Phobia (The Kinks album) explained

Phobia is the twenty-fourth and final studio album by the English rock group the Kinks, released in 1993.^{[2] [3]} It is also the only studio album credited to the Kinks which does not feature drummer Mick Avory in any capacity; though he left the band in 1984, he still played on individual songs on both Think Visual and UK Jive. The album was produced by Ray Davies himself as R. Douglas Davies.

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."^[4]

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".^[5]

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

Notes and References

1. News: Review/Rock; The Kinks, Old Hands, Remain on the Wild Side. Peter. Watrous. 15 May 1993. The New York Times.
2. News: The Kinks' Ray and Dave Davies on the reissue of 1969 album 'Arthur'. The Washington Post.
3. Book: Fleiner, Carey. The Kinks: A Thoroughly English Phenomenon. 1 March 2017. Rowman & Littlefield. 9781442235427.
4. Web site: Jackson . Joe . Double Exposure, Double Exposure . Hotpress . 2 February 2024.
5. Phobia Album Review. Rolling Stone.