The Kinks - Album by Album (song by song)

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

  1. Zeki

    Zeki Forum Resident

    My mind goes all over the place when seeing song titles and hearing songs. Today I sought out Traffic’s ‘Dear Mr. Fantasy’ and ‘Rock and Roll Stew.’ I guess for obvious reasons (again!).
     
  2. Fortuleo

    Fortuleo Used to be a Forum Resident

    True… and 100% against the usual "they all hated the theater years" theory!! Just as the theater curtain falls, they all decide to leave the band!!! How crazy is that ??? Do you think they wanted to carry on doing the campy costumes, moustaches, wigs, underpants and vaudeville revues after all ?? "No Ray, we beg you, don't force us to go back to straight boring rock'n roll!" :p Could we be on the verge of a big historical discovery about our beloved band ???? :wtf:
     
  3. pyrrhicvictory

    pyrrhicvictory Forum Resident

    Location:
    Manhattan
    here’s a fun one with the Avory body...
     
  4. ThereOnceWasANote

    ThereOnceWasANote Forum Resident

    Location:
    Cape May, NJ
    Here's a glimmer of part of why Mick Avory wanted to depart:

    PB: In which phase of the Kinks did you feel you could drum most artistically?

    MA: Probably the 1970s in a way. I wasn’t mad keen on doing all the big gigs, which happened about 1978 onwards. I left in 1984, so about six years of that. It wasn’t so personal and it wasn’t as much fun, for me, but it was a great sense of encouragement when you do a big gig. But, I think, generally. I enjoyed it more in the 1970s. It was a bit more personal and we knocked around together a bit more.

    This is from a much longer Mick A. interview from 2011 I just found online. Has it been posted here in the past?
     
  5. Zeki

    Zeki Forum Resident

    Good point. I concede and fall on my sword. :D
     
  6. Fischman

    Fischman RockMonster, ClassicalMaster, and JazzMeister

    Location:
    New Mexico
    A Rock and Roll Fantasy

    Of all the great songs out there about life as a rock star, this may well be my favorite.

    Such an amazing song. So heartfelt. So genuine. I picked up this album long before I learned anything about the story of the Kinks, but this song is delivered with such authenticity and conviction that I instantly recognized it as thoroughly autobiographical.

    And while most such themed songs superficially boast of a party lifestyle, or self indulgenly lament the loneliness of life on the road, this one seeks some deeper meaning.... and succeeds fantastically in doing so (far better than yesterday's Kinks song as well).

    Say what you might about the transition to an arena rock sound, but the music and sound engineering create the absolutely perfect mood and momentum for the song.

    @mark winstanley smartly linked this song to Misfits. I always thought of it in contrast to Juke Box Music from the previous album. I find it very interesting how the earlier song blamed the end of a supposedly otherwise solid relationship an obsession for the music. Now here, this song moves to the positive, crediting the music for helping the misfits keep their lives on an even keel. I find that thematic evolution fascinating and adds additional depth so the song.

    A+++
     
  7. Zeki

    Zeki Forum Resident

    Oh…and responding to myself…Bad Company ‘Rock and Roll Fantasy.’ Forgot that one.
     
  8. ThereOnceWasANote

    ThereOnceWasANote Forum Resident

    Location:
    Cape May, NJ
    Has this been posted? I was watching YT and this came up as a suggested video:



    If it has been posted let me know and I'll delete this one.

    Everyone is going to love the last song on here!
     
    Last edited: Mar 15, 2022
  9. DISKOJOE

    DISKOJOE Boredom That You Can Afford!

    Location:
    Salem, MA
    I think that it came out the same time or sometime afterwards as the Kinks song.
     
  10. ThereOnceWasANote

    ThereOnceWasANote Forum Resident

    Location:
    Cape May, NJ
    Yeah less than a year later spring '79
     
    mark winstanley and DISKOJOE like this.
  11. DISKOJOE

    DISKOJOE Boredom That You Can Afford!

    Location:
    Salem, MA
    Here is what I know about the situation from what I've read about the Kinks:

    1. Andy Pyle did leave early. As I said before, he said that he made the same amount as a Kinks member as when he was a member of Blowyn Pig nearly a decade before.

