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

    No it's just live.
     
  2. mark winstanley

    mark winstanley Certified dinosaur, who likes physical product Thread Starter

    Get Back In Line.

    This starts of with just the acoustic guitar and vocal, and it comes across as surprisingly intimate.
    The bass come in and then the organ and the swell comes quite quickly really and it ends up being quite a lush thick arrangement.
    The guitars and organ work very well together, and I think that, again, this track come across really well.

    It is an interesting song to play in the concert. It wasn't a single, it isn't an energy filled party tune, there isn't a big spotlight moment for one of the band members, it's a moderate tempo sort of ballad, and I think to some degree it shows how interesting the Kinks mentality towards concerts was.

    I think here this works really well. Sure the studio version is cleaner sounding and all that kind of thing, but that isn't really the point of live albums to me.....

     
  3. mark winstanley

    mark winstanley Certified dinosaur, who likes physical product Thread Starter

    Have A Cuppa Tea.

    Here again we have Ray leading us off with the acoustic guitar, and the band comes in and takes it into the fun and bouncy song that was on Muswell.
    Gosling rolls out some nice piano. Dave rips out some nice leads, and everyone seems to be having a fun time, which is essentially what concerts are all about.

     
  4. ajsmith

    ajsmith Senior Member

    Location:
    Glasgow
  5. mark winstanley

    mark winstanley Certified dinosaur, who likes physical product Thread Starter

    Sunny Afternoon.

    It is interesting to me that these tracks come across as starting like Ray is starting us off like a solo sing song, and then the band comes back in.
    Again we get Ray leading us in with the acoustic guitar, and then at the first "Sunny afternoon" line, the band come in led by Mick.

    I think that is perhaps one of the main things that stands out to me with these bonus tracks that is coming across to me. The original release has some songs, and bits of fun, but here we get a better feeling, or perspective of how the band worked on the stage during this period of time.... and all the songs this morning are introduced by Ray.... as if he is the Ringmaster of the circus calling the shots, not just verbally, but also leading of the charge into the music, because I believe when we were looking at the original album, there were questions about whether Ray even played his guitar.

    This is a solid version of the song, and aside from the acoustic intro, the guys stay true to the idea of the song and carry it off well.

    It sort of ends up being a shame that back in 72 they didn't get to just release the whole show on a double album, because to me, this is all excellent live material that shows the band in a good light, in terms of performance and variety. They have the ability to be delicate, and also the ability to just tear it up like the harder rock bands.

     
  6. Vangro

    Vangro Forum Resident

    Location:
    London
    Not really different enough from the original but would you rather listen to this or "The Banana Boat Song"?
     
  7. mark winstanley

    mark winstanley Certified dinosaur, who likes physical product Thread Starter

    I'll take Get Back In Line every time
     
  8. croquetlawns

    croquetlawns Forum Resident

    Location:
    Scotland
    Not many would disagree!
     
  9. Northernlight

    Northernlight Forum Resident

    Always relatable. I can remember the frustration I felt as a kid when everything had to wait until the adults had their precious cup of tea. Never thought I'd be one of them, but it comes to us all.
     
  10. CheshireCat

    CheshireCat Forum Resident

    Location:
    Cheshire
    Live bonus tracks: Wow, so much better than what was released at the time. I may even take the shrinkwrap off the deluxe CD and listen to the live tracks! What an act of incredible self sabotage with the originally released disc!
     
  11. Fortuleo

    Fortuleo Used to be a Forum Resident

    In trying to reconstruct the proper setlist order, and if you take into account the documented Carnegie Hall setlist, it doesn’t add up. Mr. Wonderful was supposedly sandwiched between You’re Looking Fine and Get Back in Line, but it doesn’t make sense, since it features the Mike Cotton Sound horns that were only introduced for Brainwashed much later in the show. That leads me to thinking that either the published setlist is wrong, or the version of Mr Wonderful on the Show-biz live disc is not from Carneggie Hall but from another source.
    Anyway, this is just because I’d love to hear the full show, and have tried many times to put it back together, but it’s a puzzle in which the pieces don’t perfectly fit.

