Face to Face

Kinks - Face to Face (BMG)Dating back to the fall of 1966, the fourth Kinks’ album was a bona fide masterpiece. The first album not recorded as a one-off but recorded over months. The 2011 reissue of the Deluxe version included alternate takes, songs from singles not appearing on albums, and alternate mixes; as well as mono and stereo versions of the original 14 song LP.Of the album proper, the material is a photograph set to music of the society of the time, whether it be of the unhappiness of the rich being squeezed out of their wealth by the heavy tax burden (“Sunny Afternoon”- the major hit on the LP) imposed on the well-to-do; and the overall concept that riches do not bring happiness (“A House in the Country” and “Most Exclusive Residence for Sale”), and the people of London and the surrounding environs. The regular people. Womanizers (“Dandy”), innocent attractions (“You’re Looking Fine”)and broken relationships (“I’ll Remember“).Musically, some of it represented further instrumental excursions of “Dedicated Follower of Fashion”, with only “Party Line”, a song abut the now antiquated phone system of having multiple people being on a single home line, hearkening back to their heavier rock numbers such as “All Day and All of the Night”. The instrumental break of “Little Miss Queen of Darkness” offered a true departure from the rock and roll genre, with the break being highlighted by jazzy drum riffs and near-solos.To me, the highlight was “Rainy Day in June”, a fairytale of a song about the storms in England frightening the gentle animals; as well as elves and gnomes. A delightful romp set to serious early Kinks music with lyrics that could have come from the gentle imagination of Syd Barrett.The alternative stereo mixes of songs such as “Fancy” are superior to the album mixes mainly in their treatment of the vocals, which are brought more to the forefront. Of the songs unreleased on albums but making their way onto singles, highlights include “Big Black Smoke” and especially “Dead End Street”, which showcases both the desperation and hope of people living in poverty.Although inactive since 1992, the Kinks have left behind a fabulous array of music, showcasing intense musicianship (especially of guitarist Dave Davies) and superb song craftsmanship from Ray Davies. On this CD, the band was rounded out by Mick Avory on drums and Pete Quaife on bass (although on one song he was replaced by later Kinks’ bassist John Dalton, this due to an automobile accident suffered by Pete in mid 1966). Also present is Nicky Hopkins on keyboards, who also appeared on many other British albums of that era. His presence is underscored by the song “Session Man”, which indicates they did so much work but got little glory until or unless they were eventually folded into a band (remember, Jimmy Page, John Bonham and John Paul Jones were all session men until the Yardbirds and/or Led Zeppelin came along).(5 star out of 5)MC Mahan

Another superb output by the Kinks. Call me a heathen but I think the Davie brothers write better songs than Lennon/Mcartney.

As far as I'm concerned, the Kink's musical output throughout the 60s was amazing and there are not nearly enough starts available to emphasize that. That being said, these recordings are not sonic blockbusters and they can be made more difficult to enjoy if not treated right. While I'm not normally a mono purist, I have to admit I prefer the mono mixes of this set with few exceptions. The stereo mixes don't really add significantly to the presentation, but I'm glad to have them for comparison all the same. I definitely prefer the deluxe 2cd reissue to the original Castle/Sanctuary CD release, but I can't imagine they could achieve the volume they did without some heavy handed use of compression. Just listen to the stereo "Most Exclusive Residence For Sale" and "Fancy" and you'll realize there is no room for dynamics. Listener fatigue soon sets in. Comparing this to my sad, Spanish Pye vinyl copy of dubious origin, was little help (I can't believe I used to listen to this, but reminds me how my enjoyment of this material, as well as my estimation of the Kinks work in general, grew with the quality of the transfer available to me). So far, the best Face to Face available on CD is this deluxe release. Without the original pye vinyl for comparison, it will have to do.

Good vinyl but really quiet. You have to turn your speakers all the way up to hear it.

