Hard it may be to break from the shadow cast by The Beatles and The Rolling Stones in the mid-1960s, The Kinks managed just fine. Their work from ‘66 to ‘71 is solid at its worst, brilliant when they hit the many highs to be found during this time. Face to Face feels like the first truly inspired moment from the band, where they could shed the overly friendly and fleeting pop sound of their previous releases. They had solid work on those first few albums but lacked the consistency. A hit here or there would be breached by some achingly dull rock and roll work which reflected the times rather than what the band could, and eventually would, do. Face to Face is the first example of The Kinks as a true unit of thematic interest, of inspired writing, and crucially a group where instrumental uniqueness begins to rain. The Kinks find a sound that works for them.
From the phone-ringing charm of opener Party Line which subverts the more direct and underwhelmed romantic songs the band had made before, to the classics like Sunny Afternoon, The Kinks begin feeding in some political nuance and punchy hits. Party Line has some little scribbles of political disarray but ultimately keeps its focus on a catchy guitar riff and the intrigue of who is on the other side of the line. That line can be a literal phone connection or, as there is room for on this opening track, a rebellion against voting for political parties meant to be on other ends of the spectrum but were now beginning to overlap in intent. Too Much on My Mind is still a clunky piece of work but it profiles how keen musicians of the time were to add a little deeper, darker meaning to their work. Post-Pet Sounds and Revolver, the rest of the field were left to consider what tone they wanted to take. Pop music was no longer enough, a friendly riff, lust, and love could get musicians only so far. The Kinks adapt well with this transitional album.
Face to Face has that friendly sound still featured, with Session Man a bit of a throwaway but at least a bit autobiographical. Even those details make for a huge change, even if the instrumentals are relatively familiar. Darker tones are taken on Rainy Day in June, one of the band’s best songs. The thunder and vitriol backed by some subtle mood-setters with the piano work here is nothing short of defiant perfection. It’s The Kinks’ first example of thematic ability, and it’s also one of their best. Their influence on Blur is made clear with House in the Country, and though the political commentaries featured by The Kinks here are tertiary, they’re still clear and cutting to this day. Great work the whole way through, and listening back to Sunny Afternoon, it becomes clear the joys of the song are built around that catchy instrumental swagger.
Face to Face is the first of many credible, frankly excellent albums from the band. They had brushed with hits before this but had never faced off with an album worth of quality. They do here, and the joys of Face to Face come not just in the writing but the instrumental choices. It’s a reasonable alternative to the world music influence of The Beatles and the Americanised blues rock of The Rolling Stones. The Kinks head for an inherently British sound, and while that would be their undoing on later albums as they failed to move with the mood of the times, it works tremendously in the floaty, flowery 1960s. Their work in this period is clearly their best, and much of it is collated on Face to Face. Confident works with that playful spin The Kinks would master on later albums.
Discover more from Cult Following
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.
