ALBUM REVIEW: The Kinks - Low Budget

    The Kinks were on a bit of a rebound in the late 1970s, which begun with the successful return-to-form on the power pop leaning force of Sleepwalker, which certainly was a very good album in its own right. The follow-up Misfits didn't have such grand heights, but it was still a fine-enough continuation of the sound they had established on Sleepwalker, and it also did even more in re-establishing The Kinks as a viable commercial option - within the band, though, there was some turmoil. After Sleepwalker, The Kinks began going through a revolving door of band members, with John Dalton and John Gosling quitting the group after Sleepwalker and Misfits respectively - even Dalton's replacement in Andy Pyle quit. With such turmoil hitting the band, including increasing tensions between Dave and Ray, a change of scenery proved to hopefully be what the band needs - Low Budget was recorded in New York City, and ultimately the album would be a major success in the United States, being their highest charting in the country to this day. With hindsight, though, it's hard to see Low Budget as being just that - a poor quality rip-off of their better arena rock albums of the 70s and quite possibly an even more boring album than their rock opera era of the mid 70s.

    I think one of the biggest problems I have with this record is the sound of it all - something about this is truly bizarre, least of all the fact this album doesn't sound a damn-thing like The Kinks should be on it. Low Budget is still in that arena rock phase for The Kinks, but it's aiming for a more "gritty" and "mature" (boring) sound throughout, and you can tell through its attempted adherence to hard rock. Let me let you in on a little secret - The Kinks were never really that kind of a band. You can hear it on their scrappy debut that something is just a little off when they're really going for that hard rocker money - Ray's voice could just never sell it, and that became ever more obvious by Kontroversy. It's not like The Kinks could compete either, as both The Stones and The Who (arguably even The Beatles) could out-rock them. This is why their best songs from that early era are far more pop-oriented like "You Really Got Me" or "Where Have All the Good Times Gone". They couldn't sell their image as scrappy hard rockers back then in their prime, so what makes them think they can get away with it after years of poor decisions? So much of this album is painfully dated sounding for 1979 - you can pinpoint what year this was made straight off the first track with Ray really trying to hammer in that growling hard rock voice. Let me let you in on another little secret - Ray ain't no Roger Daltrey.

     And that's just the beginning. Low Budget isn't just a misfire, but it's a boring misfire in every sense of the word. Say what you will about the trite rock opera stylings of Preservation and Soap Opera, but at least I can recall some of the moments to you - once you hear "Flash's Dream (The Final Elbow)", you don't ever forget it, y'know? Low Budget is almost insulting in how generic the rock is, and did I mention the lyrical contents? In comparison to the nostalgic themes of their classic work, Low Budget looks towards HARD-HITTING and IMPACTFUL social commentary on the United States, which at this point was becoming their primary audience. While I'm aware that the Carter Era was a turbulent time for the United States, and I'm sure there was some great political commentary that came out of that era, I can't think of a band I'd want to hear talk politics less than The Kinks, least of all because The Kinks are not really that political of a group to me - I want to hear about the joys of golf and scones and shit. The title track and "A Gallon of Gas" are amongst the worst culprits of this, but it's prevalent throughout, even on the album's best song "Catch Me Now I'm Falling". At best it's misplaced, and at worst it's a shameless attempt to cash-in on the times.

    Low Budget shows The Kinks ending the decade at what is quite possibly their lowest point. One, maybe two good rock numbers aren't even close enough to salvage this dated and unexciting "hard" rock album. Perhaps the 80s will see some other return to form for The Kinks, or maybe they'll infuse some of the decade's ideas well into their music. Whatever they choose to do, I just hope it's something different from Low Budget, because ultimately this isn't working - The Kinks have never sounded so generic and trite.

RATING: ✯✯✯✯✯✯✯✯✯✯

Listen to Low Budget.