Misfits
Misfitswas originally released in 1978, by which point the Kinks were already a handful of years beyond their creative peak, and becoming even more marginalized in their native Britain as punk took hold. To Ray Davies's credit, he does not shy from addressing his increasing irrelevance on this deeply flawed but compelling confessional. The title is an apt summary of Davies's painfully acute self-awareness. As he stares down middle age, Davies is refreshingly frank about nagging feelings that maybe it's time to get a real job: "Rock & Roll Fantasy" is a spectacular display of self-delusion and self-abasement. Unfortunately, what might have become a cathartic masterpiece is marred by music that sounds like the Kinks buying some time by impersonatingStyxandBoston.--Andrew Mueller