Track Listing

Disc 1:

1. You Really Got Me - Shel Talmy, The Kinks
2. All Day And All Of The Night
3. Tired Of Waiting For You
4. Everybody's Gonna Be Happy
5. Set Me Free
6. See My Friend
7. Till The End Of The Day
8. Dedicated Follower Of Fashion
9. Sunny Afternoon
10. Dead End Street
11. Waterloo Sunset
12. Death Of A Clown
13. Autumn Almanac
14. Susannah's Still Alive
15. Wonderboy
16. Days
17. Plastic Man
18. Victoria
19. Lola
20. Apeman
21. Supersonic Rocket Ship
22. Better Things
23. Come Dancing
24. Don't Forget To Dance

Disc 2:

1. David Watts
2. Stop Your Sobbing
3. Dandy
4. Mr. Pleasant
5. I Gotta Move
6. Who'll Be Next In Line
7. I Need You
8. Where Have All The Good Times Gone
9. Sittin' On My Sofa
10. A Well Respected Man - Shel Talmy, The Kinks
11. I'm Not Like Everybody Else
12. Love Me Till The Sun Shines
13. She's Got Everything
14. Starstruck
15. Shangri-La
16. God's Children
17. Celluloid Heroes
18. (Wish I Could Fly Like) Superman
19. Do It Again
20. Living On A Thin Line

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #1358 in Music
• Released on: 2004-09-13
• Number of discs: 2
• Format: Box set
• Running time: 139 minutes

Amazon.co.uk Review
How Ray Davies made it through is anyone's guess. He fought constantly with his brother and bandmate Dave. He received not a penny of royalties throughout the Kinks' late-1960s heyday, due to a management dispute. He endured two divorces--the first of which saw him hospitalised in a suspected suicide attempt--and a painful break-up with Chrissie Hynde. Under terrible stress, he announced his retirement every six months from 1967 onwards. Yet somehow he held together one of the 60s' most stylish outfits, and released a string of hits that rank among the wittiest, most provocative and most socially aware songs ever written.

The first disc of the two-CD The Ultimate Collection begins with their third single and first No. 1, the insistent "You Really Got Me", then races through the glory years with the absurdly infectious likes of "Sunny Afternoon", "Waterloo Sunset", "Lola" and "Apeman". Dave's two hits are included, too, and the disc ends with "Come Dancing" and other selections from The Kinks' early-80s comeback. Disc Two includes songs that were hits for others ("David Watts" and "Stop Your Sobbing"), various B-sides and other rarities, including "God's Children", from the soundtrack of Percy, a movie about a fellow seeking the original owner of his recently transplanted penis. The Ultimate Collection is an excellent addition to the Kinks's cannon. --Dominic Wills

CD Description
This is a collection of tracks by the North London pop-rockact who enjoyed their most succesful period in the 1960s. The first disc contains 22 UK top 40 hits, including the 3 no.1 singles 'You Really Got Me', 'Tired Of Waiting For You' and 'Sunny Afternoon'. The second disc is made up of the mostpopular album tracks and b-sides from throughout their career.

Customer Reviews

Essential Kinks
The Kinks' hits have been endlessly repackaged over the years and no doubt this collection will not be the last - but it is unlikely to be beaten. It contains (as they all do) the great sixties singles and the number and consistent brilliance of those singles is astounding from 'You Really Got Me' through 'Waterloo Sunset' (one of the greatest singles of all time) and 'Sunny Afternoon' to 'Days' and 'Lola' via less obvious gems such as 'Autumn Almanac', and the gorgeous 'Wonderboy' . Everyone will have special favourites. this collection also includes (as others do not) the perfect 'Come Dancing' from 1983.
The second cd collects album tracks, b-sides and non-hit singles and shows another dimension to the band. Listen to the sheer genius of 'Celluloid Heroes' and ask yourself why it flopped.
'Where Have All The Good Times Gone' (b side of 'Till The End Of The Day') will be better known to many through Bowie's cover version, and 'Stop You Sobbing' will be more familiar by the Pretenders - the originals here are excellent. 'I'm Not Like Everybody Else' (another b side) is almost a personal manifesto.
I could go on forever, there is so much here and all so good.
One quibble - why no 'Sitting In My Hotel'? One of the greatest of the band's album tracks. Grumble over.
The material on this album belongs in every good cd collection. I promise it will not disappoint.

Nearly but not quite
This collection is superb BUT a third disc would have allowed for a full appreciation of The Kinks when they were stadium rockers Stateside in the late 70s and early 80s. Tracks from the Sleepwalker, Misfits and Low Budget albums would have added an extra edge. The mid period RCA albums and singles are also sadly underrepresented. The Kinks were an album band as well as being devotees to 45 rpm! Might I suggest that folk wishing to gain a truer insight into the Kinks work post 1970 would be better directed to the comilation albums 'Celluloid Heroes' (RCA material) and 'Come Dancing' (Arista later material).

Virtually the ultimte Kinks collection
So, is this double CD the ultimate collection of the brilliant Kinks? Yes, probably - well it's certainly the best Kinks compilation on the market with the only real fault being only one track featured from their acknowledged masterpiece The Kinks Are The Village Green Preservation Society. Not really a problem though as the Village Green should be bought separately (and guess what, a 3 CD Special Edition has also been brought out by the same canny label, Sanctuary!), and there is plenty to enjoy in the Ultimate Collection.

The Ultimate Collection contains all the band's hits plus key B-sides and album tracks from their 60s heyday right through to the early 80s. This ranges from absolute classics such as Sunny Afternoon, Waterloo Sunset and Days through to under-rated gems such as the epic Shangri-La and touching God's Children which on their own justify this compilation being two CDs rather than a hits-only single disc.

There are a few stinkers, most notably the appalling Apeman and Plastic Man, though virtually all of the other material here is worthwhile with even the latter tracks sounding OK if rather dated with their 80s gloss.

With a good accompanying essay by David Wells, the Ultimate Collection by The Kinks pretty much is what it says on the tin. An excellent compilation by one of the key 60s bands and best acts ever. Buy it - but make sure you buy the Village Green Preservation Society as well...