I had an official Low Budget T-shirt until recently, but it shrank and I grew, so … it didn’t fit anymore! Album cover on a black background. Tried to give it to my kid, who politely refused it. Taylor Swift fan.
Oh, I'm not saying that. Frank has plenty of good information, but then he tries to insert himself into the story. though he didn't do this it's like he'd say "I was playing pinball with Ray and...". Kind of like with Ray himself, gotta be cautious about what's true and what's made up. Sorry if I steered you off in the wrong direction.
I figured there may be a few on here who would have run across Frank L. I think the other Frank is Frank Reda, maybe? I believe he's passed on. ??
I once got a swell Kinks bumper sticker from Frank L. That’s him not me in the photo! https://www.kindakinks.net/fans/fan194.html
Hay Fever To butcher an REM song title: What the sequencing, Kenneth? I agree with what @mark winstanley and others have said: this should NOT have been on side 1. Probably should be on the 2nd half of side 2 for sure. Doesn't mean it's a bad song as it so isn't. But to have this light-hearted song on right after a heavier song like Misfits, is just not a good idea. What the heck happened there? Anyway, I really like this song. The music is really catchy. I've said this about another song on the last album (forgetting which one right now), but he sounds like Sting when he hits the higher notes. and with the new wavey sound, it sure seems like it could be the Police. The lyrics are clever. I wouldn't put this song in novelty territory. It's amusing, but hey, this guy has a real problem here...it's really not that funny. He may be making himself and the audience laugh, but it's really something that's bringing him down. His image is all wrecked because of his sniffing and stuffed sinuses. "How can I pose when my nose is all red" It's hard to be a cool rock guy with a stuffy nose. And I think one of the things I really like about this album is that Dave is doing a lot of backing vocals like in days of yore. I don't think it's possible for me to get sick of hearing them together. It works. Anyway, I'm on board with others who think that you can have fun, silly songs and have them counted as legitimate music. But yeah, the sequencing...
Hay Fever An irreverent, fun little number. It's as if Ray was bragging at the Pub that he could write a song about anything. Someone throws a challenge that he couldn't write one about Hay Fever and sure enough he does just that. I like how the intro makes you think it'll be another slow number then it shifts to a bouncy, poppy one. Change the arrangement, some of the lyrics and add a harpsichord, a bit of music hall and it fits in with 60s Kinks. Ray talking about an everyday problem that affects millions. It should've been a single. America always loves a good novelty song like this! I also see the Woody Allen connection too. As for sequencing I think part of the issue is that by and large this album is made up of middle of an album or close the album songs. I can't think of any song that stands out or screams album opener. Hay Fever's placement is maybe because they thought at the time of making the album they might release as a radio emphasis track or as a single?
Have yet to read all the comments. Yeah, this is the definition of filler and doesn’t deserve its place in the order of tracks. But it’s well done filler, with some particularly nice bass playing near the end and some funny lines. Not a song I’m likely to revisit, but I don’t hate it either.
"Hay Fever" I agree that's not particularly ideal to have this one so early in the running order. It's light-hearted and amusing, but kind of outstays its welcome after a couple of minutes, by which time Ray's pretty much said all there is to be said about the subject! It's catchy enough, but doesn't really stand up to repeated listening. I like the nasal synth sound that comes in during the instrumental breaks. It's not the longest song I know about blocked up noses - "The Malcolm Opera" by Splodgenessabounds is 5:42 - and will be completely over the heads of anyone that is not a connoisseur of early 80s UK TV advertising! Also not the best song about allergies that I know - that would be Paul Simon's "Allergies".
Despite the huge Kinks influence on my friend Mick Jones, I don’t think Clash City Rockers had much to do with The Hard Way, even if similar, and was more a generalized lift of Who/Kinks riffs. Funnily enough, the riff to Safe European Home was originally borrowed from a Rick Springfield song written by Sammy Hagar (!) called “I’ve Done Everything For You” which was a hit at the time. It was decided it was too obvious and the riff was excised from the Clash song. I think the reason Safe European Home wasn’t big in the States was the subject matter, and also that Sandy Pearlman’s production was edging uncomfortably on metal compared to other Clash radio hits. As for Mick’s background vocals, they weren’t to do with Pearlman at all. Mick always sang those sort of hooks (think I Fought the Law, Rock the Casbah, etc.). These vocals were definitely influenced by Keith Richards and Dave Davies, and also reggae songs. All Sandy did was to mix the background vocals low compared to the way the Clash sounded live. Oh, as for Hay Fever, I liked the novelty songs on the RCA records better than this particular one . This one can’t help but remind me of “Achoo” by Sparks, though they don’t sound the same, and for me that’s not a great thing. Also, as Headmaster suggested, this song has no business being second on the album.
I'm also on this bandwagon - after being lulled into a sense a security by the really good Misfits with it's smooth sound, this was a real shock when I first heard the album and I would sometimes skip it. But now, the lyrics are so funny that I persevere through the initial musical shock and end up enjoying it. It doesn't surpass 'Ducks' in my list of funny Ray songs, but few of his contemporaries could do funny like Ray - Pete Townshend was close, but he seems to have given up humour in about 1970!
Hay Fever Agreed it probably shouldn't be track 2. If you just listen the music, and ignore the lyrics for now, this would absolutely fit in on Soap Opera. The beginning into the main track reminds me of Nine to Five into When Work is Over. Heck, maybe it could be slotted onto that album even with these lyrics slightly tweaked so that Starmaker calls out of work on his second day... I hear Beach Boys all over, and I think the Funky Pretty / Wild Honey comparison made earlier by @Fortuleo is on the money. I'd add some of it also seems kinda 15 Big Ones / Love You era Beach Boys too. And yet again, Ray isn't quite done with those 50s pastiches.... It's an enjoyable track, but probably is best somewhere in the middle of Side 2....
My vote is for "Hay Fever" as the best allergy song. I love Sparks and Paul Simon, but Ray wins this round. I was hoping to find some other candidates, but coming up empty. I just put on my vinyl copy and it's a shame that every version doesn't have "Live Life" as the third song. It makes "Hay Fever" make more sense as the second track. They sound great back to back.
