Re: EMI & The Kinks

["Mark R. Leaman" <mleaman@sccoast.net>]

> When it comes to extra songs and comments and such, I like the Beatles
> albums the way they are.  I think adding extra songs would have made them
> a little bit too jumbled.

Bryce:

Just wondering; how do you think that adding extra tracks AFTER the
original material would compromise the CD? You could always stop it
after track X, if you wanted to hear them as they were released.
My thinking is: there's 78 minutes of space there to be used. Think of
the fans, and what would make them happy. A happy customer is a customer
who will buy again. What's wrong with that? Why didn't they use the
masters for the first releases? Why not utilize the format to its
fullest? To do otherwise is surely a waste.

> One thing which hasn't been said is that the Beatles albums came out on CD
> around 1987-88 if I'm correct.  At that time there wasn't the same type of
> "extra track boom" that seems to be going on now.

The Beach Boys CDs came out about the same time, and had two albums per
disc. NOW they've gone back and released them as seperates.
I think it all comes down to the way the label execs think.

> Wich is the better band?  The Who or The Kinks?

Kendra:

If I had to pick, and being a fan of both, I'd have to say the output of
The Who was more consistent and of higher quality overall.

> him.  Then the question also arises of who is the better songwirte, for song's
> sake?  Pete Townshend or Ray Davies?

See above. It's directly related.
One must keep in mind that while both wrote about people, Pete's work
tends to be more epic and also somewhat universal. Ray's could be called
"character studies." Pete writes about individuals who incorporate
elements most of us share. Ray writes about individuals who relate to
people we know or encounter in our lives.

> Then the question comes up is Quadrophenia better than Arthur, or is it the
> other way around.

ARTHUR is certainly one of the two best Kinks albums (MUSWELL
HILLBILLIES being the other). QUAD is the best Who album. And, IMHO, the
best Rock album (so far). See above again, since it's also directly
related.

-- 

            Cheers                ML

   "                                     "
                                   Meher Baba