eMusic Review 0
In the US the success of Low Budget had finally enabled the Kinks to step up to stadium gigs. Even in Britain, although the American style rock they were perfecting was decidedly out of favour, they were beginning to sense the warm breeze of rehabilitation, with the Jam and the Pretenders having taken vintage Ray Davies compositions into the Top 40. While this double live set does feature six songs from Low Budget, Davies exhumed "David Watts" and "Stop Your Sobbing" from his back catalogue to reinforce his complete dominance of the material in the face of the young upstarts. As ever, "Lola" — and the crowd participation that had become an expected part of the experience — remains a high point, although an epic version of "Celluloid Heroes" nearly steals the show. Central to the album, though, is the demonstration on tracks like "You've Really Got Me" and "Victoria," that despite all of the chaotic years on the road, the Kinks could be a powerfully tight little rock band if they put their minds to it.
