Fresh Fossils - Vol. 1 The Kinks' Face To Face

Welcome to another new feature here at Ear Buddy, where we will take a fresh look at an old album. But instead of blithely waxing philosophic on some classic album, you and I will get a first listen together. Up with our first Fresh Fossil are The Kinks and their 1966 'classic' Face To Face. Is it really what the critics say it is?




Alright, I'll admit it. I haven't listened to everything that has ever been recorded. In fact, I can't even say I've listened to most of it. My music collection is embarrassingly full of albums that I've picked up because someone else said they were perfect. Of course, I let them collect dust without so much as a first listen. Well, no more I say! It's time to clean out the closet and evaluate these 5-star records. No more blindly agreeing that these things are classics just to impress. It's time we get informed! First, let's take a look at the facts.

Tale of the Tape:

Release Date: 1966
Label: Pye Records

Producer: Shel Talmy

Track Listing:

Side A

1. "Party Line" – 2:35
   
2. "Rosie Won't You Please Come Home" – 2:34
   
3. "Dandy" – 2:12
   
4. "Too Much on My Mind" – 2:28
   
5. "Session Man" – 2:14
   
6. "Rainy Day in June" – 3:10
   
7. "A House in the Country" – 3:03
   

Side B

8. "Holiday in Waikiki" – 2:52
   
9. "Most Exclusive Residence for Sale" – 2:48
   
10. "Fancy" – 2:30
    
11. "Little Miss Queen of Darkness" – 3:16
    
12. "You're Lookin' Fine" – 2:46
    
13. "Sunny Afternoon" – 3:36
    
14. "I'll Remember" – 2:27

Fun Facts:

• This was the first Kinks record to be entirely written by Ray Davies.


• Davies suffered a nervous breakdown just prior to the beginning of the Face To Face sessions.


• Some critics claim Face To Face is the first Rock n' Roll concept album, due to the songs loosely linking around a theme of the banality of British suburban life (Maybe the Arcade Fire should give that Grammy back).


• Two bands would chart hits with cover songs from Face To Face: Herman's Hermits with "Dandy" and The Pretty Things with "A House in the Country".


• Davies had several clashes with Pye Records during the recording of the album. He initially wanted all of the songs to play continuously, linked by sound effects. Pye, thinking that would hurt chances for hit singles, rejected the idea. Pye also fought Davies over the album's cover art, which they felt was 'too psychedelic'.

Also Released In '66:

The Beach Boys - Pet Sounds
The Beatles - Revolver
Bob Dylan - Blonde On Blonde
The Byrds - Fifth Dimension
Cream - Fresh Cream
Davy Graham - Midnight Man
Ike & Tina Turner - River Deep, Mountain High
Jefferson Airplane - Takes Off
Joe Henderson - Mode For Joe
Johnny Cash - Everybody Loves A Nut
The Mamas & The Papas - If You Can Believe Your Eyes And Ears
Merle Haggard - Swinging Doors And The Bottle
The Monks - Black Monk Time
The Mothers of Invention - Freak Out!
Nina Simone - Wild Is The Wind
Otis Redding - Comple & Unbelievable, Otis Blue, AND The Soul Album
The Paul Butterfield Blues Band - East West
The Rolling Stones - Aftermath
Simon & Garfunkel - Parsley, Sage, Rosemary & Thyme
The Sonics - Boom
The Who - A Quick One
The Yardbirds - Roger the Engineer
The 13th Floor Elevators - The Psychedelic Sounds Of...

.....holy sweet Jesus, I wish I could have been there for 1966...

The Album:

Side A of Face To Face is pretty much what you would have expected from a Kinks album before 1966. It is poppy-British Invasion Rock at its finest. Tracks like "Party Line" and "Dandy" are sure to get stuck in your head for a day. The problem is that, even at its finest, British Invasion is pretty formulaic. You know you are getting a 2-3 minute, sped-up blues with a happy little finish. There are so many songs that sound so much like the first half of Face To Face that even though the song is catchy, it is hard to distinguish from the rest of the genre. The result is a fairly dated sound, that you will likely forget after that first day of humming. There is a little of Davies' signature wit here ("Session Man" is a song only Ray could write), but it sounds too safe to be truly classic.



Side B is a different story altogether. This second half of Face To Face is where the band is really trying to stretch their wings. Almost every song here is completely different from the existing Kinks' catalogue to that point. "Fancy" is an Eastern influenced ballad that sound kitschy, but boasts the most beautiful lyric on the album. "Sunny Afternoon" is the first Kinks hit that really established Ray's signature style. "I'll Remember" might sound like a Beatles rip-off at first, but showcases the band's ability to utilize their rhythm section to a much more impressive effect than almost any other band of their era (of course, they can't touch Entwistle/Moon). The true surprise here is "You're Lookin' Fine". The Dave Davies lyric on this slow blues rocker is downright moving. Of all the tracks here, "You're Lookin' Fine" sounds the least impaired by time.



By itself, that is all fine and good, but there is just one last problem. Face To Face just isn't as strong as the best of the Kinks' catalogue or the best of its own individual time. You have to remember that this is the year that Dylan, the Beatles, and the Beach Boys ALL released what many hold up as their most important works. This is the year that the Stones broke away from covering blues standards to open an album with "Paint It Black". 1966 was the time that genres finally started breaking down, and artists wrote songs that reflected their own individual perspectives. In that vein, Face To Face just doesn't compete with those records. The vestiges of traditional Pop present here only work to date the album on a fresh listen, whereas Blonde On Blonde is a record that sounds like it could have been recorded at any time.

Furthermore, Face To Face only serves as a jumping off point within the Kinks' catalogue. Here is where you find the kernels of Ray Davies' greatness, but because we all have limited time to enjoy the music, I can't say that I could see a circumstance where I would pick the album up instead of Lola Vs. Powerman & The Moneygoround or Arthur. Even the band's immediate release after Face To Face, Something Else, sounds leagues ahead of its predecessor. Tracks like "No Return", "Lazy Old Sun" or even "Waterloo Sunset" just wouldn't have a home on Face To Face because the band just hadn't evolved that far yet.

The Verdict:

We will have a three tiered verdict system here at Fresh Fossils; Verified Classic, Dust Collector, and Garage Sale Fodder. In the case of The Kinks' 1966 Face To Face, the age of the sound and the last vestiges of a dying form of Pop much a lot of this album somewhat forgettable. However, the second half has some true gems. Even though they don't compete with the strongest tracks in the band's catalogue, they do justify the occasional listen....

DUST COLLECTOR

That's it for our first edition of Fresh Fossils. Make sure and leave a comment with your take on the album. Add me on Twitter @ChrisBell81 and shoot me an idea on albums you would like to see discussed. You can also keep the conversation going on the Ear Buddy Facebook page. Until next time, thanks and be pleasant to your neighborhood butcher.