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Post by dolly on Feb 2, 2006 12:38:12 GMT -5
As for Misfits - I only listened to it yesterday for the first time - so I can't remember a single tune offhand. I'll let you know how I get on with that one. Sleepwalkers I'm also unfamiliar with. In fact, looking at the tracklisting I don't recognise any of the songs either.
Was looking on Amazon yesterday for some Kinks bargains now I've been paid. So many though are "currently unavailable". Unbelieveable. Am keeping my eye on ebay....
Need to pick up another Face to Face too. Can't believe I mistreated my copy so badly.
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Post by Paul on Feb 2, 2006 12:43:49 GMT -5
Oddly enough, I love "She's Bought A Hat Like Princess Marina"; it's just so wacky, plus I love that they rock a kazoo, and I like the lyrics...Have you heard the live version of it from the album Everybody's in Showbiz? It's a hoot, and w/ the brass section; I think it's a fun listen.
My favorite is "Mr. Churchill Says"; that song has alt rock/metal/punk all rolled into it, and IMO it's very ahead of it's time.
I pretty much like the entire Arthur album. "Yes Sir, No Sir" is a classic, as is "Shang ri-la", and the odd but lovable "Australia" I love; One of the very few Kinks songs where the let loose and jam. "Brainwashed" sums up just about everything I love about the Kiinks in 2 and a half minutes; it easily makes my top 10 favorite Kinks' songs.
That sucks about your Face to Face cd....Do you have the one w/ all the bonus tracks?
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Post by dolly on Feb 3, 2006 11:00:30 GMT -5
Mr Churchill Says is a very good choice. The live version of ...Hat like Princess Marina isn't on my downloaded version unfortunately. Neither is the live Dead End Street - but I've heard that played live by Ray so I'm chuffed enough  It's one of my favourite Kinks songs, that one. Anyway, I'm always a fan of losing the brass section on nearly any song - Richard Thompson's included... Y'know the more I listen to Arthur, the stronger an album it becomes. I prefer it over Lola, no question. I think it's 5th rating on my Kinks list will need amending very shortly. Yeah, my Face to Face is the reisue with all the bonus tracks. It had better not gone out of print.... |
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Post by bowiglou on Feb 3, 2006 16:51:09 GMT -5
dolly, cook, rit, et al..I have been a Kinks fan for some time, though my interest only started with the 70s work outside of having Kink Kronicles.......so I'm somewhat acquainted with the body of their 60s work, but it is sleepwalker/misfits/low budget era and then the 2-lp live album that most piqued my interest in the Kinks..I did see them on the State of Confusion tour circa 1983 or thereabouts....
anyway, I have always been a deep admirer of Ray Davies and his take on local life..............quite an observor.....
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Post by Paul on Feb 3, 2006 17:45:00 GMT -5
I think the Live At Kelvin Hall album has "Dead End Street". Have you heard it? It's a really good album, but the crowd noise is almost unbearable. It's a live gig from 1965/66?, and has some great versions of the classics like "You Really Got Me", and "Sunny Afternoon", but again the crowd noise is very loud and takes away from the music.
As for a brass section, I don't know why but I love it especially on songs like "Tin Soldier Man", "Brainwashed", "Alcohol", and even "Come Dancing".
You're right about Arthur, the more listens, the better it gets. In this day in age, the lyrics are quite relevant, and IMO it's musically the best Kinks album. One the remastered edition, the bonus track like "Plastic Man", "King Kong", "Mindless Child of Motherhood", and "Mr. Shoemaker's Daughter" are really good as well.
bow, do you still have the live LP? I just recently bought the SACD version of it (One For The Road); it sounds fantastic. Did your LP have "20th Century Man?" That's my favorite song on the album, and it's one of the best on Muswell Hillbillies. Have you heard the studio version?
I'm still breaking down Sleepwalker and Misfits; so far I like the former better, but Misfits has "Live Life" which is a definite highlight from the album. One of the bonus tracks from Sleepwalker, "On the Outside" is a real quality song as well. I really wasn't too hip on listening to some of the "arena rock" years, but Sleepwalker has been a pleasant surprise.
