The Kinks - Album by Album (song by song)

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

  1. Zeki

    Zeki Forum Resident

    Side note on Advance homework: am listening to Village Green on Apple Music. Purported lyrics for Animal Farm are totally wacko. After investigation, I discover it’s the lyrics for a Kinks song called “Animal.” (1994) Rather a big mistake!
     
  2. Adam9

    Adam9 Русский военный корабль, иди на хуй.

    Location:
    Toronto, Canada
    If you mean the Canadian mono Something Else which is a folddown (except for one track), no. This mix was released on a Canadian single: The Kinks – David Watts (1967, Vinyl)
    :
     
    Last edited: Jun 26, 2021
  3. mark winstanley

    mark winstanley Certified dinosaur, who likes physical product Thread Starter

    Cheers mate
     
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  4. idleracer

    idleracer Forum Resident

    Location:
    California
    :kilroy: This is another thing that "Something Else" has in common with "Face To Face." It includes the single from the previous summer instead of the current single, which would've made much more sense. Anyhow, side 2 only has six tracks and there was room for one more. It could've opened with "Autumn Almanac," which would've greatly enhanced the LP.
     
  5. idleracer

    idleracer Forum Resident

    Location:
    California
    :kilroy: Perhaps Ray listened to a playback of this and thought to himself, "Crikey! This is Strawberry Fields Forever played sideways, right down to the flute button on the mellotron! What on earth am I doing!?" Note that that same mellotron flute-stop would be used a year later on "Phenomenal Cat," which I'll eventually have a lot to say about.
     
  6. GarySteel

    GarySteel Bastard of old

    Location:
    Molde, Norway
    It is not my favorite song ever. Not even my favorite by the Kinks, because my top 10 because that would probably be closer to 40 songs.

    But it one of those rare perfect tracks. Melody, arrangment and lyrics that couldn't possibly be bettered in any way. That happy yet melancholic feeling. The 'too dirty for the song but still totally fitting' guitar riff. Ray's somewhat wistful, yet optimistic vocals. What a perfect way to end this incredible album.

    I love the three preceding albums and like the first two a lot also, but this one is just perfect in the way it is so out of step with the musical climate and still it couldn't have come out any other year. And still there's better records to come. And lots of them.

    And even if they are not my favorite band (I just opened another can of cheap brew and dropped the needle on side 3 of Exile on Main St), I will stand up for almost anything that they ever put out as some of the most beautiful and wonderful music ever commited to tape.
     
  7. mark winstanley

    mark winstanley Certified dinosaur, who likes physical product Thread Starter

    I love Waterloo Sunset, but if I had a top ? it probably wouldn't get in it surprisingly enough.... I'm not very good at rating stuff ... When I am listening to something it is because I love it.... where it sits in line with everything else is an impossibility for me.... I will have a hard enough time ranking the albums, if I even bother.... I think there are upward of a hundred albums in my top ten albums of all time :)
     
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  8. GarySteel

    GarySteel Bastard of old

    Location:
    Molde, Norway
    Exactly. Rating makes sense in sports, not music. Because there it is measurable in seconds and goals, at least.

    But I still try to make a top five or ten list of tracks that I love the best by a band and with the Kinks it is impossible. Because fifty other tracks scream out in outrage over being left out. Bands like Buffalo or Rose Tattoo (to pick two Australian examples) or even the Stones are somewhat 'easy' because their best songs are so obviously better than the lesser ones. But this is a bugger :D
     
  9. mark winstanley

    mark winstanley Certified dinosaur, who likes physical product Thread Starter

    Definitely. Buffalo were a bit before my time, and I know it makes me a bad person, but I haven't even heard any of their stuff :)
    The Tatts were right there in the critical zone with Acdc, The Angels and Cold Chisel. The Tatts made some great stuff, but yea, their stand out tracks, stand out
     
  10. GarySteel

    GarySteel Bastard of old

    Location:
    Molde, Norway
    Before mine as well. Volcanic Rock is one heck of an album. Overdriven and nasty, but in a nice way. Just how I like it (from time to time). The Tatts probably should have broken up after the second album and then they would have had a perfect legacy. Then again we wouldn't have that scorcher of a Stevie Wright cover that they did with "Black Eyed Bruiser". Or Angry's Neighbours wedding song :D

    Been meaning to check out Cold Chisel. Anything you'd recommend? Not to derail the thread, of course.
     