This past Christmas I had received a gift certificate and with this gift certificate I purchased 3 Kinks Deluxe Editions Kink Kontroversy, which I have already reviewed, Something Else by The Kinks and this one Face to face. This is one of the three changeover albums from the Kinks that took them away from the rocky side to a more ballad like side. Both the original mono and stereo versions of this album plus alternate versions of several songs appear on this disc. The album is led off by a song known as "Party Line". This is truly a great tune. Another great song that takes you back to their earlier side is House in the Country. This song has been covered by a lot of other groups including the Pretty Things! I really can't tell you which version is better as they are all done well. Also appearing on one of the discs is a b side to a single called Big Black Smoke. It is a really great song and so is its a side called Dead End Street which also appears on this set, as well as Sunny Afternoon and Dandy. This deluxe set is really a must for you Kinks Fans. I would not hesitate to get it and also listen to it as soon as you get it.

I bought this album when it first came out, and I always loved it. I lost my copy somewhere along the way, and I've been looking for it ever since, so it was a wonderful thing to have it in my hands again, and I really couldn't be happier with this re-issue. The whole package is first rate, and the music sounds absolutely great on this beautiful shiny vinyl. This is a classic, timeless album that sounds just as good today as it did when it came out back in 1966.I think it was one of the first real "concept" albums, telling a story from start to finish, but with a much lighter touch than (for example) "Tommy" or "Quadrophenia" by the Who or any of the Pink Floyd epics. I'm not knocking those albums, of course; they are classics, but for my money, Ray Davies and the Kinks did it with a lot less grandiosity and a lot more humor. Great to hear this terrific album on vinyl again."Long live the Kinks!"

Great content, but digital CDs like this one tend to get really beat up when shipped in a padded envelope. Amazon needs to improve this.

Kinks at their best aside from village green IMO, the only thing is I thought I purchased mono and stereo versions . Having said that this a great sounding record even in mono

This was their first concept, and a step forward from anything they did previously. Their first album was typical early mid sixties British Invasion. Their last album before this showed signs they were expanding. Here, they had expanded. By then, they had developed a more mature, varying and wide-ranging sound. There were tracks here that were very different to anything else, such as Session Man & Rainy Day In June. It is nice to hear a wider range of instruments, such as a harpsichord on a few tracks. But as the tracks appear here in mono and stereo, tracks 1, 7 and 14 sound better in mono, as on the stereo section of the album, they are in fake electronic stereo. What is also illogical is that other tracks appear on that stereo section in fake stereo, and then later on the second CD here in true stereo.. But apart from that, there is sill a nice selection of bonus tracks such as a few non-album tracks A and B sides of singles, a couple of alternate versions such as the demo of Dead End Street, plus the stereo take of one of their greatest songs but was only a B side - Big Black Smoke with an entirely different ending to the original mono version which is also here. 1966 seemed to be the first major year for concepts, as slightly after this, The Hollies released For Certain Because, The Beatles had just released Revolver, and from the States, earlier that year, The Beach Boys released Pet Sounds, Bob Dylan released one of the first double albums Blonde On Blonde and The Byrds released Fifth Dimension (although it was their third album). Whereas previously, albums were often only released on the back of hit singles, with artists only putting their efforts into their singles.

...this is an outstanding contribution to 1960's music; Gene Booth's concise review above for amazon.co.uk is right on the mark. Furthermore, the album does indeed stand the test of time, with superb song-writing along with fine playing from this great British band. The Deluxe edition presents the original tapes in mono and stereo, and in excellent remastered sound.I pulled 'Face to Face' out of my collection this evening so as to satisfy a sudden desire to hear 'Rosy, Won't You Please Come Home', and rediscovered why this album is a treasure trove of marvels.For anyone considering a purchase of this Deluxe edition, my recommendation is a resounding 'yes'.

Wonderful album - covers a lot of tracks we don't have on other albums - really good! :D!

really enjoyed listening

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