Face To Face
by The Kinks

A smart and witty album that is ultimately let down by the instrumentation not being up to the same quality as the lyrics. This record is basically a concept album with its views on the social classes and the struggles of life. It really captures the state of Britain at the time of recording and this makes it such a joy to go back through, listen to the words and see just how far but also how little we have progressed in the nearly 60 years since this album was made. The lyrics always kept me intrigued in this record and brought me back countless times to keep exploring and relating to them. However, the instrumentation and musicianship just isn't up to the same level as on some of their later works. It feels simple, empty and a bit dull in places as it really struggles to get stuck in my head. Obviously there are a few exceptions to this but for the majority the run time it feels very lacklustre. Despite this, I am a huge fan of the extra little sound bites they added in such as the phone on Party Line and the thunder on Rainy Day In June as this was quite ahead of its time. Overall, a beautifully written album that has some of the best Kinks lyrics ever but the music itself leaves a lot to be desired.

Underrated. Should be on the same level as Lola and Something else. Party Line, Sunny Afternoon and Rosie are all great songs. A bit more boring near the end, but still a fun album to enjoy

I typically don't enjoy The Kinks music as much as other people, but I need to admit that on this, there are some great tracks and nice melodies, but they will be better with time.

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From 2nd-Impressions 12/15/2020 21:10 | #262748

72/100

Best tracks: Too Much on My Mind, Most Exclusive Residence for Sale, Fancy, Sunny Afternoon
Worst tracks: Party Line, Session Man, You're Lookin' Fine

Their first great album

From mdbaxter 11/26/2019 15:47 | #245187

Face to Face is a nice collection of songs about non-traditional subjects. It builds on ideas made popular by The Beatles like using Indian-influenced sounds and singing about mundanity though it seems like The Kinks were oppositely concerned with taxes before the Fab Four. The album serves as a masterclass in songwriting. It effortlessly switches from song to song and subject to subject without losing much quality in lyrics. There are some tracks that aren't as good as the others. "Session Man" and "House In The Country" push the ordinary too far for me and I can't help but be bored listening to them. "Too Much On My Mind" and "Sunny Afternoon", on the other hand, are both great showcases of their ability. I also enjoyed "Fancy" and "I'll Remember" mostly for their sound more than their lyrical content.

From VictorVale 12/12/2018 21:41 | #226939

1966 resumido em um álbum!

In this album The Kinks goes in a new direction in their sound, not so guitar-based, and more introspective Ray Davies's lyrics.

Liked this quite a lot, although it was a bit inconsistent. One absolutely killer track!