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  11. Zeki

    Zeki Forum Resident

    :D Top 10 is too difficult. Top 100, though, (as I’ve done it) is much more doable. The first 50 or so come tumbling out...then it slows down . Also key, I think, is to always consider it to be a list-in-progress. Shift something in and pop something out. And don’t try to rank your list. If it makes your list, it’s in the elite!
     
  12. GarySteel

    GarySteel Bastard of old

    Location:
    Molde, Norway
    On a daily basis. According to mood and weather ;)
     
  13. mark winstanley

    mark winstanley Certified dinosaur, who likes physical product Thread Starter

    Discover Cold Chisel here
    This was my first album thread, and with good reason ... it's Chisel baby :) It is a rather disorganised and primitive album thread, because I was still figuring all this out.
    East and Circus Animals are probably the albums to check out... If you like live albums Barking Spiders Live and Swingshift are among the best ever released
     
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  14. GarySteel

    GarySteel Bastard of old

    Location:
    Molde, Norway
    Duly noted, Sir.
    And fanx :cheers:
     
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  15. mark winstanley

    mark winstanley Certified dinosaur, who likes physical product Thread Starter

    knowing me, I'd end up with 150 albums in my 100 lol ... I feel like I am hurting an album I love's feelings if I leave it out :) I couldn't possibly number them.... I currently have about 7 number 1 Kinks albums :)... There's no hope for me with rankings lol
     
  16. Michael Streett

    Michael Streett Senior Member

    Location:
    Florence, SC
    For those interested in alternate versions, alternate mixes, remixes, and such note that The Anthology 1964-1971 has by my count 13 unique tracks from the Something Else era that are not on any other releases. These are different from the alternates that appear on the 2 CD Deluxe Set.

    And I believe this belongs in this album’s discussion as the recording is from Summer 1967:


    This is the mono version of Dave’s take of Good Luck Charm. This is on Dave’s Hidden Treasures set. There’s also a stereo mix on the aforementioned Anthology. This is a proper studio recording different from the BBC version. Not sure any other Kink is on here, but since there is no Dave solo album, this should count as a Kinks track in my book. The mellotron in here puts this firmly in the Something Else orbit. I assume that’s Nicky Hopkins on mellotron and barrelhouse piano.
     
  17. ajsmith

    ajsmith Senior Member

    Location:
    Glasgow
    Don’t forget to squeeze in the budget Sunny Afternoon LP from late ‘67!

    The Kinks – Sunny Afternoon (1967, Vinyl)
     
  18. Steve E.

    Steve E. Doc Wurly and Chief Lathe Troll

    Location:
    Brooklyn, NY, USA
    It might be helpful to keep in mind that there is usually a production delay between an album's completion, and its mastering, art direction, manufacture (pressing and assembling), distribution, promotion and actual release into stores. And that delay is much greater for albums than for singles.

    This is an ongoing theme in this thread that frazzles me a little. "'All Day and All Of the Night' should have been on the Kinks' first album." No, because it was recorded a month later, while that album was being manufactured. "'Dead End Street' should have been on 'Face to Face.'" No, because it was recorded in late October, more or less as "Face to Face" was hitting stores, or even a week after its physical release. "Face to Face" was completed in June 1966.

    "Something Else"'s recording was completed in June 1967. It was released in September. "Autumn Almanac" was recorded in September, as "Something Else" was arriving in stores. Therefore, it would have been physically impossible to include it on the album. So, what they did made the most sense, because it was possible.

    Don't mind me, I'm just a stickler for details about this sort of thing. If we are debating whether "Mr. Pleasant" or "Polly" or "Act Nice and Gentle" belonged on the album, well, that's a whole 'nother sort of debate, since it was humanly possible (presuming that "Polly" was recorded in early 1967 and not early 1968, which is something of which I'm slightly skeptical).
     
    Last edited: Jun 26, 2021
  19. GarySteel

    GarySteel Bastard of old

    Location:
    Molde, Norway
    Speaking of favorite albums by the Kinks, that is one of mine. But as far as I can tell, that makes me pretty lonely in this thread as Dave's songs aren't really that highly thought of.

    Shame on ye, boys n gurls :D
     
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  20. mark winstanley

    mark winstanley Certified dinosaur, who likes physical product Thread Starter

    Cheers mate, I did completely overlook that

    Corrected schedule

    Monday - Autumn Almanac single (Mr Pleasant being the B-side that we have already looked at)

    Tuesday - Sunny Afternoon (Compile) - Suzannah's Still Alive (Funny Face Being The B-side that we have already looked at)

    Wednesday - The Rest of the BBC sessions, not yet posted.

