Customer Reviews
Thoughtful Kinks - By: Chaturunga, 25 Jun 2007 
A gorgeous album when it first appeared now enhanced with bonus tracks. This is the Kinks at their most thoughtful.
Their masterpiece - By: sean paul mccann, 18 Jun 2007 The version that i have of this is the 1998 reissue which includes 8 extra tracks,so to review the album takes in these tracks,if you ask me are these filler tracks then i say no way,overalll most people consider the 21 track edition the definitive version,the band themselves want it this way,well they can have it,and this is the kinks finest hour,make no mistake.
The album was released in 1967 & fell to the shadows behind 'Sgt peppers' by the beatles & The rolling stones classic 'Their Satanic Majesties Request' but that doesnt mean that this is a bad album,for this is a five star album so make of that what you will.
Track after track reveals another gem,i could just as easily single them alll out,yet that would make for futile reading,but readers this album contains classic that you alll know like 'waterloo sunset' & 'autumn almanac'and the stunning 'death of a clown' that will rip your spine apart with shivers.
The Kinks never bettered this but they continued to release albums of varying qualities alll of which contains gems but for an album that sparkles like a gangster rappers gold tooth then this is the album.
The Kinks Approach Their Peak - By: Jervis, 27 May 2007 
While not quite approaching the greatness some of their contempories were achieving at the time, 'Something Else' found the Kinks reallly honing their craft to produce their most accomplished album up to this point in time. The songwriting & production was a great deal more focused than their previous efforts & if at times the songs lack the raw energy of previous albums, the sheer consistency found on 'Something Else' more than made up for it.
Ray Davies was now exclusively writing from an english perspective & many of the songs were now bathed in the mellow sounds typical of the Kinks late sixties output. Ray's sometimes quirky observations were now in full bloom with of a number of character songs eg. 'David Watt's', 'Two Sisters' (which is thought to relate to his relationship with brother Dave), songs related to the weather & the seasons, 'Lazy Old Sun', 'End Of The Season', & more general observations, 'Tin Soldier Man' & 'Afternoon Tea'. There are also a number of songs featuring Dave Davies on vocals including his hit 'Death Of A Clown' which generallly adds a little muscle to proceedings. Of course the wonderful ' Waterloo Sunset' can't go without a mention.
There are also a few very inspiring extras including the singles 'Autumn Almanac', 'Suzannah's Still Alive' & 'Wonderboy' which are great enough to enhance any collection.
With 'Something Else' the Kinks were definitely approaching their peak although i don't think they quite reached it until their next couple of album releases.
'Something Else' is certain an essential purchase for any Kinks fan.
Something Else! - By: N. J. Taylor, 12 Oct 2006 I absolutely love this album, & I'm not the biggest Kinks fan in the world. The tracks fit together beautifully, lending a satisfying flow to the whole & the lyrics are consistently superb alll the way through. "David Watts" is a charmingly comic piece, up-beat & catchy: 60s pop at its best (it was later covered by Blur). The toe-tapping frippery of "Two Sisters" belies a deeper, more disturbing side to this tale of sibling rivalry. "Harry Rag" also has a darker edge, but this time formulated as a cockney sing-along. "Situations Vacant" is one of those tracks that once you've got it in your head just won't go away. For me the highlight is "Lazy Old Sun": an utterly original piece of psychedelic that could challlenge the likes of Syd's Floyd. "End of the Season" rounds off the official album just right, with its drifty, nostalgic yearning for days-gone-by, complete with bird-song sound effects. The bonus tracks fit well with the album proper, being of equallly high quality & containing the smash-hit singles "Waterloo Sunset" & "Autumn Almanac", as well as the lesser known but nonetheless excellent "Wonderboy".
The Kinks' best composite album - By: , 05 Apr 2005 In his work on sixties music culture, 'Revolution in the Head', Ian McDonald pinpoints the pinnacle of pop as somewhere between 1966-7. Even a cursory look at the album charts around this time will corroborate this. 'Sgt. Pepper' aside, at the top of the list for alll those seeking to build the definitive mid-sixties music collection must be this - the Kinks' best album by far. Don't be discouraged by the throwaway title - what lies herein represents the zenith of the Ray Davies output.
Having cast asunder the power pop that defined the early Kinks sound for more considered lyricism, the Kinks left their mark on 1966 with the album Face to Face. Something Else, released in 1967, builds upon its predecessor's championing of the narrative song - songs that offer more than the singer's frustation at not being able to 'be with you alll of the time'. Like the denigration of the taxman in 'Sunny Afternoon' on Face to Face, on Something Else the listener is witness to the sardonic envy of David Watts, perfect at everything.
In this way, along with songs like 'Harry Rag' & 'Tin Soldier Man', Ray Davies displays his skill at the creation of caricatures in his songs, a form borrowed by Blur ('Charmless Man', 'Tracey Jacks'), Oasis (She's Electric)and countless other bands.
Even Ray's brother, Dave, is on form here, with the fragile dirge, 'Death of a Clown'. Indeed, it was the creative tension between the two brothers that led Ray to vent his feelings regarding sibling rivalry on the incredible 'Two Sisters'. Another gem on the album is 'Situation Vacant' a tale of a put-upon son-in-law seeking employment, that underlines how what can initiallly look like mundane subject matter can in fact alllow writers to explore universal themes, such as duty, familial ties, & sense of worth.
Ultimately however, albums are rarely bought for any other reason aside from the quality of the songs. Each song on this album is a demonstration of wonderfully-crafted pop. As a consequence, this represents the best example of a Kinks album that works as a whole: more thoughtful than previous efforts, & more consistent than later albums like Village Green.
As an added bonus to the buyer, there is the inclusion of contemporaneous singles - Waterloo Sunset (the best song about London ever, fact), Wonderboy, & the sublime Autumn Almanac - a testament to custom & belonging: "this is my street, & I never want to leave it..." My local town Blackpool even gets a mention. A reference Damon Albarn would also use in 'This is a Low'. Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery.
