Low Budget - I haven't read all the comments but I'll throw in mine while I have a few minutes. This is a good observation; I recently figured out that it's Dave's guitar tone in rock mode that makes this era appealing to me (despite my respect for his talent, I never got into Eddie Van Halen's guitar sound, for instance). As for the album, I remember hearing “(Wish I Could Fly Like) Superman” on the radio back in the day and being disappointed, if not dismayed, that the Kinks had resorted to doing a disco song, and never really listened to it, or to the album. Until recently, I was familiar with 7 of the 11 songs from live versions or compilations. Recently I started sampling the album via streaming, and one morning I found “In a Space” going through my head while lying in bed, so I decided to buy the CD (it's always nice to have the lyrics handy). I will give it a couple more listens, but I'm not sure it will ultimately cross the 50% "keeper" mark. Some of the songs fare better live but go on too long (or feel too long) here. The cover: Not a favorite, but I suppose it conveys the gritty feeling of the album. According to Ray in Americana, the cover concept was his and it was used over Clive Davis' objections to the album title, so Ray gets full credit/blame.
That lovable chrome dome, Clive Davis of Arista, has just signed the Kinks to a worldwide recording contract. Creem - September 1976 Music business Godfather and Arista President Clive “If It Hadn’t Been For Me, Ringo Would Never Have Done It” Davis made Lou Reed an offer he couldn’t refuse and the Megavitamin Kid is now officially signed to Arista. Creem - October 1976
Yes, I concur! Funny as hell, but also pretty nasty...or truthful...depending on where you stand. "cockroach in the spaghetti" "Kinda Kinks is kinda lousy" "And Ray has even let his hair grow long, and only four years too late" What a b!tch! LOL But I respect the humor. Even if I don't always agree, the writer has my attention!
Yes, much appreciated! It's shorter than I remember, but every time I bought a concept album from the bargain bin, I pulled it out to compare notes (sometimes agreeing, other times vehemently disagreeing). Creem, and their wise-ass attitude, was integral to my late 70s musical development.
Low Budget. where to start? Let’s start with the cons. The songwriting lacks subtlety. Some may like the more direct approach. Me? Not so much. We also get a pseudo disco tune and a direct rip of a Jagger-Richards (Wyman?) riff. The melodies aren’t that strong for the most part. Musically it has its moments but for me it’s not as strong as what came before and what was coming. on the other hand the band is rocking out and playing with conviction. This should have appealed to teenage me at time, given my hard rock - ZEP, Aerosmith, AC/DC, NWOBHM - leanings at the time. But the album never really clicked with me. We’ll see if I feel better about it as we go through day by day.
For those Familiar with Lou Reed, or the seventies, or whatever this relates to .... What is "est" please?
I totally agree with this. The first time I heard the album I was literally shocked at how shouty Ray was in some songs. I struggled to get past that to hear the songs.
As a 60s/70s guy, I think you must mean this, tho I’m not sure if Lou Reed was into it: Erhard Seminars Training - Wikipedia
As an era, or the Kinks leaning further into their arena rock era, I have no issues. It was working, especially live. However, the Low Budget album itself is a sort of middling affair for me. I love only one song, and truly dislike only one song. The one I love is Low Bridget itself. Yeah, it’s blues rock, but Ray and Dave have so much swagger. It’s not like just anyone can pull this off. It’s Stonesish but it’s another major rock and roll band from the pantheon with a star vocalist and his star sidekick guitarist doing it, and quite well. Christgau says that Ray “shores up sloppy burlesques like the title cut just by trying harder”. Cool. And the lyrics are witty and musical. The one I dislike is Catch Me Now I’m Falling. I don’t know if it’s actual pandering to the FM playlists, but the marriage of direct political lyrics with the JJF riff does seem crass and less a song than fodder. All the other tracks fall somewhere in the middle for me. Superman, which is an obvious commercial ploy, is still a bit Kinksish. Pressure presages the even more “shouty” next album in terms of Ray’s vocals, but makes a certain sense. It’s like the flip side of songs on Muswell Hillbillies, where Ray’s character is trying to cool out from city life but his manner has already been sedated. On Low Budget, he’s in mid-rant.
