Every band hits a point where they must consider a period of transition. That for The Kinks is The Kink Kontroversy, and though the title would suggest some great dispute over their sound, nothing of the sort occurs. It’s a solid effort from a band whose best work was just a year away, with Face to Face kickstarting an all-time great run of work from the group. The Kinks would continue with their relatively likeable pop-rock sound, which had been carved out similarly to those early works from The Beatles and The Rolling Stones. Second fiddle was not an option for The Kinks, and they realised that rather quickly, instead opting for a sound which both appreciates other bands of the time, but stands independent of them also. The Kink Kontroversy brings about some softer changes to their tone, but it’s still the soft charms of their earlier work prevailing here.
A real great experience for those wanting deep cut offerings from the band, that’s what The Kink Kontroversy is. Take Milk Cow Blues for instance, an opener with sharp instrumental thrills to it that highlight The Rolling Stones’ influence on the band more than anything. But it’s what a band can do with said influence at hand that matters most of all. The Kinks take it well beyond mimicry and make a real go of it, and a strong song is the result. Charming, short works can be found here too, as is the inevitability of a mid-1960s album. Ring the Bells and Gotta Get the First Plane Home are both exceptional pieces of work, two short and sweet songs with a simple repetition embedded within them. It leaves something to be desired when following up a riotous Milk Cow Blues, but these lighter, looser efforts earn their place. Some exceptional harmonica work and instrumental build on Gotta Get the First Plane Home give The Kinks that instrumental blowout sound, an appealing early win for the album.
Many of the songs featured on The Kink Kontroversy are nice enough, but they walk the fine line of passive and peculiar. I Am Free feels like a riff on The Beatles’ straight rock days, though so does everything at this point. The Kinks are grappling for an instrumental sound they can proudly call their own, and they find it on songs like Till the End of the Day. Short, punchy songs are what The Kinks does best and they rarely veered from this style choice. Some of the songs featured, like I’m on an Island, are relatively close to sounding like duds, but they’re nice stop-offs and brief enough to not feel horribly calamitous. They don’t capsize the album, though it’s hardly a highlight. No bad bits, but little in the way of great moments. That’s the tough line The Kinks walk, as many artists in the mid-’60s did.
Nothing wrong with the efforts featured on The Kink Kontroversy, but few of them are real standouts. There are great bits all the same, though, like Where Have All the Good Times Gone. Nice pieces for the late stages of the album but nothing all that consequential. Crucially, it’s a sign of where The Kinks were headed. What they released after The Kink Kontroversy is nothing short of essential listening. There are songs here which get close to that feeling but there’ll be more to enjoy in the albums to follow. Everything touched on here is adapted far stronger in the songs to follow, and there are parts of The Kink Kontroversy which can be considered a very minor improvement on the work preceding it, but not all that much. A worthwhile listen for those who want to hear how this transition came together, though there’s little more to it than that.
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This is 5 stars in my book – great album