I completely agree. If we went straight from Face to Face to Soap Opera, we would be shellshocked and wondering wtf happened to this band. But, going through album by album, we can see wtf happened. Really, a continual and gradual shift, incorporating different instruments, vocals, and musical styles. There's horns on Arthur which are used differently on Muswell Hillbillies and Everybody's in Showbiz. There's some folk/rock on Lola which cements itself on Muswell Hillbillies as well. There are certainly some theatrics as early as A Well Respected Man and onto Yes Sir, No Sir and then EISB which is taken up a notch on the Preservation albums and Soap Opera. There really is this continual evolution, and I love this thread for giving me so much more of this incredible band that I really had only tipped maybe 3 or 4 toes into the pool prior. But oh how I loved those initial albums I glommed onto (and still do!).
It was the humble beginning of their gradual crawl back chart wise in the US. This one went top 60, ‘Schoolboys’ went top 50, then ‘Sleepwalker’ went to #21. ‘Misfits’ was a wobble back to #40 but then ‘Low Budget’ made it to the peak of #11, their highest position for a non comp in the US.
Relatively, particularly compared to the two "Preservation" albums which seriously bombed. It's possible the rest of the band thought, "Well this album kinda sucks but let Ray get it out of his system and at least it seems to be selling better than the last two, so may was well stick around, he's written a couple of dozen new songs anyway."
The US charts are bizarre to me, and the UK drops off the face of the earth... US - up to this point in time Kinks (debut) - 29 Lola - 35 Soap Opera - 51 Kinda Kinks - 60 Kontroversy - 95 Muswell Hillbillies - 100 Arthur - 105 Everybody's in showbiz - 111 Preservation act 2 - 114 Face to face - 135 Something else - 153 Preservation act 1 - 177 Village green - failed to register The UK is just as bizarre to me Kinks - 3 Kinda Kinks - 3 Kontroversy - 9 Face to face - 12 Something else - 35 Then the band cease to exist. Village green hits 47 as a boxset, we're lucky we even got under the circumstances, in 2018. Maybe I can't see the forest for the trees at the moment, but to me it seems like possibly the poorest chart reflection of a bands albums .... ever.
Of course, other than Dolly there was another big hit 9-5 song: But I would listen to the Kinks 9-5 a hundred times before either of these, despite how good (and successful) they might be!
Dave Davies interview; 2014 How about albums? I always thought the conceptual pair, 1973’s “Preservation Act 1” and 1974’s “Preservation Act 2,” were terrific. Musically diverse and describing a political landscape of blustery politicians, only interested in their own wealth and self-promotion. They’re lovely pieces of work and I always thought they should have been motion picture material, in that “West Side Story” kind of way. Maybe one day they will end up in some form that way. “Soap Opera” [in 1975] I wasn’t that fond of. I felt “Schoolboys in Disgrace” [later in 1975] was funny and it gave me a chance to stretch a bit [on lead guitar]. “Streetwalker” was great; the Arista years [1977-1984] were …” From Dave Davies Talks About His New Solo Album, Possibilities For Kinks Reunion
Now if Ray had written this one in 1974, it actually would have fitted into the ‘Soap Opera’ story quite well as a solo spot for Andrea!
Yeah, and it’s also the only one of those late 70s albums to contain a top 30 hit! Maybe it was just unlucky and there were a lot of bigger blockbuster records out at its time if release. It’s possible that despite the lower placing it may have sold comparably in terms of units to its predecessor and successor.
Following up on my previous post, this, from a John Gosling interview: KOK : How did you feel about the direction the band took after Muswell Hillbillies? JG : Once those wretched shows took over I felt we lost our identity as one of the greatest bands in the world. The costumes were a bit of a giggle and it was fun when things went wrong because that was us-it was expected, but the very idea of being our own support band-rushing through all those great songs at breakneck speed - how bizarre and downright depressing was that? When Nobby left the writing was on the wall for me. John Gosling Interview Part 2
And Dalton: KOK : At the time, how did you feel about the direction the band went in the early to mid 70s, with the concept albums? JD : I didn’t mind making the concept in the studio, but I wasn’t that keen on touring with them. It always felt as though the fans only wanted to hear the hits. But I can understand we had to do it to sell the album we had out at that time. KOK : What are your memories of the Starmaker TV show? JD : I would rather not remember it, it was not my cup of tea! John Dalton Interview Part 2
Nine to Five I couldn't really get into this back in the day. To be honest, it's not grabbing me now either. Kind of a shame because I can hear Ray doing a beautiful job here.
9 to 5 As this song draws to an end I so badly want it to slip into the next song on the album. Darn. When he's singing about time, it brings up feelings of The Time Song. Very melancholy and also beautiful. But it makes me ponder the hours spent at the office sometimes doing nothing much. The song really captures the dull moments of time ticking by and maybe having little control over your own life. But you can't always be doing something exciting, creative and fantastic every minute of the day, can you? Life is actually pretty mundane on a day to day basis. I enjoy the little trumpet flourish nearing the end. And overall think this a fine song...but very much part of giving a flavor of Norman's life - not really a stand alone song.
I understand folks feeling this run of songs should kind of run together, and I thought about it, but I ended up thinking they need their own space for the thread. Sorry
No need for sorry! This is a musical with a flow and we're looking at an album with cuts, so it's all good.
Nine To Five Enjoy the piano, brass and backing vocal with all put to apt and delicate work. A quiet and sweet performance from Ray but this doesn't hit me as being of too much significance.
1978 was primo Bee Gees, Fleetwood Mac, Soundtrack to Grease, Donna Summer, Rolling Stones, Meat Loaf. Misfits was actually my first "new" Kinks album. I purchased it on cassette from the Jordan Marsh department store at the North Shore Shopping Center in Peabody, MA. As Avid Ajsmith stated, there were plenty of blockbuster albums in 1978 & Misfits got somewhat lost in the shuffle, but things would work out for the best a year later.
This makes absolute sense to me. A few years ago I visited the Picasso museum in Málaga, and the layout presented works from across his career in chronological order. I didn't know much about Picasso, and it was fascinating to start with his early works (which were quite conservative, yet distinctive), and then see how his style changed as the years went by, the sketches, minor and major works, the experimentation with different techniques and materials, and finally his later works which are completely abstract - yet the progression to these is logical after having surveyed the breadth of his output. This thread has always reminded me of that experience - a virtual gallery of the works of Ray Davies, brought to you by curator (and headmaster) @mark winstanley !
