The career of The Kinks had reached the three decade mark when they returned with their Word Of Mouth album during November of 1984.
It was a solid, if not spectacular album of rock and roll. It seems as if Ray Davies was trying to create a commercially successful album by conforming to some of the musical trends of the era. He basically assembled an album of potential singles, none of which became hits. Still, a number of the songs were catchy, contained a little wit, and featured some fine guitar play.
It was a rare Kinks album where many of the highlights centered on brother Dave Davies rather than Ray. It seemed as if just about every Kinks album contained a hidden gem. In this case, it was Dave’s “Living On A Thin Line,” which was a ballad of rare beauty. The lyrics about the poor and middle class being overwhelmed by the rich continues to resonate. His other composition, “Guilty,” contained one of the better lead vocals of his career. When you add in his riffing on the title track and the catchy guitar phrasing of “Do It Again,” you have an album that highlights many of the musical strong points of the often overlooked Davies brother.
The best of the Ray Davies concoctions was “Sold Me Out,” which would have fit in well with the punk movement. It was a song that just blasted out of the speakers. “Do It Again” should have been a hit single, as its catchy musical nature was perfect radio fare at the time and the tune remained in your mind for days. “Good Day” displayed Ray’s wit and sardonic nature, as the song was about anything but a good day. “Going Solo” was his philosophical musing about aging and empty nest syndrome. One could only wish for an update over a quarter of a century later.
On the other hand, “Missing Persons” struggled to be just an average song, and such tracks as “Too Hot,” “Summer’s Gone,” and “Massive Reductions” sort of disappear from memory after a couple of listens.
Word Of Mouth was one of those albums that probably deserved a little more respect than it has received. Given the brilliance of many albums in The Kinks catalog, Word Of Mouth has disappeared into the netherworld of their family of releases. Every once in a while, however, it deserves a listen, especially for the Dave Davies contributions.
