The Kinks - Album by Album (song by song)

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

  1. mark winstanley

    mark winstanley Certified dinosaur, who likes physical product Thread Starter

    Nice info for context mate. The dole eluded me
     
  2. donstemple

    donstemple Member of the Club

    Location:
    Maplewood, NJ
    Get Back In Line
    Just yet another beautifully recorded and produced track. This album is recorded so well in that new studio, it really makes me wonder how different Something Else and VGPS would be if they were recorded better. There's something special about VGPS as it is, and I almost wonder if it would be less special if it was recorded cleaner? I dunno, I digress...

    Back to 1970, this sounds incredible. The intro verse and acoustic guitar evokes the sound of the opening of Shangri La. When John D's bass and John G's organ joins, its like all the colors of the imagery are fleshed out. And to the continued theme identified by @Wondergirl, we have that lyric where "the sun begins to shine" as a metaphor for hope. But then the union man walks right past, and that's that.... When Dave's harmony joins Ray's lead vocal, it takes the sound and beauty to another level. I just can't say enough how much I love the sound of the brothers' voices together. It's one of the other constant themes of this album. And then Mick's drumming at the end of this song... again... just great, great, great.

    A little thing that always puzzled me is why the title is not "Get Back In the Line", which is the actual lyric. But, the more I think about it, the title is obviously not quoting the lyric, where is saying he's got to get back in the line. Instead, the title is essentially what the authoritative union man would be saying to Ray. "Get Back In Line!"

    It's a lovely song, and one of my top 5 on the album. It fits the narrative, of being under control of the executives. But it is universal enough as it doesn't mention "publishers" or the music industry specifically, so this can stand alone as a blue-collar anthem in the vein of the appropriately titled "Blue Collar Man" by Styx :)
     
  3. DISKOJOE

    DISKOJOE Boredom That You Can Afford!

    Location:
    Salem, MA
    Headmaster Winstanley, in your otherwise excellent summary of "Get Back In Line", you made a bit of a mistook when you wrote "che sera, sera" instead of "que sera, sera". I had visions of a Mel Brooks musical number w/Che singing the Doris Day song.

    Also, what you saw in Phoenix happens across the country, usually near the entrance to a Home Depot or Lowe's.

    As for the song itself, it's one of the key tracks of the album. I think that the lyrics work as both a musician waiting for union approval or someone generally looking for work. It's a very moving song. Thinking about it in retrospect, I think that Ray was kind of brave performing this song at the 1977 Christmas show considering the situation in the UK at that time.
     
  4. Zeki

    Zeki Forum Resident

    “give me a job, give me security...” Now look what you’ve done! I’ll have this playing in my mind all day. :D
     
  5. mark winstanley

    mark winstanley Certified dinosaur, who likes physical product Thread Starter

    Mixing up my languages lol
     
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  6. Allthingsmusic

    Allthingsmusic Forum Resident

    I've been away for a while attracted or distracted by some other threads. Still playing catch-up. Enjoy everyone's comments. Lola versus... when released brought my attention back to The Kinks after a few years of drifting away from them with only mild awareness of them. Lola and the popularity of the single woke me up again as to why I regarded them so highly.
     
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  7. Allthingsmusic

    Allthingsmusic Forum Resident

    Agreed
     
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  8. Zeki

    Zeki Forum Resident

    It’s about the halfway point (close enough!) so will begin my Percy homework. I know absolutely nothing about this one so am a blank slate.
     
  9. Allthingsmusic

    Allthingsmusic Forum Resident

    I always heard the line "want to get it placed" as "want to get it blessed" as from on high!
     
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  10. All Down The Line

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

    Location:
    Australia
    Get Back In Line

    Really like that @Steve62 was first to explicitly mention Ray's father and Ray's memory of what he said to him about the unemployment line!
    Yes I am sure the '65 US Tour Ban provided inspiration for this song but I would strongly argue that it was certainly not in isolation!

    I guess so far this track and Strangers are the 2 that feel to me to be wholly successful whether played in isolation from their album stablemates or played in order with them.

    Avid @Zeki has mentioned acts skewing the system and gave several mid 70's examples but i can recall Free's 1969 B side Sugar For Mr Morrison which though an instrumental was hardly a charitable title for their early manager!

