with the Herd. Supporting acts included the Tremeloes and Ola & the Janglers, among other groups. Contemporary reviewers criticised the Kinks for their poor stage presence and often inaudible vocals; Dave later recalled that the band were insufficiently rehearsed due to Ray's intense focus on his songwriting and a lack of motivation among the other Kinks. May–June The band resumed work on the album in May1968, recording "Picture Book", "Misty Water" and "Pictures in the Sand". After the commercial disappointment of "Wonderboy", Ray opted to record his new composition "Days" as quickly as possible in order to reestablish the Kinks' status. Recording for the song concluded in early June and it was issued as a single in the UK on the 28th. Though the single was not as successful as the band's earlier hits, it received strong airplay and helped them return to the top twenty of the British charts, reaching and in Record Retailer and Melody Maker, respectively. Hinman writes that by early June, Ray's solo LP and the band's next album had "[slowly] mutated into one" under the expected title Village Green. Pye Records allowed the band extra time to record more tracks for Village Green and made plans to release the album in September in the lead-up to Christmas 1968. Throughout the 1960s, the Kinks were on different record labels in the US and UK and had differing contract schedules between the two countries. By June1968, the band were contractually obligated to immediately submit a finished LP to their US label, Reprise Records. Of those songs the band had already recorded, except "Village Green", Ray sent fifteen to the label. The label titled the album Four More Respected Gentlemen in reference to "A Well Respected Man". After Reprise learned about the Kinks' plans for a September release of Village Green, the label planned to not issue Four More Respected Gentlemen immediately but instead scheduled a November release. The band again took time off from recording for a tour of Sweden from 8 to 23 June 1968. Because of the band's weakening reputation, the booking agency and the band's new agent, Barry Dickens, scheduled them to perform at outdoor public parks, seeing it as the only realistic way for the band to turn a profit. July–August After returning from Sweden, the band began rehearsing more songs for Village Green in July at Ray's Fortis Green home. To boost