"Rats" begins with a weird noise that's not feedback, but just as thrilling, and then goes on w/Dave spewing venom at those people he sees on the street giving him a hard time. It could mean the music businessmen who are giving the group a hard time, but it also could mean the people you see in the news that do horrible & ugly things for money and/or fame. The Kinks have been as aggressive before this, w/YRGM, ADAAOTN, "I Need You", etc., but instead of lust, the aggressiveness now turns to anger like 80 s hardcore, but in a more orderly fashion. "Rats" is Dave's Ying to his "Strangers" Yang, or something like that
Rats When I first heard this album, this was in my top 3 favorite tracks -- along with Strangers and A Long Way from Home. Dave got 2 out of 3, not bad! I just love the energy of this song. That almost laser-sounding intro. Whoa! It seems like such a step up from Dave's earlier contributions to to Something Else and his B-Sides and solo-stuff that was covered in 1968/69. The quality of Dave's two songs on this album (in my opinion) matches that of Ray's songs. Strangers is an incredible folky/ballad, and Rats is an incredible that rocker that (in my opinion) would never come from Ray's mind. Dave, being a guitarist at the core, tends to have his rockers center around the guitar. That guitar riff. The guitar overdubs throughout the versus/chorus. Just incredible stuff. I love how we get the initial guitar riff melody at the beginning, and then Dave uses that same melody for the "See rat face man look at me" coda-like section at the end. Just hammering that riff melody now with vocals too. I agree with @ajsmith here, I have always thought the same thing: It's a great trick that both Ray and Dave have used a lot -- having the vocals match the riff. Starting with that opening riff of their first hit, with the guitar screaming "You Really Got Me.... You Really Got Me". And then more subtly a few years later with the "Rose-ma-ry Rose... Rose-ma-ry Rose"... Lyrically, this is intense stuff and there's just great imagery and references here. "Hate spreads just like infection" brings to mind the bubonic plague and other diseases that rats can spread. "Those rats breeding angriness and spite" and "Masses trampling on my feet" again, just using the rats metaphor and where your mind goes when you think of a rat infestation. Just breeding, masses/herds of rats running like crazy through and over whatever is in its path, eating all the "bread" (money in society). There is literally "no time to catch your breath" as that line just JUMPS at you immediately "once he was warm and was kind, now all he's got's a pinstripe mind" REALLY evokes the theme of the previous track "You've come a long a way, you had such good ways" and now "dressed in funny clothes". It's almost a marriage between that sentiment, and the Tin Soldier Man marching down the street to his 9-5. Finally, yes to all this! Those rolling bass runs at the 1:12 mark of the song, and then again around 1:45, are just mind-blowing. Again, just whoa!
"Rats": Love the guitars. Dave Davies' singing is much better than it used to be. I can barely make out the lyrics (which means it's real rock'n'roll ). If I heard this on the radio I would not have said, "Sounds like the Kinks." Trying to think what it reminds me of, part of me wants to say it reminds me of a cross between the Rolling Stones and early Doobie Brothers. Fun track but glad it's fairly brief as that sound can wear out its welcome if it goes on too long. 5/5.
"Rats" Suddenly, The Kinks have turned into The Alice Cooper Band! Has Dave ever commented on the inspiration for this song? So much variety on this album. They are covering all The Kinks bases. This is a nice shot of adrenaline, but I always found it to be an odd song. It doesn't sound anything much like a Kinks track. It reminds me of an early Alice Cooper tune in sound and lyrics. The first two Alice Cooper albums were released on Frank Zappa's label. If Dave was a big Zappa fan, I have to wonder if he had a copy of the album Easy Action which came out 8 months earlier? This tune is smokin'! Once again a great bass line and powerful drums to back up the killer riff by Dave. I love that guitar effect that makes several appearances throughout the song. I'm actually surprised Alice hasn't at some point covered this tune. It would be a perfect match for him. He has a song called "Rats" but it's nowhere near as good as this one.
I could see the Kinks covering "School's Out" (my fave rave Alice Cooper song). I could also see Alice Cooper singing "Rats" while feeding his boa constrictor w/them.
A brief diversion - the final piece of my Kinks jigsaw arrived today: I now have all 24 studio albums: 11 only on vinyl 11 only on CD 2 on both
Nice! I have been deep into The Preservation albums the last few days. I recommend putting on some headphones, going for a walk, and completely immersing yourself in these records. I thought I was almost done collecting the LPs, but I need 6 more. Some are very easy to find, and some are not.
THANK YOU in bigger capital letters than I can type. Rat face makes a ton of sense. For 40 years I had heard this as “see that face man…” which I assumed Dave was singing in a code that only he knew. Just another example of me being unable to decipher lyrics to a classic rock song…but I don’t think I was alone on this account, to wit: whoever transcribed the lyrics for KindaKinksnet. Anyway, the song… The version of the band that showed up on “The Contenders” shows up here. I think I like this track even better, though. It’s a more complete song than “The Contenders.” It’s not often I put a Dave song side by side with a Ray song and like the Dave song better. Also, that little touch of dissonance electric guitar at the split second of the songs opening recalls memories of the great lead in to “I Need You.” All around, “Rats” is Dave at his balls-out-rocking best. The secret to success per a song pluggers advice: “Keep it short, make them hunger for more.” The theory back in the day was if hearing the song once left you wanting more, you’d go out and buy the record to play it as much as you like...or call your DJ and request it again = the more times a song is played = a translation into sales. That idea was seeped deeply into the minds of pop songwriters through out the 60s. It only starting changing when R&R was thought of being marketed as albums rather than as singles.
