Kevin Bryan delivers his verdict on some of this week's CD releases.

The Kinks, "Are The Village Green Preservation Society" (BMG)-The Kinks' affectionate exercise in sepia tinted nostalgia was a commercial flop when it first saw the light of day half a century ago but it's now acknowledged as one of the crowning glories of writer Ray Davies' creative career, and this landmark album has now been given the full re-issue treatment, complete with no less than ten bonus tracks. Ray's heartfelt paeans of praise to the steam trains, village greens and historic buildings which were all being swept away in the sixties' rush to embrace modernity have lost little of their charm with the passage of time and should be required listening for discerning music lovers everywhere.

"Garrick Rawlings" (Pelopannese Records)- Kansas-born Garrick Rawlings is a gifted Midwestern balladeer of the old school, weaving his homespun narrative magic with a beguiling charm which has prompted comparisons with such illustrious figures as Woody Guthrie , Guy Clark and the late great Townes Van Zandt. Rootsy Americana has rarely sounded more expressive or immediate, and as an added bonus Rawlings also displays his interpretative skills with captivating covers of the Grateful Dead's "Friend of the Devil" and Van Zandt's much loved "Pancho and Lefty."

"100 Hits-The Best 70s Album" (Demon Music)- The powers that be at Demon Music have rounded up many of the usual suspects in order to populate their latest foray into the world of the 5CD anthology, plundering the cream of Sony Music's archives in the process. The contents are certainly nothing if not eclectic, boasting contributions from such deeply unlikely bedfellows as Blue Oyster Cult, Showaddywaddy, The Only Ones and Canadian rockers The Guess Who to name but a few.

"An Introduction to The Oldham Tinkers" (Topic Records)-This charming collection shines a welcome spotlight on the collected output of South Lancashire folkies The Oldham Tinkers. The group recorded a string of instantly identifiable albums for Topic during their creative heyday in the seventies as well as making regular appearances on the radio shows of devoted admirers such as Andy Kershaw and John Peel, and newcomers to their warm hearted repertoire would be well advised to lend an ear to fine tracks such as "Charlie Chaplin," "Seeing Double" and "A Mon Like Thee."