"King Midas in Reverse" is one of the most braindead songs I've ever heard

Discussion in 'Music Corner' started by Cookary02, Oct 12, 2018.

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  1. tages

    tages Senior Member

    Location:
    Seattle
    I am envious as I would love the chance to see the 1967 Hollies live.
     
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  2. MikeM

    MikeM Senior Member

    Location:
    Youngstown, Ohio
    Glad to hear you actually like the Kissoons’ “Chirpy Chirpy Cheep Cheep.”

    I was working Top 40 radio in the summer of 1971 when it was a US hit, and it sounded perfect coming out of the top-of-the-hour ID, which is one of my strongest criteria for a great pop song.

    The Middle of the Road version never made it to the states, so I didn’t hear it till years later. I think it’s perfectly awful.

    Now, just to court further controversy, I will assert that Mac and Katie Kissoon recorded a very GOOD version of Neil Sedaka’s “Love Will Keep Us Together,” demonstrating that it too is a fine pop song — despite it being ruined by another duo whose name I will not utter.
     
  3. Classicrock

    Classicrock Senior Member

    Location:
    South West, UK.
    It's one of my favourite Hollies songs. BTW King Midas had the ability to turn everything he touched to Gold not dust. Hence the song title. The singer is claiming his relationship is the opposite to turning to gold - a disaster (everything he touches turns to dust). There is some confusion between referring to himself or a third party here. I think the chorus is meant to be sung by the other group members.

    If you could only see me.
    And know exactly were I am.
    You wouldn't want to be me,
    Oh I can assure you of that.
    I'm not the guy to run with,
    Cause I'll pull you off the line.
    I'll break you and destroy you
    Give time.
    He's King Midas with a curse.
    He's king Midas in Reverse.
    He's King Midas with a curse.
    He's King Midas in Reverse.
    It's plain to see it's hopeless,
    Goin' on the way we are.
    So even though I loose you,
    You'll be better off by far.
    He's not the man to hold your trust,
    Everything he touches turns to dust in his hands.
    Nothing he can do is right, he'd even like to sleep at night, but he can't.
    All he touches turns to dust
    All he touches turns to dust
    All he touches turns to dust
    All he touches turns to dust
    I wish someone would find me,
    And help…

    Maybe a typo but Nash used the wrong 'were' instead of 'where'.
     
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  4. MarcS

    MarcS Forum Resident

    Location:
    New Jersey
    Dated Ringo Starr and Roy Wood.
     
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  5. MarcS

    MarcS Forum Resident

    Location:
    New Jersey
    Ironically, when Steven Van Zandt inducted the Hollies into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, he called King Midas In Reverse their unsung masterpiece.
     
  6. bob_32_116

    bob_32_116 Forum Flaneur

    Location:
    Perth Australia
    With all the controversy over the appropriateness or otherwise of the King Midas analogy, something that seems to be overlooked is: who was the song addressed to? Who is it that is going to risk destruction by maintaining association with him?

    I guess like everyone else at the time I thought he was referring to a lover or a potential lover, but lately it occurred to me that he might have been addressing the song to the rest of the group. He may have been saying "We are pulling in different creative directions, so you will be better off without me."
     
  7. Raunchnroll

    Raunchnroll Senior Member

    Location:
    Seattle
    The fact that someone clears their throat then sings a story to us - or nonsense like 'beat on the brat' - is itself odd if you think about it.
     
  8. Gaslight

    Gaslight ⎧⚍⎫⚑

    Location:
    Northeast USA
    They are unimportant to me.

    Let the hate flow through you......
     
  9. Billo

    Billo Forum Resident

    Location:
    Southern England
    what I meant re Butterfly was that in chronological order it's failure compounded Nash's feelings of estrangement re The Hollies direction which he'd earlier felt and had resulted in 'King Midas'

    after the failure of KMIR making only no.18 in the UK chart, then Butterfly failed to chart they pulled back from following Nash's lead and reverted to a more traditional pop approach - Jennifer Eccles was a 'joke' song written by Clarke-Nash and their wives and made no.7 in the UK (Nash 'boos' it himself in that Yugoslavia concert as for him it's total frustration, when they lampoon themselves the public lap it up !)

    Nash also further make a joke of JE by singing the comedy verse re it in The Scaffold's UK chart topper 'Lily The Pink' putting on a 'scouse' accent !

    'Listen To Me' was then a more commercial Tony Hazzard song then Tony Hicks suggested the 'Sing Dylan' project - completing Nash's involvement after he unwillingly sang 'Blo-Blo-Blowin in The Wind etc...

    so in strict chronological terms KMIR came earlier when Nash was already feeling frustrated and rather a prisoner of his early pop success - it's failure, then 'Butterfly' failing (his four solo numbers on that album each have an escapist angle and either no harmonies or just his own) ensured that inevitably that their ways would part...

