The Kink Kontroversy

The Kink Kontroversy is the third studio album by English rock band the Kinks, released on 26 November 1965 in the United Kingdom and in March 1966 in the United States, where it was the first American Kinks album to feature an identical tracklist to its UK counterpart. It is a transitional work, with elements of both the earlier Kinks' styles (heavily blues-influenced songs such as "Milk Cow Blues" and variations on the band's hits from 1964–1965 such as "Till the End of the Day") and early indications of the future direction of Ray Davies' songwriting styles ("The World Keeps Going Round" and "I'm On an Island"). The liner notes were written by Michael Aldred.

The Kink Kontroversy
Studio album by the Kinks
Released	26 November 1965 (1965-11-26)
Recorded	23–30 October 1965 (except early August 1965 for "Milk Cow Blues")[1]
Studio	Pye Studios, London
Genre	Rock and roll[2] R&B[3]
Length	30:12
Label	Pye (UK) Reprise (US)
Producer	Shel Talmy
The Kinks chronology
Kwyet Kinks (1965) The Kink Kontroversy (1965) Face to Face (1966)
The Kinks American chronology
Kinkdom (1965) The Kink Kontroversy (1966) Face to Face (1966)
Singles from The Kink Kontroversy
"Till the End of the Day"/"Where Have All the Good Times Gone" Released: 19 November 1965

Background

The album's title is a mocking reference to the notorious reputation the band had developed over the previous year, including onstage fights and concert riots in Europe, which led to a ban on the group's concerts in the US.

"Where Have All the Good Times Gone" makes several references and/or allusions to Beatles and Rolling Stones songs.[4]

Track listing

All songs written and composed by Ray Davies, except where noted.

Side one

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Length
1.	"Milk Cow Blues"	Sleepy John Estes; arranged by The Kinks	3:44
2.	"Ring the Bells"		2:21
3.	"Gotta Get the First Plane Home"		1:49
4.	"When I See That Girl of Mine"		2:12
5.	"I Am Free"	Dave Davies	2:32
6.	"Till the End of the Day"		2:21

Side two

No.	Title	Length
1.	"The World Keeps Going Round"	2:36
2.	"I'm on an Island"	2:19
3.	"Where Have All the Good Times Gone"	2:53
4.	"It's Too Late"	2:37
5.	"What's in Store for Me"	2:06
6.	"You Can't Win"	2:42

1998 and 2004 CD reissue bonus tracks

No.	Title	Length
13.	"Dedicated Follower of Fashion"	3:05
14.	"Sittin' on My Sofa"	3:08
15.	"When I See That Girl of Mine" (Demo version)	2:01
16.	"Dedicated Follower of Fashion" (Alternate stereo take)	3:01

2011 Sanctuary Records deluxe edition Disc 2

No.	Title	Length
1.	"Dedicated Follower of Fashion"	3:04
2.	"Sittin' on My Sofa"	3:09
3.	"I'm Not Like Everybody Else"	3:30
4.	"Mr. Reporter" (outtake)	3:58
5.	"Dedicated Follower of Fashion" (alternative take; different take from previous CD reissues and the Picture Book boxset)	2:54
6.	"Time Will Tell" (outtake)	2:46
7.	"And I Will Love You" (unissued EP track)	2:26
8.	"I'm Not Like Everybody Else" (alternative vocal version)	3:33
9.	"All Night Stand" (Ray Davies solo demo)	1:54
10.	"Milk Cow Blues" (BBC performance)	2:47
11.	"Ray Talks about Songwriting" (BBC interview)	1:02
12.	"Never Met a Girl Like You Before" (BBC performance)	2:01
13.	"Wonder Where My Baby Is Tonight" (BBC performance)	1:49
14.	"Pete Talks about Records" (BBC interview)	1:17
15.	"Till the End of the Day" (BBC performance)	2:19
16.	"A Well Respected Man" (BBC performance)	2:41
17.	"Where Have All the Good Times Gone" (BBC performance)	2:46

Release

The single "Till the End of the Day" was a major hit, reaching #8 in the UK[5] and #50 in the US, spending eight weeks or more in each chart.[6]

American singer Bobby Rydell covered "When I See That Girl of Mine", which was released as a single in the US a full month before the Kinks' version was made public.

Reception

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
Allmusic	[7]
Encyclopedia of Popular Music	[8]

Allmusic praised the album as the Kinks' coming-of-age, commenting that their raw early material was being replaced by more thoughtful and sophisticated songs. They pointed out "I'm on an Island", "Where Have All the Good Times Gone", "Ring the Bells", "The World Keeps Going Round", and "I Am Free" as particularly strong examples of this.[7]

Personnel

Track numbering refers to CD and digital releases of the album.

The Kinks

• Ray Davies – lead and backing vocals, rhythm guitar, harmonica
• Dave Davies – lead guitar, backing vocals, lead vocals on "I Am Free" and "What's in Store for Me", shared lead vocals on "Milk Cow Blues" and "You Can't Win"
• Pete Quaife – bass guitar, backing vocals
• Mick Avory – drums (tracks 3-8, 10-12) , percussion

Additional musicians

• Clem Cattini – drums (tracks 1, 2 and 9)
• Nicky Hopkins – keyboards
• Rasa Davies – backing vocals (track 6 and 9)
• Shel Talmy - guitar on "It's Too Late"

Legacy

American indie rock band Sleater-Kinney used the same album cover layout as an homage for their 1997 album Dig Me Out.

References

1. https://www.kindakinks.net/discography/showrelease.php?release=53
2. Mike Saunders (25 May 1972). "The Kink Kronikles | Album Reviews". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 13 June 2014.
3. Edwards, David (1 April 2011). "Those Sacred Days: DiS meets The Kinks' Dave Davies". Drowned in Sound. Retrieved 27 March 2020.
4. https://ultimateclassicrock.com/kinks-kink-kontroversy/
5. "Kinks | Artist | Official Charts". officialcharts.com. Retrieved 24 October 2012.
6. "Billboard – Music Charts, Music News – The Kinks | Billboard". billboard.com. Retrieved 24 October 2012.
7. Unterberger, Richie. "The Kink Kontroversy – The Kinks : Songs, Reviews, Credits, Awards : AllMusic". AllMusic. Retrieved 24 October 2012.
8. Larkin, Colin (2007). Encyclopedia of Popular Music (5th ed.). Omnibus Press. ISBN 978-0857125958.