As British music daily NME reports, to celebrate the 60th anniversary of their formation, The Kinks have announced a two-part anthology series called The Journey.
Both releases will compile hits and other choice cuts from the London legends’ sprawling catalog – which from 1963 to 1993, spanned a stonking 24 studio albums – by themes. The first part is due out on March 24 via BMG and comes with its 30-song track list split into four themed mini-compilations (one per side for the two-disc vinyl set).
The first 10 songs cover themes of “becoming a man, the search for adventure, finding an identity and a girl”, while the second chunk spans seven songs about “ambition achieved, bitter taste of success, loss of friends, [and when] the past comes back and bites you in the back-side”. The third part will also feature seven songs, with those being about “days and nights of a lost soul, songs of regret and reflection[s] of happier times”.
The last bracket of songs in part one of The Journey comprises six songs billed under the banner: “A new start, a new love, but have you really changed? Still haunted by the quest and the girl.”
In addition to the gatefold vinyl, The Journey, Part 1 will be released in a two-disc CD package and in both standard and HD digital formats. The physical editions will include booklets featuring exclusive photos and personal liner notes from each of the band’s three remaining members (co-frontmen Ray and Dave Davies, and drummer Mick Avory), diving into all 30 songs individually with “memories of the time these tracks were recorded.”