    Now, on to today’s tracks. I love Ray’s sensitive rendition of Get Back in Line (warble and all), but what I love even more is that it was part of the band’s live repertoire at the time. This is the kind of deep cuts that are a joy when you go see your favorite band in concert. 1972, Get Back in Line, yeah, some people talked about the Beach Boys 1973 double yesterday, that’s exactly the idea!
    The sped-up Sunny Afternoon is excellent, especially Gosling letting loose on the left channel. I’m just surprised not to hear as much audience response as I’d thought.
    Have a Cuppa Tea is one of the highlights of that whole live presentation, it’s fun, it’s danceable, Ray’s little melodic variations are wonderful, Dave’s guitar is a joy, his solo a beauty, the “tea in the morning” bridge just as enchanting as on the studio take, and you can’t help but want to grab a pint and dance around in your own living room while it’s playing. Did I say pint? Well, isn’t it was you usually drink in a pub and at a concert? And it was performed after Alcohol after all…
     
    Last edited: Dec 3, 2021
  12. Zeki

    Zeki Forum Resident

    Have A Cuppa Tea (live): fantastic. Dave’s lead guitar is stellar. Then Ray, “thank you very much. It’s nice to see y’all…” in an exaggerated I-don’t-know-how-to-describe-it-voice. I guess he’s mocking his own song? That aside, the performance of the song is well executed and fun.
     
  13. Zeki

    Zeki Forum Resident

    Get Back In Line (live): And here I go again, fantastic. It’s kinda strange but I woke up with this song playing in my head the other day when we were discussing the original live release. I had written a couple of comments (that I ended up self-deleting) and had included a remark as to wishing they’d played this song! And it turns out they did.
     
  14. Tim 2

    Tim 2 MORE MUSIC PLEASE

    Location:
    Alberta Canada
    Agreed.
     
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  15. Zerox

    Zerox Forum Resident

    Location:
    UK
    I'd take it any day-oh!
     
  16. ARL

    ARL Forum Resident

    Location:
    England
    Again, three excellent live renditions.
    "Get Back In Line" a great song and well presented here with the organ especially effective.
    "Have A Cuppa Tea" the Muswell track that I'd rather have had on the album above all the others. A truncated version here with the last verse missing.
    "Sunny Afternoon" another good version of a classic. Ironically, given the number of "sitting" songs he's written, Ray sings "standing here" instead of "sitting here" to drink his ice-cold beer.

    Any of these tracks would have elevated the original live disc.
     
  17. Zack

    Zack Senior Member

    Location:
    Easton, MD
    I'll add at this point the bonus live tracks on the Showbiz Deluxe beat the tracks
    True story: When I saw the Kinks in the 80's in a really crappy basketball arena at Georgetown Univeristy in D.C. complete with the baskets and bleachers, I worked my way to the front and screamed my head off for this song. I amused myself greatly by repeatedly calling out to Ray for this at such close proximity. (Alas, he broke out a snippet of Monica instead, which some other guy was screaming for.) No surprise that I love this live version and all the other non-repeat bonus tracks on the deluxe edition.
     
  18. DISKOJOE

    DISKOJOE Boredom That You Can Afford!

    Location:
    Salem, MA
    The next batch of songs further makes the point that the bonus tracks of the 2016 reissue are so much better than what was originally released on Show Biz. "Get Back In Line" seems to be the most played song from the Lola album after "Lola" & "Apeman". This version is just as good as the one from the 1977 Christmas concert.
    "Have a Cuppa Tea" is a nice song that excels in a live setting, while "Sunny Afternoon" is another great addition that adds to the superior flow of this set. I'm really thinking of its use in the live version of a concept album down the road.

    The one thing that has really got me is the absence of, you guessed it, "You Really Got Me" even in the bonus disc. It's the one song that the Kinks constantly played through their career & it's a shame that a live version was not included.
     
  19. ajsmith

    ajsmith Senior Member

    Location:
    Glasgow
    Apologies in advance for my nitpickiness here, but I can’t help myself: I’d venture that ‘Top Of The Pops’ and ‘Strangers’ got more of a live airing that ‘Get Back In Line’
     
  20. donstemple

    donstemple Member of the Club

    Location:
    Maplewood, NJ
    Get Back in Line / Have a Cuppa Tea / Sunny Afternoon

    Yes, yes, yes. These three are great to listen to, and I agree with @Fortuleo here:

    When you either see a whole album performed live, or a band will bring out some deep cut for the hardcore fans, that is really something special. When you see a song live that you would never expect to see live. That's happened to me a couple years ago when I saw the double-bill Brian Wilson and the Zombies. The Zombies performed Odessey and Oracle in its entirety, and Brian Wilson's band did many deep cuts from Friends, Wild Honey, Sunflower, and Surf's Up. It was a night I will never forget.

