The Kinks Are the Village Green Preservation Society
Encyclopedia
The Kinks Are the Village Green Preservation Society is the sixth studio album
by the English rock
group The Kinks
, released in November 1968. It was the last album by the original quartet, as bassist Pete Quaife
left the group in early 1969. A collection of thematic vignettes of English town and hamlet life, The Kinks Are the Village Green Preservation Society was assembled from songs written and recorded over the previous two years. Allmusic senior editor Stephen Thomas Erlewine
described Village Green as a "concept album
lamenting the passing of old-fashioned English traditions."
Although the record is widely considered one of the most influential and important works by The Kinks, it failed to chart upon release, and only sold about 100,000 copies. In 2003, the album was ranked number 255 on Rolling Stone
magazine's list of the 500 greatest albums of all time
.
. Inspired by a trip taken by lead vocalist and songwriter Ray Davies to rural Devon
, the song served as a catalyst for The Kinks Are the Village Green Preservation Society, and Davies began collecting ideas for a thematic album revolving around the village green concept. The band's interest in the project began to grow in mid 1967. In a June interview promoting his new single, "Death of a Clown
", lead guitarist Dave Davies
announced that a Ray Davies solo LP was scheduled for release in September. In his book All Day and All of the Night, Doug Hinman interpreted that the solo LP "probably refers to Ray's plans for a collection of songs with a London theme, a la 'Waterloo Sunset
', an idea that seems to appear and disappear quickly, or his Village Green concept, the one that seems to take hold." The Kinks spent the remainder of the year focusing on completing Something Else. After the LP's completion, the group went on a short hiatus, before beginning work on Village Green.
In early August, the band focused on completing the LP, tentatively titled "Village Green". The last track was completed on 12 August, "Village Green Preservation Society", and tapes were delivered to Pye. A release date was scheduled for 27 September. Ray Davies, however, was frustrated with how the record had turned out, and asked the label to postpone the album's release to rework and add new material to it. This decision came so late that Pye had already shipped tapes to some for its foreign subsidiaries, and the twelve-track incarnation of the record was released in France, Italy, Sweden, Norway, and New Zealand—these copies have since become extremely rare and collectible. Ray Davies began negotiating with Pye to expand Village Green into a double album, but Pye refused. A compromise was eventually reached—Davies was allowed to resequence a fifteen-track edition of the album within a single disc. Davies agreed to this, and the band returned to the studio to lay down two more tracks: "Big Sky" and "Last of The Steam Powered Trains". Andy Miller commented on these changes in his book about the album:
By October, mixing was complete for the expanded 15-track album, renamed The Kinks Are the Village Green Preservation Society. After several other re-arrangements, Davies was finally pleased with the outcome, and delivered the master tapes to Pye. The album was released on 22 November (the same day The Beatles
released their White Album).
crafted the concept album
as an homage to English hamlet
and country life and culture.
The album theme was inspired by the November 1966 track "Village Green", which was inspired by the Kinks' performances in rustic Devon, England in late 1966. (Davies has also stated that Dylan Thomas
's Under Milk Wood
was an indirect inspiration for the concept). This song neatly sums up the album's broad theme: "I miss the village green
, and all the simple people..." In addition to nostalgia, the album's songs touch on a wide range of emotions and experiences, from lost friends ("Do You Remember Walter?"), memories ("People Take Pictures of Each Other", "Picture Book"), technological obsolescence ("Last of the Steam-Powered Trains"), bucolic escape ("Animal Farm"), social marginalization ("Johnny Thunder", "Wicked Annabella
"), public embarrassment ("All of My Friends Were There"), childlike fantasy ("Phenomenal Cat"), straying from home ("Starstruck") and stoical acceptance of life ("Big Sky", "Sitting By the Riverside"). Davies did not compose many of the songs to fit the predetermined theme of the album, rather their commonality developed naturally from his nostalgic songwriting interests at the time. The title track, one of the last written and recorded (in August 1968), effectively unifies the songs through an appeal to preserve a litany of sentimental objects, experiences, and fictional characters from progress and modern indifference: "God save little shops, china cups, and virginity". This last lyric inspired the slogan, "God save the Kinks" which was used in the US promotion for the album, and was associated with the band through the 1970s.
