| Lola Versus Powerman and the Moneygoround, Part One | |
| Type: | Album |
| Artist: | the Kinks |
| Cover: | The kinks lola versus powerman album.jpg |
| Border: | yes |
| Released: | 27 November 1970 |
| Recorded: | April–May and August–September 1970 |
| Studio: | Morgan, London |
| Genre: | Rock · pop |
| Length: | 40:25 |
| Label: | Pye (UK) · Reprise (US) |
| Producer: | Ray Davies |
| Chronology: | The Kinks UK |
| Prev Title: | Arthur (Or the Decline and Fall of the British Empire) |
| Prev Year: | 1969 |
| Next Title: | Percy |
| Next Year: | 1971 |
Lola Versus Powerman and the Moneygoround, Part One, commonly abbreviated to Lola Versus Powerman, or simply Lola, is the eighth studio album by the English rock band the Kinks, released on 27 November 1970.[1] A concept album, it is a satirical appraisal of the music industry, including song publishers, unions, the press, accountants, business managers, and life on the road. It marked the group's expansion to a five-piece with the addition of keyboardist John Gosling.
Although it appeared during a transitional period for the Kinks, Lola Versus Powerman was a success both critically and commercially for the group, charting in the Top 40 in America[2] and helping restore them in the public eye, making it a "comeback" album. It contained two hit singles: "Lola", which reached the top 10 in the US and UK, and "Apeman", which peaked at number five in the UK.
In October 2020, Sanctuary Records released a 3-disc 50th Anniversary set that includes 36 extra tracks that include B-sides, outtakes, new mixes and alternate versions.
Musically Lola Versus Powerman is varied, described by Stephen Thomas Erlewine as "a wildly unfocused but nonetheless dazzling tour de force", containing some of Ray Davies's strongest songs.
A second part never followed Part One.
The Kinks' ban by the American Federation of Musicians on performing in America, which had been in force since their 1965 US tour,[3] [4] was lifted in 1969, so the group's management arranged a North American tour. However, members of the band fell ill, and the tour was shuffled, resulting in the band playing only a few dates in America and Canada. A follow-up tour in 1970 met with similar results, with the group performing at only a select number of venues, with many dates cancelled. The down time between the tours allowed Ray Davies, lead singer and songwriter of the group, to develop the band's next single, "Lola".
The Kinks returned to England to start work on their new LP in spring 1970. The group used Morgan Studios, an independent studio in Willesden, London, which was a change for them. They would continue recording their albums there until Preservation, when they switched to their newly purchased studio, Konk. Recording began in late April/early May. Some of the first songs recorded were "Lola", the outtake "The Good Life", "Powerman" and "Got to Be Free". The sessions for "Lola" were especially long, and the recording continued into late May. Davies would recall later how he achieved the signature clangy sound at the beginning of the track: