Lola versus Powerman and the Money-Go-Round, Part One

Editorial Reviews
Amazon.com essential recording
The Kinks' 1970 effort was the penultimate creation in a five-year, six-album burst that ranks just a notch below the great sustained rock & roll eruptions of Bob Dylan, the Beatles, the Stones, and Elvis Costello. Of course, the linchpin to this collection is "Lola," Ray Davies's irresistibly vivid account of the charms of a seductive transvestite. Its daring (for the time) subject matter aside, "Lola" stands as one of the great singles of all time. Add to the list the almost as infectious "Apeman," a slew of funny, shrewd, alienated-rock-star screeds ("Top of the Tops," "The Moneyground," "Powerman"), and a couple of memorable contributions from Ray's brother, Dave ("Strangers," "Rats"), and you have the Kinks at their raucous, righteous, quirky quintessence. --Steven Stolder

Tracks:

Introduction
The Contenders
Strangers
Denmark Street
Get Back In Line
Lola
Top Of The Pops
The Moneygoround
This Time Tomorrow
A Long Way From Home
Rats
Apeman
Powerman
Got To Be Free

Amazon.com essential recording

The Kinks' 1970 effort was the penultimate creation in a five-year, six-album burst that ranks just a notch below the great sustained rock & roll eruptions of Bob Dylan, the Beatles, the Stones, and Elvis Costello. Of course, the linchpin to this collection is "Lola," Ray Davies's irresistibly vivid account of the charms of a seductive transvestite. Its daring (for the time) subject matter aside, "Lola" stands as one of the great singles of all time. Add to the list the almost as infectious "Apeman," a slew of funny, shrewd, alienated-rock-star screeds ("Top of the Tops," "The Moneyground," "Powerman"), and a couple of memorable contributions from Ray's brother, Dave ("Strangers," "Rats"), and you have the Kinks at their raucous, righteous, quirky quintessence. --Steven Stolder

Customer Reviews:

Meta-Kinks.......2007-05-28

I take a backseat to no one in my love for the Kinks. They were the first rock band that grabbed me back in 1965 with "Well Respected Man" and "Sunny Afternoon," and, thereafter, I continued to rediscover them. I caught up with Kinks in 1969 with "Arthur," then again in 1970 with "Muswell Hillbillies," and again in 1972 with the Kink Kronikles retrospective, which introduced me to the UK hits "Waterloo Sunset" and "Days" as well as oddly compelling achievements like "Autumn Almanac" and "Death of a Clown." I recall vividly the release of the single "Lola," which came after "Arthur." It was almost too good: Too melodic, too funny, too brilliant in every way. The album, which followed, left me a little cold, and I've never really given it much of a listen in the past 35+ years since its release.

Now that I've given this album another chance, I can't seem to pry it from my CD player. Is this the Kinks' best album? Better than "Village Green Preservation Society?" "Muswell Hillbillies?" It might be. Musically, it's their biggest, boldest statement. Lola is like the seed of a pearl, the album being about the creation of a hit single, first the desperate climb to the top, in "The Contenders," "Denmark Street," "Get Back in Line," followed by the single itself, followed by all the things that followed; hitting "the Top of the Pops," inspiring "The Moneygoround," where people make money off "a song they've never heard," and then the life of being stars, represented by two of the disc's highlights, "This Time Tomorrow" and "A Long Way from Home" -- two of the prettiest melodies Ray Davies ever wrote. Then, finally the sometimes funny, sometimes angry struggle to break free of the commercial monster they've created, in "Apeman," "Powerman," and "Got to be Free." Woven into this narrative are two of Dave Davies' best Kink contributions, "Strangers" and "Rats," which don't fit the story line precisely, but capture its mood, "Strangers" especially.

See? It's an album with a hit single that's about the hit single. And by the end of it, they're running as far away from the hit single as they can. This is meta-fiction, 25 years ahead of its time. But it's not difficult. This album has a little of everything that makes the Kinks great: Beautiful melodies, savage rock riffs, music-hall-style satire, and lyrics both clever and heartfelt. A true treasure. Why didn't I hear it this way before?

Almost Perfect.......2007-05-05

I first bought this album because the morning show that I would listen to on the radio in SLC (Radio from Hell) would sometimes play "Apeman" as an intro song. After hearing it about half a dozen times, I finally decided to hunt down this CD. I concur with the opinions expressed by many of the previous reviewers. This is a stellar album, and I am disappointed in myself that I hadn't heard it earlier in my life. I do have one complaint for which I am subtracting one star. To my ears, this CD desperately needs to be remastered. The mix sounds tinny and weak. For me, this is most apparent on the song "Apeman" - the reason I bought the album. The vocals seem to be buried underneath the the instrumentation. I bought my copy used, so perhaps it was an earlier release CD, and there has since been a remastered release. But believe me, you will not regret purchasing this album.

Brilliant concept album.......2006-12-19

I owned this LP when it was released and I played it non-stop. The songs were acted out in "the theater in my head": it took me on an exciting, sometimes poignant, emotional journery every time. This is a brilliant concept album. "Lola versus Powerman..." still holds a very special place for me in the exordinary Kinks discography.

This is where Lola shows you who's boss........2006-11-30

Having grown up thru the British Invasion I can tell you that Ray Davies was writing songs on par with Lennon/NikCartney. The Kinks invented hard rockin', I don't care who agrees. RD in his prime could go song to song with the 'Beatlez' and his prime lasted longer than either of the aforementioned.

Toppermost of the Poppermost.......2006-11-30

Absolutely the best Kinks album, bar none. It also is one of the greatest rock albums ever. No need to delete anything before you hit "play" - unless maybe you've heard "Lola" once too often. It also has cohesiveness and a storyline. Although I usually get tired of even good material, this one always seems fresh and gets a regular spin. (It brings back fond memories of when I managed to play "Top of the Pops" on my high school's PA system.) In my experience, whenever someone hears it for the first time they always ask about it (sometimes they think it's a "greatest hits" CD - altho Lola was actually the only hit). Bottom line: if you don't own it, buy it.

Music Review:

Music Review

Music Review