Session keyboardist Nicky Hopkins
contributed significantly to the album. With the exception of true orchestral backing on the early "Village Green" track, the string and woodwind backings on such tracks as "Animal Farm", "Days", "Starstruck" and "Phenomenal Cat" were simulated by the Mellotron
, played by both Hopkins and Ray Davies.
a newly-hired Robert Christgau
called it "the best album of the year so far", and Circus magazine ran an article under the heading "Kinks—Unhip But Original", which stated: "The Kinks are backdated, cut off from the mainstream of pop progression. Just the same they're originals and now have a fine new album out". In Boston's underground paper Fusion, a review was released stating "The Kinks continue, despite the odds, the bad press and their demonstrated lot, to come across... Their persistence is dignified, their virtues are stoic. The Kinks are forever, only for now in modern dress". Paul Williams in Rolling Stone wrote a review that heaped praise on Village Green, saying "I've played [Village Green] twice since it arrived here this afternoon, and already the songs are slipping into my mind, each new hearing is a combined joy of renewal and discovery. Such a joy, to make new friends! And each and every song Ray Davies has written is a different friend to me." The record was not without criticism, however. In the student paper California Tech, one writer commented that it was "schmaltz rock", and that it is "without imagination, poorly arranged, and a poor copy of the Beatles
".
The LP went virtually unnoticed in the UK, receiving only a single review in Disc. The nameless reviewer commented that "[Davies has managed to bypass] everything psychedelic
and electronic ... The Kinks may not be on the crest of the pop wave at these days, but Ray Davies will remain one of our finest composers for many years."
.
in 1972–1974. In his autobiography X-Ray
, Davies would refer to the three albums as his "Preservation trilogy," confirming that Preservation is directly related to Village Green Preservation Society.
On 19 June 2011 Ray Davies performed the album live in its entirety for the first time. The concert was at the Royal Festival Hall
in London and was part of the Meltdown
festival. He was accompanied by the London Philharmonic Orchestra
and the Crouch End Festival Chorus
.
This 12-song version was Ray's initial intended release for the European market. It was released in France, Sweden and Norway in October 1968; it was also released in New Zealand (December 1968) and Italy (January 1969). Ray and Pye had it withdrawn before it was manufactured for UK release and the re-sequenced 15-song version was released there (22 November 1968) and in the United States (January 1969). Apart from sequencing, this early version differs by the absence of "Last of the Steam-Powered Trains", "Big Sky", "Sitting by the Riverside", "Animal Farm" and "All of My Friends Were There", and the inclusion of "Mr. Songbird" and "Days" (the latter a #12 UK hit single released in June 1968). The stereo mixes of "Do You Remember Walter" and "People Take Pictures Of Each Other" were slightly different from the mono mixes.
When originally sent to Reprise, the album was also to include the following tracks:
These songs, however, were pulled from the album before the final master was compiled.
U.S. record label Reprise had intended to release many of album's tracks on a separate Kinks album titled Four More Respected Gentlemen
sometime in mid-1968 to fulfil a contractual album obligation. This was in the final stages of pre-production when Reprise dropped all plans to issue it, based on the strength of the forthcoming Village Green album.
"Starstruck" was released as a single in Europe and the United States, and charted in The Netherlands, peaking at #13. This is the only appearance of any track from the album on the hit parade in any country. A promotional film shot was shot for "Starstruck" in late 1968 for the overseas promotion of the single, and has since been re-used in various Kinks bios. The only other surviving contemporary footage of the band performing Village Green songs is their January 1969 spot on the TV music programme "Once More with Felix", on which they were seen performing "Last Of the Steam-Powered Trains" and "Picture Book" in colour. This clip, long believed lost, came to light in 2007.
The photography used for the album art was shot in August 1968 on Parliament Hill, a part of Hampstead Heath
, North London.
Out of print on vinyl for years (it has been consistently available on US Reprise CD since 1990), today the album is reported to be the best-selling non-compilation album in the Kinks' catalogue. Ray Davies has recently referred to it as the "most successful flop of all time".
"Picture Book", not one of the singles from the album, became popular after it was used in a 2004 television commercial for Hewlett-Packard
digital imaging products.
Studio album
A studio album is an album made up of tracks recorded in the controlled environment of a recording studio. A studio album contains newly written and recorded or previously unreleased or remixed material, distinguishing itself from a compilation or reissue album of previously recorded material, or...
by the English rock
Rock music
Rock music is a genre of popular music that developed during and after the 1960s, particularly in the United Kingdom and the United States. It has its roots in 1940s and 1950s rock and roll, itself heavily influenced by rhythm and blues and country music...
group The Kinks
The Kinks
The Kinks were an English rock band formed in Muswell Hill, North London, by brothers Ray and Dave Davies in 1964. Categorised in the United States as a British Invasion band, The Kinks are recognised as one of the most important and influential rock acts of the era. Their music was influenced by a...
