To promote the Dec. 18 release of the 50th anniversary edition of Lola Versus Powerman and the Moneygoround, Part One, the Kinks have released a video for the record's standout single, "Lola."

The clip, embedded below, revisits the song's lyrics as a graphic novel, drawn by Chris Garratt and Mick Kidd, the creators of the British comic strip Biff. It tells the story literally with occasional asides, such as the protagonist visiting a chiropractor on the line, "When she squeezed me tight she nearly broke my spine." As in the song, it's never fully spelled out if Lola is a woman or a man.

For the 50th anniversary of the record, the Kinks have added b-sides, alternate versions of the songs and outtakes, plus two 7"singles and audio commentary from Ray and Dave Davies. It adds a 60-page hardcover book with photos and and stories about the making of the record, a concept album that satirizes all aspects of the music industry.

“The album is a celebration of artistic freedom (including my own) and the right for anyone to be gender-free if one wishes," Ray said in a press release. "The secret is to be a good and trusting person and friend."

Lola Versus Powerman and the Moneygoround, Part One arrived shortly after the Kinks four-year ban from performing in the U.S., the result of the American Federation of Musicians being fed up with their onstage behavior. The ban severely impacted their commercial potential at the moment the band was peaking creatively with The Kinks Are the Village Green Preservation Society and Arthur (Or the Decline and Fall of the British Empire). But thanks to the Billboard Top 10 success of "Lola" and "Apeman" just missing the Top 40, Lola peaked at No. 35, their best showing since their 1964 self-titled debut.

 

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