Preservation Act 1 | ||||
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Studio album by | ||||
Released | 16 November 1973 | |||
Recorded | March–July 1973 | |||
Studio | Konk, London | |||
Genre | Rock | |||
Length | 39:16 | |||
Label | RCA | |||
Producer | Ray Davies | |||
the Kinks chronology | ||||
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Singles from Preservation Act 1 | ||||
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Review scores | |
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Source | Rating |
Allmusic | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
Christgau's Record Guide | C+[2] |
Encyclopedia of Popular Music | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
The Great Rock Discography | 5/10[4] |
Pitchfork | 9.8/10[5] |
Preservation Act 1 is a concept album and the 12th studio album by the English rock group the Kinks, released 16 November 1973 by RCA Records.
Preservation Act 1 did not sell well (peaking on the Billboard 200 at No. 177). However, it was well received by many critics at the time. A review in Rolling Stone by Ken Barnes was critical of Ray Davies' "tendency toward vaudevillian excess," but overall he rated Preservation as a "highly listenable, enjoyable album."[6] Barnes singled out "Sitting in the Midday Sun" as a "wistfully irresistible" number and labeled "One of the Survivors" the Kinks' "best outright rocker" in years.[6] Gary Lucas, reviewing Preservation Act 1 for Zoo World, also had high praise for the work, stating: "Dare I say it is one of the nicest albums to be released this year (if not the best)? Of course I will."[7] Focusing on the musical theater aspects of the LP, Barbara Charone ranked the album as one of the "most impressive" of the Kinks' career.[8]
Some more recent reviews of Preservation Act 1 have been sympathetic to its theatrical ambitions, such as AllMusic's Stephen Thomas Erlewine, who declared "Sweet Lady Genevieve" to be the "real candidate for Davies' forgotten masterpiece".[1]
The 1991 CD reissue on Rhino was a 2-CD set combining Preservation Act 1 with its 1974 follow-up Preservation Act 2. It contained one bonus track ("Preservation") and an extended mix of "Money & Corruption/I Am Your Man", featuring an extra instrumental break.
The 1998 CD reissue of Preservation Act 1 on Velvel includes the single versions of "Preservation" and "One of the Survivors", neither of which is available on the original vinyl release.