The Kinks

Anyone who worried that the Kinks didn't still have it in the '80s will relax after listening to Word of Mouth. Ray Davies is as droll and deft as when he sashayed out of Muswell Hills in his Beatle boots and stovepipe pants 20 years earlier. Brother Dave's guitar is likewise just as fierce and agitated as when he wrote the harrowing guitar riff that kicked off "You Really Got Me," although on the title track, he does seem to be borrowing from Keith Richards. Nevertheless, this 1984 offering still has the Oscar Wilde-ian elegant boredom and sharp social commentary that keep fans interested.

It is a great relief to say that the most notable thing about the Kinks' twenty-ninth album is
not the retirement of founding drummer Mick Avory – who shared Ringo's gift for playing
only what was needed, with demon spirit – but the buoyant, reassuring way Kinkpins Ray
and Dave Davies have weathered his loss. (Avory plays on three tracks; his replacement is
former Argent sticksman Bob Henrit.) Word of Mouth ushers in the brothers' thir... More >