Lol ... in a funk this morning, finding it hard to get rolling. At least this gave you a laugh though
Gotta Get The First Plane Home Super solid rocker. Love the drums! The riff,, the vocal, the bridge - everything just comes together nicely here. When I See That Girl Of Mine I also hear the Buddy Holly influence here. That's not necessarily a bad thing for Ray and he handles it adequately... but really no more than that. 50/50 as a potential skip on any given day.
It has been somewhat of a revelation how many Kinks tracks were covered so early on. Thanks for keeping us informed
Very impressive that you fell in love with the album after hearing the 2004 Sanctuary which is easily the worst mastered album I've heard by anybody. I think "Revenge" beats it out at about 1:30.
Gotta Get the First Plane Home - Well, this is certainly a quick hit. Much like has been discussed with how Ray's vocals tie in so wonderfully with the guitar riffs in the power-chord songs, here we hear how he's able to intertwine his voice with this less-edgy staccato riff. For example, how "There's a little girl who's wait-ing - for - me" is delivered in a way that fits right in with the riff. The drumming is good with that ride cymbal (which I don't think we have heard much before in Kinks recording?). The song is so short though, leaves me wanting more. When I See That Girl of Mine - Perhaps I am tilted into thinking this way because of my love for the Beach Boys, but I hear a lot of All Summer Long/Today/Summer Days era Beach Boys in this. Actually, that first note screams "I Get Around" to me, and yes I realize it's only one note for one beat. And the song itself makes me think of the riff to "Good to my Baby" and the verse melody makes me think of the chorus melody to "Don't Hurt My Little Sister". I don't know if there was any influence one way or another, but I think a lot of our comments have been about inspirations or similarities or references to the other exploding acts of 1964 and 1965. Anyway, Pete's bass in this song is great and really drives the whole song, and then Dave (I assume) takes over for a bit in the bridge.
OK! It's ear opening to hear Ricky Nelson's version. Which IS clearly based on Elvis'. Which is credited not to Sleepy John Estes, but to Kokomo Arnold. That Estes version shares NO obvious verses with this version. Re "Ring The Bells": It's dissonant, but I don't think it's out of tune. Perhaps someone well-studied in music theory would avoid leaving that in there, but I suspect they just said "hey, I kinda like that." Maybe it was easier to play. I've seen this all the time, playing in bands.
Here's the Kokomo Arnold version. Elvis' version doesn't quote this until 1:15 -- "You gonna need my help someday." Another line around 1:55. Other than that, it's a pretty distinctly different song. Is it sourcing yet other songs?
I don't have a whole lot to say about this, other than the fact that it must've been influential as this big U.S. hit came out only a few months later: Cool Jerk / The Capitols
Yep... digital tuners were for the rich kids when I was growing up, and I don't even know how common they were in the sixties
Elvis often constructed songs that way early on. I believe That's All Right was similar. Base it on this song, and drag lines from here and there that make it flow the way you want it to.
Bingo. Elvis' version is based on the rewrite recorded by Bob Wills' brother Johnny Lee Wills, from either 1941 or 1946. This version is credited to Arnold. https://www.discogs.com/Johnny-Lee-...Im-Sorry-That-We-Said-Goodbye/release/8898929
And here's Bob Wills' version from 1946. It's great. The lyrics are a big closer to Arnold, and maybe it precedes the other Wills'. The record credits "Cocomo" (sic) Arnold. This may be THIS recording, for a radio transcription service, as opposed to a commercially available disc. http://www.45worlds.com/78rpm/78_record_cover.php?r=nc155630us
Another Ray Davies song in the key of G. I like the way it goes to a B chord for the bridge (common) then half way through the bridge, goes for a D chord (not common!). The opening notes of this tune, have always reminded me of the opening notes of this tune: The Raindrops / The Kind Of Boy You Can't Forget
It's not an out-of-tune string. It's a fingering choice. A finger would have to slide down a fret to play the "correct" note.
