The Kinks - Preservation Act 2

For their thirteenth studio album, the Kinks continue along with the story started on Preservation Act 1 with its sequel Preservation Act 2, an album that might not have the most standout songs in their catalogue, but the longer run time and extensive character building throughout do a good job of fleshing out the story into a satisfying conclusion. Sadly in this apocalyptic tale it doesn’t go well for the town folks, as they fight back against Flash and his cronies to allow Mr. Black and his army to take over and eventual turn things from bad to worst. Musically, the songs do well blending a straightforward rock styling with a theatrical lean and although only the bluesy sounds of “Money Talks” & “He's Evil” along with the glam “Artificial Man” really stand out in commercial appeal from the rest, nothing on here veers too far out of the story or steps into anything uninteresting. Overall, Preservation Act 2 showed that Ray Davies has big ambitions as a musician and here he was able to successfully bring rock opera into the bands fold.

Favorite Tracks: Introduction to Solution, When a Solution Comes, Money Talks, He's Evil, Mirror of Love, Nobody Gives, Nothing Lasts Forever, Artificial Man