, released in November 1968. It was the last album by the original quartet, as bassist Pete Quaife
Pete Quaife
Peter Alexander Greenlaw "Pete" Quaife was an English musician, artist and author. He was a founding member and the original bass guitarist for The Kinks, from 1963 until 1969....
left the group in early 1969. A collection of thematic vignettes of English town and hamlet life, The Kinks Are the Village Green Preservation Society was assembled from songs written and recorded over the previous two years. Allmusic senior editor Stephen Thomas Erlewine
Stephen Thomas Erlewine
Stephen Thomas Erlewine is a senior editor for Allmusic. He is the author of many artist biographies and record reviews for Allmusic, as well as a freelance writer, occasionally contributing liner notes. He is also frontman and guitarist for the Ann Arbor-based band Who Dat?Erlewine is the nephew...
described Village Green as a "concept album
Concept album
In music, a concept album is an album that is "unified by a theme, which can be instrumental, compositional, narrative, or lyrical." Commonly, concept albums tend to incorporate preconceived musical or lyrical ideas rather than being improvised or composed in the studio, with all songs contributing...
lamenting the passing of old-fashioned English traditions."
Although the record is widely considered one of the most influential and important works by The Kinks, it failed to chart upon release, and only sold about 100,000 copies. In 2003, the album was ranked number 255 on Rolling Stone
Rolling Stone
Rolling Stone is a US-based magazine devoted to music, liberal politics, and popular culture that is published every two weeks. Rolling Stone was founded in San Francisco in 1967 by Jann Wenner and music critic Ralph J...
magazine's list of the 500 greatest albums of all time
The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time
"The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time" is the title of a 2003 special issue of American magazine Rolling Stone, and a related book published in 2005.Related news articles:...
.
Background
The first activity towards the Village Green LP was the recording of the song "Village Green" during the sessions for the Kinks' 1967 LP Something ElseSomething Else by the Kinks
Something Else by The Kinks, often referred to as just Something Else, is the fifth UK studio album by English rock group The Kinks, released in September 1967. The album marks the final involvement of American producer Shel Talmy in The Kinks' 1960s studio recordings; henceforth Ray Davies would...
. Inspired by a trip taken by lead vocalist and songwriter Ray Davies to rural Devon
Devon
Devon is a large county in southwestern England. The county is sometimes referred to as Devonshire, although the term is rarely used inside the county itself as the county has never been officially "shired", it often indicates a traditional or historical context.The county shares borders with...
, the song served as a catalyst for The Kinks Are the Village Green Preservation Society, and Davies began collecting ideas for a thematic album revolving around the village green concept. The band's interest in the project began to grow in mid 1967. In a June interview promoting his new single, "Death of a Clown
Death of a Clown
"Death of a Clown" is a song by Dave Davies, member of British rock group The Kinks, released as his debut solo single in 1967. The song is co-written with his brother Ray Davies. Ray Davies' first wife, Rasa, sings the supporting female vocal during the song's chorus...
", lead guitarist Dave Davies
Dave Davies
David Russell Gordon "Dave" Davies is an English rock musician best known for his role as lead guitarist and vocalist for the English rock band The Kinks....
announced that a Ray Davies solo LP was scheduled for release in September. In his book All Day and All of the Night, Doug Hinman interpreted that the solo LP "probably refers to Ray's plans for a collection of songs with a London theme, a la 'Waterloo Sunset
Waterloo Sunset
Waterloo Sunset is a song by British rock band The Kinks. It was released as a single in 1967, and featured on their album Something Else by The Kinks...
', an idea that seems to appear and disappear quickly, or his Village Green concept, the one that seems to take hold." The Kinks spent the remainder of the year focusing on completing Something Else. After the LP's completion, the group went on a short hiatus, before beginning work on Village Green.
