"The Kink Kontroversy" is the third studio album by the English rock band the Kinks, released on 26 November 1965 by Pye Records in the United Kingdom. The album was issued in the United States on 30 March 1966 by Reprise Records, and it marked the first time the American release featured the same track listing as the British version. The album is considered a transitional work, blending elements of the earlier blues-influenced style of the Kinks with early signs of Ray Davies' evolving songwriting direction, which would later define the band's more complex, narrative-driven work.
The album's title is a playful nod to the band's notorious reputation, which had been marked by onstage brawls and concert riots across Europe, leading to a ban on their concerts in the United States. The song "Where Have All the Good Times Gone" contains references to the Beatles and Rolling Stones, hinting at the rivalry and the band's awareness of their peers in the British Invasion scene.
The single "Till the End of the Day" became one of the band's major hits, reaching No. 8 in the UK and No. 50 in the US, spending several weeks on the charts. In the US, the track "When I See That Girl of Mine" was covered by American singer Bobby Rydell and released a month before the Kinks' original version.
The Kink Kontroversy marks a significant point in the band's career, as it continued to bridge their early straightforward rock sound with the more experimental and reflective music they would soon produce.
