Not sure the younger generation is the core Kinks' audience at this stage. Maybe the association made Ray himself cringe?
Actually, the Diana mentioned in "Good Day" wasn't Princess Di, but Diana Dors, the "Marilyn Monroe of England"
When I first saw the Kinks, in 1974, that same guy introduced them in exactly the same way. It blew me away.
First off, I almost feel like the poor simp in the cover of Schoolboys In Disgrace, waiting for the Headmaster's caning after posting that review of "Celluloid Heroes" by John M*******n & the bit of a storm it created. Sorry about that, Headmaster. Anyway, as for the first 2 songs on the live portion of Shoe, erm, Show Biz, it was the first time I heard either song since I didn't have either Arthur or Lola yet. It's a great one two punch to start the concert. I really don't mind "Mr. Wonderful" as I kinda like the near drunken spontaneous vibe of the 70s Kinks over the overly professional AOR one of the 80s Kinks, which was the only time I saw them live. However, the problem w/this live show is that it's badly edited & leans too much towards Muswell Hillbillies material, which came out barely a year before, not to mention the bait & switch of the very last song.
TOTP: Very exciting track. The Kinks in full bar band mode. I assumed they were playing in a bar; for years we didn't know this was recorded at Carnegie Hall. The Rolling Stone review mentioned the "Staten Island audience," and we know where that came from. The only problem is that this is the song from the Lola vs. Powerman album I would least want to hear done live. Brainwashed: Okay, I suppose. The only problem is that this is the song from the Arthur album I would least want to hear done live.
Yea, I don't mind it, so much as it just seems wedged in.... it doesn't feel like the natural flow of a concert... to be honest my problem with the original live release is all about flow and construction... the full show has many of the same.... interludes, but it flows, it feels like a live show, not a patchwork quilt.
I don’t get the corny-as-hell reference. ‘Goodbye Yellow Brick Road’ is on my top 100 albums list and I don’t think any song on the double album is corny. If I do…it’ll no longer be on my list! And it never occurred to me that any part of the Celluloid Heroes lyrics was anything less than brilliant. It’s far from corny.
That's why I prefer the concert that was on the bonus disc of the 2016 Legacy reissue. I listened to it last night & it does sound & flow a lot better & you don't get the sense that most of the material is from one album. I kind of realize what Ray was trying to get at w/Show Biz, with the studio sides reflecting (mostly) the background of a touring rock band & the live sides showing the result, but again, the live sides were too choppy & reliant on one album instead of the vast catalogue that the Kinks had built up.
Those interludes might (emphasis on ‘might’) work if you’re actually in the audience. Not so much on an album. An aside: separately from the Mr. Wonderful interlude, I do think roadies or guitar techs have become a lot more accomplished than decades ago, especially during the early 70s with the excessive tunings, etc.
I knew, honest! But ‘the headlines say that Diana is dead’ can’t help but bring the more famous Princess to mind post ‘97 for some even if we know that it wasn’t written about her.
I went back and watched/listened to the Joan Jett rendition of Celluloid Heroes. She doesn’t sing the Mickey Rooney/Marilyn verse. It’s not there. The video shows Marilyn Monroe but there isn’t anything showing Mickey Rooney.
I didn't even crack my laptop open during the holiday weekend, so am far behind. Celluloid Heroes - I don't have much more to add over what had already been posted. It is a great track. It comes up second only to "Sitting in My Hotel" on the album, probably due to it's length. For a slow song it drags on a couple of minutes longer than I would like. Still, I do love it. As for the album itself. I had never heard it before this thread. It is surprisingly good. It might be sacrilege, but I prefer it to Muswell Hillbillies. The first two live tracks on the second disk are great. I really thought that this period of the Kinks live era was sloppy, or so I had imagined. They are really sharp. I do miss that Dave really didn't try to re-create his harmonies here. Maybe he was hung up on trying to cover the guitars. There are a few spots where the second guitar really would have helped, but I think Dave covered admirably.
Back in 1984, I knew that Diana Dors just passed away & that line didn't make sense otherwise because the other Diana was alive & somewhat well.
“Top of the Pops” – A rare case where I prefer the studio version of a post-1965* Kinks rocker over its live rendition. This starts off a bit sluggish but is OK. However, I love Dave’s slashing, in-your-face guitar tone on the Lola album, and to me that version benefits from being tighter by bringing more kick and bite to it. “Brainwashed” – This, on the other hand, is the version of this song I heard first and fell in love with, a favorite Kinks live track for me, though the Arthur version is fine too. Love the energy and the horns. I have to admit, listening to it in the context of this album made me nostalgic for the Kinks in the Pye years: tough guitars, some syncopation, great hooks, catchy melodies, rhythm changes throughout the song, interesting chord changes… Excuse me, I’m feeling verklempt… I assume the campy clippets of “Mr. Wonderful,” “Baby Face,” et. al., are included to evoke the fun, loose atmosphere of a Kinks concert, to prove that the band is not afraid to be unpredictable, off the wall (or sloppy), and that they’re not like everybody else. These tracks don’t make for particularly desirable repeat listening, but they are at least short. However, I’ll confess that I wish Ray had never heard “Banana Boat Song,” especially since I’m painfully aware we’ll be hearing it again in the coming years. *The Kinks performed fine live versions of “You Really Got Me,” “All Day and All of the Night,” et.al. through the years of course, and I enjoy them as well, but several of those early singles are raw, trashy-sounding perfection that is impossible to improve upon.
One of the worst parts of being 2 kewl 4 skewl is that there will always be certain avenues of pleasure that are closed off to you. I guess Sir El Ton would be one of those
? I don’t get it. I like Elton John. (Or did up until mid-70s. Unfamiliar afterwards). Maybe I’m misunderstanding your comment?
I'm not a great lover of live albums (the exception being It's Too Late To Stop Now) and the live album that came with the original release is a tough listen for me. When I heard the other live disc released with the Legacy Edition I was puzzled as to why they couldn't have done a better job of issuing a much better live disc back in 1972. Sloppy.