Recording
The sessions for Village Green were born out of a rough period for the group. In early 1968, a combination of legal and family issues slowed Ray Davies' songwriting output, and the song "Wonderboy", released in April, was a chart failure, becoming the first Kinks single to not enter the NME Top 30. Davies, determined to restore the Kinks' dwindling success, pulled the group together to begin sessions for Village Green in May. The first songs recorded included "Misty Water" (an outtake), "Picture Book", and "Days", intended for the group's next single release. After laying down rough versions of the tracks, the group departed for a short tour of the Netherlands on 18 and 19 May. After returning, the group headed straight for the studio to continue work on "Days". On 27 May a new song was recorded, "Pictures In The Sand", and "Days" was revised. The final version of the song was released on 24 July, backed with an outtake from 1966, "She's Got Everything", used due to a lack of new recorded material. The single proved successful, and quickly climbed to number 14 on NME. Shortly after its release, Dave Davies revealed the title and subject matter of the upcoming LP, stating that it will be called Village Green, and will revolve around a town and its people. He added that it was "the best thing we've ever done."In early August, the band focused on completing the LP, tentatively titled "Village Green". The last track was completed on 12 August, "Village Green Preservation Society", and tapes were delivered to Pye. A release date was scheduled for 27 September. Ray Davies, however, was frustrated with how the record had turned out, and asked the label to postpone the album's release to rework and add new material to it. This decision came so late that Pye had already shipped tapes to some for its foreign subsidiaries, and the twelve-track incarnation of the record was released in France, Italy, Sweden, Norway, and New Zealand—these copies have since become extremely rare and collectible. Ray Davies began negotiating with Pye to expand Village Green into a double album, but Pye refused. A compromise was eventually reached—Davies was allowed to resequence a fifteen-track edition of the album within a single disc. Davies agreed to this, and the band returned to the studio to lay down two more tracks: "Big Sky" and "Last of The Steam Powered Trains". Andy Miller commented on these changes in his book about the album:
"Davies was a perfectionist, and by this stage his perfectionism was verging on the neurotic, indulged by a management and record company who hoped The Kinks' main man would soon recapture his hit making form. In a sense, he was also reluctant to finish the project, describing it as "a pet dream". The album was already highly personal; now it represented ... a decisive break in 'the hit machine'."
By October, mixing was complete for the expanded 15-track album, renamed The Kinks Are the Village Green Preservation Society. After several other re-arrangements, Davies was finally pleased with the outcome, and delivered the master tapes to Pye. The album was released on 22 November (the same day The Beatles
The Beatles
The Beatles were an English rock band, active throughout the 1960s and one of the most commercially successful and critically acclaimed acts in the history of popular music. Formed in Liverpool, by 1962 the group consisted of John Lennon , Paul McCartney , George Harrison and Ringo Starr...
released their White Album).
Themes
Ray DaviesRay Davies
Ray Davies, CBE is an English rock musician. He is best known as lead singer and songwriter for the Kinks, which he led with his younger brother, Dave...
crafted the concept album
Concept album
In music, a concept album is an album that is "unified by a theme, which can be instrumental, compositional, narrative, or lyrical." Commonly, concept albums tend to incorporate preconceived musical or lyrical ideas rather than being improvised or composed in the studio, with all songs contributing...
as an homage to English hamlet
Hamlet (place)
A hamlet is usually a rural settlement which is too small to be considered a village, though sometimes the word is used for a different sort of community. Historically, when a hamlet became large enough to justify building a church, it was then classified as a village...
and country life and culture.
Dylan Thomas
Dylan Marlais Thomas was a Welsh poet and writer, Encyclopædia Britannica. Retrieved 11 January 2008. who wrote exclusively in English. In addition to poetry, he wrote short stories and scripts for film and radio, which he often performed himself...
's Under Milk Wood
Under Milk Wood
Under Milk Wood is a 1954 radio drama by Welsh poet Dylan Thomas, adapted later as a stage play. A movie version, Under Milk Wood directed by Andrew Sinclair, was released during 1972....
was an indirect inspiration for the concept). This song neatly sums up the album's broad theme: "I miss the village green
Village green
A village green is a common open area which is a part of a settlement. Traditionally, such an area was often common grass land at the centre of a small agricultural settlement, used for grazing and sometimes for community events...
, and all the simple people..." In addition to nostalgia, the album's songs touch on a wide range of emotions and experiences, from lost friends ("Do You Remember Walter?"), memories ("People Take Pictures of Each Other", "Picture Book"), technological obsolescence ("Last of the Steam-Powered Trains"), bucolic escape ("Animal Farm"), social marginalization ("Johnny Thunder", "Wicked Annabella
Wicked Annabella
"Wicked Annabella" is a song by English rock band The Kinks, appearing on their 1968 album The Kinks Are the Village Green Preservation Society....
"), public embarrassment ("All of My Friends Were There"), childlike fantasy ("Phenomenal Cat"), straying from home ("Starstruck") and stoical acceptance of life ("Big Sky", "Sitting By the Riverside"). Davies did not compose many of the songs to fit the predetermined theme of the album, rather their commonality developed naturally from his nostalgic songwriting interests at the time. The title track, one of the last written and recorded (in August 1968), effectively unifies the songs through an appeal to preserve a litany of sentimental objects, experiences, and fictional characters from progress and modern indifference: "God save little shops, china cups, and virginity". This last lyric inspired the slogan, "God save the Kinks" which was used in the US promotion for the album, and was associated with the band through the 1970s.
