Celluloid Heros

Lesser Known Gems from a Master:
Many Kinks compilations and live recordings have focused on a combination of early classics and later work from the Arista years. The nifty things about this collection are: ---it culls material from a middle period (mid70's and thereabouts) between "Lola" and the later arena rock period, ---Even while entertaining our ears with some excellent rock, in conveys the music hall, theatrical, boozy and melancholy feel that Kinks albums and shows had around that time. Preservation Act 1, Muswell Hillbillies and Schoolboys in Disgrace are 3 of the albums represented here by some wonderful tracks. 20th Century Man, Sitting In The Midday Sun, Celluloid Heroes, No More Looking Back are a few of the noteworthy songs. This collection is heavy on horns, evocative writing, memorable grooves, and Ray Davies's particular, slightly peculiar genius. If you never got to attend a Kinks concert post-Lola and pre-Sleepwalker, this will give you a hint of what you missed.

deleted songs:
while the additions to this cd are great, why did they ommit the faster live version of "here comes another day" and the speeded-up version of "starmaker". ray davies said in an interview he always thought starmaker should have been faster. now these versions of the songs are completely deleted from the kinks catalog as they were only available on the original version of this compilation. it dont make sense. also, they had a minor hit with "no more looking back" on the "schoolboys" album. thats not on here either.

"But, You Can't Stop The Music Playing On":
I have been a Kinks' fan for years, with many of their CDs from the 60's and picking up, again, with Sleepwalker on into the early 80's, so I wanted someting to help fill in the missing RCA years. Celluloid Heroes is a good sampling of The Kinks, during these years with RCA. But, imagine my surprise when I purchased this Remastered Celluloid Heroes CD, from a Seller on EBay, and discovered it had an even better track listing than what was is listed here! The version of Celluloid Heroes I got looks exactly like the product listed here and it isn't an import copy. It lists the very same songs, that are shown with this product description, but actually has three songs from Muswell Hillbillies, Preservation Act 1 and School Boys In Disgrace, six songs from Everybody's in Show Business, two songs from Soap Opera and only one song from Preservation Act 2! I think whoever chose this tracklist knew these albums well and felt that Everybody's In Show Business was their best RCA album. I don't know if it was the result of a Kink's fan operating the equipment, who over-rode the track selection when my CD was produced, or if I just got a rare copy, but the New and Sealed version I purchased from the EBay Seller "bargainbincds" for $6.99 had six different songs! My track lists goes as follows: 20th. Century Man, You Can't Stop the Music, Sitting In My Hotel, Here Comes Another Day, Celluloid Heroes, Sweet Lady Geneviene, One of the Survivors, Sitting in the Midday Sun, You Don't Know My Name, Supersonic Rocket Ship, The Hard Way, School Days, Everybody's A Star, Mirror of Love, Muswell Hillibilly, Maximum Consumption, Holiday and No More Looking Back. If I was able to do so, the only song I would replace on this tracklist would be to insert Oklahoma USA in place of Holiday, since I think Oklahoma USA is one of the most beautiful songs Ray Davies has ever written. "All life we work, but work is a bore, if life's for living what's living for? She lives in a house that's near decay, before the Industrial Revolution, but in her dreams she is far, far away," Meanwhile, there is beautiful accordian accompanying these lines. I do think Muswell Hillbillies is one of the better Kinks albums from their RCA years, although I don't understand why Oklahoma USA has been omitted from any discussion of Kinks' best music. As of this writing, the same seller is still selling Celluloid Heroes on EBay for $7.99 Buy It Now and I would highly recommend anyone picking it up, because they may be lucky enough to be surprised, like me, when they sit down to listen to it.

This is not the "original issue remastered":
This says that it is the original recording remastered but there is nothing at all similar to the original recording. This sux. I am so sick of the record companies remastering everything three or four times, with different cuts, and repetitive songs! They can blow it on this one!

