It was when he got married in 1986. I don't know any more. I was surprised to discover that. There's nothing stopping him from changing his name back to Raymond Davies. People change their name for all sorts of reasons but I find it odd that he would have done this.
More info on Wiki. Cannot link to it at the moment. Google "Ray Davies name change" "Davies changed his legal name by Deed Poll to 'Raymond Douglas' for five years which allowed him anonymity for his second marriage in 1974 to Yvonne Gunner. The couple had no children. Davies had a relationship with Chrissie Hynde of The Pretenders during the 1980s, and their daughter is named Natalie Rae Hynde." That doesn't seem correct to me as he was known as Raymond Douglas in 1986 when he married Pat Crosbie. 1974 to 1986 is 12 years.
Very odd. Seems like a character. Maybe even moreso than his brother, who talks to aliens. He refers to himself as “Raymond Douglas” throughout X-Ray, which is from the mid-90s.
This is the source for the above information: “In the mid-Seventies, he, too, changed his name – shortly after he divorced Victoria’s mother, his first wife, Rasa (she who drove him to Waterloo Bridge). He lived as Raymond Douglas for four or five years for privacy reasons. “It was a horrible divorce,” he says. The deed poll change allowed him to marry his new love, Yvonne Ann Gunner, a domestic science teacher from Croydon, under his new and anonymous name.” Ray Davies on understanding hipsters, not talking to Pete Townshend – and why he fled Tony Blair’s Britain
Drivin' is not one of my favourites. Not that it isn't a great song, but it's just never clicked with me. I really enjoy reading the 'technical' posts about how the songs are composed and played--they give a real insight into the complexity and sophistication of Ray's songwriting and the band's playing. Thanks!
Perhaps the funniest story about guys who didn't drive is Frank Zappa's. He actually did drive from the age of 16 to the age of 27 (1956-1967) but stopped due to his disgust at being made to wait so long to renew his license at the Department Of Motor Vehicles. Reportedly, he left after an hour when it looked like it was going to take another hour. Beginning in late 1967, Gail (who he had just married) pretty much did all the driving.
Some Mother's Son A beautiful, poignant and terribly sad song which often brings tears to my eyes. There's not many songs that do that for me. It cuts, right to the bone.
Drivin' I've never got into this one, the only track on the album I'm liable to skip. Poor choice as a single. Dri-i-i-i-ivin, repeated is not hit material.
I have Oasis' Time Flies 1994-2009 deluxe edition which has a DVD of their videos w/the option of commentary by Noel. For the video of "Sunday Morning Call" all he talked about was the vintage Jaguar sedan that he owned & was featured in the video & how he wanted to sell it.
The Kinks/Fall connection runs closer than I realized for many years - sure, there's "How I Wrote Elastic Man" (with the chorus "how I wrote Plastic Man") and they have the other great song about session men ("Session Musician"). But Brix Smith married Philip Start around the time of her second stint with the band (long after Mark and her split, of course). Philip Start's brother is John Start - a neighbor up in Muswell Hill and the original drummer with the Ray Davies Quartet, pre-Kinks! They rehearsed in his garage. Here's Philip, Ray, Brix and... Alice Cooper!
I understood it to be he changed his name in the 70s so that he could marry Yvonne and keep the marriage on the down-low. I'm not sure how the laws in England work...did he ever change it back or is it still Raymond Douglas? who knows?
Drivin' I think this is such a lovely song. I get how some think the elongation of "Driiiiiivin" can be slightly annoying. But other than that, this song hits all the classic Kinks stuff for me. It's funny with the lyrics "We'll talk to the cows/And laugh at the sheep". The music is toe-tapping and head gently swaying ("jaunty" as @Fischman said). Love the piano and the "muted guitar" (as Mark put it) parts in the later verses. As someone who loves to go out for a drive to get away from it all, I can so relate to this. It clears the head and centers you (especially if you can get near the ocean). I could see this song being on an earlier Kinks album, maybe even VGPS, if you can ignore the historical references(but is that actually necessary as the Village Green is sort of 'some time' in the past?). Is it single-worthy? not sure. "Victoria" is clearly the single from this album.
I agree about Drivin'... another Kinks song I just discovered this week. A fun song, and a favorite thing for me to do to "turn off my mind relax and float down stream".... Lucky for me at the end of my 3-4 day a week commute through scenic country roads I end up at the sea! And this 'jaunty' song and awesome album accompanied me... I was just yesterday noting those same said lyrics as you quoted in my head Wondergirl! cheers, PS: Maybe it was the inspiration of a favorite Pete Townshend song of mind, of the same kind, "Going Mobile..."
Not that it matters, but just for into, a palm mute, is where you rest the right hand side of the palm of your picking hand on the strings at the bridge. You can still hold chord patterns, and you get that cool percussive sound.
Thanks. That actually makes sense to someone who is not a musician of any sort. Maybe in my next lifetime.
I should not have assumed everybody would know what it was. Thanks to Mark for addressing and clarifying my assumptions!
As a brit that has driven past Potter's Bar many many times, things like this tickle me, though I do kinda get the same excitement. As a Small Faces fan the sign for Bedfordshire on the same drive often tickled me too.
I never knew the backstory of Ray and his actual (non) driving. It seems these highly driven rock stars (pun intended) often didn't learn to drive, didn't learn properly or perhaps drove unlicensed. Eddie Kramer and others have said what a terrible driver Jimi Hendrix was whether controlling car or horse. Keith Richards was initially hopeless and had an imposter sit a driving test for him and took years to improve and get a real license. The late and very dear Charlie Watts never learned to drive but for may years excelled on dressing to the nines and sitting behind the wheel of his many vintage cars. I won't even start on Keith Moon!