Session keyboardist Nicky Hopkins
Nicky Hopkins
Nicholas Christian "Nicky" Hopkins was an English pianist and organist.He recorded and performed on noted British and American popular music recordings of the 1960s, 1970s and 1980s as a session musician....
contributed significantly to the album. With the exception of true orchestral backing on the early "Village Green" track, the string and woodwind backings on such tracks as "Animal Farm", "Days", "Starstruck" and "Phenomenal Cat" were simulated by the Mellotron
Mellotron
The Mellotron is an electro-mechanical, polyphonic tape replay keyboard originally developed and built in Birmingham, England in the early 1960s. It superseded the Chamberlin Music Master, which was the world's first sample-playback keyboard intended for music...
, played by both Hopkins and Ray Davies.
Critical response
Upon its release, The Kinks Are the Village Green Preservation Society was greeted with almost unanimously positive reviews from both UK and US rock critics, but at the time the album failed to sell strongly, with an estimated 100,000 copies sold worldwide. Despite this, the album has become The Kinks' best selling original record. The album did not have a popular single ("Starstruck" was released in North America and continental Europe, but failed to chart anywhere but the Netherlands). Although it was commercially unsuccessful, Village Green, upon its US release in January 1969, was embraced by the new underground rock press, particularly in the United States, where The Kinks' status as a cult band began to grow. In The Village VoiceThe Village Voice
The Village Voice is a free weekly newspaper and news and features website in New York City that features investigative articles, analysis of current affairs and culture, arts and music coverage, and events listings for New York City...
a newly-hired Robert Christgau
Robert Christgau
Robert Christgau is an American essayist, music journalist, and self-proclaimed "Dean of American Rock Critics".One of the earliest professional rock critics, Christgau is known for his terse capsule reviews, published since 1969 in his Consumer Guide columns...
called it "the best album of the year so far", and Circus magazine ran an article under the heading "Kinks—Unhip But Original", which stated: "The Kinks are backdated, cut off from the mainstream of pop progression. Just the same they're originals and now have a fine new album out". In Boston's underground paper Fusion, a review was released stating "The Kinks continue, despite the odds, the bad press and their demonstrated lot, to come across... Their persistence is dignified, their virtues are stoic. The Kinks are forever, only for now in modern dress". Paul Williams in Rolling Stone wrote a review that heaped praise on Village Green, saying "I've played [Village Green] twice since it arrived here this afternoon, and already the songs are slipping into my mind, each new hearing is a combined joy of renewal and discovery. Such a joy, to make new friends! And each and every song Ray Davies has written is a different friend to me." The record was not without criticism, however. In the student paper California Tech, one writer commented that it was "schmaltz rock", and that it is "without imagination, poorly arranged, and a poor copy of the Beatles
The Beatles
The Beatles were an English rock band, active throughout the 1960s and one of the most commercially successful and critically acclaimed acts in the history of popular music. Formed in Liverpool, by 1962 the group consisted of John Lennon , Paul McCartney , George Harrison and Ringo Starr...
".
The LP went virtually unnoticed in the UK, receiving only a single review in Disc. The nameless reviewer commented that "[Davies has managed to bypass] everything psychedelic
Psychedelic
The term psychedelic is derived from the Greek words ψυχή and δηλοῦν , translating to "soul-manifesting". A psychedelic experience is characterized by the striking perception of aspects of one's mind previously unknown, or by the creative exuberance of the mind liberated from its ostensibly...
and electronic ... The Kinks may not be on the crest of the pop wave at these days, but Ray Davies will remain one of our finest composers for many years."
Accolades
The record soon achieved a cult following, and remains popular today. Davies' timing with the album's nostalgic concept proved to be just out of step in the cultural turmoil of 1968, but it soon gained a much greater mainstream appeal. In 2003, the album was ranked number 255 on Rolling Stone magazine's list of the 500 greatest albums of all timeThe 500 Greatest Albums of All Time
"The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time" is the title of a 2003 special issue of American magazine Rolling Stone, and a related book published in 2005.Related news articles:...
.
Sequels and follow-ups
From its inception, Davies considered the album for stage presentation and its general theme served to inspire the Kinks' more ambitious, but less popular, two-part theatrical work PreservationPreservation: Acts 1 & 2
Preservation: Act 1 is a 1973 concept album by the English rock group The Kinks.Preservation was not well-received by critics and sold poorly , though the live performances of the material were much better received...
in 1972–1974. In his autobiography X-Ray
X-Ray (book)
X-Ray was Ray Davies' first major attempt to write prose outside of his musical career as founding member of the British rock band the Kinks...
, Davies would refer to the three albums as his "Preservation trilogy," confirming that Preservation is directly related to Village Green Preservation Society.
