There was a lot going on in rock n'roll in 1968. The White Album and Electric Ladyladyland (to name just a few) were re-shaping the contours and reach of the genre and things were moving pretty fast. So it was a hell of a head-scratcher when Ray Davies and his merry bunch slowed things right down. Eschewing all that cutting edge modernity for a retreat to the Village Green, with all its traditional quaintness and bucolic serenity, The Kinks lit a pipe, donned tweed elbow patches, and consciously stopped looking forward, instead dreamily turning their minds and guitars to the halcyon days of traditional small town life. A ballsy move that was ill received at the time but has earned this record the reputation as one of the band's, and indeed the era's, finest. Our mate Huey joins us to walk through the town's nooks and crannies, discuss the concepts and themes, the making of and the merits of each track, before tackling the frosty reception it received and what lay in store afterwards for The Kinks.
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