The Kinks Are the Village Green Preservation Society is the sixth studio album by the English rock group the Kinks, released in November 1968. It was the last album by the original quartet, as bassist Pete Quaife left the group in early 1969. A collection of thematic vignettes of English town and hamlet life, The Kinks Are the Village Green Preservation Society was assembled from songs written and recorded over the previous two years. Allmusic senior editor Stephen Thomas Erlewine described Village Green as a "concept album lamenting the passing of old-fashioned English traditions." Although the record is widely considered one of the most influential and important works by the Kinks, it failed to chart upon release, and only sold about 100,000 copies. In 2003, the album was ranked number 255 on Rolling Stone magazine's list of the 500 greatest albums of all time.