Low Budget

Low Budget was the band's eighteenth studio album and the first with Jim Rodford on bass. Recording began early in 1979 at Konk Studios in London, where "(Wish I Could Fly Like) Superman" and the title track were cut. Arista founder Clive Davis had asked for a radio-friendly hit. The rest was recorded at the Power Station and Blue Rock Studios in New York from April 1979. After several keyboardists had come and gone, Ray Davies played all the keyboard parts himself.

After a decade of concept albums and nostalgia, the songs took on inflation, labour disputes and the energy crisis. Ray said the record balanced punk influence and being British against the demands of American stadium shows. Mick Avory said the earlier lyrics had been too subtle for big arenas.

It reached number 11 on Billboard, the highest placing of any Kinks studio album to that date, and became their best-selling studio album. "(Wish I Could Fly Like) Superman" reached number 41 in the US. The album did not chart in Britain. Rolling Stone wrote that the band had not mounted this kind of rock and roll attack since "Lola". Six of its eleven songs appear on the live album One for the Road.