The Kinks, an English rock band, were active for over three decades, from 1963 to 1996, releasing 26 studio albums and five live albums. The first two albums are differently released in the UK and the US, partly due to the difference in popularity of the extended play format, and partly due to the US albums including the hit singles, and the UK albums not; after The Kink Kontroversy in 1965 the albums were the same. Between 100 and 200 compilation albums have been released worldwide.