Misfits [Hybrid SACD]

First of all, this is a SACD Hybrid Stereo only remaster. Plays on both standard cd players and SACD, but it is not a 5.1 multi-channel remix (The label implies a SACD multi-channel). That said, the sound quality on a SACD player is the best I've ever heard for this cd. You will even be impressed with the sound on a good quality car stereo (I played it on an AUDI A4 BOSE system). On a SACD player, the sound is well beyond anything I've heard for this cd and I have a Japan remaster as well as the recent Velvel remaster from a few years ago. The great songs on this cd (Misfits, RnR Fantasy, Live Life UK version) sound incredible. The other songs sound excellent too, but the quality of the material isn't up to the best Ray Davies standard. The Dave Davies contribution, "Trust your Heart" is an underappreciated treasure amongst a number of Ray Davies songs that for me, haven't aged real well. For Kinks fanatics, I wouldn't hesitate to buy. For a casual fan, there are better places to start. Overall, a frustratingly average Kinks cd that could have been much better. A 5 star for audio quality and the 3 great songs, 3+ stars for overall songs and performances.

Misfits is my personal favorite Kinks album! Offerings of wit, humor and charm can be found on Misfits, picking up where Sleepwalker left off and pointing to where Low Budget would be headed, as the Kinks once again came of age in the late 70's. The opening track, Misfits, paints the picture of personal introspection, with Ray Davies' candor recognizing his individual quirks and song writing talent, while also feeling dismayed over the lost opportunities. "This is your chance, this is your time, so don't throw it away, you can have your day, cause it's true what they say every dog has his day". It's as if Ray Davies was having a premonition of the popularity the Kinks were about to enjoy, while also well aware of the many good years of music the Kinks had already provided us. Rock and Roll Fantasy is song with perfect tempo and lyrics, inviting the listener to visualize the typical fan's dream world, and is further comment on the Kinks' own destiny. The songs on Misfits, like the best Kinks songs, grap ahold of the listener and entertain you on several levels, as the music and words tell a story. Younger listeners, who usually don't listen to the words, anyway, will miss the gift of Misfits, and the Kinks music in general, but For Those Who Have Ears To Hear this is a Kinks' album you don't want to miss.

This a strong entry from the Kinks Arista period, and much preferable to the arena rock sound of Low Budget. Some songs here might feel a little cheesy or overproduced to some but overall there are plenty of great songs, not the least of which are the frank and straightforward narratives of Black Messiah and Out of the Wardrobe. I must respectfully disagree with another reviewer who characterized these songs as racist and clumsy. First off if you listen even slightly to the lyrics of Out of the Wardrobe, it is not about homosexuality at all but cross dressing, an important distinction that should be obvious, especially to those who get so easily offended due to their extreme sensitity in matters of race, gender and sexual preference. And the song treats the subject matter lightly perhaps but in Ray's usual empathetic and humane style.

Black Messiah on the other hand is Ray's response to living next to some extremely hostile Rastafarians, its honest in a manner that is lacking in today's world of political correctness (which ironically is most usually invoked by privelaged whites who haven't ever interacted with others from different cultural and socieconomic backgrounds ) and the song should resonate with anyone that's ever been treated poorly based on their skin color. And if you never have been then how can you honestly empathize with those who have? Anyway these were points I felt worth clarifying. These songs represent the kind of outsider and individualistic perspective that makes Ray Davies a unique and important writer and shouldn't be dismissed out of hand simply because they dare to address sensitive issues in an honest manner that may deviate from what is considered acceptable in these times.

With that said Misfits and Rock n' Roll Fantasy stand out as probably the two best songs on this record, but there's plenty here to like and the remastering is top notch!