Combined deluxe reissues of these two classic Kinks albums coming Sept
The Kinks are releasing 50th anniversary deluxe editions of Muswell Hillbillies and the hybrid Everybody’s In Show-Biz – Everybody’s A Star. The releases will be available September 9th individually on CD and LP, and in a deluxe box set featuring both albums combined with four bonus tracks of new Ray Davies remixes.
The deluxe box set will see the two albums presented together in a two-part, matte-laminated with spot-gloss, rigid card deluxe box. It’ll contain 6 LPs, 4 CDs, Blu-ray, 52 page book, printed band photos, Muswell map and badge. A 2014 remastered 2 LP of Muswell Hillbillies will be presented in a gatefold deluxe package pressed on color vinyl. A 2016 remastered 3 LP of Everybody’s In Show-Biz – Everybody’s A Star will be presented in a gatefold deluxe package pressed on color vinyl. A previously unreleased 11 track version of both albums will be presented on a single LP featuring Ray Davies remixes with bespoke new artwork.
The remastered original albums will be included on CD in gatefold wallets with original artwork. The 11 new Ray Davies track remixes will be in a gatefold wallet with bespoke new artwork with The Kinks 1971 US Tour Travel Montage containing new Ray Davies track remixes, including a previously unreleased track, will also be included.
The Blu-ray will include previously unseen, digitally restored Ray Davies 1971 home movie, narrated by Ray. Running time is 15 minutes.
The deluxe hardbook features 52 pages on gloss art paper, extensive text with new band interview quotes, rare and unseen photos and memorabilia.
The Kinks “London Roots” map will be pressed on A2 size on uncoated sepia paper stock, Kinks north London roots map with key historical Kinks related locations, chosen by the band.
An exclusive direct-to-consumer only 7-inch single 1972 RCA Spanish promo of The Kinks “Supersonic Rocket Ship / 20th Century Man” will be available on black vinyl. It’ll be free with every deluxe box set purchased from the band’s official online store, while supplies last.
In 1971, the great British rock group The Kinks embarked on a new phase of their career by signing with RCA Records. Freed from their old label Pye’s insistence on hit singles, Ray Davies’ song writing accelerated his band’s move towards a new identity as makers of thematically ambitious, tenderly personal albums, building on preceding cult successes such as The Kinks Are The Village Green Preservation Society. Buoyed by one more smash to start the decade –“Lola” – this most English of bands also firmly turned its sights towards the USA, where their exciting, charismatic live shows were reciprocally building a fervent new American fanbase.
This period’s first Kinks album, Muswell Hillbillies, is for many people their best of all. It conversely looked back on Ray and Dave Davies’ London roots, telling tales of working-class families migrating from the war-torn and redevelopment-ravaged inner city to the strange, leafy suburbs of North London.
“Now with a new record company and a new image, I could bring some of the old wild western spirit into my music,” Ray Davies shares. “These albums capture the re-emergence of the Kinks as a touring band.”
“Muswell Hillbillies is one-of my favorite Kink’s albums. It’s a bit of a backstory to the Davies family and the characters involved,” Davies shares.
Muswell Hillbillies’ release was supported by more US touring, including two 1972 nights at New York’s iconic Carnegie Hall. Tapes of those anarchic shows, heavy on Muswell material, formed the live half of 1972’s double album, Everybody’s In Show-Biz – Everybody’s A Star. Its studio sides explored The Kinks’ long months on the American road with wistful humor. Its epic finale, “Celluloid Heroes,” confirmed the band’s new world. Among the elite cream of Kinks songs, it saw Ray use Hollywood as a prism through which to view ordinary Americans’ bittersweet dreams.
The announcement comes alongside the release of “Celluloid Heroes (US Single Version 2022 Edit).” Ray Davies composed the classic Kinks track reflecting on everyday folk aspiring to be Hollywood stars. The song names several famous actors of 20th century film (including Greta Garbo, Rudolph Valentino, Bela Lugosi, Bette Davis, Marilyn Monroe) and mentions LA’s Hollywood Boulevard, alluding to its Walk of Fame. Taken from The Kinks’ seminal 1972 RCA album Everybody’s In Show-Biz – Everybody’s A Star.
