The Kinks - Album by Album (song by song)

Discussion in 'Music Corner' started by mark winstanley, Apr 4, 2021.

  1. Steve E.

    Steve E. Doc Wurly and Chief Lathe Troll

    Location:
    Brooklyn, NY, USA
    Someone earlier in the thread reported that they had a stereo LP missing the intro to Session Man, and figured out eventually that it was a 1970's pirated edition.
     
  2. Martyj

    Martyj Who dares to wake me from my slumber? -- Mr. Flash

    Location:
    Maryland, USA
    Thanks. Hmmm. That's interesting. I never imagined I had a pirated copy. It says it's Reprise, but then again I bought it used, so who knows what disc could have been inserted in the sleeve? It is definitely missing that intro.
     
  3. Aftermath

    Aftermath Senior Member

    The existence of a counterfeit Face To Face LP surprised a few of us. Here's the post:

    The Kinks - Album by Album (song by song)
     
  4. Wondergirl

    Wondergirl Forum Resident

    Location:
    Massachusetts, USA
    Welcome! I'm from Mass. but more south of you. Always good to have another Masshole on board. :D
     
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  5. Wondergirl

    Wondergirl Forum Resident

    Location:
    Massachusetts, USA
    Little Miss Queen of Darkness.
    this is a grower for me! Each verse transforms her: she is seems to be outwardly appealing, then there's sadness in her eyes and THEN she's obviously has had heartbreak in her life. A very sympathetic portrait of someone you may see at the disco. Don't always believe first impressions.

    You're Looking Fine
    I'm going to defend this song(after seeing a lot of criticism). It's very appealing to me. Maybe it doesn't belong on this album, but as a song on its own, I'm diggin' it. I think it's very sexy sounding. Can picture some stupid boys on a corner checking out the girls and just eventually being blown away by a girl on 2nd glance. I've seen some clips of them doing it live and I can see how it would go down well live. And Dave does a fine job on this.
     
  6. TeddyB

    TeddyB Senior Member

    Location:
    Hollywoodland
    The real U.S. version was out of print for a long time. I don’t know this, but I suspect it had to do with Allen Klein renegotiating the deal with Reprise.
     
  7. Aftermath

    Aftermath Senior Member

    Indeed it was. I remember seeing copies of "Something Else" on the shelves in the 80s, but never "Face to Face"
     
  8. Steve E.

    Steve E. Doc Wurly and Chief Lathe Troll

    Location:
    Brooklyn, NY, USA
    In the 80's, my _only_ options in the Boston MA area for the 60's LPs were imported PRT LPs from Spain. "Serdisco" Flimsy covers, perfectly decent pressings.
     
  9. Steve E.

    Steve E. Doc Wurly and Chief Lathe Troll

    Location:
    Brooklyn, NY, USA
  10. All Down The Line

    All Down The Line The Under Asst East Coast White Label Promo Man

    Location:
    Australia
  11. Vagabone

    Vagabone Forum Resident

    Location:
    UK
    "I believe my butler's butler
    Has appeared on Face to Face"
    Flanders and Swann, "Sounding Brass"
     
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  12. All Down The Line

    All Down The Line The Under Asst East Coast White Label Promo Man

    Location:
    Australia
    Always something else!
     
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  13. zipp

    zipp Forum Resident

    That's marvellous.

    A song about status symbols for men who have a house in the country.

     
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  14. Orino

    Orino Forum Resident

    Location:
    UK
    "You're Looking Fine" feels like a live song to me, in a sense, regarding where it lives on the album. After a lot of character sketches and strange, atmospheric pieces, it's definitely time to rock out a bit. The lack of involved lyrics is almost refreshing..

    Tricky on a song-by-song thread but as someone who never skips a track, and hates cherrypicking, I always think of album tracks in context. What does the album really need at this point? Not another wordy song about rich playboys, that's for sure. Once you've pinned a song down like a butterfly, it can unsurprisingly lose its appeal.. not that the current song is anything amazing of course. It's a trifle, but it's also easy to get too precious about some simple rock and roll. :)
     
  15. mark winstanley

    mark winstanley Certified dinosaur, who likes physical product Thread Starter

    I totally agree with this mate.
    Although I understand why folks feel this is somewhat a little .... I suppose, out of date for the band, in the context of the album for me, it is the right kind of song right at this point in time, and it may not be the highlight of the album, but it balances the album out somewhat, and with it's more economical, straight forward setting, it actually adds yet another layer of variation.... Like a pinch of salt in an exotic recipe, it isn't the main flavour, but it adds to the overall flavour.
     
