Out Now: 50th Anniversary Edition of The Kinks’ ‘Lola Versus Powerman and the Moneygoround, Part One’ (Listen/Buy)

Today, Dec. 18, the Kinks have released a special 50th anniversary edition of Lola Versus Powerman and the Moneygoround, Part One, the famed band‘s eighth studio album.

Ray discussing the cover art for Part One: Lola Versus Powerman And The Moneygoround LP
"The da Vinci drawing I studied in school came to mind. I think the figure represents the perfect dimensions of mankind…. pic.twitter.com/dMfOzDv99A

— The Kinks (@TheKinks) December 17, 2020

Originally released in 1970, Lola features the title track and “Apeman,” and was a critical and commercial success for the band despite being a concept album pointing a satirical angle on the music industry.

Click here to pick up the Lola Versus Powerman CD from our Rock Cellar Store
Click here to pick up the Deluxe 2-CD of Lola Versus Powerman from our Rock Cellar Store
Click here to pre-order the LP version of Lola Versus Powerman from our Rock Cellar Store
Click here to pre-order the Lola Versus Powerman Deluxe Box Set from our Rock Cellar Store

The Kinks shared a 2020 mix of “Lola” in recent weeks as a preview of the album’s special edition:

Along with the original announcement came Ray Davies’ 2020 mix of “The Follower/Any Time,” which you can hear below:

More on this pre-release track, per a news release:

Originally written by Ray as a possible B-side for “Apeman”, “Any Time” includes previously unreleased versions and excerpts of several Kinks tracks from the Lola album as well as added spoken word and sound effects. It is a concept piece about which Ray states “The isolation caused by Coronavirus can give people time to re-evaluate the world and re-assess their lives. Music can comfort the lonely, transcend time and it’s not the future or the past, yesterday, today or tomorrow. It’s anytime”. He adds, “I saw a way of making this unreleased 1970s track connect to an audience in 2020. I also saw a way of showing that music can time-travel, that memory is instantaneous and therefore can join us in the ‘now’. I put this together as something surreal then realized that it was really happening. The song has found its place – after its 50th Birthday!”

Said Ray Davies in a statement, looking back on the record:

“The album is a celebration of artistic freedom (including my own) and the right for anyone to be gender free if one wishes. The secret is to be a good and trusting person and friend.”

Here’s a look into the Deluxe Box Set edition of the Lola reissue:

Listen to the 50th anniversary Lola Versus the Powerman release below, via Spotify: