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| Muswell Hillbillies | ||||
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| Studio album by The Kinks | ||||
| Released | 24 November 1971 | |||
| Recorded | August - October 1971 at Morgan Studios, London | |||
| Genre | Rock | |||
| Length | 44:39 | |||
| Label | RCA | |||
| Producer | Ray Davies | |||
| Professional reviews | ||||
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| The Kinks chronology | ||||
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Muswell Hillbillies is an album by the English rock group The Kinks, released in November 1971. The album is named after the Muswell Hill area of North London, where band leader Ray Davies and guitarist Dave Davies grew up and the band formed in the early 1960s.[1]
The album centered around themes of poverty and working-class life, as well as the destruction and subdivision of old Victorian neighborhoods that had become commonplace in North London during the 1970s.
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Musical styles
The album is a wide-ranging collection of Ray Davies compositions which focus on the frustrations and stresses of modern life, such as poverty, housing development, and subdivision.[2][3] Musical styles range from rock ("20th Century Man") and country ("Muswell Hillbilly") to blues ("Here Come the People in Grey") and theatrical, music-hall inspired numbers ("Alcohol"). The album is notable for the intentional use of dated recording equipment. Ray Davies and engineer Mike Bodak utilized 10 year old microphones on many of the tracks to give the record an antiquated feel. [2]Muswell Hillbillies was also the first of The Kinks' records featuring their new brass section, The Mike Cotton Sound, which included Mike Cotton on trumpet, John Beecham on trombone and tuba, and Alan Holmes on clarinet. [2][3]
Release and reception
Muswell Hillbillies was the band's first album for RCA Records,[3] their prior recordings having been released on Pye Records (Reprise Records in the United States). The album was not a commercial success (it failed to chart in the United Kingdom and was only modestly successful in the United States, peaking at #48[4]), and its sales were a disappointment following the success of Lola the previous year. It was however named 1972 album of the year by Stereo Review.[citation needed] In 1984, Rolling Stone editors called this album Davies' "signature statement" as a songwriter.[citation needed]
After the release of the Kinks' next album, 1972's Everybody's in Show-Biz, Davies took the band into a four-year "theatrical" incarnation (1973-1976) with an expanded line-up of musicians and thematic concept albums constructed around elaborate stage shows.
Cover art
The front cover picture was taken in The Archway Tavern, a pub more than 2 miles away from Muswell Hill. The back inset picture, showing the band below a signpost giving direction to Muswell Hill, was taken on the small traffic island at the intersection of Castle Yard and Southwood Lane in Highgate.
Track listing
All songs by Ray Davies.
- "20th Century Man" – 5:57
- "Acute Schizophrenia Paranoia Blues" – 3:32
- "Holiday" – 2:40
- "Skin and Bone" – 3:39
- "Alcohol" – 3:35
- "Complicated Life" – 4:02
- "Here Come the People in Grey" – 3:46
- "Have a Cuppa Tea" – 3:45
- "Holloway Jail" – 3:29
- "Oklahoma U.S.A." – 2:38
- "Uncle Son" – 2:33
- "Muswell Hillbilly" – 4:58
1998 CD re-issue bonus tracks
- "Mountain Woman" – 3:08
- "Kentucky Moon (Demo)" – 3:57
Personnel
- Ray Davies - Acoustic Guitar, Lead Vocals
- Dave Davies - Lead Guitar, Slide Guitar, Backing Vocals
- John Dalton - Bass Guitar
- John Gosling - Keyboards
- Mick Avory - Drums, Percussion
- Mike Cotton - Trumpet
- John Beecham - Trombone, Tuba
- Mike Bodak; Richard Edwards - Engineer [5]
References
- ^ Stolder, Steven Muswell Hillbillies. Countrymusic.com. Retrieved 5 December 2009
- ^ a b c [1] Paper on Muswell Hillbillies
- ^ a b c Allmusic Guide review for Muswell Hillbillies
- ^ KindaKinks.com Chart Positions
- ^ J&R store catalog with info on Muswell Hillbillies
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