The Kinks - Album by Album (song by song)

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

  1. ajsmith

    ajsmith Senior Member

    Location:
    Glasgow
    I’m guessing that ‘Cradle To The Grave’ was selected as the opener because of its opening lyric ‘Hello and welcome in’.
     
  2. CheshireCat

    CheshireCat Forum Resident

    Location:
    Cheshire
    [/QUOTE]
    Fantastic post.
     
  3. pierogy

    pierogy Forum Resident

    Similar experience - I didn't know much about the Kinks in high school until Philadelphia FM radio started playing "When I Turn Off The Living Room Light" (of all things) from time to time. This got me interested, and I found TGLKA on vinyl rather easily in my little hometown. It was my first Kinks record and it blew me away. Just about everything I know about pop music comes from 1970s Philly FM radio. They were utterly fearless then.
     
  4. CheshireCat

    CheshireCat Forum Resident

    Location:
    Cheshire
    Cradle To The Grave
    I like this one, and was quite excited by the 'Decade' project based on this being the introductory 'single' for the album. A new track from The Kinks RCA era was to be celebrated as a long lost prodigal son. A couple of years on, it's lost some of that allure, but still too fine a track to be locked up for close to fifty years.

    Regarding the tracklist not being chronological, I think Dave looked to it as a 'real' album release, and arranged the songs in the order he felt most appropriate.
     
  5. DISKOJOE

    DISKOJOE Boredom That You Can Afford!

    Location:
    Salem, MA
    That's pretty nutty playing "When I Turn Off The Living Room Light" on the radio, even back then. I thing that "I'm Not Like Everybody Else" would be the pick to click.

    Anyway, please welcome Avid Pierogy to this little thread. We were fellow virtual drinking mates in a virtual pub dedicated to Martin Newell/The Cleaners From Venus for many years, having a great time, just like here. Please come back, Avid Aging Ted, erm, Pierogy. I think that your insights & opinions would be very interesting.
     
  6. ron/asheton

    ron/asheton Forum Resident

    Location:
    tempe, az
    You can't Win. Probably my 2nd favorite kinks song after you really got me.

     
  7. pierogy

    pierogy Forum Resident

    Radio was playing a lot of Bonzo Dog Band and Monty Python at the time, which I was really into, so 'Living Room Light' clicked for me. I will take the liberty of quoting myself in an old post from the 'Worst Concert Experiences' thread. One of my first Kinks shows.
     
    Last edited: Dec 8, 2021
  8. Wondergirl

    Wondergirl Forum Resident

    Location:
    Massachusetts, USA
    Sophisticated Lady
    Nothing to hook me in here. Just goes along pleasantly enough but not sure I'd think it was the Kinks upon hearing it outside of this thread.

    GLKA
    Have to say, I've never heard of GLKA until being on here. I may have seen it in my travels, but it sort of looks like a bootleg. and frankly the cover spooks me. But we at least we can't blame the Kinks for their taste in this case.


    I just recently purchased two Kink Kronikles albums (vinyl). I bought one on ebay that was a little expensive, but it looked like a nice copy. And THEN last week, someone local was selling boxes of albums so I went over and took a peek and picked up another nice copy of Kronikles for $5, as well as Sleepwalker for the same amount. I think I'm going to end up adopting unwanted Kinks vinyl in my old age so that they have a good home. AT the end of my life, I'll be buried in cats and Kinks. Not a bad way to go. :D
     
    Last edited: Dec 8, 2021
  9. Wondergirl

    Wondergirl Forum Resident

    Location:
    Massachusetts, USA
    Cradle to the Grave
    Not for me. The vocal on the first line made me snap my head back...just doesn't go into my ears nicely. and I dislike Rod Stewart-type vocals, so this turns me off from the get-go. Dave has a good and unusual voice, but when he strains it too far, it's not a good sound.

    I so want to love this, but I don't. Sorry, Dave! Love ya!! :love:
     
  10. idleracer

    idleracer Forum Resident

    Location:
    California
    :kilroy: Interesting that the meter, tempo and chord progression are all very similar to "Knocking On Heaven's Door," which also is from 1973.
     
  11. CheshireCat

    CheshireCat Forum Resident

    Location:
    Cheshire
  12. The late man

    The late man Forum Resident

    Location:
    France
    Meter and tempo, yes, but not sure about the chord progression ? There is a similar feel, undoubtedly.