    2. Ray did spend a lot of time recording songs for Misfits, to the tune of doing plenty of takes on some, if not all songs.

    3. There was tension between Ray & Dave on tour during this time. I believe that there was a gig in which Ray & Dave behaved so obnoxiously towards each other on stage that a promised post gig tour of the White House was shelved.

    4. Dalton & Gosling were planning to leave the Kinks and set up their own band, which Ray got wind of & fired them. Unfortunately for them, the record company that originally signed w/never released their album.

    5. The 1977 UK Christmas shows were seen as being their last, especially since for the first show, they were dressed in their 64-65 hunting jackets, did songs they haven't played in a while and Ray wanted both Pete and John to play on several songs, which they refused.
     
  12. Brian Kelly

    Brian Kelly 1964-73 rock's best decade

    A Rock And Roll Fantasy
    The best song on the album. It ranks right up there with the best Kinks songs. It certainly was a song I could identify with at the time it came out. I was in college and spent a lot of time listening to music so the whole, "There's a guy on my block who lives for rock..." lyric really appealed to me. I like how the song ends on a hopeful tone. A personal favorite. When I did a project for a music class about the history of rock and roll, I used an excerpt from this song in my closing credits of my audio portion. It was nice to listen to it again today!
     
  13. Zeki

    Zeki Forum Resident

    This is excellent. Just watched the whole thing:
    1) Life On the Road
    2) Celluloid Heroes (these two bow-tie performance)
    3) Waterloo Sunset (Ray and pianist only; open yellow shirt)
    4) Live Life (open white shirt with group)
    5) Lola (open yellow shirt)
    6) Hay Fever (open white shirt)
    Thanks for posting it
     
  14. DISKOJOE

    DISKOJOE Boredom That You Can Afford!

    Location:
    Salem, MA
    These are the same performances as the DVD that I posted about a week or so ago.
     
  15. ThereOnceWasANote

    ThereOnceWasANote Forum Resident

    Location:
    Cape May, NJ
    This is all very good! Some great insights. Could you imagine the Kinks touring the White House? That would've been a scene.

    Was it the '77 or '78 tour Ray and Dave were behaving badly.

    I wonder how all of this relates to the recording sessions for Misfits, particularly Rock N Roll Fantasy.

    Most of Misfits was recorded before those Christmas shows except work done in January 1978. Which may be when Ray wrote Misfits since he mentions in that Redbeard interview how cold it was where they were recording. "When I got the Misfits song together, was it '77 or '78...we were rehearsing in a really cold church hall near Konk studios."

    When did the Sleepwalker tour end? It seems they recorded tracks in '77 without Mick at the same time they were touring with him on drums. Is that true?
     
  16. ajsmith

    ajsmith Senior Member

    Location:
    Glasgow

    So it looks like the mystery of the origin of these clips is solved and these are from (it seems at least two seperate 1978 editions of) a Granada TV show (which I'd never heard of until today) entitled A Little Night Music.

    https://www.imdb.com/title/tt4508672/
     
  17. Zeki

    Zeki Forum Resident

    Oh! :D Oops
     
  18. Martyj

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

    Location:
    Maryland, USA
    "...the King is Dead, rock is done..."

    I would be remiss to let today pass without sharing my Elvis-The-King-is-Dead story.

    In the summer of 1977 I was a teenager bagging popcorn, taking tickets, and sweeping the lobby at The Eastwood Theatre in Indianapolis, Indiana. The year before this independently owned, single screen theatre with 700 seats had out-bid all the major chains in the city—as well as the surrounding Central Indiana market—for exclusive rights for an upcoming film that the chains, apparently, felt had limited appeal. The movie? Star Wars.

    A year later this release was re-defining “blockbuster.” Even more so at the Eastwood since for the first 8 weeks of release our 700 seat theatre was the only place in central Indiana where the pop-culture movie event of the summer could be seen. People drove in from miles. The Ohio and Illinois borders, even. Every showing was a sell out. As soon as one screening was let in, the lines formed—three hours in advance—for the next one. The line was steady the entire day through five showings. The lobby and parking lot took on a sort of rock concert madness, with kids getting excited, rowdy, getting stoned, blaring rock music on the radio, trashing the place with carry out food, etc. Cars would be broken into, fights would break out. The occasional drug-related freak out. Theatre management hired security to patrol the area and keep things in order. Usually 2 or 3 a shift. Maybe more on weekend nights. This was unprecedented for an Indianapolis movie theatre. In my lifetime, at least. But it was nice to feel a bit safer with the guards around.

