To mark their 50th anniversary, The Kinks release 2-CD edition of 1970’s Lola Versus Powerman and the Moneygoround, Part One via BMG Rights Management (current owner of Sanctuary Records).
The expanded edition of Lola is being shepherded by the noted producer, historian and Kinks archivist Andrew Sandoval. Sandoval has previously been responsible for a number of 2-CD reissues and box sets from the legendary British band – most recently the 2013 overhaul of 1971’s Muswell Hillbillies. Lola, The Kinks’ eighth studio album, has long been one of the most requested titles in this series. It spawned the Top 10 U.S. hit “Lola” and U.K. Top 5 “Apeman,” and although the LP didn’t fare well in the group’s native England, it earned Top 40 status in America.
Lola, primarily written by Ray Davies with a couple of key contributions from Dave Davies (“Strangers” and “Rats”), will be paired in the new edition with 1971’s Percy. The latter was composed entirely by Ray as the soundtrack to director Ralph Thomas’ comedy film starring Hywel Bennett, Denholm Elliott, and bombshells Britt Ekland and Elke Sommer. The Kinks’ soundtrack, featuring orchestral arrangements by Stanley Myers, has aged considerably better than the movie itself, which involves a transplant of a rather sensitive male organ. Both Lola and Percy will boast bonus content.
The original 13-track Lola album is bolstered by seven previously unreleased bonus tracks including alternate versions of the title track, “Apeman” and “Got to Be Free” as well as instrumentals of “The Contenders” in demo form and “This Time Tomorrow,” and the songs “Anytime” and “The Good Life.” (Sanctuary’s previous single-disc reissue included the mono single mix of “Lola” and acoustic demos of “Apeman” and “Powerman.” While the “Lola” 45 mix has been appended to Disc 2 here, the “Apeman” and “Powerman” demos appear to be missing.
Disc 2, kicking off with the 13-track Percy soundtrack album, adds ten bonus tracks, six of which are previously unreleased. Of the previously released material, you’ll find the mono single versions of “Lola,” “Apeman” and “Rats” from Lola and the mono film mix of Percy’s “The Way Love Used to Be,” first released in 1998. The six unreleased tracks are a remix of “Dreams” from Percy, unique mono versions of Lola’s “Powerman,” “The Moneygoround” and “Apeman,” and “God’s Children” and its finale reprise in the Percy mono film mixes. This edition appears to have orphaned the mono film mix of “Moments” and the alternate versions of “The Way Love Used to Be” from the prior CD reissue.
The expanded Lola Versus Powerman and the Moneygoround has been remastered by producer Sandoval from the original master tapes