the album is essential for any fan, be they diehard or casual, of the group, a brilliant masterwork that, in the height of its idiosyncratic nature, could only have been crafted by the Kinks. Rather than worry about hip posturing the band took a chance with this defiantly untrendy work, and while, predictably enough, it failed them from a commercial and critical standpoint, it was a resounding success from an artistic one, displaying the multifaceted glory of the band.