    Odd thing i noticed at 0.02 in the song, the guitar briefly and inadvertently gives a hint of Big Sky.

    In closing it is a fine song with genuinely deep and bleak feelings attached but i can't hold it up as my album favourite despite its many virtues.
     
    Last edited: Sep 30, 2021
  11. mark winstanley

    mark winstanley Certified dinosaur, who likes physical product Thread Starter

    There are a couple of great tracks on it.
    It is brand new to me also. I've only had two listens so far.
     
  12. Invisible Man

    Invisible Man Forum Resident

    Location:
    Lemon Grove
    "Get Back in Line": Love it. The melody and tempo remind me a bit of the main section of Neil Young's "Broken Arrow," which I always loved as well, but I still wouldn't say these songs really compare at all. Great arrangement. I've known this one since I first heard it on The Kink Kronikles, long before I ever heard the Lola LP. If not for the subject matter this could've been a good 3rd single off the album. 5/5!

    (Also another instance of Ray Davies' persistent sun metaphors.)
     
    Last edited: Sep 30, 2021
  13. Allthingsmusic

    Allthingsmusic Forum Resident

     
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  14. Zeki

    Zeki Forum Resident

    Oh! I don’t know this song.

    Good catch! I noticed this, too, and then promptly forgot.
     
  15. Allthingsmusic

    Allthingsmusic Forum Resident

    Get Back In Line. My first exposure to this song was on Kink Kronikles in 1972. I didn't know that it was originally on Lola versus... It hit me very powerfully because it reflected so well my situation at the time. I had graduated from high school and had decided to take a year off to "find myself ". The lyrics "facing the world ain't easy when there isn't anything going standing on the corner waiting watching time go by" etc... mirrored my situation perfectly. The connection was so strong. Furthermore the lines about Momma saying it will never ever work out again reflected my life so well. In this lyric Ray was speaking directly to me. One of my top Kinks tracks of all time.
     
  16. jethrotoe

    jethrotoe Forum Resident

    Location:
    United States
    “Get Back in the Line” is a great song. The opening guitar is wonderful, reminding me a bit of “Moments” from Percy, which was recorded around the same time.

    Lyrically, a contemplative song about the struggles of an aspiring songwriter. I always thought the (musicians) union man mentioned in this song was referenced with almost God-like reverence by the singer.

    I had never really thought of this, but “Mammy” is mentioned in “Introduction”/beginning of “The Contenders.” Here the singer says his mother told him that being a songwriter/musician “would never, ever work out.”

    At this time, the singer is starting to sound a bit worldweary. Where is the excited, exuberance of “The Contenders” or the manic energy of “Denmark Street”? Now he’s disappointed, quiet, contemplative, worn down, and frustrated.

    Great performance from everybody here. This is a largely unknown Kinks classic.

    I always wondered about the flash of sort of proto-disco toward the end of this song, with the reverbed palm muted guitar and what sound like the spontaneous appearance of bongoes. Where did all of that come from?

    This song sort of reminds me of a quieter, more contemplative precursor to The Clash’s “Career Opportunities.”
     
  17. palisantrancho

    palisantrancho Forum Resident

    "Get Back In Line"

    My favorite song on the album. The singing is beautiful from Ray. Dave adds some gorgeous guitar and I also love that harmony vocal! Everything about this song is perfect all wrapped up in swirling organ, a cool guitar sound, and powerful lyrics. @jethrotoe mentioned "Moments" being recorded around the same time. There is not enough praise I can heap on both of these songs. They have a certain melancholy and Ray is singing straight from the heart. It doesn't get much better than this. I could honestly listen and sing along with this song all day long. An extraordinary piece of music and songwriting.
     
  18. Zeki

    Zeki Forum Resident

    And for the Drive-by Truckers it’s ‘my daddy’ this and ‘my daddy’ that! Matriarchal vs Patriarchal.

    I love the song but I’d be weeping in my beer if I sang it all day long. :D
     
  19. Purple Jim

    Purple Jim Senior Member

    Location:
    Bretagne
    Get Back In Line
    What a beautiful song from Ray (and brilliantly executed) about such a harrowing subject. Total class.
     