Ignore the Critics - this is good stuff!:
One thing that I greatly admire about Ray Davies - lead singer of The Kinks is that when it comes the music business, he isn't afraid to deviate from the formula. As a result of this, The Kinks became one of the most innovative bands of the Rock Era. In 1971, The Kinks made a would sign with RCA records. It was during this period where the Kinks would go into an experimental phase and undergo heavy criticism for the direction they would take. For the next five years, commercial sales would decline for the Kinks in addition to the criticism. In a lot of ways, this was very unfair toward the Kinks - who really did make some good music during this period. It is this phase of The Kinks that is captured on the compilation, "Celluloid Heroes". This collection features 18 tracks from the RCA era of the Kinks. While not the deepest compilation by The Kinks, it does focus on a particular period - and does an excellent job at that. There are really three phases to The Kinks. The Kinks started out in the 1960s as a "rebellious" group of rockers as part of the first British Invasion that would soon have a series of hits. I call this phase - "1960s Kinks". This phase goes from 1964-1971. "1960s Kinks" was a commercially successful period. Although this wasn't Punk Rock, many credit the style of the Kinks for becoming the strawman for the Punk Rock movement that would happen in the 1970s. It was during this period The Kinks were mysteriously banned from playing in the U.S.. The second phase is the experimental phase that was highlighted by "Rock Opera Phase" from 1972 to 1976. As mentioned, this was not a commercially successful phase for the Kinks - While these concept/Rock Opera albums were not well received by the public, they still would be accepted by The Kinks fans. When the group made the switch to Arista Records, The Kinks went toward more of a Hard Rock/Rock Pop direction. This would start the third phase called "The Later Years" covering 1977 onward. The Kinks would enjoy a commercial and critical renaissance in this third phase. For the most part, "Celluloid Heroes" focuses on the second phase of the Kinks career - the RCA years. During this RCA years, The Kinks would release six studio albums. "Celluloid Heroes" takes 18 songs from the six albums that were released during this period. There is a "sampling" of three songs from each of the albums - therefore each album is equally represented (I like that). These albums are: "Muswell Hillbillies" ("20th Century Man", "Complicated Life", "Muswell Hillbilly"); "Everybody's in Showbiz" ("Alcohol" - a live cut, "Celluloid Heroes", "Here Comes Yet Another Day"); "Preservation Act 1" ("Sweet Lady Genevieve", "One of the Survivors", "Sitting in the Midday Sun"); "Preservation Act 2" ("He's Evil", "Mirror of Love", "Artificial Man"); "A Soap Opera" ("Everybody's a Star", "Face in the Crowd", "You Can't Stop the Music"); "Schoolboys in Disgrace" ("I'm a Disgrace", "The Hard Way", "No More Looking Back"). Throughout this work, the trademark guitar work of the Davies brothers is well demonstrated. On top of it, with Ray Davies at the helm handling the songwriting duties, we get a good snapshot into the creativity from this period. One may want to take note that while there are several other compilations available by The Kinks. The 1986 release "Come Dancing with the Kinks" provides a focus into the third phase ("The Later Years") when the Kinks would move to Arista Records. There is also a two disc set, "Ultimate Collection that is more comprehensive and spans all three phases of the Kinks career. "Ultimate Collection" does not include many of the songs found on "Celluloid Heroes". If you are looking for the songs from the RCA phase, this is going to be the compilation to get. It is also worth noting that this collection will introduce the fans to the "Rock Opera/Theatrical" type albums of "Preservation (Acts 1 and 2)", "A Soap Opera", and "Schoolboys in Disgrace". In particular probably the most "Rock Opera" sounding albums is "Preservation Act 2" and "A Soap Opera". "Celluloid Heroes" is also going to provide the casual fan with very good songs probably like "One of the Survivors", "Artificial Man", "He's Evil", "You Can't Stop the Music" - songs that probably aren't on the casual fan's radar. Finally it is worth mentioning that the first album in the RCA period ("Muswell Hillbillies") shows the Kinks experiment with a country-music influence - again very good stuff. This album does an outstanding job at arranging the tracks. I like when compilation albums arrange the songs in chronological order because it allows the listener to hear how the band evolves over time. "Celluloid Heroes" does this beautifully - perhaps as good as anything I have heard. On the first track "20th Century Man", it sounds like an offshoot of the strawman punk sound the Kinks became known for in the 1960s. We then segue into the experimental country and Rock sounds. By the time the listener gets to the last two tracks, "The Hard Way" and "No More Looking Back" - we begin to hear the prototype for the Harder Rock/Pop direction that would become a trademark of their Phase 3 work. The liner notes feature an outstanding write-up by John Swenson- who writes about The Kinks during the RCA years. As with most greatest hits collections, there are no lyrics included. Sadly missing are the musician and production credits. This particular collection does what it is intended to do - provide a snapshot of the Kinks during a particular era. It should not substitute for a comprehensive greatest hits collection of the Kinks. On top of it, I think many will discover some very good music came out of this period. This album comes highly recommended.