Muswell Hillbillies might be my all time favorite gang. Not just for the Kinks, but favorite album by any artist category.

No shit? I've listened to it several times but never given it really good attention. They're couple of albums previous have gotten that kind of attention, and I fucking love them.

It's just one of those albums that never grows old to me. The theme and subject matter fit well with the current times as well.

I love it so much. It's a quirky album with an alt. country flare, and it took me a while to get into it. Once it clicked though, it became one of my favorite Kinks albums.

People In Grey, 20th Century Man, Muswell Hillbilly, Alcohol, Acute Schizophrenia Paranoia Blues, and Have A Cup Of Tea are all top shelf Kinks songs.

What are your thoughts on some of their other albums like 'Face to Face' or 'Arthur'?

Face to face is good, but Something Else was the first album I really loved from them. I love the uber British sound of songs like Tin Soldier Man, and Autumn Almanac. Arthur is another album that holds up well theme wise, like Muswell Hillbillies. I love the rawness and heaviness of it. The most underrated album after Muswell would be Soap Opera. I really like the r&b flavor of it, and it has Underneath the Neon Sign, one of my all time favorite songs.

Here's a rarity of Scrapheap City (from Preservation Act) with Ray on vocals.

Well, since I've listened to MH I've gotten huge into alt. country. I'll spin it right now. And I should download Soap Opera.

My dad was a huge Kinks fan and he kept all of his records in my closet. We used to spin Low Budget and One For The Road all the time. Not quintessential Kinks, but I have a soft spot for those two records. Agree with Wonderboy, Muswell is a classic.

I wish people would lump them in with being as good or better than The Beatles, The stones, and the who.

We should measure cocks and debate length vs. girth.

I'm don't think Muswell has anything to do with alt country whatsoever. Musically its obviously influenced by American roots music circa the 60's and 70's with maybe some Memphis or New Orleans but alt country it is not. Lyrically it is still dealing with mostly British issues and its an interesting mix.

I'd kill to be able to have a brass section in my band.

Well they're not really even close to the Beatles or prime era Rolling Stones in my book. They're on the next tier with and probably even better than the Who. If they're your thing I wouldn't fault you for liking them more than those other bands.

Well you know what? Every band has their strengths & weaknesses. The Beatles were amazing songwriters and record makers but as a live band they were mediocre at best, with McCartney being the only supremely gifted musician in the band. The Stones were badasses compared to the Beatles and played that angle to the hilt. Nobody had the swagger they had by 1969. The Who started out pretty mediocre...basically a James Brown cover band...and they struggled to get their footing...but by 1970 they were the greatest live band in the world...far better than the Beatles or Stones ever were. And then you've got the Kinks who had a little bit of everything going for them from the start. They could be tough, whimsical, dark, jolly. Their songs were top notch and they were a really solid band. Hearing their late-60's music now, it's hard to imagine why they weren't more popular at the time.

Part of the problem with the Kinks was not touring america, while the beatles and the stones were getting a foothold in the states. Ray Davies made the mistake of getting punch happy. The Kinks got a late jump touring the states, by that point The beatles and stones were king.

A buddy of mine bought tickets for me, and my old lady to see Dave Davies In june. he's playing near me, and I can't wait. I've never seen Ray, or Dave live before.

As Londoner Waterloo Sunset means a lot to me. I was heavily into the kinks and motorhead during autumn 2007. I'd just started riding my scooter the country way home, listening to them while eating Turkish delight from my honeymoon was absolute bliss.

Yes! That brass section they used was fantastic. They really gave me a new found appreciation for brass sections.

This makes me think of Village Green

What are y'alls thoughts on "Mr. Churchill"? I think it's one of their absolute best. The ending jam is so good. You can totally hear in the guitar parts how the Kinks were a big influence on heavy metal guys. Specifically at the 3:37 mark. Add fuzz/distortion to those guitars and bamo-whamo, you got metal

I think the first half of the song is dreadfully boring but the second half is killer. The part that goes "We gotta clean up the streets, Get me back on my feet, Cuz we wanna be freeeeeee..." just slays me everytime.