Arguably the finest and most expansive Kinks collection on the market! The first disc of this double-disc 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. 44 tracks in all spread over two discs. Sanctuary. 2007

2008-12-16 -- 5/5:: God save the kinks
This is a great cd for anyone looking for the best of the kinks - Ive been a fan all my life (was l5 yrs old in l964)and I have all their albums. You wont go wrong with purchasing this cd. You must buy their l968 cd called "The kinks are the village green preservation society" .. its their best and considered now one of the greatest albums from the l960's.

2008-12-10 -- 5/5:: Glorious!
Well this has been released for some years now and anyone who has wanted to revisit The Kinks has probably bought it, but if you are thinking of getting yourself a copy don't hesitate, it is undoubtedly the best available collection, both in terms of sound quality and songs. The Singles Collection is a fine CD, but go the extra distance with this which also includes some album tracks, 'B' sides and later material and you won't be disappointed.

I was checking the reviews and noticed there were some differences of opinion re The Kinks being originators of heavy metal, not that it really matters after all, being the originators of such a flagrantly subtle genre is hardly noteworthy. However the early singles You Really Got Me and All Day And All of the Night did promote heavy chording with a raw in your face production (which Ray Davies had to fight for). I should also point out that Louie Louie, a song which also used staccato chording was in the Kinks early repertoire. The original version was cut by Richard Berry & The Pharoahs in 1956 and maybe this is the Rosetta Stone of heavy metal? Hardly, but for early metal progenitors check out Jeff Beck's Truth (1967) and Zep's first album (1968), although both discs had more to offer than heavy (base) metal.

You might, however, safely attribute the Kinks to having heavily influenced that basic, some might say inept, performance of minimalist R 'n B songs now called garage rock,. It was so basic you could describe it as punk in attitude and execution and many three chord Charlies, myself included, saw themselves as maestros of the genre; anyone could do it and many did. Check out the Nuggets series of albums issued now by Rhino.

The Kinks' first album had many examples of basic R 'n B which thankfully, for my taste, are not included in The Ultimate Kinks although excellent rock numbers are here. It wasn't long before Ray Davies' artistic vision began to assert itself in terms of lyrics, music, arrangements and sometime later in the 60s, production, although the band retained its ability to rock out with its rawness, and that somewhat shaky edge. It was an unusual combination, a loose and sometimes quirky feel yet highly sophisticated arrangements - revisit Autumn Almanac, it is astounding - check out Shangri-La! I think that Mick Avory's drumming and Pete Quaife's bass playing served the band well, as did brother Dave's inventive guitar when he was on form.

The Kinks had such a large output of excellent material that despite the double CD I can think of songs which I might have included - Two Sisters, Harry Rag, It's Alright, Alcohol, Don't You Fret, Last of the Steam Powered Trains, Animal Farm, Monica, Village Green, Do You Remember Walter? When you think that the band had primarily one writer, as opposed to other units of the time, Ray's output in terms of quality and quantity was phenomenal. Grab yourself a glorious slice of rock history from primal pulse to pastoral eloquence, from lusty bravado to incisive observation, and thank them for the Days.

2008-07-26 -- 5/5:: ultimate decade (60s)
i was in junior high school when the british invaded, listening to
this album brought back a lot of memories, i give this 5 stars
if you like the kinks, you will love this cd

2008-05-06 -- 5/5:: No Compiliation Has It All - There Is Always More - But Still Great
This is a must have for any serious Kink collector. There is no need to repeat the other reviews which list in detail all of the great tracks. For those negative reviews, face facts. No greatest hits or compilation has it all, or even covers all time periods. Probably a record company conspiracy to make you buy more music. Any band with a lot of decent output is going to have songs over decades. If your into a band, you simple have two choices. Buy all the albums, or start with an excellent compilation like this, and then start filling in the gaps with either individual albums or songs. If you don't want to shell out, that's why the invented iTunes and now Amazon mp3 downloads.

2008-03-11 -- 4/5:: ?
Why does this set not include Village Green Preservation Society?.......I think some other songs are missing too.......?