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Post by bowiglou on Feb 3, 2006 20:06:10 GMT -5
pcook..yes 20th century man is on it..but I love/love/love Celluloid Heroes...what a great capture of Hollywood, icons, and false idolatry!!........but I have to admit, i'm pretty ignorant of their 60s work...Bama, who was a frequent contributor on these boards a few years back, and a total Kinks expert, made me some casettes, and I think I do have muswell hillbillites and Arthur on casette...but I need to unearth them.................I have always loved Ray's wry sensibilities (oh gawd, didn't I sound like a cursory weekend-critic!!), and have to rate them as the #3 British invasion band of choice ..behind the beatles and the stones, and probably much to the chagrin of Ken, above the Who....
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Post by Paul on Feb 7, 2006 11:05:11 GMT -5
I remember Bama; met him on the Pearl Jam thread on the old site....He sent me some tapes as well. I only gave them the once over then they were put in the vault; honestly, it was just too much information at the time. Up to that point I had a used copy of One For the Road, and a first pressing (non-remastered) version of Lola. I didn't really listen to either that often, and wasn't that impressed w/ the "arena rock" sound of the One For The Road album; and Lola was just a bit too bizarre/quirky for me (I didn't understand the transition from the early years, to Lola, to arena rock). I guess Bama help spark my interest, and eventually helped influence me to check out some of their remastered CDs. I got Face To Face and was pleasantly surprised, then I got the first three albums (Kinks, Kinda Kinks, Kink Kontroversy), and the almum that sealed the deal for me, Arthur: Or the Decline and Fall of the British Empire.
Anyway, if you don't know their 60's collection all that well, you may find some real gems you had no idea even existed. Honestly I feel everything they did from 1964-1971 is worthy of any rock lovers collection; plus it's interesting to hear their progression from their debut through Muswell Hillbillies.
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Post by Paul on Feb 9, 2006 17:35:43 GMT -5
Here is some Dave Davies news....
KOCH RECORDS TO RELEASE DAVE DAVIES'
HIGHLY ANTICIPATED KINKED
ON MARCH 7TH, 2006
The triumphant return of legendary KINKS founder Dave Davies featuring ten years of solo classics including new track "God In My Brain," inspired by stroke recovery
February 6, 2006 — New York, NY — KOCH Records announces the triumphant return of Dave Davies, founding member of Rock & Roll Hall of Fame legends, The Kinks. Kinked, a collection of Dave Davies' finest studio recordings and live tracks from 1997 – 2006, includes the brand new track (recorded in January 2006), "God In My Brain," which was inspired by Davies' recovery from a serious stroke he suffered in 2004.
Thanks in no small measure to the sound of the Olympian thunderbolts cast by Dave's guitar, the Kinks' sound has inspired and influenced generations of rockers including The Ramones, Van Halen, and Green Day, and helped give birth to punk, metal and modern guitar rock. In the ten years since the band's last public performance, Dave has released four official albums on Velvel & KOCH Records, in addition to three live albums, two albums of demos and an electronic music collaboration released through his website.
On 30 June 2004, while at the BBC to promote the UK release of his solo album "Bug," Dave Davies collapsed as a result of what was later determined to be a stroke. Though details were scarce at the time, the legendary guitarist/singer/songwriter/producer would be sidelined for a year and a half before returning to the limelight with the release of this record.
"God In My Brain," recorded in mid-January 2006, returns to the theme of unfinished business and new beginnings. Within a day of entering the hospital, with difficulty speaking and unable to use the right side of his body, Dave was already beginning to restart the creative engine.
"It's not God as in the grey-haired old man sitting in the sky, but the person in my head who while the stroke was happening was sitting back and observing," according to Dave. Within a week, a guitar was in his hands, and as he strummed his first chords, the incredible rhythm of this song emerged. The lyrics were completed last November and December, when Dave agreed to return to the studio to complete this album.
The result is a jubilant tour-de-force, which Dave wrote, arranged and produced, while singing and playing all instruments including guitars, bass, piano and organ. The album's cover art features an original painting by Davies, created in August 2004 as part of his therapy at the London Neurological Hospital.
