"Preservation Act 1" is actually a full-length development of themes Davies began in 1968 on "The Village Green Preservation Society" album. The songs on this new album relate how greed in the guise of progress is swallowing up individuality and humanity as personified by the inhabitants of a small town. The concept may sound rather grandiose, but Davies … could never get swept up by pretension.

Sparked by his sardonic wit and keen sensitivity, Davies makes his point in very down-to-earth terms. The lyric sheet indicates that each song is to be sung by a different character in this musical so Davies, the songwriter and lead singer, gives us all sides of the story including the villain who gets rich knocking down the village's thatched cottages and the vicar who compares life to a game of cricket….

By varying his music and arrangements to reflect the idea of his lyrics, Davies...