    Back to these songs, I think Get Back in Line is the deep cut you would never expect to hear live. It's a great version, and Dave's live background vocal is incredible. My favorite of these 3 though is their Sunny Afternoon, as it keeps pretty true to the lazy feel of the original, but it adds that John Gosling rolling piano foundation in a lot of the Kinks sound starting from 1970. Have a Cuppa Tea probably sounds the most like the studio version because the instruments/arrangement is basically the same as when they recorded it in the studio (in my opinion).
     
    Last edited: Dec 3, 2021
  21. DISKOJOE

    DISKOJOE Boredom That You Can Afford!

    Location:
    Salem, MA
    No problem Avid Ajsmith. I was thinking of officially released live stuff.
     
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  22. Martyj

    Martyj Who dares to wake me from my slumber? -- Mr. Flash

    Location:
    Maryland, USA
    I own/heard bootlegs of "You Really Got Me" during the Mike Cotton Sound era. The band typically combined it in a medley with "All Day and All the Night." Adding horns to those songs subtracts from their gritty rawness, IMO.

    EDIT: That said...of course it would have been nice for it to be included simply for preserving the archival account of that phase of their career on something other than bootlegs!
     
    Last edited: Dec 3, 2021
  23. palisantrancho

    palisantrancho Forum Resident

    "Get Back In Line" was the song I was most excited about on the Legacy Edition. I love this song so much. I am a bit underwhelmed with the live performance. It's the type of song that I would be ecstatic if they played it at a show I attended. It's cool to hear it on the record, but I will stick with the studio version.

    "Have A Cuppa Tea" works better live, but I understand why it wasn't included on the live album. Something about this live recording is lacking energy. They almost sound bored. Again, I much prefer the studio version.

    "Sunny Afternoon" is the one song from this batch that could have improved the live album as a good closing tune. It's a classic and what Kinks fan doesn't love it?

    I must be the only one that is fine with the live album, aside from @Martyj. I kind of like the short song clips and the audience sing along of Lola at the end. I get the feeling they just wanted it to be a little preview of their live show and added it as a bonus album. Now if it was a stand alone live release it could have been a double album and made everyone happy. They must have at least thought about doing that. We have most of the songs now regardless of how they were released. It would have been a better career move to release a proper live album during this time. As it stands, it's still far and away my favorite live Kinks release.
     
  24. mark winstanley

    mark winstanley Certified dinosaur, who likes physical product Thread Starter

    I believe the band wanted to release a studio album, and a double live album, but RCA wouldn't go for it.... I guess I have to respect the fact that the Kinks weren't selling huge amounts of albums at the time, and RCA probably thought it would just be money lost?

    The released album is a compromise the two parties agreed to.
    I like the live album, but can't help feeling stiffed by all the great recordings that were available.
    I also can't help feeling that a proper dedicated double live album in the 72/73 period, that contained such popular classics as
    Til the end of the day
    Lola
    Sunny Afternoon
    You really got me/All day and all of the night
    could well have caught a few people's attention, particularly in a market where double live albums were starting to become "a thing".
    Also with a good spread of tracks from the last three albums, one can't help but feel that back catalog sales would have received a boost as well.

    I think it was shortsighted of RCA..... look at the boost to back catalog sales One For The Road delivered....
    Anyway, "for want of a nail, the horse was lost"
     
  25. DISKOJOE

    DISKOJOE Boredom That You Can Afford!

    Location:
    Salem, MA
    Headmaster, you are right. A double live album w/more songs that the general public knew would have been a better sale than what was actually delivered, which was basically a botch job. A couple of things, though. First off, any increase of back catalog sales would have profited Reprise/WB more than RCA, who had only one album by the Kinks at that time. Secondly, when would the studio portion be released, before or after the live album? Also, Ray was working on Preservation at that time & was probably not seeing the forest for the trees, if you get my drift. Again, I agree w/you, but how would you have worked it out?
     

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