The shouty Ray thing is interesting.... I think there is less of it than people think. The opener starts with a burst of shouty Ray, but the majority of the song isn't. Personally I prefer shouty Ray to warbley Ray lol.... but the thing is, for me, it is the variety that makes it cool. Textures across a catalog are generally(there are exceptions to the rule) high on the importance list for me, otherwise I get bored with it.
“Preservation Act 1 reissued as Pickwick…Now there’s a desperate label.” “Preservation Act 2 makes Quadrophenia look like an exercise in restraint. Fortunately, this LP is a cut-out and don’t anyone tell Pickwick.” “Soap Opera…This album is so bad that if it were a baseball player it would be Pumpsie Green. You can’t buy it. You don’t want to buy it.” Now I gotta see who Pumpsie Green is!
I must hand a polished apple to our headmaster for reminding us (me) that the Low Budget Kinks are still kwirky. Low Budget has quirks. The Kinks cannot make an album without them, though for me Think Visual comes close to being quirkless. But all quirks are not created equally. I brought Low Budget home on a snowy night in December of 1985. For some reason this was one of the last albums in their back catalogue that I acquired which is odd as they could easily be found. This one I bought at the PathMark where I worked as a teen; my first job other than delivering newspapers. My diaries do not record my initial thoughts, though since I probably knew half the songs from airplay this wasn’t a stop-the-world first listen. Back then I’m sure I liked Catch me now I’m Falling more than I do now. On the other side, Moving Pictures has gone from being so-so to one of my favorites; to me the most modern sounding track by far. The only thing I can say about Misery, hated now and hated then, is that it was aptly titled. I think Low Budget may even be better lyrically than the last couple albums which is something I’ve never felt until listening to all these songs chronologically. These lyrics are wry, cohesive, and timely (then, and maybe now, too). I don’t have a problem, as do some, with the Kinks rocking out, that was the way they began. It the type of rocking they do, or rather, attempt here. For me the tempos are wrong, it sounds like thirty somethings playing, not the Clash or Ramones. This will be rectified on Give the People What they Want (tempos that is). And get a Phil Ramone in or a Chris Thomas on the mixing board, pretty please. One memory, a regret, surfaced as I type. Every so often Low Budget (the song) would be played over the airwaves on WNEW and if Mom was around, usually in the kitchen, I would serenade her and mock, ‘They’re playing your song.’ Nice kid, huh? She was always buying no-frills products (at my PathMark) and trying to make ends meet. I get glassy-eyed thinking about it now, the insouciance; and also how well those meals were prepared.
Yesterday I felt there was more of that vocal style than I thought. How much it bothers me has to do with my mood and where I listen to the album. I have no problem with plenty of shouting vocals, but I don’t think Ray does it well. It sounds forced and not natural. He has such a great voice and has tried many styles. This one just doesn’t work for me. Warble Ray produced some of my favorite Kinks songs like “Moments”. I hear a big difference in his vocal approach from this point on. He still has his “Moments” but they are few and far in between.
I couldn’t disagree more about his reviews on the Preservation and Soap Opera albums. He probably loves these records now.
Yea, I still like Catch Me Now I'm Falling, but the studio version is too slow. Thankfully One For The Road fixes that
I was just picking out some of what I thought was humorous. Too much effort to pluck the good stuff from the entire piece. Soap Opera? Hmm…it has Ducks On the Wall, so that’s good.
As soon as I noticed his negative opinions on those albums I quit reading. Soap Opera is still clear in the rear view mirror and I am already thinking of turning around and going back. The best of the albums are behind me, but I’ll keep moving forward!
It's in a Lou lyric from his Woody Allen period. "She likes Truman Capote, he likes Gore Vidal He likes Edgar Allan Poe, she's into Mean Joe Greene She thinks eating meat's disgusting, he likes hot dogs She's into gestalt therapy While est and the rest just make him ill"
I don’t get upset by it. Instead, I find it an interesting snapshot of, what, 40 years ago? Plus he rattles off album sales figures, mentions whether it’s available or not, etc. And he’s hilarious. (I’m with you on your last sentence.)
