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

    Well we're still waiting for the Muswell we were told is coming....
    I wonder if they have a full concert from the tour?
     
  2. Smiler

    Smiler Forum Resident

    Location:
    Houston TX
    Or maybe the footage shot for the "Everybody's in Show-Biz" film (which I suppose is the MH tour)?
     
  3. mark winstanley

    mark winstanley Certified dinosaur, who likes physical product Thread Starter

    Sadly they show exactly how power and authority work
     
  4. TeddyB

    TeddyB Senior Member

    Location:
    Hollywoodland
    Corporal punishment was definitely a thing at my public Junior High (now called Middle) school in Los Angeles on the 70’s. The Boys’ Vice Principal meted out “swats” with a big wooden paddle featuring holes. Usually three of them. I was only sent for them once, for no good reason, and I managed to escape that fate, but I was extremely panicked. I don’t think pants were lowered, just the accused bent over. Sick.

    As for the Clash and Jam, my close friend Mick Jones is indeed a major Kinks aficionado and collector. He introduced me once to Ray at a music awards ceremony in London. The Jam covered both the Kinks and The Who, so I think we know where Paul Weller stands.
     
    Last edited: Feb 15, 2022
  5. ThereOnceWasANote

    ThereOnceWasANote Forum Resident

    Location:
    Cape May, NJ
    Yeah, swats or shots that's what they were called in my h.s. in the early 80s. Our Assistant Principal wielded the paddle. I got it a few times. Touch toes and thwack. Just one swing with big paddle. It would sting for a few minutes. Usually though he'd make you run with him after school cause he ran everyday 3 miles so he'd like the company. I guess I took The Hard Way.
     
  6. Smiler

    Smiler Forum Resident

    Location:
    Houston TX
    Texas was big into corporal punishment, at least in the 60s and 70s in a Houston suburb. Early elementary school I think it was something like a pingpong paddle (the last time I was on the receiving end) but later grades used more substantial paddles. Junior high and high school coaches really got off on it, and looked for the slightest excuse to hit boys with boards. I intensely disliked P.E. I was not a troublemaker, but that control by fear helped cultivate my fear of authority figures, especially men. Thanks a lot for the so-called "education."
     
    Last edited: Feb 15, 2022
  7. Geoff738

    Geoff738 Forum Resident

    Location:
    Toronto
    Thé Hardway is great. Set opener for ages.
     
  8. ajsmith

    ajsmith Senior Member

    Location:
    Glasgow
    Here's the latest reunion photo Dave posted to accompany that tweet. Always love seeing new images of the brothers together.

    [​IMG]
     
    Ludger, TeddyB, Wondergirl and 11 others like this.
  9. ajsmith

    ajsmith Senior Member

    Location:
    Glasgow
    That would be my first thought as to what this footage is likely to be, as we know that stuff was shot but never fully edited. Also this year is the 50th of EISB: maybe some kind of combined MH/EISB release Feel Flows style? I already got the EISB deluxe from barely 6 years ago, but YES I admit I would buy it all over again if the tour film was included!
     
    Wondergirl, Smiler, Brian x and 7 others like this.
  10. GarySteel

    GarySteel Bastard of old

    Location:
    Molde, Norway
    But of course. My outrage at the not so preposterous claim was somewhat exaggreated for effect :D

    Good to know that Jonesey has got an even better taste in music than I thought. But as for me personally, I don't hear a lot of the Kinks in their music. More Who, Faces and Mott the Hoople. The latter I know he followed around from gig to gig for a while. A 'Motthead', if you like. And the Pistols were at least 80% the Faces musically, with a little bit of the Smaller variety, Eddie Cochran, the Who and again Mott thrown in for good measure. Plus the riff for "You Really Got Me" ;)

    My point to re: Kinks or Clash in the Jam's music was that, at least to my ears, the Kinksian influence runs much deeper than the earlier, very visual one by the Who. Pete's outfit was and still is perceived as 'cooler' than the Kinks were. God knows why as they almost invented the overblown rockstar excess and the rock as opera thingie. In addition Townshend glued onto the younger bands and pretty much made a fool of himself in the process. Because he was drunk and had lost interest in his own band as he saw them as washed up and outdated by 1975 or so.

    As I replied to Avid thread curmudgeon and (perhaps) not really such a bad bloke (I guess) @Vangro : the first two Jam albums are very influenced by the Who. But from the third one on, they broadened their spectrum and by Setting Sons, which was supposed to be a concept album, but it didn't turn out that way. Partly because of the Townshend experiences but mainly because Weller's mindset was more of a pastoral kind, which is reflected in the lyrics of his songs and the music as well. A strong distrust of the modern world and the big city. He had, by the grand old age of 21, outgrown his earlier fascination with the noise and the hustle in London and was longing for his youth in Woking, I guess.

    tldr; the Jam was very influenced by both the Who and the Jam. Also a lot of soul music, Curtis Mayfield being another favorite of PW and of course the dreaded Beatles. Heck, they even ripped off the riff from "Taxman" for no less than three songs. Two of them can even be found on the same single.

