kinkssomet

The Kinks – Something Else

More of the Music of The Kinks

  • Boasting very good Hot Stamper grades from top to bottom, this original Tri-Color Steamboat label copy will be hard to beat
  • We guarantee there is more space, richness, presence, and performance energy on this copy than others you’ve heard or you get your money back – it’s as simple as that
  • Drop the needle on “No Return” for wonderful sound and music – it’s got a bit of a Jobim vibe
  • 5 stars: “Part of the album’s power lies in its calm music, since it provides an elegant support for [Ray] Davies’s character portraits and vignettes. From the martial stomp of ‘David Watts’ to the lovely, shimmering ‘Waterloo Sunset,’ there’s not a weak song on the record, and several — such as the allegorical ‘Two Sisters,’ the Noël Coward-esque ‘End of the Season,’ the rolling ‘Lazy Old Sun,’ and the wry ‘Situation Vacant’ — are stunners.”
  • It’s hard to conceive of any list of the best rock and pop albums of 1967 that would not have this record on it

I don’t think you’ll be able to find a better sounding Kinks record without going through a bunch of different copies — and they don’t come cheap, no matter where you shop.

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The Kinks – Something Else in 2009

Hot Stamper Pressings of the Music of The Kinks Available Now

UPDATE 2026

We did our first shootout for the album in 2009, and it would take us until 2026 to do another one. The original domestic pressings are by far the best, and you can imagine how difficult it is to find them in audiophile playing condition.

Make sure to read the insightful 5 Star AMG review — they really nail this one!

This Original Reprise Tri-Color Steamboat Label pressing is one of the best sounding Kinks records we’ve ever had the pleasure of playing here at Better Records. It sounds nothing like the typically dull and smeary domestic Kinks LPs we are used to hearing. The overall sound is lively, musical, and natural. Drop the needle on No Return for wonderful sound and music — it’s got a bit of a Jobim vibe. 

After dropping the needle on a wonderful sounding copy a few months back, we started pursuing these in the hopes of getting a proper shootout together. It didn’t happen easily or inexpensively — clean looking copies of this one go for as much as $50 in the local bins, and that’s obviously with no guarantee of good sound or quiet vinyl. We found a few good ones and a few stinkers, but this copy went beyond our expectations. It’s got punchy bass, great energy, and real texture to everything. Most copies tend to be too smooth and veiled, but this one passed our tests with flying colors.

Play David Watts or No Return on side one for the best sound, and Afternoon Tea or Waterloo Sunset on side two for the same. (more…)