    Thursday - Live At Kelvin Hall part 1

    Friday - Live At Kelvin Hall part 2

    Saturday - Wonderboy

    then the following week

    Monday - Polly

    Tuesday- The Kinks EP (cursory glance) - Days single (we covered She's Got Everything from the face to face sessions)

    Wednesday - Lincoln County

    Thursday - There Is No Life Without Love

    Friday - The Kinks Are the Village Green Preservation Society
     
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  21. mark winstanley

    mark winstanley Certified dinosaur, who likes physical product Thread Starter

    We will be looking at the unreleased Dave Davies solo album between Village Green and Arthur, as that appears where it was going to be released. We will be using the Hidden Treasures release as our guide
     
  22. Steve E.

    Steve E. Doc Wurly and Chief Lathe Troll

    Location:
    Brooklyn, NY, USA
    It was an interesting observation someone made, that "Lazy Old Sun" might include a Mellotron. I always assumed it was a real horn section, but listening to the track, I gotta say I think they were right! If so, that's the first Kinks song with Mellotron, and the only one on "Something Else." "Lazy Old Sun" and "Love Me Till The Sun Shines" were recorded in June 1967, the last two songs recorded for the album.

    The "Little Women" instrumental was also recorded in June 1967...which supports the likelihood of "Lazy Old Sun" featuring the keyboard. "Rosemary Rose" was allegedly recorded in June 1967, too. I considered that the strummed flamenco-esque guitar at the end and second bridge ("you look nothing like a child....", after the instrumental break) could be the "Bungalow Bill" Mellotron setting, but it would be too easy for Dave to have just played it. (The prominent keyboard is a harpsichord.)

    Mellotron starts showing up on Kinks tracks a lot more just after "Something Else" wraps.

    In August, the Kinks recorded "Good Luck Charm," "Lavender Hill", and "Susannah's Still Alive." The first two of these feature Mellotron. "Autumn Almanac" was September 1967, and "Mr. Songbird" was recorded in December. Both feature Mellotron prominently.
     
    Last edited: Jun 26, 2021
  23. mark winstanley

    mark winstanley Certified dinosaur, who likes physical product Thread Starter

    For anyone concerned that we may miss something out on the thread, we will be going through sets like Anthology and such as they come around on the timeline, and we will be looking at stuff on there we haven't seen/heard. I know to some degree it may seem odd doing it that way, but at least it gives folks that prefer the sixties releases something to look forward to later.
     
  24. ajsmith

    ajsmith Senior Member

    Location:
    Glasgow
    I dunno, I thought Dave’s songs were generally highly thought of and his songs have been pretty well received on this thread!

    It’s interesting… sometimes when there’s a secondary songwriter in a band there can be a sense that their songs are being let on as a result of a democratic allowance and the material doesn’t totally warrant it on its own merits. I think there’s even a bit of that going on with early George Harrison in the Beatles to an extent. :hide: But I never get that impression with Dave’s stuff in the Kinks. To me, he’s just as valid a songwriter as Ray from the start, albeit a very different kind of writer. And as the Kinks were definitely NOT a democracy songwriting wise, I never really think his songs were ever let on to throw him a bone, but that that they had to prove themselves worthy.
     
    Last edited: Jun 26, 2021
  25. ARL

    ARL Forum Resident

    Location:
    England
    The alternate versions/mixes posted today are all inferior to the released versions, in my opinion - but they are all such fantastic songs that these versions are still great! You could play "Harry Rag" on a teachest and kazoo and it would still sound great. Interesting that Ray seems to accidentally come upon the best way to sing the last line of the chorus midway through that take, and stuck with it on the finished take. "Little Women" sounds interesting, but difficult to know whether it would have been suitable as an album track or b-side without hearing a vocal on it.

    As for Something Else as a whole...I don't know if anyone else will have an opinion like this: I discovered all this Kinks stuff in the mid-80s, and bought this album in 1987. To me it's always seemed like a current album rather than an archive item. It is so closely tied in with the new wave, indie and Britpop music that it inspired/influenced that I find it difficult to place it in the 60s. I find it strange to think that it first came out with a pink Pye label. When I listen to Sgt Pepper, I know I'm listening to the 60s. When I listen to Something Else, I don't hear it as belonging to any time period. I guess that's a long way round to say that it's timeless.

    It's a mixed up, muddled up, shook up series of releases....

    It's just struck me that it's been a very long time since I've heard "Susannah's Still Alive" - to the extent that I can't remember how the verse goes. I can remember the chorus, but I'm clearly going to have to refresh myself on the rest of it.
     

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