The Songs We Sang for Auntie: BBC Sessions 1964-1977

Disc 1
1	You Really Got Me
2	Cadillac
3	All Day And All Of The Night
4	Tired of Waiting For You
5	Ev'rybody's Gonna Be Happy
6	See My Friends
7	This Strange Effect
8	Milk Cow Blues
9	Wonder Where My Baby Is Tonight
10	Till the End of the Day
11	Where Have All The Good Times Gone
12	Good Luck Charm
13	Death Of A Clown
14	Harry Rag
15	Waterloo Sunset
16	Did You See His Name?
17	When I Turn off the Living Room Lights
Disc 2
1	Monica
2	Days
3	Village Green Preservation Society
4	Mindless Child Of Motherhood
5	Skin & Bone
6	Holiday
7	Money Talks
8	Demolition
9	Victoria
10	Here Comes Yet Another Day
11	Mirror Of Love
12	Celluloid Heroes
13	Get Back In Line

Barnes & Noble

The British may not have much to brag about in the way of cuisine or dentistry, but they do have the BBC Session, a terrific vehicle for big-name artists to try out new material in front of millions of radio listeners. This sprawling double-disc collection brings together more than two dozen songs from some of this klassic kombo's most fertile periods, including some radically different renditions of the hits fans know and love. Of that number, the most interesting are stripped-down (but still plenty aggressive) versions of tunes like "All Day and All of the Night" and "Milk Cow Blues" -- replete with dopily dated introductions from radio announcers who were still certain that this whole rock 'n' roll thing was just a fad. As the band grew in stature -- and Ray Davies gained more respect as a songwriter -- the chatter grew more staid, and the performances more nuanced. Both "Waterloo Sunset" and brother Dave Davies's poignant "Death of a Clown" are treated to emotional readings sure to grab the ears and heartstrings of dedicated fans. There's some loss of momentum on the set's second disc, but even tunes culled from that later era radiate a certain charm, particularly an unusual reading of "Mindless Child of Motherhood" and a sighing take on "Days." While it contains just about every hit from the Kinks' career, this isn't an ideal jumping-off point for the novice -- but for devotees, komparing and kontrasting these songs with the well-known versions is sure to provide hours of fun. David Sprague

All Music Guide

Is it possible that the early Kinks could be even rawer and more exciting in BBC halls than on their known Pye Records recordings? Sometimes yes, otherwise very nearly. A few of these -- notably a breathless rave-up of Bo Diddley's "Cadillac" -- are indeed even more spark-ridden than the LP versions. Most of the merely curious will delight in new looks at the punishing stomp of the original blockbuster 1964 hits "You Really Got Me" and "All Day and All the Night." Likewise, this is like hearing "Tired of Waiting," "Till the End of the Day," "Days," and a faster-paced "Love Me 'Til the Sun Shines" for the first time, the feeling is still so powerful in such fresh looks at seminal creations. And for the ardent fan, it's the procession of little differences and inspired takes that quietly push the tingle buttons -- especially as one gets deeper into disc one. You note an unexpected piano on "Waterloo Sunset" by Nicky Hopkins, on a louder version that's as unusual as it is different from the 1967 pinnacle hit. And how about that deeper guitar chime on the pioneering Eastern flavor of "See My Friends"? Those who bought the bootlegs always raved about the great, lost, unreleased pop gem "Strange Effect"; this is the only Kinks version, yet its been covered over and over. Disc two is greatly diminished if still often worthy. Don't miss the ripping "Mindless Child of Motherhood," typically pretty versions of "Celluloid Heroes" and "Holiday," and the great lost Kinks album, comic-touching "When I Turn off the Living Room Lights." But it's disc one that you need. The wonder is that half of the band's '60s sessions are sadly not extant, yet the first 19 tracks are indispensable. Jack Rabid