The Kink Kronikles

The Kink Kronikles
Compilation album by The Kinks
Released	March 25, 1972
Genre	Rock
Length	82:35
Label	Reprise
The Kinks chronology
Muswell Hillbillies (1971) The Kink Kronikles (1972) Everybody's in Show-Biz (1972)

Professional ratings
Review scores
Source	Rating
Allmusic	[1]
Robert Christgau	A[2]
Rolling Stone	(favourable)[3]

The Kink Kronikles is a compilation double album by The Kinks, released on Reprise Records in 1972, after the band had signed with RCA Records in 1971. It comprises mostly singles with five tracks taken from albums released by the band from 1966 to 1971; two tracks were previously unreleased. Designed specifically for the American market, it peaked at #94 on the Billboard 200.

Content

After The Kinks failed to renew their American distribution contract with Reprise, the label assembled this compilation without input from the band. Instead, Reprise invited rock journalist and noted Kinks fan John Mendelsohn to compile this package, ignoring the band's early trademark hits already appearing on Greatest Hits! Mendelsohn also contributed the liner notes.

The album contains all five singles that charted on the Billboard Hot 100 during the time period covered, two of which appear on album in the United States for the first time: "Dead End Street" and "Mr. Pleasant." Five tracks made their United States debut in any format here – "Berkeley Mews," "Willesden Green," "This Is Where I Belong," "Did You See His Name?" and "King Kong." The latter two were original to this compilation, and "King Kong" would be released as a single two months after the release of this double album.

An exemplary compilation, in 2003 the album was ranked number 232 on Rolling Stone magazine's list of the 500 greatest albums of all time. Never properly remastered for compact disc, track listing on disc is identical placing sides one and two on disc one and sides three and four on disc two.

Track listing

All songs by Ray Davies except "Death of a Clown," "Mindless Child of Motherhood," and "Susannah's Still Alive" by Dave Davies. All catalogue numbers and titles US release except *UK release.

Side one

No.	Title	Original release	Length
1.	"Victoria"	Reprise 0863	3:41
2.	"The Village Green Preservation Society"	Reprise 0847	2:49
3.	"Berkeley Mews"	Pye 7N 17961b*	2:30
4.	"Holiday in Waikiki"	Face to Face	2:47
5.	"Willesden Green"	Percy *	2:28
6.	"This Is Where I Belong"	Pye 7N 17314b*	2:27
7.	"Waterloo Sunset"	Reprise 0612	3:21

Side two

No.	Title	Original release	Length
1.	"David Watts"	Reprise 0647b	2:29
2.	"Dead End Street"	Reprise 0540	3:20
3.	"Shangri-La"	Arthur (Or the Decline and Fall of the British Empire)	5:21
4.	"Autumn Almanac"	Reprise 0647	3:16
5.	"Sunny Afternoon"	Reprise 0497	3:34
6.	"Get Back in Line"	Lola versus Powerman and the Moneygoround	3:08
7.	"Did You See His Name?"	previously unreleased	1:56

Side three

No.	Title	Original release	Length
1.	"Fancy"	Face to Face	2:30
2.	"Wonderboy"	Reprise 0691	2:50
3.	"Apeman"	Reprise 0979	3:57
4.	"King Kong"	Reprise 1094	3:27
5.	"Mr. Pleasant"	Reprise 0587	3:02
6.	"God's Children"	Reprise 1017	3:19
7.	"Death of a Clown"	Reprise 0614	3:14

Side four

No.	Title	Original release	Length
1.	"Lola"	Reprise 0930	4:05
2.	"Mindless Child of Motherhood"	Reprise 0930b	3:13
3.	"Polly"	Reprise 0691b	2:51
4.	"Big Black Smoke"	Reprise 0540b	2:37
5.	"Susannah's Still Alive"	Reprise 0660	2:21
6.	"She's Got Everything"	Reprise 0762b	3:08
7.	"Days"	Reprise 0762	2:52

References

1. Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. The Kink Kronikles at AllMusic
2. Robert Christgau review
3. Rolling Stone review

External links

• The Official Ray Davies Web Site