On 19 June 2011 Ray Davies performed the album live in its entirety for the first time. The concert was at the Royal Festival Hall
Royal Festival Hall
The Royal Festival Hall is a 2,900-seat concert, dance and talks venue within Southbank Centre in London. It is situated on the South Bank of the River Thames, not far from Hungerford Bridge. It is a Grade I listed building - the first post-war building to become so protected...
in London and was part of the Meltdown
Meltdown (festival)
Meltdown is an annual, English festival, held in London, featuring a mix of music, art, performance and film. Meltdown is held in June at Southbank Centre, the arts complex covering and including the Royal Festival Hall, the Queen Elizabeth Hall and The Hayward...
festival. He was accompanied by the London Philharmonic Orchestra
London Philharmonic Orchestra
The London Philharmonic Orchestra , based in London, is one of the major orchestras of the United Kingdom, and is based in the Royal Festival Hall. In addition, the LPO is the main resident orchestra of the Glyndebourne Festival Opera...
and the Crouch End Festival Chorus
Crouch End Festival Chorus
Crouch End Festival Chorus is a symphonic choir based in Crouch End, a northern suburb of London. CEFC was formed in 1984 by John Gregson and David Temple, who remains the choir's conductor...
.
Side one
- "The Village Green Preservation Society" – 2:45
- "Do You Remember Walter?" – 2:23
- "Picture Book" – 2:34
- "Johnny Thunder" – 2:28
- "Last of the Steam-powered Trains" – 4:03
- "Big Sky" – 2:49
- "Sitting by the Riverside" – 2:21
Side two
- "Animal Farm" – 2:57
- "Village Green" – 2:08
- "Starstruck" – 2:18
- "Phenomenal Cat" ("Phenominal" on the LP sleeve) – 2:34
- "All of My Friends Were There" – 2:23
- "Wicked AnnabellaWicked Annabella"Wicked Annabella" is a song by English rock band The Kinks, appearing on their 1968 album The Kinks Are the Village Green Preservation Society....
" – 2:40 - "Monica" – 2:13
- "People Take Pictures of Each Other" – 2:10
Side one
- "The Village Green Preservation Society"
- "Do You Remember Walter?"
- "Picture Book"
- "Johnny Thunder"
- "Monica"
- "DaysDays (The Kinks song)Kirsty MacColl covered "Days" on her 1989 album Kite. It was released as a single and reached #12 on the UK singles chart, the same position achieved by The Kinks in 1969. It was re-released in 1995, charting much lower, only reaching #42 in the UK...
"
Side two
- "Village Green"
- "Mr. Songbird"
- "Wicked Annabella"
- "Starstruck"
- "Phenomenal Cat"
- "People Take Pictures Of Each Other"
This 12-song version was Ray's initial intended release for the European market. It was released in France, Sweden and Norway in October 1968; it was also released in New Zealand (December 1968) and Italy (January 1969). Ray and Pye had it withdrawn before it was manufactured for UK release and the re-sequenced 15-song version was released there (22 November 1968) and in the United States (January 1969). Apart from sequencing, this early version differs by the absence of "Last of the Steam-Powered Trains", "Big Sky", "Sitting by the Riverside", "Animal Farm" and "All of My Friends Were There", and the inclusion of "Mr. Songbird" and "Days" (the latter a #12 UK hit single released in June 1968). The stereo mixes of "Do You Remember Walter" and "People Take Pictures Of Each Other" were slightly different from the mono mixes.
The unreleased Four More Respected Gentlemen
In parallel with the 12-song European version, Ray and Reprise Records (the band's U.S. label) initially intended to release an 11-song album for the American market called Four More Respected Gentlemen. The unreleased album was even given a Reprise serial number (RS 6309). However, Reprise at some point decided that the 15-track UK "Village Green" album was suitable for the US market and cancelled plans for this album. The track listing would have consisted of:Side one
- "She's Got Everything"
- "Monica"
- "Mr. Songbird"
- "Johnny Thunder"
- "Polly"
- "DaysDays (The Kinks song)Kirsty MacColl covered "Days" on her 1989 album Kite. It was released as a single and reached #12 on the UK singles chart, the same position achieved by The Kinks in 1969. It was re-released in 1995, charting much lower, only reaching #42 in the UK...
"
Side two
- "Animal Farm"
- "Berkeley Mews"
- "Picture Book"
- "Phenomenal Cat"
- "Misty Water"
When originally sent to Reprise, the album was also to include the following tracks:
- "Autumn AlmanacAutumn Almanac"Autumn Almanac" is a pop song, written by Ray Davies and recorded by the musical group The Kinks in 1967. "Autumn Almanac" has since been noted for being an "absolute classic", "a finely observed slice of English custom", a "weird character study" and for its "mellow, melodic sound that was to...
