Muswell Hillbillies is the tenth studio album by the English rock group the Kinks. Released in November 1971, it was the band's first album for RCA Records. The album is named after the Muswell Hill area of North London, where band leader Ray Davies and guitarist Dave Davies grew up and the band formed in the early 1960s.^[3]

The album introduces a number of working class figures and the stresses with which they must contend. It did not sell well but received critical acclaim and lasting fan appreciation.

Recording[edit]

Muswell Hillbillies was the band's first album for RCA Records,^[2] their prior recordings having been released on Pye Records (Reprise Records in the United States). Their contract with Pye/Reprise expired the same year. The album was recorded between August and October 1971 at Morgan Studios, London, using a new brass section, the Mike Cotton Sound, which included Mike Cotton on trumpet, John Beecham on trombone and tuba, and Alan Holmes on clarinet.^[2]

Reception[edit]

Professional ratings
Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	^[2]
Blender	^[4]
Christgau's Record Guide	B+^[5]
Drowned in Sound	10/10^[6]
Pitchfork	8.9/10^[7]
Rolling Stone	(favourable)^[8]
The Encyclopedia of Popular Music	^[9]

The album was not a commercial success (it failed to chart in the United Kingdom and peaked at #100 in the U.S.^[10]), and its sales were a disappointment following the success of Lola the previous year. Stereo Review magazine called the poor-selling record "album of the year" in 1972 (even though it was released on 24 November 1971). In the 1984 Rolling Stone Album Guide, Rolling Stone editors gave the album five stars out of five and called it Davies' "signature statement" as a songwriter. In a retrospective review for AllMusic, Stephen Thomas Erlewine called the album a wide-ranging collection of Ray Davies compositions which focus on the tensions and frustrations of modern life.^[2]

Re-releases[edit]

A remastered deluxe edition of Muswell Hillbillies was released in the UK on 7 October 2013, with several bonus tracks, alternate takes, and BBC recordings all remastered by Andrew Sandoval and Dan Hersch. On 10 November 2014, a Legacy Edition was released for the United States, with disc 1 containing the remastered stereo album, and many of the UK Deluxe Edition bonus tracks remastered by Vic Anesini, while the second disc is a DVD with promotional TV performances (previously released in the UK on The Kinks at the BBC box set) from the era.

Artwork[edit]

The front cover picture was taken by Rod Shone in the Archway Tavern, a pub in Archway (more than two miles away from Muswell Hill). The back inset picture, showing the band below a signpost giving directions to Muswell Hill, was taken on the small traffic island at the intersection of Castle Yard and Southwood Lane in Highgate.

Track listing[edit]

All tracks are written by Ray Davies

Side one
No.	Title	Length
1.	"20th Century Man"	5:57
2.	"Acute Schizophrenia Paranoia Blues"	3:32
3.	"Holiday"	2:40
4.	"Skin and Bone"	3:39
5.	"Alcohol"	3:35
6.	"Complicated Life"	4:02

Side two
No.	Title	Length
1.	"Here Come the People in Grey"	3:46
2.	"Have a Cuppa Tea"	3:45
3.	"Holloway Jail"	3:29
4.	"Oklahoma U.S.A."	2:38
5.	"Uncle Son"	2:33
6.	"Muswell Hillbilly"	4:58

1998 CD re-issue bonus tracks
No.	Title	Length
13.	"Mountain Woman"	3:08
14.	"Kentucky Moon" (Demo)	3:57

2013 deluxe edition (CD 1, original album in stereo)
No.	Title	Length
1.	"20th Century Man"	5:53
2.	"Acute Schizophrenia Paranoia Blues"	3:29
3.	"Holiday"	2:37
4.	"Skin and Bone"	3:36
5.	"Alcohol"	3:30
6.	"Complicated Life"	4:00
7.	"Here Come the People in Grey"	3:45
8.	"Have a Cuppa Tea"	3:32
9.	"Holloway Jail"	3:23
10.	"Oklahoma U.S.A."	2:35
11.	"Uncle Son"	2:30
12.	"Muswell Hillbilly"	4:55

