Kinks 8: Live Kinks

For various reasons, mostly bureaucratic, the Kinks didn’t tour America for most of the ‘60s. They were, however, shackled to the theater circuit all over the UK and other countries, where they appeared on bills with six other bands and played for about half an hour a show. One of these shows was recorded and released in the U.S. under the title The Live Kinks, and the following year elsewhere as Live At Kelvin Hall (that being the venue in Glasgow where it was recorded) and with a better cover.

As was the norm, what listeners heard on their hi-fis most likely included recordings made far away from Kelvin Hall and the screaming audience that overpowers the mix. The set, while a bit sluggish, presents competent reproductions of hit singles and recent album tracks, the only real rarity being a medley that finds its way from “Milk Cow Blues” through the Batman theme to “Tired Of Waiting For You” and back to “Milk Cow Blues”. Dreamy Dave Davies gets to sing lead on two songs, and he and Ray try to engage the crowd (who know the words to “Sunny Afternoon” and can be heard singing “Happy Birthday” at one point, but we don’t to whom). The band doesn’t sound terrible, and there’s probably a great performance buried under the audience noise. But it was just another day for the Kinks, who by all accounts were more occupied that month with a new song of Ray’s called “Waterloo Sunset”.

While other Kinks albums have been lavishly repackaged with each reissue, this one has only gotten as deluxe as having both mono and stereo mixes on one CD, with the international title and cover. Each reissue has also correctly listed the first track as “Till The End Of The Day”, whereas the original LP wrongly had it as “All Day And All Of The Night”.

The Kinks The Live Kinks (1967)—3