" - "Did You See His Name"
- "There Is No Life Without Love"
- "Susannah's Still AliveSusannah's Still Alive"Susannah's Still Alive" is a song by the British musician Dave Davies and his group The Kinks. It was one of the few Kinks songs that was written by Davies, the brother of lead songwriter Ray Davies. The single was credited solely to Dave Davies and featured all of The Kinks as his backing band...
"
These songs, however, were pulled from the album before the final master was compiled.
Original stereo album. Released in the UK as Pye NSPL 18233, 27 Sept. 1968
- "The Village Green Preservation Society" - 2:54
- "Do You Remember Walter?" - 2:28
- "Picture Book" - 2:36
- "Johnny Thunder" - 2:32
- "Last of the Steam Powered Trains" - 4:11
- "Big Sky" - 2:52
- "Sitting by the Riverside" - 2:24
- "Animal Farm" - 3:02
- "Village Green" - 2:12
- "Starstruck" - 2:27
- "Phenomenal Cat" - 2:39
- "All of My Friends Were There" - 2:26
- "Wicked Annabella" - 2:44
- "Monica" - 2:21
- "People Take Pictures of Each Other" - 2:20
Stereo mixes from original 12-track editions released in France, Norway and Sweden
- "Mr. Songbird"
- "DaysDays (The Kinks song)Kirsty MacColl covered "Days" on her 1989 album Kite. It was released as a single and reached #12 on the UK singles chart, the same position achieved by The Kinks in 1969. It was re-released in 1995, charting much lower, only reaching #42 in the UK...
" - "Do You Remember Walter?"
- "People Take Pictures of Each Other"
Original mono album. Released in the UK as Pye NPL 18233, 22 Nov. 1968
- "The Village Green Preservation Society" - 2:54
- "Do You Remember Walter?" - 2:28
- "Picture Book" - 2:36
- "Johnny Thunder" - 2:32
- "Last of the Steam Powered Trains" - 4:11
- "Big Sky" - 2:52
- "Sitting by the Riverside" - 2:24
- "Animal Farm" - 3:02
- "Village Green" - 2:12
- "Starstruck" - 2:27
- "Phenomenal Cat" - 2:39
- "All of My Friends Were There" - 2:26
- "Wicked Annabella" - 2:44
- "Monica" - 2:21
- "People Take Pictures of Each Other" - 2:20
Bonus tracks
- "DaysDays (The Kinks song)Kirsty MacColl covered "Days" on her 1989 album Kite. It was released as a single and reached #12 on the UK singles chart, the same position achieved by The Kinks in 1969. It was re-released in 1995, charting much lower, only reaching #42 in the UK...
" - 2:55 (version also used for single) - "Mr. Songbird" - 2:25
- "Polly" - 2:51
- "Wonderboy" - 2:49
- "Berkeley Mews" - 2:36
- "Village Green" (no strings version) - 2:13
Disc three (rarities)
- "Village Green" (orchestra overdub, previously unreleased) - 2:22
- "Misty Water" (stereo) - 3:05
- "Berkeley Mews" (stereo) - 2:40
- "Easy Come, There You Went" (stereo, previously unreleased) - 2:25
- "Polly" (stereo) - 2:52
- "Animal Farm" (alternate stereo mix, previously unreleased) - 3:02
- "Phenomenal Cat" (mono instrumental, previously unreleased) - 2:50
- "Johnny Thunder" (stereo remix from the original multi-track tapes, previously unreleased) - 2:36
- "Did You See His Name" (mono mix, previously unreleased) - 2:00
- "Mick Avory's Underpants" (previously unreleased) - 2:19
- "Lavender Hill" - 2:56
- "Rosemary Rose" - 1:44
- "Wonderboy" (stereo mix with the vocals buried) - 2:44
- "Spotty Grotty Anna" - 2:07
- "Where Did My Spring Go" - 2:11
- "Groovie Movies" - 2:34
- "Creeping Jean" (Dave Davies) (previously unreleased longer stereo mix with some minor overdubbing missing) - 3:12
- "King Kong" - 3:26
- "Misty Water" (mono, previously unreleased) - 3:12
- "Do You Remember Walter" (BBC session remix, previously unreleased) - 2:17
- "Animal Farm" (BBC session remix, previously unreleased) - 2:56
- "Days" (BBC session remix, previously unreleased) - 3:02
Song and album notes
In late summer of 1968, the Kinks had hoped to release the album as a two-record set with 20 tracks, but Pye Records rejected this plan. A twelve-track version of the album was released in September 1968 throughout certain European markets; these are now valuable collector's items. Production of this version was quickly halted at Ray Davies's insistence and the final revamped fifteen-track version was released in the UK in November 1968.U.S. record label Reprise had intended to release many of album's tracks on a separate Kinks album titled Four More Respected Gentlemen
Four More Respected Gentlemen
Four More Respected Gentlemen is an unreleased album by the British rock group The Kinks. Most of the songs were recorded in 1968, the year the album was assembled solely for the US market. This album would have been released in parallel with a Europe-only 12-song early version of The Kinks are...
