The Kinks Are the Village Green Preservation Society is the sixth studio album by the English rock group The Kinks, released in November 1968. It was the last album by the original quartet, as bassist Pete Quaife left the group in early 1969. A collection of thematic vignettes of English town and hamlet life, The Kinks Are the Village Green Preservation Society was assembled from songs written and recorded over the previous two years. Allmusic senior editor Stephen Thomas Erlewine described Village Green as a "concept album lamenting the passing of old-fashioned English traditions. The record is widely considered one Read Full BioThe Kinks Are the Village Green Preservation Society is the sixth studio album by the English rock group The Kinks, released in November 1968. It was the last album by the original quartet, as bassist Pete Quaife left the group in early 1969. A collection of thematic vignettes of English town and hamlet life, The Kinks Are the Village Green Preservation Society was assembled from songs written and recorded over the previous two years. Allmusic senior editor Stephen Thomas Erlewine described Village Green as a "concept album lamenting the passing of old-fashioned English traditions.
The record is widely considered one of the most influential and important works by The Kinks, and of the period as a whole. Although it failed to chart upon release, with estimated worldwide sales at 100,000 copies. The Village Green Preservation Society has become one of the band's best selling and most popular records. In 2003, the album was ranked number 255 on Rolling Stone magazine's list of the 500 greatest albums of all time.
Original stereo album. Released in the UK as Pye NSPL 18233, 27 Sept. 1968
"The Village Green Preservation Society" - 2:54
"Do You Remember Walter?" - 2:28
"Picture Book" - 2:36
"Johnny Thunder" - 2:32
"Last of the Steam Powered Trains" - 4:11
"Big Sky" - 2:52
"Sitting by the Riverside" - 2:24
"Animal Farm" - 3:02
"Village Green" - 2:12
"Starstruck" - 2:27
"Phenomenal Cat" - 2:39
"All of My Friends Were There" - 2:26
"Wicked Annabella" - 2:44
"Monica" - 2:21
"People Take Pictures of Each Other" - 2:20
The record is widely considered one of the most influential and important works by The Kinks, and of the period as a whole. Although it failed to chart upon release, with estimated worldwide sales at 100,000 copies. The Village Green Preservation Society has become one of the band's best selling and most popular records. In 2003, the album was ranked number 255 on Rolling Stone magazine's list of the 500 greatest albums of all time.
Original stereo album. Released in the UK as Pye NSPL 18233, 27 Sept. 1968
"The Village Green Preservation Society" - 2:54
"Do You Remember Walter?" - 2:28
"Picture Book" - 2:36
"Johnny Thunder" - 2:32
"Last of the Steam Powered Trains" - 4:11
"Big Sky" - 2:52
"Sitting by the Riverside" - 2:24
"Animal Farm" - 3:02
"Village Green" - 2:12
"Starstruck" - 2:27
"Phenomenal Cat" - 2:39
"All of My Friends Were There" - 2:26
"Wicked Annabella" - 2:44
"Monica" - 2:21
"People Take Pictures of Each Other" - 2:20
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The Village Green Preservation Society
The Kinks Lyrics
We are the Village Green Preservation Society
God save Donald Duck, vaudeville and variety
We are the Desperate Dan Appreciation Society
God save strawberry jam and all the different varieties
Preserving the old ways from being abused
Protecting the new ways, for me and for you
What more can we do?
We are the Draught Beer Preservation Society
God save Mrs. Mopp and good old Mother Riley
We are the Custard Pie Appreciation Consortium
God save the George Cross, and all those who were awarded them
Ooh ooh ooh
Ooh ooh ooh
We are the Sherlock Holmes English-speaking Vernacular
God save Fu Manchu, Moriarty and Dracula
We are the Office Block Persecution Affinity
God save little shops, china cups, and virginity
We are the Skyscraper Condemnation Affiliates
God save Tudor houses, antique tables, and billiards
Preserving the old ways from being abused
Protecting the new ways, for me and for you
What more can we do?
We are the Village Green Preservation Society
God save Donald Duck, vaudeville and variety
We are the Desperate Dan Appreciation Society
God save strawberry jam and all the different varieties
We are the Village Green Preservation Society
God save Donald Duck, vaudeville and variety
We are the Desperate Dan Appreciation Society
God save Donald Duck, vaudeville and variety
God save the Village Green!
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Written by: RAYMOND DOUGLAS DAVIES
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
To comment on specific lyrics, highlight them
CatPianoClassics
We must deal with those who decide to thumbs this video down... For the greater good.
Scott Connor
The greater good, The greater good!
daft wod
God save the dislike button
Lauren Gabriel
The greater good!
Dr. Kleiner
The greater good.
JL Magoya
Greatest Profit Maintenance Assembly
Nate Kang
This album as a whole is a masterpiece
Suh Synched
Ray unapologetically restoring a slice of Britannia lost on so many at the time. When Stones were signing about sympathy and Beatles signing about revolution. Ray gifted you Village Green.
baxtronic xavier
There is a hint of irony but ultimately it is a huge celebration. ☺️
MinesAGuinness
Whilst also agreeing that this is a wonderful slice of British nostalgia, I'd have to dissent from your observation in some areas and suggest that things were much less clear cut at that time. 'Revolution' in particular is specifically and overtly about questioning the concept of revolutions, especially of the violent, personality cult, and psychedelic kinds. It has far more in common with this song than at first might appear. And for all that they hankered for the sounds of blues and soul, and cultivated an image of disreputableness, I don't think that either the Stones or any other product of the mod culture of that era every truly abandoned or escaped a distinct sense of nostalgic Britishness. Historically for a few decades, people tended to massively overplay the counter-cultural aspect of that era, in popular recollection and their own telling. Ironically, we now start to see people who were there at the time begin to underplay the zest for change and new ways of doing things within that traditional culture. Some go so far today as to imply that they somehow should inherit the honour deserving of the work of their own parents in fighting the Second World War, whilst having in fact spend their youth scandalising that generation. Whilst it has lots of sincere love for the things of the past mentioned, the 'village green' of the Kinks is not exactly the same village green that their parents and grandparents would have known or wanted. Similar combinations of nostalgia mixed with notions of change are common, and it is not always clear in which direction the emphasis truly lies. If you go looking for it, for an example, Syd Barrett and Pink Floyd were as prone to describing scenes of English tranquillity, for all their psychedelism. TV shows such as The Prisoner employ quintessential traditional locations and iconography whilst positing challenging questions about the status quo of the time.