One for the Road
The Kinks, more perhaps than any band of their magnitude, appreciated the niceties of daily life. Think of howRay Daviesbestowed his blessings on china cups and such inThe Village Green Preservation Society. The Kinks of 1980'sOne for the Road, however, cast aside their attention to detail in favor of broad gestures. Here the Davies boys and company (including original drummer Mick Avory) attack their classic repertoire and some newer songs with hard-rock force. Lest one think they were straining to fit into tight trousers that no longer fit their nearly middle-aged bums, recall that the Kinks basically invented hard rock with "You Really Got Me" and "All Day and All of the Night" (both of which turn up onRoad). This isn't Kinks of the highest order, but as a live greatest-hits document of a significant period of a great band, it's certainly worthwhile.--Steven Stolder