Kinks Greatest Hits CD on PRT (ugly pink/black cover)

Yet another in the long line of ugly-covered sonic gems - I know we've had threads in the past about this one, but not for awhile, at least....
All mono except Victoria and Apeman, for what it's worth, and Lola is the Cherry Cola version.

Discuss!

 

You bet! It was astounding to me how good this CD sounded in comparison to the usual (read: Castle or Reprise) CDs sounded. My complaint: no Village Green songs

 

Cool, how many songs on that beast?

 

Here's the back with the (small, hope it's readable!) track listing...18 tracks in all.

 

There's (suprisingly!!) another Kinks GH with a grey cover. It has a picture of the band with what look like a shrimp or something sitting over one corner. From memory it's a Castle one with pretty good sound and a "standard" hits listing.

I think I still have the 20 Karat Kinks with the gold cover. Wow they had lots of compilations.

 

I have NEVER seen that one in any format, Mike! (and I thought I'd seen them all). Does it have the real YRGM or the LP echo-added atrocity? Is the sound any different than other PRT comps (if you have any)? The 2CD "Hit Singles", I believe, is one that is brought up often, along with ...Are Well Respected Men.

There is a more or less standard track list for basic 60's Kinks comps that does not include Well Respected Man (not a single in US) or any VGPS (no hits) but does include Plastic Man, oddly enough. I'd be surprised if it didn't follow that list, but there are some strange ones out there.

[EDIT - yup, that's the standard 60's greatest hits line-up. The same as my "Bullseye" cover PRT vinyl with bonus Dancing in the Street EP that introduced me to those hits back in High School. One of my most treasured music purchases.]

I recently won the Japanese 2 CD "Complete Singles 1964-1970" that someone on here has touted (only bidder! sealed!! Was nervous that someone on here would snipe it from me). Look forward to comparing it to my Fab Forty and ...Are Well Respected Men comps. Should make Fab Forty obsolete, but I already know it'll have the same damn echoey YRGM on there rendering it non-definitive.

 

What Steve said..we've been over this one, and this is an early keeper. It was among the first of the Kinks CD's, and remains the Pye comp to beat, IMO. There are a few others, but this is the least obscure of the bunch, and well worth having.

 

That cover looks familiar.. I'll have to trace my steps back to the last stores I've visited (fingers crossed).

 

Right - I forgot about the infamous "ugly" cover! I had never seen a scan of it (just did a search and couldn't find one to verify). So does it have the echo YRGM disaster?

That, the blue Complete Collection (which someone said was an expansion of "ugly" with the same mastering), and the more recent 2-CD Ultimate Collection (which has a companion single-CD Hit Singles) are mentioned as good sounding PRT comps. The Rhino has the correct dry single version of YRGM, but is not a flat transfer and some have complained about the mastering (I think "nails on chalkboard" was one subtle description?) - good basic track selection except for the glaring omission of See My Friend(s) - I actually called Rhino and spoke with the compiler about this when it came out. He claimed it wasn't enough of a hit in the US. I'll have to dig through my discography but I think it was at least the equal of some of the other "hits" on there.

I would've guessed that all the PRTs use the same mastering but some say that ...Are Well Respected Men is better than the others.

Then there is the Japanse "Complete Singles Collection" that is allegedly better still (hope so).

And to think before I found this place I thought I was finally done with the Kinks! (Buying the music, that is).

 

I had the PRT GH and got rid of it (without comparing it) when the Rhino GH came in 1989.

 

Hate to open a can o'worms (well, not really), but for the record is it any better/different than the blue-covered Complete Collection discussed before? How about compared to the Ultimate Collection that many seem to like?

It seems many people have mentioned that certain ones are good, but I guess not many people have more than one of the PRTs because there is not much comparison among them. (I'm not doubting Steve in the least here, BTW - just wondering if other comps use the same mastering/are as good as this one).

 

I posted a scan last year, couldn't find it in a search, so here's another scan of the other desirable one!...

 

That's the one - anyone know if it is the same mastering as "ugly"?

Great tracklist for the early hits, but it would have been nice if they put the "bonus" tracks in their proper chronological place instead of sticking them on the end.

 

EXACTLY the same mastering as the "Ugly" one with the extra songs.

 

I haven't got it in front of me at the moment, but the best single CD PRT-mastering Pye-era comp has to be Castle's Ultimate Collection from around 1989. CMCD(?)-001. (Not to be confused with the recent Ultimate Collection)

Grey cover art.

The same track listing as Greatest Hits above plus 7 extra tracks.


EDIT: Ooops, just saw Michael's post. Same tracklisting as Michael's. Different packaging and title.

 

Hey Mike: Been shopping at Bleecker Street Records, I see! (I recognize the price tag...is that sad, or what?)

 

Hey Jimbo,
I'd give you a quiz but I usually take the tags off right after I buy them.

Bleecker's where I find all the amazing stuff...they never know what they have.

 

Ah - getting somewhere, neatly, step by step (for once! - not that this hasn't been gone over numerous times, but this is a neat little summary).

This (UC - gray) is the other one I was referring to. So this wasn't remastered? This is the one with the 2-cd version as well, right?

Now, if David Goodwin chimes in that ...Are Well Respected Men is better than all of these, and (I forget who) trumps that with the Japanese Complete Singles Collection we will have come full circle, and my summary will be proven correct!! Bwahahahahaha ..................

OK it might be time to leave "work".

 

...in the right hand bottom corner is the following...
...PREVIOUSLY ISSUED IN ALTERNATIVE PACKAGING...

 

Well there ya go!