The Kinks - Better Things

Arista (UK) 415, 1981

A late-period classic. Throughout their tenure with Arista, The Kinks seemed perpetually on the verge of reclaiming their former greatness. The albums from this period were uneven (with the exception of the near-perfect Sleepwalker), but each one contained at least a few solid gems - such as the song presented here for 1981's Give The People What They Want.

This tune is vintage Ray Davies. A deceptively upbeat opening verse (clever how it's the only part that repeats) gives way to the song's more bittersweet sentiments as the melody builds to a stadium-size chorus. I can't imagine this song being much out of place on one of their early LPs- Kontroversy, perhaps.

Released as a single in early '81 in advance of the upcoming LP, apparently without much notice in the charts anywhere.  The single version here is slightly longer than the LP - longer fade.

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