    But I stand by my words: spiritually and for that reason also musically Weller is more Davies the elder than Pete the grouch :D
     
  11. Vangro

    Vangro Forum Resident

    Location:
    London
    Woking isn't very pastoral!
     
  12. GarySteel

    GarySteel Bastard of old

    Location:
    Molde, Norway
    Hah! I somehow expected this reply and yes, I know that, thanks to the wonders of the interwebs. It still isn't Piccadilly Circus and King's Cross.

    But that wouldn't exclude a person from having dreams of village greens and times passed by now, would it? :D
     
  13. mark winstanley

    mark winstanley Certified dinosaur, who likes physical product Thread Starter

    The Last Assembly.

    stereo mix, recorded 13 Sep, 1975 at Konk Studios, Hornsey, London

    As I walked to the last assembly,
    There were tears in the back of my eyes,
    And I saw all my friends all around me,
    They were there to wish me goodbye.

    As I stood in a line with my comrades,
    I felt such a feeling of pride,
    And I forgot all the grief and the hatred inside,
    As we sang for the very last time.

    Gather round, gather round,
    Everybody gather round.
    Come and join our last assembly,
    Let us smile, wipe away all the frowns.

    Gather round, gather round,
    Everybody gather round.
    As we stood at the last assembly,
    All my friends came to wish me goodbye.

    Gather round, gather round,
    Gather round, gather round,
    Everybody gather round.
    As I stand at the last assembly,
    I just can't keep the tears from my eyes.

    Written by: Ray Davies
    Published by: Davray Music Ltd.

    This song is ok, but it doesn't really do that much for me. There is certainly a reflective feel and thought pattern behind it, but it isn't something I can relate to. I was glad to leave school and really didn't have any particular nostalgia for it.

    There are a couple of ways to interpret this one.... We could see this as Flash, or Dave's last assembly after being expelled, or it could in fact be the final assembly of the graduating class, or something like that.

    It doesn't make a whole lot of sense in the first form, and in the second form it is completely removed from the story that emerged over the last few songs.

    I can understand the sentiment behind the song, with the idea that the last assembly unites the students in a sort of triumph over the system they had been in for most of their lives and all the crazy things that happened over that period of time.

    Lyrically it visits the idea of a unity of spirit and the sadness of leaving friends behind, to some degree. It does a decent job of all that, but it isn't something that connects with me personally.

    The song has a sort of country gospel feel, and with some lyrics that meant something to me, it may actually be something I enjoy. As it stands the out-chorus of "gather round" doesn't really do much for me, in spite of it attempting to create a grand statement.

    Musically it comes in with the organ, and Ray with a heartfelt type of vocal delivery. Except for the lyrics, the first half of the song could almost be something the Stones did.

    The piano leads us into the chorus that leads us out, and the song takes on a building feel that takes us to the end of the song.
    For me this is a fairly slight song that I don't feel I need to skip, but it doesn't interest me much.

     
  14. stewedandkeefed

    stewedandkeefed Came Ashore In The Dead Of The Night

    "The Last Assembly" is not really my cup of tea. As a song, it is ok and I suppose it serves a purpose in bringing the story being told towards a conclusion. The repeated phrase of "gather round" offers a feeling of belonging but, once again, I find the song does not match up with that album cover. After the energy of "The Hard Way" - it makes sense to go to a more reflective place but it is not a Kinks song I am hugely fond of.
     
    Wondergirl, Brian x, DISKOJOE and 7 others like this.
  15. GarySteel

    GarySteel Bastard of old

    Location:
    Molde, Norway
    Well, it isn't my favorite on the album. Even with the shadow of the Stones hanging ever so slightly over the arrangement. The best thing I can say is really that I find the length to be it's defining feature :D
     
  16. Fortuleo

    Fortuleo Used to be a Forum Resident

    I understand the lukewarmness of the first posts, and I expect it to be shared by many. This is not a thread song. What I mean by that is it probably doesn’t gain much by being under close examination, musically or (especially) thematically. It’ll inevitably come across as “another 50’s pastiche tune” – which it is. But whenever I put the record on and let it flow, I find it immensely moving. They play it and Ray sings it like it’s You’ll Never Walk Alone in Anfield, like it’s a hymn in church, like it’s a call to arms, an elegy to all things lost, with an unabashed sentimentality and "gather round" refrain. Mick’s drums are especially, er, instrumental in the way the song builds its crescendo towards its momentum, but Ray’s singing is what truly gets to me. There’s a crackling frailty (“ha-tred inside”) in some words and intonations that I find wonderful, and the high pitch / high point at the end of the song (repeated twice in a row) is exceptional. It may not be a great song, pastiche and all, but it’s a fantastic piece of recording and a great performance. I’ll add one thing : we French always look up to the Brit’s ability to lose themselves in communal emotions like that, the all togetherness of it being something we really don’t know how to do too well in our country. It probably all comes down to the pub singing traditions, found in Scotland, Ireland etc., everybody singing together in unison, at the top of their lungs, posh or poor, drunk or sober, young or old, men and women, fathers and sons. Nobody can deny the power of those moments and for me, the Kinks created one with this song.
     
