July 2025 is the month for veteran rockers to step back into the spotlight in some fashion. We have already seen Black Sabbath bid farewell even as Oasis reentered the scene; now, with the release of “The Journey Part 3,” British legends The Kinks have again reminded us of their place in rock‘n’roll history via a combination of tracks from their latter arena-filling years and a 1993 live album showcasing the band’s power even as it reached the end of its then-thirty year career.
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The Kinks were English city and countryside storytelling rooted in folk and Victorian music hall stylings, usually with the added kicker of being cranked up to 11. The brainchild of primary singer and songwriter Ray Davies, the band burst onto the scene in the early 1960s with not primal, but primeval blasts of distorted guitar such as “You Really Got Me” and “All Day and All of the Night.” Additional textures quickly appeared in the band’s tapestry, with such works as 1967’s “Waterloo Sunset,” one of the most beautiful and pastoral melodies in rock history, being created along with conceptual works such as 1968’s “The Kinks Are The Village Green Preservation Society,” showcasing Davies’ penchant for nostalgia regarding the selfsame England he and the other members of the British Invasion were seemingly intent on remaking in their image. The trend toward concept pieces continued until the latter 1970s, when the band’s American record label “suggested” perhaps it was time to start writing hits again. So, Davies and company, including his brother Dave, who provided equal portions of snarling guitar and back-and-forth snarling with his brother throughout the band’s turbulent history, set out to fill the arenas those bloody Yanks had dotted the land with via arena-filling rockers. The Kinks succeeded at this quite nicely, and “The Journey Part 3” is the surviving members’ selections from that era.
The Kinks were all about Ray Davies’ songs. Melodically tuneful if occasionally derivative, it was with lyrics where Davies’ gift most brightly shone. He excelled at societal commentary through personal observation, primarily focused on his beloved England as the sun set on the British Empire. Davies had the gift of expressing themes both universal and tightly focused. He could be touching without devolving into maudlin schlock, as was the case with the Kinks’ biggest hit in America, 1983’s “Come Dancing.” It was an ode to his late sister.
The Kinks have been victims of endless repackaging over the decades, thus even for fans who already have all of the studio tracks on the new collection, it is a treat to hear the songs the band itself considers worthy of commemorating. Doubtless, each listener will lament omissions — for me, “Juke Box Music” from 1977’s “Sleepwalker” and “Heart of Gold” from 1983’s “State of Confusion” stand out — but there are no tracks here that lead one to think the band would have best left off.
What makes the collection especially enticing is the live disc, recorded in 1993 at the Royal Albert Hall in London during the band’s tour to support what will most likely be its final studio album, “Phobia.” The 16 tracks cover the band’s history with scruffy brio, hit after hit playfully blasting away. It is both a welcome addition to the Kinks canon for longtime fans and a handy point of entry to the uninitiated who are unaware of where much of their cherished rock‘n’roll emanated.
Is “The Journey Part 3” the final journey for the Kinks? Probably, but not definitely. Dave Davies has hinted at unreleased recordings that may yet see the light of day. But for now, “The Journey Part 3” will do nicely as a welcome reminder of a day in the now seemingly distant past when melody, muscle, and thoughtful musing routinely coexisted in popular music.
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