    Both producer Ron Richards and musically Tony Hicks, Bobby Elliott, and even Allan Clarke were 'not on the same page' as Nash as he put it himself

    Nash in fact probably stayed in The Hollies a year longer than he at heart wanted to - tho' he did contribute to a few great Hollies songs in 1968

    re just who KMIR is directed at....well maybe Nash has several parties in mind - his first marriage to Rosemary was strained then (they parted the following year), his relationship with longtime friend Allan Clarke was also becoming strained re the musical direction as Nash's own songs he sang himself
    ( - i.e. 'Everything is Sunshine' the 'B' side of KMIR plus in 1966 'Fifi', 'Clown' etc)

    Nash and producer Ron Richards were not seeing eye to eye - after KMIR Richards vetoed 'Marrakesh Express'

    I think KMIR may also be aimed at 'Hollie' Graham Nash somewhat too as the solo singer/songwriter and future 'CSN' Nash yearned to move on, he seemed to be torn between loyalty to his first band and the desire to change his life and musical direction

    Cat Stevens does something similar later tho' in retrospect with his song 'Pop Star' on the 'Mona Bone Jakon' album where seventies Cat observed what sixties Cat had done and gone through
     
    Last edited: Oct 13, 2018
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  10. Bill

    Bill Senior Member

    Location:
    Eastern Shore
    Nash's estrangement from the rest of the group during that 1967 concert was brought home most starkly when he dispatched the other Hollies from the stage and he sang Butterfly, accompanied by the prerecorded backing track, played on a spotlit reel to reel placed starkly on a table, center stage.
    FWIW, I always interpreted Midas as Graham's 1967 version of Lennon's Help- a cry of distress from someone ostensibly on the top of the world. Although he had been the golden boy, in a hitmaking chart group with a young family, in fact, it was all turning to poop, with his marriage in tatters and him the odd man out of the Hollies, as well. I viewed it as a very courageous song. Still do.
     
    Last edited: Oct 13, 2018
  11. tages

    tages Senior Member

    Location:
    Seattle
    This is fascinating to read. I'd love to hear any other memories you may have of this show - thanks!
     
  12. redsock

    redsock Writer, reader, grouch.

    Slade would have done a fantastic job covering this. Seriously.
     
  13. Bill

    Bill Senior Member

    Location:
    Eastern Shore
    It was a triple bill. All groups starting with H: Hollies, Hombres and Happenings.
    Sadly, no Hendrix!
    I was struck by two things about the Hollies: Bobby's muscular drumming and Tony's guitar work. After a song or two, it became clear that Graham was NOT plugged in.
    And, of course, the glorious harmonies.
     
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  14. Terry

    Terry Senior Member

    Location:
    Milwaukee
    I rather enjoy this song.
     
  15. tages

    tages Senior Member

    Location:
    Seattle
    Thanks for that. I think that Bobby Elliott and Tony Hicks were two of the finest musicians of the era. Eric Haydock was no slouch, either.

    And Alan is of course up there with the greats. Seeing those harmonies done live back then is my idea of heaven on Earth.

    [​IMG]
     
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  16. Bill

    Bill Senior Member

    Location:
    Eastern Shore
    By the time I saw them in '67, Eric was long gone. Sorry to say that Bern Calvert, his replacement on bass, was less than memorable that evening.
     
  17. old45s

    old45s MP3 FREE ZONE

    Location:
    SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA
    Back in 1971 Sydney's top rating Popular music Radio Station (2SM) only played the LALLY STOTT version of "Chirpy Chirpy Cheep Cheep" . THIS VERSION of the song made #1.
    It had a fade- in intro which I liked because the radio station's compressor would bring up the vol. of the vinyl scratches and noise...
    The MIDDLE OF THE ROAD version wasn't heard all that often here but you always see it these days on all the 70's Compilation CD's.
     
  18. Bill

    Bill Senior Member

    Location:
    Eastern Shore
    Anybody else notice that Graham recycled Fifi the Flea melody in Lady of the Island?
     
  19. marmil

    marmil It's such a long story...

    Speaking of The Hollies, I found this amazing footage today:

     
  20. jon9091

    jon9091 Master Of Reality

    Location:
    Midwest
    “Masterpiece of masterpieces”.

    I’ve always loved it.
     
  21. Malinky

    Malinky Almost a Gentleman.

    Location:
    U.K.
    Not really relevant, but in the late 1990s I was dragged against my will to see the Hollies in concert in Harrogate West Yorkshire UK, my friend was a big fan. I was surprised at how good they still were, it was an excellent concert, with great musicianship, and quite a few young people in the audience. My friend insisted in hanging around the stage door to get autographs, and when they came out they were very gracious in spending some time chatting to the assembled group of fans. I could not tell you what the line-up was at this time, all I know is that I had a better appreciation of the band.
     
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  22. InfoNozzle

    InfoNozzle Forum Resident

    Location:
    Dallas, TX, USA
    It's possible there were more than two cats - say, three, four, or even five cats, but only two in the yard at the precise time he wrote that lyric.
     
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  23. Billo

    Billo Forum Resident

    Location:
    Southern England
    Re Nash singing Butterfly - it was his then regular featured solo spot....

    he also sang it alone at Lewisham Odeon concert in May 1968 - it is track 23 on CD Six of The Clarke Hicks Nash Years box set

    years later in the 80's and 90's the rest of The Hollies would leave the stage while guitarist/singer Alan Coates (who vocally resembled Nash a lot) would sing it solo too...

    Allan Clarke also had a solo acoustic guitar spot minus other band members in those 80's era Hollies concerts too

    here is Graham singing it on US TV

     
    Last edited: Oct 14, 2018
  24. Former Lee Warmer

    Former Lee Warmer Emotional Rescue

    Location:
    NoBoCoMO
    This was my take on the song's meaning.
     
  25. BeatlesObsessive

    BeatlesObsessive The Earl of Sandwich Ness

    Which Rooney wasn't being as he criticized the modern pop star.. but of course the theme of the album is the sense that the lovers are ill starred, imposters, or in the wrong place:

    I'm just a lonely pilgrim
    I walk this world in wealth
    I want to know if it's you I don't trust
    'Cause I damn sure don't trust myself

    Nash's own struggle is to put forth singer songwriter ambitions against the demands of a British pop band's stance.
     
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