Lola Versus Powerman and the Moneygoround, Pt. 1

by The Kinks

Overview

"Lola" gave the Kinks an unexpected hit and its crisp, muscular sound, pitched halfway between acoustic folk and hard rock, provided a new style for the band. However, the song only hinted at what its accompanying album Lola Versus the Powerman and the Moneygoround, Part One was all about. It didn't matter that Ray Davies just had his first hit in years -- he had suffered greatly at the hands of the music industry and he wanted to tell the story in song. Hence, Lola -- a loose concept album about Ray Davies' own psychosis and bitter feelings toward the music industry. Davies never really delivers a cohesive story, but the record holds together because it's one of his strongest set of songs. Dave Davies contributes the lovely "Strangers" and the appropriately paranoid "Rats," but this is truly Ray's show, as he lashes out at ex-managers (the boisterous vaudevillian "The Moneygoround"), publishers ("Denmark Street"), TV and music journalists (the hard-hitting "Top of the Pops"), label executives ("Powerman"), and, hell, just society in general ("Apeman," "Got to Be Free"). If his wit wasn't sharp, the entire project would be insufferable, but the album is as funny as it is angry. Furthermore, he balances his bile with three of his best melancholy ballads: "This Time Tomorrow," "A Long Way from Home," and the anti-welfare and union "Get Back in Line," which captures working-class angst better than any other rock song. These songs provide the spine for a wildly unfocused but nonetheless dazzling tour de force that reveals Ray's artistic strengths and endearing character flaws in equal measure. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine

Product Details

Release Date:	01/22/2021
Label:	Sanctuary Records
UPC:	4050538600193
Rank:	12171

Album Credits

Performance Credits

The Kinks   Primary Artist
Ray Davies & Band   Primary Artist
Danish National Vocal Ensemble   Primary Artist,Choir/Chorus
Danish National Chamber Orchestra   Primary Artist,Orchestra,Vocal Ensemble
Ray Davies   Primary Artist,Keyboards,Harmonica,Vocals,Guitar,Guitar (Acoustic)
John Dalton   Vocals (Background),Bass,Guitar (Bass)
Mick Avory   Drums,Percussion
Dave Davies   Vocals,Guitar,Harmonica,Keyboards,Vocals (Background)
John Gosling   Keyboards,Organ
Dick Nolan   Bass,Guitar (Bass)
Karin Forsman   Vocals (Background)
Gunnar Frick   Keyboards
Toby Baron   Drums
Damon Wilson   Drums
Richard Nolan   Guitar (Bass)
Mark Johns   Guitar
David Symms   Spoken Word
Ian Gibbons   Keyboards
Fiachra Trench   Piano
Bill Shanley   Guitar (Electric),Vocals

Technical Credits

Ray Davies   Audio Production,Remix Engineer,Composer,Producer,Mixing,Editing
Mal Luker   Engineer,Assistant Engineer
Mike Bobak   Engineer
Mike Butcher   Assistant Engineer,Engineer
Dave Davies   Composer
Dougal Lott   Mixing
Matt Jagger   Mixing,Editing
Doug Hinman   Discography
Matt Jaggar   Remix Engineer
Irene Shubik   Producer
J. Fred Coots   Composer
Tony Wilson   Producer
Jeff Griffin   Producer
Andrew Sandoval   Mastering Supervisor