Face to Face was a remarkable record, but its follow-up, Something Else, expands its accomplishments, offering 13 classic British pop songs.
As Ray Davies' songwriting becomes more refined, he becomes more nostalgic and sentimental, retreating from the psychedelic and mod posturings that had dominated the rock world.
Indeed, Something Else sounds like nothing else from 1967.
The Kinks never rock very hard on the album, preferring acoustic ballads, music hall numbers, and tempered R&B to full-out guitar attacks.
Part of the album's power lies in its calm music, since it provides an elegant support for Davies' character portraits and vignettes.
From the martial stomp of "David Watts" to the lovely, shimmering "Waterloo Sunset," there's not a weak song on the record, and several -- such as the allegorical "Two Sisters," the Noël Coward-esque "End of the Season," the rolling "Lazy Old Sun," and the wry "Situation Vacant" -- are stunners.
And just as impressive is the emergence of Dave Davies as a songwriter.
His Dylanesque "Death of a Clown" and bluesy rocker "Love Me Till the Sun Shines" hold their own against Ray's masterpieces, and help make Something Else the endlessly fascinating album that it is.
| Title/Composers | Performer | Listen | Time | Size | Size | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | David WattsRay Davies | The Kinks | Play | 02:39 | 6 MB | 16 MB |
| 2 | Death of a ClownDave Davies, Ray Davies | The Kinks | Play | 03:13 | 7 MB | 19 MB |
| 3 | Two SistersRay Davies | The Kinks | Play | 02:02 | 4 MB | 12 MB |
| 4 | No ReturnRay Davies | The Kinks | Play | 02:02 | 4 MB | 11 MB |
| 5 | Harry RagRay Davies | The Kinks | Play | 02:17 | 5 MB | 14 MB |
| 6 | Tin Soldier ManRay Davies | The Kinks | Play | 02:52 | 6 MB | 17 MB |
| 7 | Situation VacantRay Davies | The Kinks | Play | 03:11 | 7 MB | 19 MB |
| 8 | Love Me Till the Sun ShinesDave Davies | The Kinks | Play | 03:22 | 7 MB | 21 MB |
| 9 | Lazy Old SunRay Davies | The Kinks | Play | 02:47 | 6 MB | 16 MB |
| 10 | Afternoon TeaRay Davies | The Kinks | Play | 03:23 | 7 MB | 22 MB |
| 11 | Funny FaceDave Davies | The Kinks | Play | 02:27 | 5 MB | 14 MB |
| 12 | End of the SeasonDave Davies, Ray Davies | The Kinks | Play | 02:58 | 6 MB | 17 MB |
| 13 | Waterloo SunsetRay Davies | The Kinks | Play | 03:16 | 7 MB | 20 MB |
| 36 mins | 83 MB | |||||
| 36 mins | 225 MB | |||||
| Artist | Job | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Mick Avory | Drums |
| 2 | Dave Davies | Composer, Guitar, Harmonica, Keyboards, Vocals |
| 3 | Ray Davies | Composer, Guitar, Producer, Vocals |
| 4 | Mario Hallhuber | Photography |
| 5 | The Kinks | Primary Artist |
| 6 | Peter Quaife | Bass |
| 7 | Shel Talmy | Producer |
| Quality | Format | Encoding | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| Standard | MP3 | 320kps 44.1kHz | MP3 is an audio coding format which uses a form of lossy data compression. The highest bitrate of this format is 320kbps (kbit/s). MP3 Digital audio takes less amount of space (up to 90% reduction in size) and the quality is not as good as the original one. |
| CD Quality | FLAC | 16bit 44.1kHz | FLAC is an audio coding format which uses lossless compression. Digital audio in FLAC format has a smaller size and retains the same quality of the original Compact Disc (CD). |