Titled for what was then (November 1967) one of
the Kinks' most self-defining hit singles, the year-old "Sunny Afternoon," this budget-priced collection was a must-have for the cost-conscious pop fan. Like other releases in the Pye major label's supremely budget-priced Marble Arch catalog,
Sunny Afternoon rounded up a clutch of recent singles -- in this case, four of them, dating between 1965-1966 -- together with a sterling selection of B-sides and EP tracks. Where it became interesting for the serious collector was in the inclusion of gems that generally evaded the compiler's clutches for some years more -- even today, with virtually
the Kinks' entire '60s catalog available on CD, a rambunctious version of "Louie Louie," the lackadaisically quaint "Sitting on My Sofa," and the plaintive "I'm Not Like Everybody Else" are seldom-heard gems. Even more worthy of attention is "Big Black Smoke." Originally the flip of "Dead End Street," it stands among
Ray Davies' most effective mid-60s compositions, a "lost in London" epic that warns of all the dangers awaiting the innocent on those mythical streets. On sale in Britain throughout the late '60s, Marble Arch releases were regular thrift store finds for another two decades after that. Recent advances in the collectors' appreciation of so-called kitsch, however, have seen interest and prices increase considerably. It was still a surprise to learn that it had been reissued on CD, though.