2013 deluxe edition (CD 2, bonus tracks)
No.	Title	Length
1.	"Lavender Lane" (stereo mix, recorded 20 Sep 1971)	3:48
2.	"Mountain Woman" (stereo mix, recorded 16 Oct 1971)	3:09
3.	"Have a Cuppa Tea" (stereo mix, alternate version, recorded 20 Sep 1971)	3:33
4.	"Muswell Hillbilly" (stereo mix, shortened edit, recorded Aug–Sep 1971)	3:48
5.	"Uncle Son" (stereo mix, alternate version, recorded 20 Sep 1971)	2:44
6.	"Kentucky Moon" (stereo mix, recorded 16 Oct 1971)	3:56
7.	"Nobody's Fool" (mono mix, demo version, recorded 6 Oct 1971)	2:28
8.	"20th Century Man" (stereo mix, alternate instrumental take, recorded 6 Oct 1971)	3:02
9.	"20th Century Man" (stereo mix, edit, recorded Aug–Sep 1971)	5:02
10.	"Queenie" (stereo mix, instrumental backing track, recorded Sep 1971)	3:43
11.	"Acute Schizophrenia Paranoia Blues" (mono mix, BBC John Peel Sessions, recorded 16 May 1972)	3:48
12.	"Holiday" (mono mix, BBC John Peel Sessions, recorded 16 May 1972)	3:08
13.	"Skin and Bone" (mono mix, BBC John Peel Sessions, recorded 16 May 1972)	2:34

2014 US Legacy Edition bonus tracks
No.	Title	Length
13.	"Lavender Lane"	3:49
14.	"Mountain Woman"	3:08
15.	"Have a Cuppa Tea" (alternate version)	3:34
16.	"Uncle Son" (alternate version)	2:45
17.	"Kentucky Moon"	3:56
18.	"Nobody's Fool" (demo)	2:28
19.	"20th Century Man" (alternate instrumental take)	3:06
20.	"Queenie" (backing track)	3:46
21.	"Muswell Hillbillies Radio Spot"	0:51

The 2014 SA-CD release has the same tracks listing as the 1998 CD re-issue version.

Personnel[edit]

Track numbering refers to CD and digital releases of the album.

The Kinks

Ray Davies – lead vocals, acoustic guitar, resonator guitar
Dave Davies – lead guitar, slide guitar, banjo, backing vocals
John Dalton – bass guitar, backing vocals
Mick Avory – drums, percussion
John Gosling – piano (acoustic and electric), Hammond organ, accordion

Additional personnel

Mike Cotton – trumpet
John Beecham – trombone, tuba
Alan Holmes – saxophone, clarinet
Vicki Brown – backing vocals on tracks 4 and 9
Ken Jones – harmonica on track 7
Mike Bobak – engineer^[11]
Richard Edwards – engineer

References[edit]

^ Donald Brown. Bob Dylan: American Troubadour. p. 121.

^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e Stephen Thomas Erlewine. "The Kinks: Muswell Hillbillies > Review"atAllMusic. Retrieved 9 November 2011.

^ Stolder, Steven. "Muswell Hillbillies". MusicVIP.com. Archived from the original on 15 July 2011. Retrieved 5 December 2009.

^ Blender review Archived 4 May 2006 at the Wayback Machine

^ Christgau, Robert (1981). "Consumer Guide '70s: K". Christgau's Record Guide: Rock Albums of the Seventies. Ticknor & Fields. ISBN 089919026X. Retrieved 28 February 2019 – via robertchristgau.com.

^ Slaughter, Matthew (4 October 2013). "Muswell Hillbillies (reissue)". Drowned in Sound. Archived from the original on 23 April 2015. Retrieved 31 December 2014.

^ Josephes, Jason (24 August 2004). "The Kinks: Muswell Hillbillies". Pitchfork. Retrieved 9 November 2011.

^ Saunders, Mike (3 February 1972). "The Kinks: Muswell Hillbillies". Rolling Stone. No. RS 101. Straight Arrow. ISSN 0035-791X. Archived from the original on 24 January 2008.

^ Larkin, Colin (2007). Encyclopedia of Popular Music (4th ed.). Oxford University Press. ISBN 978-0195313734.

^ "The Kinks' Chart Positions". kindakinks.net. Retrieved 9 November 2011.

^ "Muswell Hillbillies > Credits". JR.com. Retrieved 9 November 2011.