Released in the United States in August 1966 by Reprise Records, the album mostly consists of singles issued by the group between 1964 and 1966.

[b] The band's first greatest hits album,[5] it mostly consists of singles issued by the group between 1964 and 1966,[6] ranging from "You Really Got Me" to "Dedicated Follower of Fashion", recorded in mid-July 1964 and February 1966, respectively.

[8] The album's liner notes include one of the earliest instances of Ray Davies, the Kinks' principal songwriter, being characterised as a genius.

M. Kitts suggests the description of Davies as "a brooding-faced, long-haired genius"[10] was an attempt to connect him to the English poet Lord Byron.

[11] Eder writes that Ed Thrasher's cover art for the album, depicting the band in several concert photographs, further added to its collectibility.