''The Ultimate Collection'' is a compilation of
singles by British rock band
the Kinks
The Kinks were an English rock band formed in Muswell Hill, north London, in 1963 by brothers Ray and Dave Davies. They are regarded as one of the most influential rock bands of the 1960s. The band emerged during the height of British rhyt ...
. It was released on
Sanctuary Records
Sanctuary Records Group Limited was a record label based in the United Kingdom and is as of 2013 a subsidiary of BMG Rights Management solely for reissues. Until June 2007, it was the largest independent record label in the UK and the largest m ...
on 27 May 2002 in the UK and 23 September 2003 in the United States. In August 2002, it reached no. 48 in the UK top 100 albums chart, and no. 1 in the UK Indie albums chart. It has been certified platinum by the
British Phonographic Industry
British Phonographic Industry (BPI) is the British recorded music industry's Trade association. It runs the BRIT Awards, the Classic BRIT Awards, National Album Day, is home to the Mercury Prize, and co-owns the Official Charts Company with ...
.
BPI website search
/ref>
The first disc contains every charting British single from 1964 to 1983 in chronological order, with the exception of the group's first two singles. Of the 24 tracks, 14 were top ten hits in the UK. The second disc contains songs that either were released as B-sides
The A-side and B-side are the two sides of phonograph records and cassettes; these terms have often been printed on the labels of two-sided music recordings. The A-side usually features a recording that its artist, producer, or record company ...
or singles that did not chart in the UK and/or charted as singles in the North American and European markets, with the following exceptions: "Stop Your Sobbing
"Stop Your Sobbing" is a song written by Ray Davies for the Kinks' debut album, ''Kinks''. It was later covered by the Pretenders as their first single.
Background
The Kinks recorded "Stop Your Sobbing" on ''Kinks'', which was rushed out in or ...
" from the band's debut album and covered in 1979 as the debut single by The Pretenders
Pretenders are an English–American rock band formed in March 1978. The original band consisted of founder and main songwriter Chrissie Hynde (lead vocals, rhythm guitar), James Honeyman-Scott (lead guitar, backing vocals, keyboards), Pete ...
; "Celluloid Heroes
"Celluloid Heroes" is a song performed by The Kinks and written by their lead vocalist and principal songwriter, Ray Davies. It debuted on their 1972 album ''Everybody's in Show-Biz''.
The song names several famous actors of 20th century film, ...
", taken from the album ''Everybody's in Show-Biz
''Everybody's in Show-Biz'' is the eleventh studio album released by the English rock group the Kinks, released in 1972. A double album, the first disc features studio recordings, while the second disc documents a two-night Carnegie Hall stand. ...
'' and released as a single three months later, failing to chart; and " Living on a Thin Line" from the album ''Word of Mouth
Word of mouth, or ''viva voce'', is the passing of information from person to person using oral communication, which could be as simple as telling someone the time of day. Storytelling is a common form of word-of-mouth communication where one pe ...
''.
The singles " Death of a Clown" and " Susannah's Still Alive" were credited to Dave Davies
David Russell Gordon Davies (born 3 February 1947) is an English guitarist, singer and songwriter. He was the lead guitarist and backing vocalist for the English rock band the Kinks, which also featured his elder brother Ray Davies. He was in ...
rather than the Kinks. The band plays on those records, however.
Track listing
Disc one
Disc two
''All releases United Kingdom except *United States **Sweden/Norway''
Charts
References
2002 greatest hits albums
The Kinks compilation albums
Sanctuary Records compilation albums
Universal Music Group compilation albums
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