Pressure I had forgotten about the brief Chuck Berry type opening! I always liked this song a lot. It rocks in good old fashioned Kinks style, with some new wave/punk energy, and a bit of Beach Boys thrown into the mix! When I bought the album I expected this would be the 2nd single and it would be a hit. It wasn't, but it still ranks among my favorite songs on this excellent album.
I like UK Jive! Well, maybe not the title track so much, and Dear Margaret wasn't exactly wonderful, but come on, Now And Then is rather splendid, as well as the aforementioned Looney Balloon...but I'm jumping ahead....
First off, kudos to Avid The late man for giving a "French cut" to "Catch Me Now I'm Falling". It does sound a bit tighter. I can imagine Ray doing a solo acoustic version of this in the Twin Towers benefit concert. As for "Pressure", it seems that my fellow Avids are kinda split on its merits. Either it's a nice stripped down rocker quoting some of the greats (Chuck Berry, the Beach Boys) or an embarrisingly bad attempt by the Kinks to emulate the "edgy" sounds of punk/new wave. I'm going w/the former. It's a nice, short, sharp song w/a bit of Ramones in it and if you think like I think that the Ramones are the Bizarro Beach Boys, then it comes full circle. The Buzzcocks comparisons are not too much off the mark and I'll add another such group, the Undertones, who just started up around this time. Finally, our esteemed Headmaster is puzzled why Status Quo hasn't been mentioned in this discussion. It's because most of us Stateside Avids have only heard of them, if at all, for "Pictures of Matchstick Men" instead of their subsequent denim clad, hair tossing boogie which made them popular in the UK.
I know ‘Pictures…’ but never knew whose song it was. My first (aware) exposure to Status Quo was Live Aid. And I thought they were great. I have no idea who the Buzzcocks are so just played two songs at the top of Apple’s list. Hmm, I don’t hear similarities with ‘Pressure’ at all. But I’m probably not listening to the correct song.
They don't sound anything like "Pressure". In my opinion. I mean, the Buzzcocks would never have played anything within a million miles of Chuck Berry, for a start
This is definitely true. I had assumed they were just a one-wonder but was surprised to later learn they have a number of international hits and an active career longer than the Kinks. Just by happenstance a couple of tracks of theirs have found their way onto my computer as downloads from larger compilations. I need to investigate them more because I like what I hear so far. Mark is right. I can hear them in Pressure, "Down, Down" being the one I'm most familiar with.
For a Status Quo comparison.... 1974, punk is not really anywhere to be seen on the landscape. In your mind, substitute the somewhat clean chordal opening for the Chuck Berry riff. Ignore the little Boogie opening for a moment, but when the band kicks in take note, that we have an uptempo rock song. Also take note of the staggered chord rhythm in the change. It isn't the same, but the idea is. It's just that Ray used that rhythmic change as the chorus. Same kind of tempo, same kind of feel, same kind of song. The only reason punk is being mentioned, so far as I can tell, is it is 1979, and it seems to be a prerequisite to mention punk when talking about anything released after 1976. This isn't old guys trying to play punk, this is a rock and roll band playing rock and roll, like they have done since 1964.
Pressure The intro is fun. The verses are pure Kinks. The chorus, as I think others have said, as "punk-style energy". But it doesn't seem punk to me. Just a hard-driving rock song. But it doesn't sound like a young guy singing with intensity. It sounds like an older guy, and perhaps that is part of the issue people have... It *sounds* like an older guy trying to sound like he's trying to be one of the kids still? Maybe? During the 2nd run-through of the chorus (which is only 0:53 into the song!), I really like the suddenly high bass part int he 2nd half of the chorus (at 1:00). I don't think Rodford does that again in the song. It makes that 2nd chorus stand out to me. He has a lot of other good runs and bass parts throughout the song though. Regarding the Chuck Berry/"60s surf rock" bits and pieces, even in 1979 Ray can't quite stop with the earlier musical references (not going to say "pastiches"). Also, Dave kicks butt in this song, crunching away with the occasional lead lick. And these claps sound better than the ones on Attitude.
Not for me. I’m referring to the “Pressure! Pressure! Pressure!” vocal. It’s just that bit that sounds punk to my punk-layman ears. Then, as my brief description notes, it goes into that early 60s Beach Boy rock and roll.
Stop the presses! This would’ve slotted perfectly between Lester Bangs and John Kordosh write-ups in Creem magazine’s salad days.