  20. palisantrancho

    palisantrancho Forum Resident

    The melody and singing is just so beautiful. Even though it's a down and out lyric, it has some sweetness to it. The struggle of life. Trying to see the beauty in that struggle. He notices the "Sun begin to shine" and is staying positive and wants to make the money and bring home the wine. Wouldn't life be great? He isn't asking for much. This song can choke you up and make you smile at the same time.
     
  21. Smiler

    Smiler Forum Resident

    Location:
    Houston TX
    Get Back in Line
    I was familiar with this from Kinks Kronikles, and I always wanted to like it more than I did. But I do like the song a lot more now that I've heard the live 1977 version on the 2020 deluxe edition; it's a fine song. I think I just don't care for the album mix: to my ears, the vocal is almost overwhelmed by the instruments, especially the drums, losing some of the poignancy.

    The lyric is heartbreaking, and obviously personal for Ray from the perspective of the U.S. ban and the experience of seeing his Dad in the unemployment line. The descending chord structure conveying the sinking feeling of disappointment on "Then he walks right past and I know that I've got to get back in the line" is brilliant.

    I was puzzled by this line: "Now I think of what my mamma told me/She always said that it would never ever work out." It seemed such a doom-laden sentiment to come from a mother, until someone pointed out it was referring to a career as a musician. But the lyric does seem more to lend itself to a union member like a construction worker. However, Holly Hughes' excellent blog post tied this together in a tidy way: he's a union session man without a gig.

    One melodic thing that bugs me: the stressing of syllables on "He's the man who decides if I live or I die, if I starve, or I eat." The words fall naturally until we get to "or I eat." "Eat" would be a much more natural place to put the emphasis, from both a singing and lyrical perspective (contrasting opposites: live/die, starve/eat). Ray seems to have recognized this at some point and modified it by the 1977 performance. Forgive me, it's just the obsessive (amateur) songwriter in me...
     
    Last edited: Sep 30, 2021
  22. Wondergirl

    Wondergirl Forum Resident

    Location:
    Massachusetts, USA
    Get Back in Line
    I think this song fits perfectly on this album. @Steve62 pointed out, there's quite the history behind it between Ray and his dad's own personal experiences. And then the Kinks being banned from the US for years. And THEN the protracted legal battle Ray had with publishers. I'm sure he felt like his own living could be pulled out from under him by other forces. Put yourself in his shoes...I don't blame him for feeling so vulnerable. We know that all these battles really affected Ray's mental health too. So this mish-mash of history combines beautifully into this moving song.

    Everything is working on this song...the vocals (yes, the "shiiiine" is effectively fabulous), the drums(really nice cymbal sounds in the first bits), the guitar (forget what the technique is called for whatever Dave's doing there where it makes the notes sound dull...sorry!), the ORGAN. One of my top faves on here without a doubt. And it puts me on the verge of tears too. BONUS. Lol
     
  23. mark winstanley

    mark winstanley Certified dinosaur, who likes physical product Thread Starter

    It funny how that kind of thing goes.
    I love it so much, because of the choice to not lay it where it would seem most logical.
    The whole vocal has this wrestling push and pull, and sometimes it feels like he isn't going to make it, and sometimes he runs on like he's stumbling...

    Not arguing, or disagreeing, just attempting to show the contrast. :righton:
     
  24. Brian Kelly

    Brian Kelly 1964-73 rock's best decade

    Get Back In Line
    This is a good song that has strong lyrics. It fits well with the album, but also stands on its own.
     
  25. Luckless Pedestrian

    Luckless Pedestrian Forum Resident

    Location:
    New Hampshire, USA
    A couple of artistic touches I appreciate in "Get Back In Line": "Then he walks right past and I know that I've got to get back in the line" - This line requires two extra beats to be added, a pause that emphasizes the protagonist's lack of progress, as he literally has to turn around to go back in line. In addition the tempo of the song slows down quite dramatically when we get to "'Cause that union man got such a hold over me", contributing to that sense of stagnation, of progress being impeded (the band pulls this off really well, I don't think this is easy to do).

    Also I'm glad to see I'm not the only one who enjoys the rich irony Ray emotes with his vocalization of the word "Shine".
     
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