Live at Kelvin Hall

by Stephen Thomas ErlewineRecorded in Glasgow, Scotland, while the Kinks were on tour in 1967, Live at Kelvin Hall (aka The Live Kinks) has the distinction of being the only undoctored concert recording of a British Invasion band at the peak of its popularity. Like the Stones and the Beatles, the Kinks faced audiences filled with screaming, shrieking teenagers. Often, the noise was so loud that it drowned out the amps on-stage, and since the band couldn't hear each other, its performances were ragged and rough. The Kinks held together in Glasgow better than their peers, but Live at Kelvin Hall is still rough going. True, it does offer an audio document of the band in concert, but the crowd is so damn noisy, it's hard to hear anything besides screaming. The band is buried under this cacophony, and while they turn out some energetic performances -- not only of hits like "Till the End of the Day," "You Really Got Me," and the sing-along "Sunny Afternoon" -- they're just sloppy enough to be a little tiring when combined with the roaring crowd. Live at Kelvin Hall may be interesting as an historical piece to some collectors, but it falls short of being pleasurable listening.