The Kinks Are the Village Green Preservation Society
| The Kinks Are the Village Green Preservation Society | ||||
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| Studio album by The Kinks | ||||
| Released | 22 November 1968 | |||
| Recorded | November 1966 – October 1968 | |||
| Studio | Pye Studios, London | |||
| Genre | Rock, baroque pop | |||
| Length | 38:46 | |||
| Label | ||||
| Producer | Ray Davies | |||
| The Kinks chronology | ||||
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| Singles from The Kinks Are the Village Green Preservation Society | ||||
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| Professional ratings | |
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| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| Allmusic |  |
| Blender | |
| Robert Christgau | Favorable |
| Pitchfork Media | 9.5/10 |
| Rolling Stone | Favorable |
The Kinks Are the Village Green Preservation Society is the sixth studio album by the English rock group the Kinks, released in November 1968. It was the last album by the original quartet, as bassist Pete Quaife left the group in early 1969. A collection of vignettes of English life,The Kinks Are the Village Green Preservation Society was assembled from songs written and recorded over the previous two years.
Although the record is widely considered one of the most influential and important works by the Kinks, it failed to chart upon release, selling about 100,000 copies. In 2003 the album was ranked number 255 on Rolling Stone magazine's list of the 500 greatest albums of all time.
The song "Village Green" itself was recorded in sessions for the Kinks' 1967 LP Something Else, but Davies withheld the song and began collecting ideas for a thematic album revolving around the village green concept. The band's interest in such a project began to grow in mid-1967: in a June interview Dave Davies mentioned that a Ray Davies solo LP was scheduled for release in September. which, according to Doug Hinman, "probably refers to Ray's plans for a collection of songs with a London theme, a la 'Waterloo Sunset', an idea that seems to appear and disappear quickly, or his Village Green concept, the one that seems to take hold." The Kinks spent the remainder of the year completing Something Else then went on a short break before beginning work on the Village Green album.
The November 1966 track "Village Green" was inspired by a visit to Devon, England in late 1966. Davies has also stated that Dylan Thomas's Under Milk Wood was an influence. The song suggests a broad theme, "I miss the village green, and all the simple people", a world which could be extended by adding an "Animal Farm", which is "a dirty old shack that we called our home", and "Sitting by the Riverside". It was populated with character sketches of the writer's childhood sweetheart Daisy and of Walter, once a close friend, both now married, of Johnny Thunder, the local hoodlum, and Monica, a prostitute.
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