  16. mark winstanley

    mark winstanley Certified dinosaur, who likes physical product Thread Starter

    The next song on the album is Sunny Afternoon, which we looked at as the lead single, and the title is highlighted as a link for anyone who wants to go back and listen or read about folks thoughts and feelings on that one

    but to somewhat retain a certain album flow, first this morning we will look at the alternate stereo version of the track

    Sunny Afternoon (alternate stereo version, no fade out)

    alternate stereo mix (3:49), recorded 13 May, 1966, remixed Dec 2009 at Pye Studios (No. 2), London

    Although this suggests there is no fade out, it does appear that there is a fade, but it has a little more of the acoustic guitar playing the little coda at the end.

    I am sure there are more differences, but I will leave it up to the folks who pay more attention to these things than me to set those up for us.
    As I often say, I am just a song guy, so unless there is a wildly different version, subtle mix differences rarely command my attention.

     
  17. bvb1123

    bvb1123 Rock and Roll Martian

    Location:
    Cincinnati Ohio
    Yeah, I agree with @mark winstanley. I can barely tell Alt mixes, etc...unless the change is very drastic. I mean this is a little different but if you played it for me without telling me it was an Alt stereo mix without the fade out I wouldn't notice it wasn't the regular one we're all used to.
     
  18. Scottsol

    Scottsol Forum Resident

    Location:
    Evanston, IL
    The “background” singing comes to the foreground as it is raised in level and isolated on the right side. The result is that it becomes a distraction.

    The coda is not a fade out because the guitar’s decreasing level is minor and it comes to a definitive end.
     
  19. mark winstanley

    mark winstanley Certified dinosaur, who likes physical product Thread Starter

    I'll Remember.

    mono mix (2:25), recorded Oct 1965 at Pye Studios (No. 2), London

    I'll remember everything you said to me.
    I'll remember everything we did.
    I'll remember best of all,
    The love we shared, the tears that fell now.
    I'll remember everything you said to me.

    I'll remember every word you said to me.
    I'll remember every laugh you made.
    I'll remember best of all,
    The love we shared, the tears that fell now.
    I'll remember everything you said to me.

    Thinking 'bout it now, just what might have been.
    Thinking 'bout it now, things will never be the same,
    But I'll remember everything you said to me.

    I'll remember best of all,
    The love we shared, the tears that fell now.
    I'll remember everything you said to me.
    I'll remember everything you said to me.

    Written by: Ray Davies
    Published by: Davray/Carlin Music Corp.

    So here we have a song that was recorded during the sessions for Kontroversy, and yea, I guess we can tell that, but I don't feel that it detracts from the album.

    Essentially the songs on this album were recorded in April and May of 1966.... Dandy is believed to be January 1966, You're Looking Fine December 1965, and then I'll Remember dates back to October 1965.
    For the most part, the main variance that comes across to me is the production sound quality.
    Sure the song leans back to the style of Kontroversy, but for me its inclusion doesn't really damage the Face To Face album at all.
    There can certainly be arguments made that some of the singles and b-sides coming up could have made the album even stronger, but that just isn't how the sixties worked, for the most part.... Oddly enough, to some degree the album would also be slightly less diverse with those songs in here as well I suppose... and also there is the argument that including a couple of tracks that have the historical sound of the band still in use, could well have been an attempt to make the new songs, that in many ways are considerably different to what we were used to in the Kontroversy and previous albums period, get more of a chance to sink in.

    In some ways, the way this album is sequenced gives us the opening and closing statements as being somewhat related to the albums prior, and yet in the middle we have this vast landscape of more advanced and quite different music. So I can to some degree see the logic of the more recognisable stylings from the band being included at the front and back.
    I wasn't around in 1966. When this album was released I was almost exactly two years away from being born, and so it is often hard to get a context that relates to how it would have all felt for folks that had just come off the Kontroversy album, and moved into this one. In some ways, I imagine it would even be hard for folks that were around at the time to completely, contextually recall exact feelings and reactions to styles and sequences presented to us, because lets face it this album is heading towards being sixty years old .... wow, let that sink in for a minute, knock back a brandy and dry, and then forget I even said that lol ....

    Anyway, sorry for the waffle their, I'm just trying to set up the logical reasoning that would seem to be involved with the way this album was put together, because this album was most certainly put together as an album, and from my perspective it shows very clearly.

    In some ways we end with a lyric that is certainly reflective, and it is a reflection that is quite fond. It doesn't seem to be swamped in melancholy, it seems to be a fond remembrance .... in the context of the album, it ends on a somewhat bright note, and there are certainly some themes on this album that are a little more dark, so the idea of leaving the crowd smiling could well be in play.
    Also the idea of reflecting and remembrance could also play in here thematically, particularly because this is an older song.

    We open with a solid bass and drum pattern, and then interestingly enough, we have an electric guitar somewhat mimicking a sitar, which in some ways keeps this track in a styling that fits with the styles and flows of this album.
    I actually think it is a really cool riff as well.

    Ray delivers a sweet vocal, that comes across smoothly. The way the backing vocals are incorporated is also really good. The little harmonies on those final lines is very effective and also quite pretty.