Pressure In the past, suffering from pressure, our eternally stricken protagonist might have gone to the local head shrinker, or a fake dietician, or a doctor who'd prescribe a change of hairstyle. But in this case, all he needs to do is get near the one he loves, and the ailment goes away. Cute. Here's a thought: If Gilbert & Sullivan heard Holiday Romance, they'd say it was a very sloppy, ultra-weird imitation of light opera. If the Big Bopper heard The First Time We Fall in Love, he'd probably recognize bits and pieces, but other parts would be totally baffling. & the Bachman brothers/Fred Turner might air guitar along with the opening of Live Life, until the part about fascists and left wing militants kicked in. Ray/the Kinks seem to just grab elements of various genres, put them in a blender, throw in one or two of their eternal preoccupations (misfits, memories, modern life), and chop finely until liquified. As for the shouting/barking after the Chuck Berry riff, I don't hear Buzzcocks (man if you don't know these guys, give them a listen) so much as a bit of Ramones -- "hey, ho, let's go" or "gabba gabba we accept you we accept you one of us." Which, yeah, why not see if that effectively conveys the concept of PRESSURE, regardless of whether it's cutting edge, old hat, or something in between? And then toss that tactic in the bin, rewind 15 years to do a vintage Beach Boys thing, and -- yeah -- make the whole song about the human condition in the 20th century. That's the Kinks for you. Side note: When @mark winstanley mentioned "ooooo-eeee-ooooo" backing vocals, I thought of how Everclear do a sort of reverse of Pressure on So Much for the Afterglow, starting out with Beach Boysesque harmonies and transitioning into a heavy pop-punk groove:
Catching up: Attitude – The album blasts off with an energetic rocker and Dave is unleashed again. They’ve arrived at their arena destination, to the dismay of some fans but not me. This is of course best heard in a live version, as it was intended. Ray is giving advice to someone...maybe himself? Catch Me Now I’m Falling –Ray brazenly steals from the Stones, and I’m surprised that (if I’m not mistaken) only Avid @Endicott mentioned the similarity to “You Keep Me Hangin’ On” on the bridge. Despite the obvious thefts, it starts off well but goes on so long, with so many repetitions of the title, that by the end its status has changed from “definite playlist” to “I don’t want to hear this again for a while.” @The late man’s edit is quite good but I find myself missing the JJF riff now. When I listen to this again, I’ll stick to the live version (which is shorter than the album version). Pressure – The Kinks do punkish* new wave and it’s all right with me. The verse melody reminds me of some 60s song, maybe “The New Girl in School” by Jan and Dean? The lyrics aren't particularly ambitious, and Ray somewhat unconvincingly turns his stress into an appreciation for (presumably) his love interest. But at under two and a half minutes, it’s a likeable fast, tight, catchy rock song. And on One for the Road it’s trimmed down to a minute and a half, just like a good punk song! *There’s been a lot of discussion about what is or isn’t punk. I was never interested in it, but my impression from college radio was that it consisted of yelling or screaming (melodies optional) over overdriven guitars thrashed in driving eighth notes at a very fast tempo for no more than 3 minutes (and preferably closer to 2 minutes). So by my definition, “Pressure” is not a representative of the genre but has some elements that are reminiscent. EDIT: And @Martyj, while I don't share your opinion of "Pressure," your post was masterful!
What, are the philistines slandering another of my favorites?! And I suppose is Pressure is just a "lazy pastiche" ... Tut, Tut, Tut !
I feel like I'm under pressure to write something that hasn't already been said this morning, so I will just pull a few quotes and briefly respond. I agree. I never liked that part, but the more I listen, I am starting to actually enjoy it. This is definitely just a dose of good old rock n roll with a slightly more aggressive tempo and delivery. The Ramones never set out to be a punk band. They thought of themselves as a rock n roll band. I can hear how this song falls into that same category. I listened to the Status Quo song and I have to say I hear more Ramones in this song than that one. Status Quo has the Chuck Berry thing down, but it's lacking the punk energy, which I believe The Kinks song has. I can hear it having similarities to all of these comparisons, including Billy Joel, because "It's Still Rock and Roll To Me". I think The Kinks are successful with this song. It would likely appeal to some fans of punk as well as fans of their 60s material. I can hear Joey Ramone singing lead on this melody. I'm surprised The Ramones never did a Kinks cover. I vaguely remember reading that they were considering "Set Me Free" for their Acid Eaters album of 60s covers.
Attitude He might be under pressure, but he’s got a girl to keep warm, and to keep him sane. He doesn’t have money or his publishing rights, but he’s got his girl so he’s alright. This is a song I might’ve chanced to skip now and again if it wasn’t already so brief. It always seemed to slip through the cracks for me, which is an odd thing to say about the number three hitter on your team. The third track used to be a key position on albums, so maybe Ray really was that keen on it, but for me it’s a lightweight on this collection. I do, however, enjoy the even shorter live version. The handclaps are much improved (a backhanded compliment?) and Ray’s rhythm guitar throughout the song is neat. I don’t care for Ray’s loutish, as Johnny Rogan was fond of calling it, delivery of the chorus. Lout-y Ray? I do like this album, but I guess what frustrates me is there seems to be a some bad carpentry within. Ray is often said to be a perfectionist but I don’t hear that in his production techniques. I remember reading about how Ric Ocasek would slave over those seamless Cars albums and wish we could get some of that at Konk, or in this case Power Station. Maybe that’s part of the Kinks charm, but I think there’s room enough in the mix for charm and precision.
Pressure: There are a lot of great songs about pressure. Pressure Drop by Toots and the Maytals (and the many covers thereof, including those by The Clash, Izzy Stradlin, and Keith Richards among many others), Pressure by Queen/Bowie, and Pressure and Time by Rival Sons (check it out if you don’t know them, great stuff) to name just a few. During law school, I made a mixed tape with lots of songs about pressure. I thought it was pretty intense at the time (little did I know, “those school days would be the happiest days of my life”). Pressure by the Kinks was on there too. …twice! It’s short, it’s fast, it’s melodic. I love the way it switches back-and-forth between the fast, chuck berry style riffing, shouty/punky choruses (I dispute these terms but will use them anyway) and the “gentlerly” (newly invested word) sung but still fast verses. It’s a keeper for sure. I am definitely feeling pressurized! ..and that’s a fact! edit: good call above on the Billy Joel song, that was on my pressurized mix tape too, I just failed to mention it. …and I like the selector’s pressure song too! Glad I am out of law school so I don’t have to remake the tape to add that one!
Fwiw the album version is in B Major and the pressure chords are E C# E C# The chord files on kindakinks.net are often wildly off target I’ve noticed.
Not only that, but Google the song chords on the web and every site comes back with the A G thing. Very strange. Thank you for checking this and posting. After reading some posts, I grabbed my guitar this morning and hit an A chord on the first Pressure and of course that was way off the mark. Like you say, it's E C# E C# E C# E F# B. I then Googled this song and saw what I referred to above so it's a headscratcher why all those sites have this so wrong. They're not even in the same interval. I started to post this myself earlier, but I thought I better not .