    Yesterday I hadn't re-listened to the track before I commented, so I got mixed up between Dave songs. The "out of range, out of tune" thing is not so obvious here. I had "Midnight sun" in mind when I commented. And also "Web of time", a most excellent song marred by badly sung vocals. But we'll get to this one later, it's 1975

    As for Cradle to the Grave, like most people here, I'm not fond of the Rod Stewart impersonation. I like the song, though. The lyrics are incoherent and impressionistic, as always with Dave. I guess that's the way his mind works, hazy and poetic. I'm OK with this. His lyrics are good rock lyrics, they don't mean anything precise but they're evocative and they sound good.

    Last point : if you haven't done it yet, check Squeeze's 2015 album with the same title, it's great pop.

    EDIT : I just realized the Squeeze "Cradle to the Grave" album had a cover version of "This Strange Effect" as a bonus track. Was it mentioned at the time on the thread ? I'm don't remember, but maybe it was.
     
  13. mark winstanley

    mark winstanley Certified dinosaur, who likes physical product Thread Starter

    Midnight Sun.

    stereo mix (4:04), recorded 1973 at Konk Studios, North London

    Lift your head up off the ground. Won't you dry your tears
    Can't you see that I'm the fool, that cares what happens to you here.
    How can I let you know, that there's no place to go.
    Come on Willie won't you walk with me.

    How come you look on me as such a poor friend.
    When I've done as much as any other man.
    How can I let you know, that there's no place to go.
    Come on Willie won't you walk with me.

    And we'll smile as were on our way.
    We will lift up our arms and say well well
    It's only another day.
    We will laugh and sing. We will travel on waves to the Midnight Sun.
    Til its over and another day...

    But baby I need your lovin' ..God only knows- telling' you
    Baby I need your lovin' ..God only knows- I'm telling you baby
    Baby I need your lovin' ..God only knows..
    Baby I need your lovin' ..God only knows

    The clock ticks eagerly as you sit and wait.
    As the sunshine clips your frame, the shadows soon will seal your fate...
    Take your time before you go,
    Fill your heart and let the Love there grow.
    Come on Willie won't you walk with me.

    And we'll smile as we're on our way.
    We will lift up our arms and say well well
    It's only another day.

    We will laugh and sing. We will travel on waves to the Midnight Sun.
    'Til it's over for another day...
    Yes we will laugh and sing. We will travel on waves to the Midnight Sun.
    'Til it's over and another day...

    But baby I need your lovin' ..God only knows- got to tell you..
    Baby I need your lovin' ..God only knows- I'm telling you baby
    Baby I need your lovin' ..God only knows..
    Baby I need your lovin' ..God only knows

    Written by: Dave Davies
    Published by: Dave Davies

    Drums – Neil McBain
    Electric Guitar, Electric Bass – Phil Palmer
    Electric Organ – John Gosling (2)
    Lead Vocals, Backing Vocals, Electric Guitar, Acoustic Guitar – Dave Davies

    This is another one of those Faces, Rod Stewart sounding tracks.

    This track has a bit of a demo sound to it in many ways, but I think it works pretty well. Dave’s vocal is a little rough.

    For me this is another of Dave’s, kind of slightly disjointed lyrics. We get the start saying essentially that you’re struggling and I’m here to lift you back up, then in the second verse we hear that this person treats him as a poor friend, in spite of him doing all he can.
    Then we are laughing and smiling together of a journey…. And in the song that journey is pictured as being to the midnight sun.

    The lyrics are a little all over the place. They sound fine in the song, but looking through them, they come across as somewhat confused and confusing.

    We open with acoustic guitar and at the start there, I almost expect him to sing “Wake Up Maggie…”
    It opens kind of like a country/rock type ballad, and there are some neat guitars in the background doing some nice little bits and pieces.

    Then we get the song kick in properly and we get Dave doing a call and response with his vocal and guitar. Gosling comes in on the organ and it pads out the sound nicely.

    The change comes across really well, with a nice change of feel and melody.
    Then we move to the chorus proper, which has a good rock feel to it. We also get the lead guitar following the vocal melody, and I think it is effective here.

    We basically get the same series of sections repeated and move into a jam on the chorus section.
    The ending shows us that this probably is a demo, and likely a jammed backing track.

    Again, I like this well enough, but it isn’t something that I am likely to seek out on its own.

