Everybody's In Show-Biz - The Kinks (1972)

Ideated from: I keep a playlist of things that have been reissued, remastered, or given some kind of historical or archival release. I’ll tick some of those off this week.

You hear a lot of people insist that The Kinks are right in line with the Beatles and the Stones at the top tier of the British Invasion. I’m not here to argue with you.

But I think they’re just odd enough that the world didn’t quite catch on to them like the others. Or at least it’s worth noting that by the time the Fab Four started showing their eccentricities they were already the most popular band in the world, so that bought them a little more leeway than it did for the Davies brothers.

This stretch of several records (the predecessor, Muswell Hillbillies, was also reissued at the same time) are an interesting sound. Part psychedelic-flavored, part American country, part British folk rock, and part of the rising laid-back California Laurel Canyon sound. All with plenty of quirky humor.

The second half of this double record is a live set from Carnegie Hall in 1972. The setlist is mostly recent cuts that are… pedestrian, imo.

Tracks I Liked

Maximum Consumption - a psych-flavored jam with some great lyrics.

Motorway - The joys of being an overworked road band.

Supersonic Rocket Ship - as quirky as they get, but a lot of fun.