sometime in mid-1968 to fulfil a contractual album obligation. This was in the final stages of pre-production when Reprise dropped all plans to issue it, based on the strength of the forthcoming Village Green album.
"Starstruck" was released as a single in Europe and the United States, and charted in The Netherlands, peaking at #13. This is the only appearance of any track from the album on the hit parade in any country. A promotional film shot was shot for "Starstruck" in late 1968 for the overseas promotion of the single, and has since been re-used in various Kinks bios. The only other surviving contemporary footage of the band performing Village Green songs is their January 1969 spot on the TV music programme "Once More with Felix", on which they were seen performing "Last Of the Steam-Powered Trains" and "Picture Book" in colour. This clip, long believed lost, came to light in 2007.
The photography used for the album art was shot in August 1968 on Parliament Hill, a part of Hampstead Heath
Hampstead Heath
Hampstead Heath is a large, ancient London park, covering . This grassy public space sits astride a sandy ridge, one of the highest points in London, running from Hampstead to Highgate, which rests on a band of London clay...
, North London.
Out of print on vinyl for years (it has been consistently available on US Reprise CD since 1990), today the album is reported to be the best-selling non-compilation album in the Kinks' catalogue. Ray Davies has recently referred to it as the "most successful flop of all time".
"Picture Book", not one of the singles from the album, became popular after it was used in a 2004 television commercial for Hewlett-Packard
Hewlett-Packard
Hewlett-Packard Company or HP is an American multinational information technology corporation headquartered in Palo Alto, California, USA that provides products, technologies, softwares, solutions and services to consumers, small- and medium-sized businesses and large enterprises, including...
digital imaging products.
Personnel
- Ray DaviesRay DaviesRay Davies, CBE is an English rock musician. He is best known as lead singer and songwriter for the Kinks, which he led with his younger brother, Dave...
– lead vocals, guitar, keyboardsKeyboard instrumentA keyboard instrument is a musical instrument which is played using a musical keyboard. The most common of these is the piano. Other widely used keyboard instruments include organs of various types as well as other mechanical, electromechanical and electronic instruments...
, harmonicaHarmonicaThe harmonica, also called harp, French harp, blues harp, and mouth organ, is a free reed wind instrument used primarily in blues and American folk music, jazz, country, and rock and roll. It is played by blowing air into it or drawing air out by placing lips over individual holes or multiple holes... - Dave DaviesDave DaviesDavid Russell Gordon "Dave" Davies is an English rock musician best known for his role as lead guitarist and vocalist for the English rock band The Kinks....
– lead guitarLead guitarLead guitar is a guitar part which plays melody lines, instrumental fill passages, guitar solos, and occasionally, some riffs within a song structure...
, backup vocals, lead vocals on "Wicked Annabella" - Pete QuaifePete QuaifePeter Alexander Greenlaw "Pete" Quaife was an English musician, artist and author. He was a founding member and the original bass guitarist for The Kinks, from 1963 until 1969....
– bassBass guitarThe bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
, backup vocals - Mick AvoryMick AvoryMichael Charles "Mick" Avory is an English musician, best known as the longtime drummer and percussionist for the British rock band, The Kinks, joining them shortly after their formation in 1964 and remaining with them until 1984, when he left amid creative friction with guitarist Dave Davies...
– drumsDrum kitA drum kit is a collection of drums, cymbals and often other percussion instruments, such as cowbells, wood blocks, triangles, chimes, or tambourines, arranged for convenient playing by a single person ....
, percussion - Nicky HopkinsNicky HopkinsNicholas Christian "Nicky" Hopkins was an English pianist and organist.He recorded and performed on noted British and American popular music recordings of the 1960s, 1970s and 1980s as a session musician....
– keyboards, mellotronMellotronThe Mellotron is an electro-mechanical, polyphonic tape replay keyboard originally developed and built in Birmingham, England in the early 1960s. It superseded the Chamberlin Music Master, which was the world's first sample-playback keyboard intended for music... - Rasa Davies – backup vocals