    I think the bridge is very effective, even if it isn't earth shattering, and the little riff guitar break is also very effective.

    The little close out chorus is a nice way to roll into the outro, and then to close out we get a nice cold finish, as we roll through those chords to bring us home..... and particularly when we consider that this album was supposed to flow with link tracks, that virtually kept everything rolling (somewhat like a seventies Pink Floyd album I'm imagining) the cold finish really would have been extremely effective in that arrangement of the album. I still think it is effective, and closes the album out well.


     
  20. donstemple

    donstemple Member of the Club

    Location:
    Maplewood, NJ
    I’ll Remember - Definitely an earlier sound/production quality, but a song with this theme is certainly a good choice for an album closer. I do really like this track. It’s simple but catchy and I like the guitar riff that answers the vocals. Nicky again adds a bit of extra flavor with his piano part.

    This is a song that George Harrison wishes he wrote in ‘65-‘66. I can imagine this as a George track on Rubber Soul or Revolver.
     
  21. bvb1123

    bvb1123 Rock and Roll Martian

    Location:
    Cincinnati Ohio
    "I'll Remember"
    As if I didn't already love this album enough my first play through, this gem of a tune sealed my devotion to The Kinks. Yes, obviously it is an earlier sounding Kinks' tune but that doesn't detract anything from it as far as I'm concerned. I have a very wide musical taste to the point where one of my friends teases me that I seem to like at least one song from everybody. That may be an exaggeration but it's kinda true because my favorite part of any song is the melody. If the melody's great then I'm hooked, I couldn't care less what style of music it is. And this song just has such a great melody. And the guitar sounds terrific. I've heard people put this song down simply because they don't think it should have been released when it was. That's ridiculous! Great great song. Top 10 Kinks' song for me.
     
  22. Fortuleo

    Fortuleo Used to be a Forum Resident

    Good rocking track, the pseudo-latin riff is crunchy and kinksy as hell, Nicky lets it loose on the piano, double-tracked Ray sings with command and power, Dave’s harmonies on the chorus are excellent, what's not to like ? Sure, it all sounds very 1965, but 1965 is fine by me, especially as a closing song for this wonderful LP. Either you end proceedings with Sunny Afternoon, or there’s no other choice but to treat the next song as an “Encore” which, knowing the Kinks, can be either garage or power pop – or a little bit of both. Needless to say I’ll Remember perfectly fits that bill !
    @mark winstanley talks about "a fond remembrance" and I think this is a spot on observation. The lyrics work as a first sketch of the sentiment later expressed in Days: the idea that beyond regrets and sorrow, there’s something good and comforting in remembering a beautiful relationship.
    Ah ! The syncopated rhythm could almost successfully hide how much the verse melody owes to If I Needed Someone. But then the first bars of the “Thinking ‘bout It Now” bridge makes sure we definitely can't miss it!
     
  23. mark winstanley

    mark winstanley Certified dinosaur, who likes physical product Thread Starter

    So for me Face To Face really ends up being a masterwork from the band .... I have enjoyed the albums and songs up to this point, and I think they represent a young band growing and finding their identity, and developing into serious contenders very well, but with Face To Face, for me at least, it is like the Kinks enter the album era with a really well thought out album, that is full of strong songs, a huge amount of variety, without sounding or feeling disparate ... there is unity among the variance ... for me at least .... and this makes listening to it a great pleasure, because it satisfies my want for variety, while maintaining a unity of sound and feel that makes the album feel like it is exactly that, a great album.

    The level of songwriting, particularly in the main body of the album is outstanding. I love that they were experimenting and trying different things. I love that Ray was playing with styles, absorbing the music of the world to find the best way to express himself, and for me it works beautifully.
    In these factors alone, this album is light years ahead of Kontroversy, but the careful and thoughtful sequencing doesn't alienate Kontroversy, it in fact knits it into the fabric of the album without damaging the movement forward....

    Anyway, I liked this album a lot before we got here, but the last couple of weeks of really digging into it, has lifted this to another level altogether, and it shows me that as much as I love the Kinks, I don't think I have fully appreciated their brilliance .... and it also shows the sad fact that the band, who were generally ahead of the curve, really should receive more kudos than they get, in light of the kudos their contemporaries do get.
     
  24. Zeki

    Zeki Forum Resident

    I’ll Remember: a bit of a throwback but I like it. The piano is great, the guitars sound like sitars, harmonies are nice.
     
  25. Zeki

    Zeki Forum Resident

    My Playlist Adds:
    Rosie Won’t You Please Come Home
    Too Much On My Mind
    Session Man
    Rainy Day In June
    House In the Country
    Holiday In Waikiki
    Sunny Afternoon
    Mr. Reporter

    Considering I was only familiar with Sunny Afternoon prior to this thread discussion, I am very pleased. Like striking gold.
     

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