    By mid-summer our exclusive rights expired. The chains were now allowed to show Star Wars too, so the crowds at the Eastwood starting slacking off. The hired security detail was relaxed. Among the guards was a full time motorcycle cop who moonlit as a security guard. He was one of those tough-guy, cocky, sure-of-himself, strutting self-styled bad assess who thought because he rode a motorcycle for a living he surely must impress everyone. He had developed a crush on one of the girls in the concession, so he continued coming around. On his off days he would loiter in the lobby. He was at least 10, maybe 15 years older than us teens working the place, and projected this attitude of “you people are just kids, but I’m an adult.” This blow-hard would tell some tales (true or not) that highlighted his worldly experience of Vietnam service, subduing law-breakers, success with women, etc. If nothing else, it was important to him for us to think of him as a Man’s-Man.

    One afternoon mid-August I show up to start my shift and this Man’s-Man is curled on bench, sobbing like a baby, shoulders heaving, uncontrollable tears, as a few of my co-workers comforted him.

    “What’s going on?” I asked.

    “Didn’t you hear?” a co-worker replied. “Elvis Presley died.”

    Between wails this guy keep repeating “He was the reason I ride a motorcycle. He was the reason I became a cop….”

    I always think of this guy when I hear “Rock n’ Roll Fantasy.” …The King is Dead… Indeed!

    Dan the Fan has nothing on this guy.
     
  19. ajsmith

    ajsmith Senior Member

    Location:
    Glasgow
  20. ThereOnceWasANote

    ThereOnceWasANote Forum Resident

    Location:
    Cape May, NJ

    Glad to have found it! Hay Fever seemed to have some kind of high regard from Ray. I imagine they performed other Misfits tracks on the program (not shown in this video) but its inclusion is interesting since it wasn't a single or anything.
     
  21. the real pope ondine

    the real pope ondine Forum Resident

    Location:
    usa
    i see why they like to play Hay Fever, it rocks live (still dumb) i like the unplugged Lola, Waterloo... bg vocals a little wobbly

    Rock and Roll Fantasy. The title is a bit of a cliche but the song ends up being a cool message to the fans....and his band/himself? Ray allowing himself to be mocked for his sincerity when most rock stars of his caliber were acting too cool for school. I see it as kind of a companion piece to Misfits. also my name is Dan so always a plus to be name-checked in a song! it's been a while since 'Daniel, my brother...."
     
  22. Martyj

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

    Location:
    Maryland, USA
    This one line always bugged me about this song. "Dan" and "Fan" is straight out of something that might be titled: Babies' First Book of Rhymes. To think Ray would once name protagonists Terry and Julie and not give a moments thought on whether either word rhymed with anything else in the song.
     
  23. Fischman

    Fischman RockMonster, ClassicalMaster, and JazzMeister

    Location:
    New Mexico
    The line always appealed to me. Even though it's the simplest of rhymes, "Dan" and "fan" aren't the end of lines in the verse. Having them so close together at the beginning of the line gives the verse some initial flow which then evolves into the more complex rhyming pattern of the rest of the verse. Works perfectly for me.
     
  24. markelis

    markelis Forum Resident

    Location:
    Miami Beach FL
    Love them both. The Kinks song edging out the Bad Co. tune by a bit though in my estimation. People seem to take a dim view of Desolation Angels but I find a lot on there to recommend it. I always liked Gone Gone Gone, and the line “gotta get myself a maid, gonna take her on a cruise”!
     
  25. Luckless Pedestrian

    Luckless Pedestrian Forum Resident

    Location:
    New Hampshire, USA
    Agreed and consider the context: the music Dan listens to is a balm for the difficulties and complexities of life; something complicated like “Cornelius has supported us …” wouldn’t make sense at all - The same goes for the ascending chord sequence that accompanies this lyric, it’s not lazy, it’s simple and soothing and appropriate to the emotional context of the song at this moment. IMO.
     

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