, but my version has these two before the alternate takes.

Wicked Annabella

This is a song about someone seen as an evil witch, with very scratchy rhythms.

Monica

This is a lovely finale after the previous song, quite beautiful.

Conclusion on The Kinks Are The Village Green Preservation Society

This album is regarded as a classic, quite rightly so. Today I have listened to the whole of the extended edition and not skipped a single song.

It should be in everyone’s collection.