Phobia (The Kinks album)

Phobia
Studio album by the Kinks
Released	29 March 1993
Recorded	September 1990 – February 1992
Studio	Konk, London
Genre	Rock hard rock
Length	76:10
Label	Columbia [1]
Producer	Ray Davies
The Kinks chronology
Did Ya (1991) Phobia (1993) To the Bone (1994)
Singles from Phobia
"Only a Dream" Released: 1993 (UK) "Hatred (A Duet)" Released: 1993 (Japan) "Scattered" Released: 1993 (UK)

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	[2]
The Encyclopedia of Popular Music	[3]

Phobia is the twenty-fourth and final studio album by the English rock group the Kinks, released in 1993. ^{[4] [5]}

Overview

It is also the only studio album released on Columbia Records label and the only which does not feature drummer Mick Avory in any capacity; though he left the band in 1984, he still played on individual songs on two previous albums Think Visual and UK Jive .

Reception

The album received mixed reviews upon release. AllMusic gave it two out of five stars, stating that "Ray Davies continues to turn out three or four brilliant songs on albums that barely anyone will ever hear." Rolling Stone rated the album four out of five stars, calling it "prime late-model Kinks". ^[6]

Ray Davies has since expressed displeasure with the album, commenting, "I hated Phobia, the album we did for Sony, because now I see the tempo of all the songs was wrong." ^[7]

Track listing

All tracks are written by Ray Davies, except where noted.

Phobia track listing

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Length
1.	"Opening"		0:38
2.	"Wall of Fire"		5:01
3.	"Drift Away"	Ray Davies Dave Davies	5:05
4.	"Still Searching"		4:52
5.	"Phobia"		5:16
6.	"Only a Dream"		5:04
7.	"Don't"		4:36
8.	"Babies"		4:47
9.	"Over the Edge"		4:20
10.	"Surviving"		6:00
11.	"It's Alright (Don't Think About It)"	Dave Davies	3:34
12.	"The Informer"		4:03
13.	"Hatred (A Duet)"		6:06
14.	"Somebody Stole My Car"		4:04
15.	"Close to the Wire"	Dave Davies	4:01
16.	"Scattered"		4:11

Bonus track on the European and cassette editions of the album

No.	Title	Length
17.	"Did Ya"	4:32
Total length:		76:10

Personnel

The Kinks

• Ray Davies – guitar, keyboards, vocals
• Dave Davies – guitar, vocals on "It's Alright (Don't Think About It)", "Hatred" and "Close to the Wire"
• Jim Rodford – bass, backing vocals
• Bob Henrit – drums

Technical

• R. Douglas Davies – producer
• Kevin Paul, Stan Loubières – engineer
• Richard Edwards – recording
• Bob Clearmountain, John Rollo – mixing
• Christopher Austopchuk, Nicky Lindeman – art direction
• Sue Coe – illustration

References

1. Watrous, Peter (15 May 1993). "Review/Rock; The Kinks, Old Hands, Remain on the Wild Side". The New York Times .
2. "Phobia - The Kinks | Songs, Reviews, Credits". AllMusic.
3. Larkin, Colin (27 May 2011). The Encyclopedia of Popular Music. Omnibus Press. ISBN   9780857125958.
4. "The Kinks' Ray and Dave Davies on the reissue of 1969 album 'Arthur'". The Washington Post .
5. Fleiner, Carey (1 March 2017). The Kinks: A Thoroughly English Phenomenon. Rowman & Littlefield. ISBN   9781442235427.
6. "Phobia Album Review". Rolling Stone .
7. Jackson, Joe. "Double Exposure, Double Exposure". Hotpress. Retrieved 2 February 2024.