Something Else By The Kinks [Import]

I absolutely love this album, and I'm not the biggest Kinks fan in the world. The tracks fit together beautifully, lending a satisfying flow to the whole and the lyrics are consistently superb all the way through. "David Watts" is a charmingly comic piece, up-beat and catchy: 60s pop at its best (it was later covered by Blur). The toe-tapping frippery of "Two Sisters" belies a deeper, more disturbing side to this tale of sibling rivalry. "Harry Rag" also has a darker edge, but this time formulated as a cockney sing-along. "Situations Vacant" is one of those tracks that once you've got it in your head just won't go away. For me the highlight is "Lazy Old Sun": an utterly original piece of psychedelic that could challenge the likes of Syd's Floyd. "End of the Season" rounds off the official album just right, with its drifty, nostalgic yearning for days-gone-by, complete with bird-song sound effects. The bonus tracks fit well with the album proper, being of equally high quality and containing the smash-hit singles "Waterloo Sunset" and "Autumn Almanac", as well as the lesser known but nonetheless excellent "Wonderboy".

In his work on sixties music culture, 'Revolution in the Head', Ian McDonald pinpoints the pinnacle of pop as somewhere between 1966-7. Even a cursory look at the album charts around this time will corroborate this. 'Sgt. Pepper' aside, at the top of the list for all those seeking to build the definitive mid-sixties music collection must be this - the Kinks' best album by far. Don't be discouraged by the throwaway title - what lies herein represents the zenith of the Ray Davies output.
Having cast asunder the power pop that defined the early Kinks sound for more considered lyricism, the Kinks left their mark on 1966 with the album Face to Face. Something Else, released in 1967, builds upon its predecessor's championing of the narrative song - songs that offer more than the singer's frustation at not being able to 'be with you all of the time'. Like the denigration of the taxman in 'Sunny Afternoon' on Face to Face, on Something Else the listener is witness to the sardonic envy of David Watts, perfect at everything.
In this way, along with songs like 'Harry Rag' and 'Tin Soldier Man', Ray Davies displays his skill at the creation of caricatures in his songs, a form borrowed by Blur ('Charmless Man', 'Tracey Jacks'), Oasis (She's Electric)and countless other bands.
Even Ray's brother, Dave, is on form here, with the fragile dirge, 'Death of a Clown'. Indeed, it was the creative tension between the two brothers that led Ray to vent his feelings regarding sibling rivalry on the incredible 'Two Sisters'. Another gem on the album is 'Situation Vacant' a tale of a put-upon son-in-law seeking employment, that underlines how what can initially look like mundane subject matter can in fact allow writers to explore universal themes, such as duty, familial ties, and sense of worth.
Ultimately however, albums are rarely bought for any other reason aside from the quality of the songs. Each song on this album is a demonstration of wonderfully-crafted pop. As a consequence, this represents the best example of a Kinks album that works as a whole: more thoughtful than previous efforts, and more consistent than later albums like Village Green.
As an added bonus to the buyer, there is the inclusion of contemporaneous singles - Waterloo Sunset (the best song about London ever, fact), Wonderboy, and the sublime Autumn Almanac - a testament to custom and belonging: "this is my street, and I never want to leave it..." My local town Blackpool even gets a mention. A reference Damon Albarn would also use in 'This is a Low'. Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery.

While not quite approaching the greatness some of their contempories were achieving at the time, 'Something Else' found the Kinks really honing their craft to produce their most accomplished album up to this point in time. The songwriting and production was a great deal more focused than their previous efforts and if at times the songs lack the raw energy of previous albums, the sheer consistency found on 'Something Else' more than made up for it.
Ray Davies was now exclusively writing from an english perspective and many of the songs were now bathed in the mellow sounds typical of the Kinks late sixties output. Ray's sometimes quirky observations were now in full bloom with of a number of character songs eg. 'David Watt's', 'Two Sisters' (which is thought to relate to his relationship with brother Dave), songs related to the weather and the seasons, 'Lazy Old Sun', 'End Of The Season', and more general observations, 'Tin Soldier Man' and 'Afternoon Tea'. There are also a number of songs featuring Dave Davies on vocals including his hit 'Death Of A Clown' which generally adds a little muscle to proceedings. Of course the wonderful ' Waterloo Sunset' can't go without a mention.
There are also a few very inspiring extras including the singles 'Autumn Almanac', 'Suzannah's Still Alive' and 'Wonderboy' which are great enough to enhance any collection.

With 'Something Else' the Kinks were definitely approaching their peak although i don't think they quite reached it until their next couple of album releases.

'Something Else' is certain an essential purchase for any Kinks fan.