The Kinks

Not as essential as Kollektable Kinks, but still a solid highlight as far as Kinks bootlegs go. About half of this features BBC recordings from the mid-'60s in good quality, though the takes don't differ much from the studio versions (actually, they're substantially less powerful). The major highlight of the broadcasts is the typically laconic and moody Ray Davies original "This Strange Effect," which the Kinks never recorded in the studio (although Dave Berry had a European hit with a cover version). Other goodies are a raw demo of the unreleased Ray original "All Night Stand" (given to the obscure British band the Thoughts), a song which would have fit in well on Face To Face, and the garagey studio outtake "Time Will Tell," yet another mid-'60s Davies composition that the band never released. The rest of the disc is pretty much filler, presenting some unfinished instrumental backing tracks from the '60s, and some marginally different live/alternate studio recordings from much later in the group's career. ~ Richie Unterberger, All Music Guide