The Kinks were improving here. Their early releases had caught a lot of attention and hype, but ironically as time went on, their less popular works were also their most listenable. This is one of the better albums by The Kinks, and is worth observing. Let’s take a listen, and see how it sounds.

Party Line begins with a very old fashioned ringing telephone, before launching into a strange song that is pseudo-political in intent. It’s a poppy, boppy sort of song that is fun to hear. Pop and politics, an unusual mixture but a very good one on this song. Definitely a great start for this album, with loads of colourful instrumentation.

Rosy Won’t You Please Come Home is a song about said Rosy who has their parents begging for her to return home, delivered in the first person viewpoint. It has some delightful harpsichord and guitar to hear. The production on this album is top notch, a very good effort once again.

Next is Dandy is about a guy who loves chasing women and the troubles that it causes. It’s a dark, menacing listen lyrically, yet the music is driven by some excellent acoustic guitar and arrangements in general. A nice reflective listen about such dirty habits.

Following is Too Much On My Mind is about a person who reflects a lot on their troubles in life. A very dark lyrical subject but once again fitted in with beautiful instrumentation. It’s a good upbeat pop song which is good to hear in a similar mood to the subject of the song.

Session Man is a fairly relatable song about a session musician who doesn’t get much notice in the music community due to his position as the offsider. It covers the tiresome nature of being a session musician and has great harpischord here.

Rainy Day In June starts with a thunder crack, before going into a melancholy tune about the change in the weather. It is a reflective song for the mood at hand, and sounds very introspective and has some handclaps and chanting amongst other wonderful instrumentation. It’s a very well constructed track, and a good listen.

Following is House In The Country is a song about having said house in the country and a big sports car. It’s a great upbeat song to hear, and is very very catchy. The song mentions some social issues that the main character of the song has. This is tales of suburban troubles, but done in a cheerful, optimistic 1960s way. This piece is just fantastic, and a must listen for those who are fans of 1960s music in general.

Next is Holiday In Waikiki which begins with the sound of rushing water, before big drum beats arrive. It’s a hilarious story about a guy who won a very expensive island holiday in said location. It has some interesting lines about sexual pursuits as well. Witty, intelligent and clever. A great song, no doubt. Good for a laugh. The outro is very similar to the intro as well, a nice touch.

Most Exclusive Residence For Sale is about a guy who over extends himself financially and finds himself in financial trouble, thus having to sell his luxury home. It’s a quirky song which is also quite funny to listen to. The story is interesting, with the central character doing some rather dirty deeds. A cynical listen.

Fancy begins with some slide acoustic guitars and a subdued song about sexual desire. It is a deep listen musically. Some muted bongos emerge, and the song itself is an excellently constructed piece. It’s a very dark listen for the 1960s, before heavier music existed. Good effort, once again.

Next is Little Miss Queen Of Darkness which is about being in love with a girl who is a dancer at the discotheque. This was way before major nightclubs and EDM, how things can change. A drum solo in the middle of the song is very cool to hear. It’s more a sonic journey than a song, but that is easily forgiven as it is a good song itself. Refreshing listening.

After that is You’re Looking Fine is obviously about desire for a lady. There is some great singing here, particularly in the chorus. It has a combination of clean electric guitar and piano to match the musical accompaniment. The guitar solo in particular is very good. Neat pop song here.

Sunny Afternoon is a very right wing sort of political perspective, particularly in relation to taxation. Regardless of the political intent here, it’s a good listen with some very dark lyrics about a distressed person in life. This was many years before Joy Division, but still, this is a very good listen anyway. It references some issues with ladies, once again.

I’ll Remember finishes off the album with a distraught retrospective of what a relationship can do. It’s a good way to finish off this album and sounds rather menacing, lyrically and musically. The guitar here in particular is very good.

This is a strange sort of album, particularly for the time. It pushed the boundaries both musically and lyrically. Regardless, every single song here is of very good quality, and deserves your listening attention. It’s misery set to the sunshine Pop of the 1960s. There are re-releases of this album with extra tracks as well which you may wish to discover if you love this album.

Cynical.

9/10