I forget what I've commented on, and people have got it all pretty covered. Milk Cow Blues -- Again, I think this is a stunner of an opening. And the contrast with the next song is, to my mind, evidence of really great programming. Ring The Bells -- This is exquisite. And underrated. I was surprised it wasn't on the Pye Anthology. I agree that the chorus of the later "Ruby Tuesday" seems to, um, "share" the main melodic hook. The background harmonies on this are especially gorgeous, and feel like a run-through for "Waterloo Sunset" I'm guessing Rasa is in there? There is a bit of the "Be My Baby" rhythm at the end of the verses. The B section/bridge goes off into an unexpected and soaring direction, then we come back to the beginning. Ray leaves us wanting more, as we never come back to that section. I don't hear Ray's vocal here as sad so much as dreamy, but I do think there's sort of an ambivalence to the whole thing that allows one to hear what they need to hear. Anyway, it's masterful. Got to Get the First Plane Home-- What a funky little number. I love the way the drums do sort of a Latin thing against the riff. This one always makes me shake my booty. Nice harmonica, nice quirky/funny vocal. I love it. One of the best on the album. I've long considered it a vastly superior rewrite of "I'm Alright," but really it just quotes it a little. When I See That Girl Of Mine-- I enjoy this tune, though it's the one on the album that feels the most like a throwback -- to the degree that I've wondered in the past if this version was recorded earlier (though I doubt it). Certainly feels like it was written earlier than the others, and evidence suggests it was. Have we already discussed Ray's May 1965 demo of this, which appears on the Pye anthology? If this one had shown up on the 1964 debut, it wouldn't have stuck out as forward-looking. In attitude and sound, it's the outlier on the album.
"Got To Get The First Plane Home" I love the drums and the opening guitar riff. In the upper half of my favorites on the album. It might initially come off as album filler or an unremarkable Ray original, but it has something special going on. I would love to see live footage of this song. They are locked in and grooving. "When I See That Girl Of Mine" Both of these excellent observations are totally accurate and make me appreciate the song even more. Any song that makes me think of Buddy Holly gets high marks. I must also say that I love the bass line. This could be seen as an average Ray song, but it also reveals that he has plenty of influences and strengths up his sleeve. A very solid album track.
Gotte Get The First Plane Home doesn't do much for me. A generic riff and perfunctory song. I'm not convinced by the idea of Ray flying anywhere to be with his woman! However When I See That Girl Of Mine, whilst lightweight and fluffy, gets me every time with its winsome Mersey beatley melody. Three winners and one own goal for me so far.
Gotta Get The First Plane Home — a fun little number, with the music matching the urgency of the subject matter. Not everything has to be a grand breakthrough or a great artistic statement — this is a solid, pulsating rocker that entertains as well as anything on the album. When I See That Girl Of Mine — Not bad, but to my ears the least distinguished track on the album. The one notable thing is the second reference in Kontroversey to Elvis’ Sun Sessions — “I don’t care if the sun don’t shine”.
Gotta Get The First Plane Home First time hearing this. I think it's great. The guitar, the bass, the cymbals and piano all have starring roles. When I See That Girl Of Mine Oh yes, I've heard this one along the way. Super catchy! Today it occurred to me (and someone else mentioned this), this sounds like a Beach Boys tune, which for me is usually not a great thing. I can hear what's so likeable and as a teenager I probably would have gone wild for it, but I feel like I've moved on from this kind of thing. I can't even listen to the Beatles early stuff.
MILK COW BLUES Yes, the best cover of a song the Kinks did. It's mainly about the instruments but Ray's vocal is great too. It's a bit of a shame he didn't sing a bit more on this one given his brother's often slurred delivery. RING THE BELLS If this isn't about Ray's wedding, I'll eat my kinky boots. For me the song is OK but a bit too earnest and slow. Here's the church where Ray and Rasa got married. It happens to be in my hometown. GOTTA GET THE FIRST PLANE HOME This one has a really nice groove. Unpretentious and fun but too short. I like the line "And when I die you'll hear me say ..." which Ray slips in there for our amusement. WHEN I SEE THAT GIRL OF MINE A great poppy tune to sing while surfing on Muswell beach.
Emptiness / The Honeycombs (December, 1965) I guess now is as good a time as any to give this a mention. It bears the interesting distinction of being the only Ray Davies give-away tune that wound up only being an album cut and not a single. Not even a B-side. Note that none of the Lennon & McCartney or Jagger & Richards give-away tunes ever wound up as somebody else's mere LP track. It's a good tune, and one of Joe Meek's better productions. If that's Honey Lantree on drums, she's doing a bang-up job of impersonating Hal Blaine. If The Kinks had recorded this, Mick Avory would definitely have gone for a different feel. The meter and rhythm don't match any Kinks tune, but the chord changes are pure Ray Davies and are common to a lot of them. Especially the bridge. So would this have been out of place on "Kontroversey," or a pleasant change of pace? I'll let you people decide:
"Gotta Get the First Plane Home" seems to exist for people to dance to. An energetic rocker with a catchy riff but not much else for me to get excited about. The return of the harmonica is a nice touch, but it feels like a leftover from the previous year to me. Perhaps Ray wasn't into stuff like this anymore, but maybe felt the album needed this kind of moment. "When I See That Girl of Mine" has always been a favorite. I tried ignoring the comment that it "isn't much of a song." This thing could have been a single. In fact it was, for somebody else. Like "Till the End of the Day," the track has a great intro and just gets you going right away. The demo we have has a real Buddy Holly feel. The album version is much more rocked up.
