Muswell Hillbillies is now being released as a special 2CD special edition featuring 5 previously unreleased tracks, including ‘Lavender Lane’ and early demo ‘Nobody’s Fool’, as well as alternative song versions and tracks taken from John Peel BBC radio sessions.

Originally released in November 1971, this classic Kinks album was the follow-up to the seminal ‘Lola vs Powerman’ album and the first with their new label RCA. The album was named after the Muswell Hill area of North London, where band leader Ray Davies and guitarist Dave Davies grew up and the band formed in the early 1960s. The album centres around themes of poverty and working-class life,  with a blend of American and British roots music veering effortlessly from rowdy blues and boozy vaudeville to the country sound of its title track and music-hall fuelled ‘Alcohol’.

Muswell Hillbillies is a great album, and ranks up amongst The Kinks’ best.