The Kinks - Lola Versus the Powerman and the Moneygoround, Part One

The Kinks – Lola Versus the Powerman and the Moneygoround, Part One
RCA, 1970
Acquired: Love Garden, Used, 2007
Price: $12

This is one of the best records about being a band ever. Similar effect was achieved by Okkervil River with The Stage Names and its sequel, The Stand Ins, but the Kinks locked this shit down years before. “Strangers” is the touring-band song, the brothers-in-arms on the road tune, and paired with Side B's “This Time Tomorrow,” creates an undercurrent of loneliness that runs through the rest of the record. Even through songs like “Top of the Pops,” a blatant criticism of the sell-out industry. Half the record is weirdo-pop, the rest is kind of heavy gorgeous pop. Ok, it's mostly weirdo pop. The hit, “Lola,” is pretty weird. So are the little interlude-sounding songs, like kids songs, especially “The Money-go-Round.” Of course, “This Time Tomorrow,” “Strangers” and “Powerman” were prominently featured in The Darjeeling Limited, both the film and its trailer. That's pretty much why I picked up this record. It's the kind of copy I wanted to find, too. Like one I wish I'd found in my parents basement and I have good memories of listening to this in the car with my dad and my brother on a trip through Kansas a couple years ago. After that, my dad would constantly sing “Apeman” whenever there was an empty space for like three months.