Staff Reviews

The Kinks - At the BBC

Review by Dan Lucas

If we all have to celebrate England’s green pastures at the moment, then this is the way to do it.»

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the kinks and the bbc are celebrated on 'the kinks live at the bbc'. the kinks unbelievable career has largely been built upon their unassailable reputation as one of the world's greatest acts and it is that prowess and power that underlies this collection. this release is collated from all of the bbc owned kinks recordings that still exist in the archive and charts the inexorable rise of the band: from the first steps on the pye label, to the glory days as one of the greatest acts of all time. the bbc gave the band a platform and support at crucial stages in their career and 'the kinks at the bbc' could be seen essentially as an alternate greatest hits, a musical growing up in public. this incredible archive represents a great set of previously unreleased recordings in the kinks catalogue. the collection has been brought together by trawling the bbc archives, but also by inviting contributions from fans. the bbc had a habit of wiping tapes after they were broadcast which has meant that some of the corporation's output has been lost for ever. however thanks to fans recording broadcasts at home a lot of gems have been reclaimed here for this set. this collection brings together a raft of sessions and live recordings form through out the band's career including the rare concert and unheard session recordings. with comprehensive notes by peter doggett who tells the story of the bands history at the bbc as well as being mastering by kinks aficionado andrew sandoval. fully supported and endorsed by the band - 'the kinks at the bbc' is a triumphant collection of the defining moments of a truly seminal british band, as witnessed, broadcast and archived by the voice of the nation, the bbc.
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