    Last edited: Feb 16, 2022
  17. ARL

    ARL Forum Resident

    Location:
    England
    "The Last Assembly"

    I previously referenced this track when we covered "Slum Kids", as I feel that the melody of that one reminded me of the "gather round" refrain of this one. Perhaps Ray felt he could reuse a small part of an unreleased track?

    I can see where this one has its place in the story or theme, and I wouldn't skip it, but it doesn't do a lot for me. I don't really hear any 50s pastiche - there's nothing particularly doo-wop-y about this. I hear it more as a slow blues, rising to an almost-gospel singalong. I don't particularly remember my last school assembly, or even my last day of school, so there isn't much resonance for me. It's really just a breather between that classic three-song run and another classic.
     
  18. Vangro

    Vangro Forum Resident

    Location:
    London
    This song really reminds me of something else but I can't work out what it is. This isn't so much a pastiche as a kind of genre exercise in gospel/ early R&B... I suppose? Not really genres I associate with the Kinks. It's in the same ballpark as "Oh Darling" by the band whose name we shall not utter, though this is much better and less annoying. It's fine, for what it is, but it's never going to make any Kinks best of list of mine!
     
  19. The late man

    The late man Forum Resident

    Location:
    France
    I confess ! But I'm such a quitter that I will even quit my (temporary) quitting to comment this song.

    I concur. And I want to make a general statement : there are several ways to appreciate a song. You may directly connect with the feelings expressed, because you felt them yourself long ago. But one thing I love about a good songrwriter is, he can make you feel stuff you've never really experienced. I've led a rather sheltered life (well, up to a point), and I love it when a song connects me to feelings that never really touched me, without having to pay the inevitable price ! That may sound cowardly bourgeois, and for a reason : I'm a bourgeois and I'm a coward. The pride of belonging to a community and the male joy of singing it together is something I'm neither able nor willing to experience, but it's great to live it in song.

    When I first listened to the album, I didn't pay much attention to the story. I just assumed there was one, and the only lyrics I understood were Schooldays' and this song's. I imagined lots of thing had happened in between, and all the heroes gathered one last emotional time before the end. So in a way this song was one of the only ones with a meaning for me.

    It's probably my favorite song on the album (someone has to take that part !). It's built on the Let it be chords, that lead into variations that include chord progressions that I'm partial to, as I said at the beginning of the album's covering. Of course it is very reminiscent of the Stones' "I Got The Blues", from Sticky Fingers, another song that most people don't like and that I love. Both start with the Let It Be progression played in 50s-like arpeggios, both are slow and solemn, with organ and guitar. But there are no horns on the Kinks song.

    I believe this would have made a great singalong next-to-last song on any set. I believe Ray reaches a high B twice, and he probably couldn't do that on stage. I'd be curious to hear the song as sung during the tour.

    One thing I love about this song is this very British way of expressing intense feeling in a very contained way, this perfect balance between pathos and dignity, something that more recent British cinemaand fiction somehow blew away to bits to my great dismay. This self-controlled way of grieving with no tears while, to translate a French expression, keeping your broomsticks straight up your arses, is one of the reasons we hate you Brits so much and love you at the same time.
     
    Ex-Fed, Smiler, Fischman and 11 others like this.
  20. GarySteel

    GarySteel Bastard of old

    Location:
    Molde, Norway
    " Dark End of the Street" and "When a Man Loves a Woman", plus that old chestnut "You'll Never Walk Alone" in the chorus, perchance :p
     
  21. GarySteel

    GarySteel Bastard of old

    Location:
    Molde, Norway
    Another day, another lesson learned here on the Hoffs. I shall cherish and keep this one in my heart forever. What is the original phrase in French? Do tell :D
     
  22. All Down The Line

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

    Location:
    Australia
    Oi Joe Jordan woulda had you!
     
  23. GarySteel

    GarySteel Bastard of old

    Location:
    Molde, Norway
    From wiki: As a player, he gained a fearsome 'Jaws' persona due to having lost two front teeth early in his career. The persona aside, he became known as a strong, fearless and committed player, with skill to match, and good aerial abilities.

    :biglaugh::biglaugh::biglaugh:
     
  24. The late man

    The late man Forum Resident

    Location:
    France
    It's "Avoir un manche à balai dans le cul"

    Take a look at George Martin in the Get Back series for a good specimen.

    Actually that's something that struck me. Compared to the film, the series, I think, has more extensive footage of the people in the street during the rooftop concert. When seeing how stuck-up most of them look, you realise that the 4 guys you've been watching for a few hours playing and chatting in the studio, and who seemed perfectly normal to you, must have been a wild bunch in the context of late 60s England. Which explains the mystery of the supposedly heated arguments that are rumoured to have plagued the sessions and which are nowhere to be seen for the untrained continental eye.
     
    Ex-Fed, Smiler, Brian x and 6 others like this.
  25. All Down The Line

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

    Location:
    Australia
    I am glad the two weren't combined!
     

Share This Page

molar-endocrine