     
  14. Fortuleo

    Fortuleo Used to be a Forum Resident

    This is quite an interesting failure of a song, in my opinion. It starts good, almost great, with the impeccable (if conventional) descending hook after the intro, just before Dave starts singing. The verse is pretty and heartfelt, then the pre-chorus (let’s call it a pre-chorus) is still ok, but it starts to meander a little. As it builds and builds, you can't help but lose track of the melody. It becomes faster, louder and even busier for the “but baby I need your loving” chorus, that I find terribly generic and uninspired (the awful drum part certainly doesn’t help). At this point, the song has all but vanished. The interesting thing about it is how it underlines Dave’s quest to have something to say, his oblique way of saying it, his audible struggle to re-establish his distinctive This Man He Weeps Tonight/Mindless Child of Motherhood magic, and how without a certain band with two K’s backing him, it was probably an impossible task to pull off. So this track finds him kind of lost midway, part trying to reclaim his late sixties voice, part starting to find the paths towards his heavier early eighties reinvention. As far as 1973 is concerned, I’ll take his big brother midday sun over this midnight one any day.
     
  15. The late man

    The late man Forum Resident

    Location:
    France
    The words could seem to make more sense if Willie = Baby, and the song was about a gay friendship/love. Owing to Dave being bisexual, it would be realistic. Still, I believe the "I need your loving" chorus is more about filling space with rock'n'roll words than anything else. Willie seems to be the kind of desperate case that can't help biting every friendly hand, but still you like him out of pity and old time's sake, and I don't see the narrator being in love with him.

    Otherwise, the song seems a bit unfinished, with reminiscence of This Man He Weeps Tonight. It's a pleasant listen. I already commented on the slightly-too-out-of-tune-even-for-a-rock-record vocal. Also, we have here a rare case of Dave warbling. Overall, I rather like this song, with the guitars and organ entwined at the end.
     
  16. All Down The Line

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

    Location:
    Australia
    Yes gollee, my bad!
     
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  17. Zeki

    Zeki Forum Resident

    I agree with this description and will take it a step further as I think the song goes off the rails at the chorus.

    Separately,
    “The clock ticks eagerly as you sit and wait.” recalls ‘Maggie May’ just for that one line.

    Overall, a difficult listen.
     
  18. Vangro

    Vangro Forum Resident

    Location:
    London
    "Midnight Sun'. Not great, to be honest. It's obviously not a finished track though, you would have to think more work would have been done on the vocals and the lyrics read like placeholders - I'm a big fan of "Baby, I Need Your Loving" and "God Only Knows" too, Dave.
     
  19. All Down The Line

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

    Location:
    Australia
    And why not, that way you won't leave any Kinky litter!
     
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  20. DISKOJOE

    DISKOJOE Boredom That You Can Afford!

    Location:
    Salem, MA
    "Midnight Sun": confusing lyrics (who does Dave want to walk with? Willie or baby? Is Willie the "baby"?), vocals w/a case of the Rods & a blender of words & music of the Faces, Motown & the Beach Boys. Great organ from the Baptist, though.

    Speaking of Jim Nabors, Avid All Down the Line, don't you think that it was funny seeing him doing the "golly" sthick & then hearing him sing? Here he is doing "Back Home In Indiana" at the 1975 Indy 500 auto race in honor of Avid Martyj, who couldn't wait to get back there to listen to the GLKA:

     
  21. These Dave Davies songs, though better than anything on his bar code album, AFL1-3603, are not unpleasant to my ears, but perfectly generic. This is music to scour pots by, or sort tax receipts, or vacuum.
     
  22. CheshireCat

    CheshireCat Forum Resident

    Location:
    Cheshire
    Midnight Sun
    Dave's vocal is a bit wobbly to put it politely. I do however quite like the first half of this one quite a bit. It's clearly a demo, which surely if it had progressed further would have had a re-done vocal. Saying that, I'll keep this vocal rather than Dave re-doing it now with his even more wobbly vocals. I sort of got bored by it halfway through, possibly because its bordering on unintelligible. Needed more work, but pleased we have it in the end anyway!
     
  23. ARL

    ARL Forum Resident

    Location:
    England
    "Midnight Sun"

    Played this a couple of times now, and it's definitely growing on the second listen. Yes, it's obviously "Maggie May", but I don't have a problem with that (or with any of Rod's variations on that theme). The song meanders all over the place, and the extra beats here and there at the end of lines don't help the flow, but given a few more listens it might settle down a bit. The vocal isn't great, with Dave going a little higher than is advisable (which also happens occasionally on his solo albums). I'm certainly intrigued by the tracks we've heard from this collection so far.

    N.B. are we sure he's singing "Willie"? Sounds like it could be "woman" to me?
     
  24. CheshireCat

    CheshireCat Forum Resident

    Location:
    Cheshire
    Sounds like 'women' in the first verse to me. I hear no Willie at all.
     
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  25. mark winstanley

    mark winstanley Certified dinosaur, who likes physical product Thread Starter

     
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