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The first disc of the two-CD The Ultimate Collection begins with their third single and first No. 1, the insistent "You Really Got Me", then races through the glory years with the absurdly infectious likes of "Sunny Afternoon", "Waterloo Sunset", "Lola" and "Apeman". Dave's two hits are included, too, and the disc ends with "Come Dancing" and other selections from The Kinks' early-80s comeback. Disc Two includes songs that were hits for others ("David Watts" and "Stop Your Sobbing"), various B-sides and other rarities, including "God's Children", from the soundtrack of Percy, a movie about a fellow seeking the original owner of his recently transplanted penis. The Ultimate Collection is an excellent addition to the Kinks's cannon. --Dominic Wills
Customer Reviews
The second cd collects album tracks, b-sides and non-hit singles and shows another dimension to the band. Listen to the sheer genius of 'Celluloid Heroes' and ask yourself why it flopped.
'Where Have All The Good Times Gone' (b side of 'Till The End Of The Day') will be better known to many through Bowie's cover version, and 'Stop You Sobbing' will be more familiar by the Pretenders - the originals here are excellent. 'I'm Not Like Everybody Else' (another b side) is almost a personal manifesto.
I could go on forever, there is so much here and all so good.
One quibble - why no 'Sitting In My Hotel'? One of the greatest of the band's album tracks. Grumble over.
The material on this album belongs in every good cd collection. I promise it will not disappoint.
Being presented in chronological order, this CD shows their progression from their musical roots in R+B to more of a mainstream pop group and continually changing their style thereafter. Nevertheless, their songs were always distinctive because of Ray's talent for making ordinary situations into extraordinary songs. My favorite Kinks song is Waterloo sunset, a huge UK hit but not an American hit. It is about romance at a railway station that I am familiar with, though I cannot possibly imagine what inspired Ray to write that song, but he was a genius.
The second CD is less instantly appealing, containing a mix of B-sides and rarities as well as songs that were hits for others although not for the Kinks, including David Watts (a minor UK hit for punk-rockers The Jam) and Stop your sobbing (a minor UK hit for the Pretenders). If you enjoy listening to more than just the hits, you will find plenty to interest you here.
The best tribute to the quality of the Kinks' songs lies in the diversity of the covers that have been recorded by singers in several genres of music. Apart from the aforementioned tracks by the Jam and the Pretenders, Kirsty MacColl (Days), the Stranglers (All day and all of the night), Petula Clark (Days - and a French version of Well respected man), Cathy Dennis (Waterloo sunset, Sunny afternoon), Green day (Tired of waiting for you), Jimmy Buffett (Sunny afternoon), Van Halen (You really got me) and Barb Jungr (Waterloo sunset) are among those who have covered Kinks songs.
Despite the brilliance of some of the covers, here you get the chance to hear the original versions of their classic songs, plus a selection of their other music.
The Ultimate Collection contains all the band's hits plus key B-sides and album tracks from their 60s heyday right through to the early 80s. This ranges from absolute classics such as Sunny Afternoon, Waterloo Sunset and Days through to under-rated gems such as the epic Shangri-La and touching God's Children which on their own justify this compilation being two CDs rather than a hits-only single disc.
There are a few stinkers, most notably the appalling Apeman and Plastic Man, though virtually all of the other material here is worthwhile with even the latter tracks sounding OK if rather dated with their 80s gloss.
With a good accompanying essay by David Wells, the Ultimate Collection by The Kinks pretty much is what it says on the tin. An excellent compilation by one of the key 60s bands and best acts ever. Buy it - but make sure you buy the Village Green Preservation Society as well...
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