Really good Kinks video, or DVDs, for that matter - don't surface all that often. This new one from King Snake is absolutely worth the price of admission if you are a fan. The core of this disc is the recently discovered black and white print of an early Kinks performance a L'Oympia in Paris featuring the original line-up in a spirited, almost rushed, performance on July 7th, 1965. The transfer and preservation of the early footage is immaculate and fun. The energy and performance by the band, who are riding high on back-to-back international hits of "You Really Got Me" and "All Day And All Of The Night" are somewhat in contrast to the curious audience packed in to see what the fuss is all about! It's very humorous to witness the reaction and the time capsule this video really is! Precious stuff and as I always am quick to point out...what the importance of the underground and collecting is about. We wouldn't see this stuff any other way and it's much appreciated by this collector. Thanks to all involved in getting this bubbled up to the collector circles - and kudos to King Snake for presenting in such a classy fashion.
The supplemental video segments are just as entertaining as the middle slice is another rather obscure but recent print of a 1973 promotional appearance on BBC-TV's 'In Concert' program, providing a glimpse at the very hairy '73 Kinks line-up, backed up by a horn and string section that allows Ray Davies to showcase what a showman he is. Superb quality in stereo, great stuff!
The clean-up documentary piece from 1985 is a nice inclusion but skips the critical period of 1975-1979 which I find rather interesting. A great production but could have been much better and more thorough in my humble opinion. The widescreen format doesn't transfer all that successfully but I'm not going to sit and knit-pick as it is quite enjoyable if you've never seen it and amazingly enough - I hadn't.
Great material and a nice looking package to enhance your video collection. A must have for all Kinks fans, without question.
