THE KINKS: 'Scattered' (Columbia)

The first time one listens to 'Scattered', the impression is that Ray Davies has gone completely overboard in his efforts to include as many mentions of the word scattered as humanly possible within a four minute single, occasionally substituting rhymes like "battered", "fatter" or "gathered". But give it time and its folksy charm wins over, and even Ray's rickety vocals endear themselves. A little too long for comfort though.