Just wanted to clarify that in my quote I was referring to A Long Way From Home rather than This Time Tomorrow. That said, both songs are perfect as is, and Ray does leave me wanting more with a lot of these songs because the feelings I get while listening are just so good.
Apologies for the random interjection. Upon realising there are 11 years and 11 albums to go until this post becomes even vaguely relevant, I decided to post it anyway or else I'll definitely forget. Feel free to wholeheartedly ignore this thread derailment... I came upon some Kinks memorabilia in ny local museum and had to share It is Jim Rodford's bass guitar, gold disc for Give the People What They Want and an Ivor Novello award for something (which I had no idea was an actual little bronze statue, how lovely!). I'll go back to my bleak and windy place now...
Brilliant! Is this in St. Albans? Btw I don’t mind mentioning just now while you bring it up that I happen to think that GTPWTW is a stone cold classic that ranks all the way up there with their classic run, and I can’t wait till we get to it!
It is indeed in St Albans. Had seen it before but never really looked at it... I actually haven't heard this one... will have to listen! (And hope to get back into this thread a bit more too... if only it weren't for this thing called work...!)
Catch up time. This Time Tomorrow: A fine song. Like "Get Back in Line" and the following track, Ray's voice is mixed so low it makes the mix sound cluttered and obscures some of the emotion in Ray's voice. Despite the keyboard being low in the mix, the 2020 mix made me appreciate this song and is my go-to. A Long Way from Home: Musically, they've got me from the first line...a lovely melody and so much feeling. Combine that with such an evocative title and we've got another winner already. I expected the theme to be loneliness on the road, but it's a warning about forgetting your roots amid fame and wealth. Despite the "you don't know me" line, the sad feel of it implies that Ray knows this is also a warning to himself as much as to Dave. Rats: I'm not a metalhead and can only name two Black Sabbath songs, but that was the band that came to mind when I heard this. After a few listens I came to love this. Tbh, with a few exceptions I find Dave's songs to be second-tier to Ray's, but this is one of the exceptions. Nasty guitar chording, aggressive all around, and yes, John Dalton is the star here. One of the album's highlights for me. A+!
Haven't listened to "Rats" in a long time, and I marvel at what an atypical Kinks track it is. The whole LP is unusual, but I didn't always know this. I started with Kronikles, but Lola vs. Powerman was my first regular album. I was 15. In the mid-70s, we took for granted that some bands could do anything. On Lola, the songs ranged from apocalyptic heavy metal to gentle ballads with lyrics rooted in the personal, a rollicking voyage toward the mystical, some bits of the old music hall, one of the greatest hit singles ever, a quasi-"Louie Louie" rave-up, some slapdash country and western--all in a days work, and it all somehow hung together. I assumed that every Kinks album would have such breadth and scope, but they didn't. Lola is very different.
I saw the Zombies play in Beverly, MA a few years ago shortly after Jim Rodford's death.. It was pretty ironic because he was playing in the Zombies before he died & they were playing in the same town that I last saw the Kinks where he was playing bass.
Rats I've tried...goodness knows, I tried, but this song does little for me. I like to rock out as much as the next person, but this is bordering too much into heavy metal for my tastes. and once again, the vocals are too low. And I dislike that, as Mark calls it, "overdub chord insert". Sounds like a bad sound effect (maybe the sound of rats screeching?) This may be the first song since those Shel Talmy songs where I felt a dislike for a Kinks-performed song. Oh well. It was bound to happen. Sorry Dave! I love ya and your voice sounds ok in this, but it's just not for me.
I understand. I started my journey into music with hard rock, and seventies "heavy metal", so this kind of thing is my bread and butter lol
Rats This is a pretty hard rocker. The Kinks hit making career began with two of the most classic rocking songs ever. Then they evolved and created some of the most clever, touching, and moving songs any group has ever had. So it is kind of cool to hear that the Kinks can still rock hard when they want to. Not as memorable as their very best rockers, but still pretty good!
Between listening to Kinks tunes as this thread moves along and listening to my recently acquired The Best of Rod Stewart Volumes 1 & 2 (1976 & 1977 double albums put out by Mercury as he was leaving the label), I'm sort of cobbling in my mind a what-if scenario wherein, like Pete Townshend wrote songs for Roger Daltrey to sing in the Who, Ray Davies primarily composed songs and his erstwhile schoolmate Rod Stewart sang them. I could hear Rod doing justice to more than a few of the tracks off the Lola LP, not that I'd ever want to swap out Ray and/or Dave Davies and also lose the Faces in the process.
