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Give the People What They Want (The Kinks album)

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Give the People What They Want
Studio album by
ReleasedAugust 1981 (1981-08)
RecordedMay 1979 – June 1981
StudioKonk Studios, London
Genre
Length41:09
LabelArista
ProducerRay Davies
The Kinks chronology
One for the Road
(1980)
Give the People What They Want
(1981)
State of Confusion
(1983)
Singles from Give the People What They Want
  1. "Better Things"
    Released: 19 June 1981 (UK)
    28 November 1981 (US)
  2. "Destroyer"
    Released: 28 September 1981 (US)
  3. "Predictable"
    Released: 30 October 1981 (UK)
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[3]
Blender[4]
Robert ChristgauC+[5]
Rolling Stone[6]

Give the People What They Want is the nineteenth studio album by the English rock group the Kinks. It was released in August 1981 in the US but not until January 1982 in Europe. It was delayed because lead singer Ray Davies wanted to produce a full-length video for the album but financing fell through. Also scrapped were plans to remix the album for the European market. It was initially aimed to be a statement on the media.

Reissue

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When the Kinks' six Arista studio albums, initially released between 1977 and 1984, were reissued in 1999, Give the People What They Want was the only one that did not contain bonus tracks, although the single release of "Better Things" was slightly different from the album version. The British single of "Better Things" also included a non-album B-side, "Massive Reductions", which was different from the version of the song from the band's 1984 album Word of Mouth.

Track listing

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All tracks are written by Ray Davies

Side 1
No.TitleLength
1."Around the Dial"4:45
2."Give the People What They Want"3:45
3."Killer's Eyes"4:40
4."Predictable"3:31
5."Add It Up"3:14
Total length:19:55
Side 2
No.TitleLength
1."Destroyer"3:47
2."Yo-Yo"4:10
3."Back to Front"3:15
4."Art Lover"3:22
5."A Little Bit of Abuse"3:45
6."Better Things"2:59
Total length:21:18

Personnel

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The Kinks

Additional personnel

  • Chrissie Hynde – vocals on "Predictable", "Add It Up", "Art Lover" and "A Little Bit of Abuse" (uncredited)

Technical

  • Ben Fenner – engineer
  • Robert Ellis – photography

Notes

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  1. ^ Bracy, Elizabeth (24 September 2014). "Kinda Kinks (1965)". StereoGum. Retrieved 27 March 2020.
  2. ^ "Billboard". Billboard. Vol. 112, no. 44. Nielsen Business Media, Inc. 28 October 2000. ISSN 0006-2510.
  3. ^ Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. "The Kinks: Give the People What They Want > Review" at AllMusic. Retrieved 13 November 2011.
  4. ^ Blender review Archived 30 September 2007 at the Wayback Machine
  5. ^ Christgau, Robert. "The Kinks". RobertChristgau.com. Retrieved 13 November 2011.
  6. ^ Schaffner, Nicholas. "Give the People What They Want". Rolling Stone. No. 12 November 1981. p. 63.
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