The rest of this album focuses mainly on Dave's compositions, as featured on the four solo albums recorded during Davies' past ten years as a KOCH/Velvel artist. A mixture of gem-like new studio recordings of songs from his 'first' and 'second' solo careers in the 60s and 80s, live recordings of some of his favorite Kinks tunes, plus originals from Bug and Unfinished Business, this album is (mostly) not about 'those chords' that first made him famous. Here is Dave Davies—he of the thoughtful ballads and heartfelt love songs, the ringing acoustic and the lyrical electric guitars, the achingly beautiful vocals...and themes of hope and optimism.
"Unfinished Business," which opens this album, was inspired by the untimely death of John Lennon, who had so much more to give the world. Today, it's hard to listen to this lush, Beatlesque gem without thinking it somehow nearly prophetic of Dave's own stroke event. Among the other originals is "Fortis Green," a childhood remembrance that easily ranks right up there with brother Ray's classic-period gems.
Also featured are "live" versions of Dave's classic "Living on a Thin Line" (the original Kinks version was unforgettably featured in one of the dramatic "University Episode" of HBO's The Sopranos), a spirited version of "Picture Book" (recently featured in the wildly popular television spots for HP's Digital Photo products), along with Dave's studio tribute to The Beatles' George Harrison on "Give Me Love, Give Me Peace on Earth."
THE TRACK LISTING:
1. Unfinished Business
2. Living on a Thin Line (live)
3. Picture Book (live)
4. Fortis Green
5. Love Gets You
6. This Man He Weeps Tonight
7. Death of a Clown
8. Suzannah's Still Alive
9. Hold My Hand
10. Give Me Love (Give Me Peace On Earth)
11. Strangers (live)
12. Too Much On My Mind (live)
13. When The Wind Blows
14. God In My Brain
15. Rock Me, Rock You
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Post by dolly on Feb 11, 2006 6:09:29 GMT -5
Will have to read that one when I get back - but for now:
setting off to London to see Ray!!!!!
Yippee!!!!!!!!
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Post by dolly on Feb 13, 2006 6:14:33 GMT -5
That's good news about Dave. Shall look forward to that one. It was nice to hear Ray speak fondly about Dave at the gig and wish him well with his recovery Ok, here is what I remember of the Set list - though there might be a couple of ommissions as I was enjoying myself too much to write them down as he went along. Anyway, that would be sad wouldn't it? Right, order's not going to be anything like spot on either: 1 - I'm not like everybody else 2 - Where Have All The Good Times Gone 3 - 20th Century Man 4 - Oklahoma USA Semi-accoustic medley of Village Green songs, accompanied by lead guitarist Mark, who was also playing semi-accoustic: 5 - Village Green 6 - Picture Book 7 - Johnny Thunder --------------------------------- 8 - Nextdoor Neighbours (new album) 9 - After the Fall 10 - London Song 11 - The Tourist 12 - The Stand-up Comic 13 - Til the End of the Day 14 - A Long Way from Home (with some chick singing Dave's part) 15 - Tired of Waiting for You 16 - All Day and All of the Night 17 - Dead End Street Encore 1 18 - Days 19 - You Really Got Me Encore 2 20 - Waterloo Sunset 21 - Harry Rag (this might/might not have been in the encore - can't remember - but he played it somewhere) Encore 3 22 - Lola There were possibly a couple more as well, but my memory is notoriously bad so I think I did quite well considering Anyway, it was a fantastic rip-roaring gig and it was wonderful to see Ray on such good form and looking really lithe and healthy. There was plenty of leaping around the stage from him and lots of scissor-kicks that would have been impressive on a man 20 years younger. He played with enthusiasm, vigour, and with his usual story-teller asides that the audience always lap up - particularly the story of composing You Really Got Me in the living room, with Dave coming in and saying "what the fuck is that?" "and.... but where's the chorus?". Also got to hear the story of Dave's crappy old green amp that they stuck knitting needles in to get the distort fuzzy sound that gave Dave's All day and all of the night that dirty grungy sound that impressed the likes of Hendrix and countless other heavy-metal guitarists.... Anyway, it was fantastic - really really fantastic. The only thing I will say is that it's possible that Ray is going scenile - he did introduce his band 5 or 6 times!!!!!! But then he was probably taking the piss out of us - that would be so Ray. Anyway, that's all for now - have to dash as my sister and I are going to see Walk the Line, then get our nails done |
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Post by bowiglou on Feb 14, 2006 19:06:46 GMT -5
dolly..sounds like a fantastic show!!
