Something Else – THE KINKS*****

David Watts/Death Of A Clown/Two Sisters/No Return/Harry Rag/Tin Soldier Man/Situation Vacant/Love Me Till The Sun Shines/Lazy Old Sun/Afternoon Tea/Funny Face/End Of The Season/Waterloo Sunset

Ray Davies songwriting hit a creative peak with Something Else, regrettably not reflected in its disappointing UK chart placing. Includes the sublime No. 2 British hit single Waterloo Sunset plus the No. 3 Death Of A Clown, credited to Dave Davies. (US:153 UK:35)

"For me this is the ultimate Kinks album. From the fast paced classic David Watts to the pop perfection of Waterloo Sunset, it has it all. It's one of those albums you must listen to all the way through. The music and the lyrics are fantastic. Ray is one of my all time favourite songwriters, his lyrics are witty, sharp yet simple."

"Do you like thoughtful, witty Britpop with folky influences? If so, you'll probably want to try Something Else by The Kinks. It begins with David Watts, probably the most upbeat song about envy anyone has ever written, and ends with Waterloo Sunset, possibly the best ballad The Kinks ever recorded and certainly one of the most bittersweet songs of the 1960s. Simply put, this is an essential LP for anyone who loves the craftsmanship of non-psychedelic, late 1960s pop."

"Ray Davies hardly puts a foot wrong here, finding clever and interesting ways to put across a collection of vignettes documenting the time and place he grew up in. His usual mixture of music-hall nostalgia and R & B modernism sit side by side, reconciled by a sincere conviction." "At this point, The Kinks were firmly lodged into their golden age. The songs about mundane English pastimes are just irresistible. Needless to say, I'll pick Waterloo Sunset as my favourite. I have no qualms about describing it as a masterpiece."

"This is my personal choice for the best Kinks' album. The sound is so essentially very British in the way that only Ray Davies could ever possibly create. This is the record where he finally masters his unmatched skill of creating character studies about people."

"Always truthful to themselves and their fans, The Kinks wonderfully mixed raw energy and melodic sophistication, which has lost nothing of its intrinsic power through the years."