The kinks - word of mouth (1984)

[SteveO]

THE KINKS - Word of Mouth ...released 1984




This album received unfavorable reviews from All Music...2.5 and Rolling Stone Magazine..better at 4/5. My rating is 5/5 because ...I do not believe that The Kinks ever released a bad album nor wrote a bad song !!!!! ..and no sense in saying their last few albums such as Phobia and Sate of Confusion are not really that good because I think they are very good..lol. The Kinks in my view represent true British rock..they have that Brit folksy acousic sound and hard driving rock with Ray Davies vocals accentuated with a dominant English brogue ! Due to their failure to tour the United States at their inception they were never completely accepted like The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, The Who, etc. Their singles, You Really Got Me, All Day and All of the Night and of course Lola were the household Kinks' identifiers in North America. Of course at home it was a different story somewhat like the career of the music genius Paul Weller ! The Kinks had numerous "hits" such as Waterloo Sunset, Victoria, Sunny Afternoon,.....among several others.

I would recommend that you try to listen to a few Kinks albums (they released 24) outside of the familiar single record..I think you'll be very surprised !

Sorry I digress..now back to the album in hand !

Nine tracks here are very well crafted by Ray Davies, one of the most prolific rock songwriters of our time. His brother, Dave Davies wrote Living on a Thin Line and Guilty. Why this album got a bad rap I'll never know nor do I care ! The Kinks are true masters of very good songs with very good melodies ! Their failure to crack the US market hindered their popularity. They were banned from entry for some strange reason in the 60s into the United States and thus unable to tour !...maybe a stupid drug thing or a threat to the security of the nation because they were foreigners with long hair !!!!...lol

All in all this is an excellent album like all the other Kinks' releases !..and the acoustic guitar can be heard on all the tracks for the most part !

Side One on Arista vinyl record

1. "Do It Again" 4:14 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yXLsBnYy7cE
2. "Word of Mouth" 3:51 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yXLsBnYy7cE
3. "Good Day" 4:35
4. "Living on a Thin Line (Dave Davies)" 4:16 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ue-0iH-28bI
5. "Sold Me Out" 3:44

Side Two on Arista vinyl record

1. "Massive Reductions" 3:15
2. "Guilty (Dave Davies)" 4:12
3. "Too Hot" 4:08
4. "Missing Persons" 2:53 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DzvmINSSuvw * one of the most beautiful songs that I have ever heard !
5. "Summer's Gone" 3:52 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kaY34fafF8o
6. "Going Solo" 3:58 http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=end...2PK4s&NR=1


Ray Davies - guitar, keyboards, harmonica, vocals
Dave Davies - guitar, background vocals
Jim Rodford - bass, background vocals
Mick Avory - drums
Bob Henrit - drums
Ian Gibbons - keyboards. background vocals

****had to add this all time Kink's classic not on this album !

Waterloo Sunset - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4vRURpe6FXE.. the English folky with rock !!!! incredible

[CRAZY-HORSE]

great review SteveO 10/10 mate!

all i have from this album is the 7" single "do it again"....which is brilliant IMO

[Music Head]

SteveO

I think you have outdone yourself with that one
Hope it was worth the effort for you
It was for me
great job!

[CRAZY-HORSE]

we're gonna have to life our game MH if SteveO is going to keep posting reviews like this one!!!

[Music Head]

we're gonna have to life our game MH if SteveO is going to keep posting reviews like this one!!!

yep, exactly what I was thinking
I feel so small

[SteveO]

Thanks guys, you were an inspiration for me to do a half decent review for a change !!!!!

[TraceNspace]

Thanks guys, you were an inspiration for me to do a half decent review for a change !!!!!

great read, I love the Kinks

[SteveO]

Thanks, Trace ! ...I am glad you also love The Kinks !!!!!

great read, I love the Kinks

[gater]

Yo SteveO, I think you hit the nail on the head when you said "The Kinks never put out a bad album"... and for my money that includes the oft slagged "Preservation Act" albums.

On "Word" the writing of Ray is more than up to par, and Dave's "Living on a Thin Line" is a classic Kinks tune.

There must have been a worldwide kinkspiracy that prevented The Kinks from reaching the same heights as the Beatles or Stones, especially when you consider their output in the late 60's and early seventies that far outpaced either of the other two big Brit acts. And, after The Beatles blew up and Mick and the boys started to delve into that disco beat later in the 70's, the Kinks always rocked. They were simply great!

[SteveO]

Gater, you've created a new word Kinkspiracy..lol thanks for your comments !...and I agree totally the Preservation albums are great...perhaps critics knew how good the group was but had to have a go at them anyway ....lol

Yo SteveO, I think you hit the nail on the head when you said "The Kinks never put out a bad album"... and for my money that includes the oft slagged "Preservation Act" albums.

On "Word" the writing of Ray is more than up to par, and Dave's "Living on a Thin Line" is a classic Kinks tune.

There must have been a worldwide kinkspiracy that prevented The Kinks from reaching the same heights as the Beatles or Stones, especially when you consider their output in the late 60's and early seventies that far outpaced either of the other two big Brit acts. And, after The Beatles blew up and Mick and the boys started to delve into that disco beat later in the 70's, the Kinks always rocked. They were simply great!