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Post by dolly on Feb 15, 2006 5:16:16 GMT -5
Thanks Bow, it really really was. Keeping my eye out for any more dates he might choose to do.
The only thing that I was really disappointed about is that I got no photos - I'd left my camera in the hotel as there's always the danger they'll get confiscated. But loads of people had them - and Ray being the crowd-pleaser that he is seems to revel in the flashlight - unlike grouchy 'ol Dylan who has posters up everywhere saying that the artist requests no photography blah blah.
My sis got some with a disposable - but I'm not holding out much hope for those....
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Post by dolly on Feb 15, 2006 5:17:47 GMT -5
**** Shepherd's Bush Empire, London
Ian Gittins
Tuesday February 14, 2006
The Guardian
Ray Davies
Far from a spent force: Ray Davies
Ray Davies' 40 years in the music industry have not dimmed his enthusiasm. The former Kinks singer takes to the stage like a beat-pop version of Peter Snow, waving his arms and mugging wildly to the reverent audience applause. He may be on such exuberant form because he knows he has a musical ace up his sleeve. At 61 he is a tad long-in-the-tooth for debut solo albums, but Other People's Lives is a masterpiece of wry, observational pop that shows this veteran is far from a spent force.
Article continues
He looks pretty good, too - dapper, rake-thin and still executing a mean scissor jump. Yet the first part of the show is wilfully obscure, covering the 1966 power-pop B-side I'm Not Like Everybody Else and reviving four tracks from the bucolic 1968 concept album Village Green Preservation Society.
The delicate new material suggests Davies should have started making solo records 20 years ago. The Dylan-esque Next Door Neighbour and Creatures of Little Faith are nostalgic reveries on the nature of human frailty, while the geezerish Stand-Up Comic reaffirms the huge debt owed by Parklife-era Blur.
Inevitably, it's the back catalogue that raises the roof. All Day and All of the Night and You Really Got Me become beery mass singalongs but far more affecting is Days, the nuanced musing on intimations of mortality covered by the late Kirsty MacColl. He encores with Lola and the gorgeous Waterloo Sunset. The flush of youth has long gone but Ray Davies seems poised for a poignant Indian summer.
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Post by dolly on Feb 15, 2006 5:20:13 GMT -5
Ah yeah, I remember Creatures of little faith now, but I can't for the life of me remember which other Village Green number he did....agh.
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Post by dolly on Feb 15, 2006 10:24:26 GMT -5
This is where I come to ramble on to myself....
Just popped into town to pick up the good ol Times Educational Supplement, and happened upon this month's Mojo - with none other than Mr Ray Davies himself on the cover and a CD of artists covering Kinks songs. Excellent. Listened through once, and not sure what really stands out at the moment, though I did enjoy Big Sky by the Blue Aeroplanes, and A Long Way From Home by The Green Pyjamas seemed pretty decent.
Running order:
1 Fountains of Wayne - Better Things (wtf? Hooray - they've managed to turn a Davies original (though far from one of my favourites) into an emo-whine. Whoopie.
2 Steve Wynn - This Strange Effect
3 Redd Kross - Fancy
4 Mudhoney - Who will be the next in line?
5 The Thanes - You shouldn't be sad
6 Bill Lloyd - This is where I belong
7 The Green Pyjamas - A Long Way From Home
8 Yo La Tengo - No Return
9 Kevin Tihista - Situation Vacant
10 The Blue Aeroplanes - Big Sky
11 Holly Golightly - Tell me now so I know
12 Peter Bruntnell - Waterloo Sunset (never see the point of anyone attempting this - but it's better than the Cathy Dennis version...)
13 Mark Lanegan - Nothin' in the world can stop me worryin'bout that girl (a dark Americana twist - mucho cool)
14 Ed Kuepper - Steam Train
15 Gravenhurst - See My Friends
Like I say, I don't have photos of Ray from the other night, but here are some cool ones I've come across on the net. I also happened across Hammersmith Palais of White Man in... Clash fame on my trip so I've popped a posing moi on the photo albums board trying to look cool and unaffected and not like the gay tourist that I was...
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It's one of my favourite Kinks songs, that one. Anyway, I'm always a fan of losing the brass section on nearly any song - Richard Thompson's included...