The Kinks - Album by Album (song by song)

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

  1. ajsmith

    ajsmith Senior Member

    Location:
    Glasgow
    It went to #41 in the US, so kind of? I'm assuming that means it must have been significantly bigger in certain US territories.
     
  2. Fortuleo

    Fortuleo Used to be a Forum Resident

    You've got to be in awe with the Japanese way of handling pop culture. Even more than in awe, jealous !

    Now the song. The other biggie, after Catch Me Now I’m Falling, and one that always casted a shadow on the whole record, making me (and a lot of us who were too young to be already kinked at the time of release) unfairly scorn the LP when we were introduced to it years later. I mean, when we’re first exposed to the history of rock’n roll, they don’t teach us to love disco tunes by older acts, do they? Miss You usually gets a pass (even though Emotional Rescue is arguably better). McCartney always gets destroyed for the likes of Goodnight Tonight. Victim of Love (1979 too) is the one seventies Elton LP that is routinely victim of hate. And while the Bee Gees are obviously another conversation altogether (see below), let’s not even talk about the Here Comes the Night remake, a debacle that would ruin the wonderful Light Album by the Beach Boys (also 1979) if it was not so easy to skip (as the first song on side 2, you can start just after it with the aching Baby Blue, and never bother with it in your life).
    Anyway, the Kinks disco (or club) hit on the big arena commercial LP, I was almost programmed to snub it, and so I did. Listening this morning, I can hear it’s an excellent track, and a good pop (even rock) song in disguise. The guitar is great, with little Come Together licks, the bass track is excellent, like Peter Gunn reimagined on a different flow and beat (the opening Blondie Heart of Glass thing is impossible to miss, too). Ray sings good, the lyrics are excellent ("I'd like to fly but I can’t even swim") and the "woke up this morning" old blues gimmick is a lot of fun (made me think of the Sopranos title sequence, as it resonates with the depression theme, too). I don't think I agree with the "robotic" non-swinging theory @Mark offered. I’ve learnt recently that Stayin' Alive (amusing nod here), Night Fever and More than a Woman were all set to the same drum loop, created while drummer Dennis Bryon was by his dying mother’s side. They created the loop from some stuff he’d laid down before going away, and the groove was so insanely irresistible (and impossible to reproduce) that the Bee Gees used it on not one, not two, but THREE mega-hits (some say it’s also the same loop on Barbra Streisand’s Woman in Love, but I’m not so sure about that). It's a loop, with no hats, and it is swinging like crazy, not robotic at all, it just propels you to get up and dance no matter what… which is not the case here. Great as he is, Mick Avory can’t reproduce that miracle. I wish I'd love Superman more, but I can’t really dance to it… I suspect we’ll get some divide among us about this track, and that divide will probably draw a line between those of us who experienced it as a radio Hit, and those of us who didn’t. Whatever a Hit does to your brain, the way it almost becomes almost ingrained in your DNA, that's something you just can’t generate after the fact. Nevertheless, I now appreciate it more than ever, though I still think the best dancing song on the LP is the other side's closer…
     
  3. Rockford & Roll

    Rockford & Roll Forum Resident

    Location:
    Midway, KY
    Perfect! I never had a Firebird but I've owned a few Camaros. My current work vehicle is a Subaru - not as wicked as Jim's Firebird but a really great turning radius and a lot of pep. Thanks for that great Rockford find! Oh, and I do expect somebody to mention Mike Post Theme by The Who.
     
  4. mark winstanley

    mark winstanley Certified dinosaur, who likes physical product Thread Starter

    Interesting.
    I don't find the Bee Gees tracks to be without swing.... I mean Stayin' Alive is a fantastic groove, and almost impossible to avoid some form of dancing response...
    I never noticed that it didn't have hats to be honest.
    I actually like disco. I know it is supposed to be bad for a rock pig to like disco.... but there you have it lol
     
  5. ajsmith

    ajsmith Senior Member

    Location:
    Glasgow
    Ok, here is my April Fool's day 'gift' to the thread.

    [​IMG]

    in 2007, an New York based musician John Dunbar(formerly of the group A Confederacy of Dunces) released an entire album of Rutles style pastiches of The Kinks under the name The Kunks! (I believe there was an EP a few years earlier under the name The Konks but he changed the name up one vowel in the alphabet, possibly to avoid confusion with The Kinks studio).

    Now, before you dive into these 15 tracks, I believe I should flag up some differences between this project and The Rutles to help manage expectations: that is to say: the members of The Rutles were (near) peers of The Beatles both chronologically and geographically , and were a full functional band recording on pro equipment. Also they had Neil Innes writing their songs, who was... well, Neil Innes. The Kunks, meanwhile, were one younger enthusiastic Kink obsessive New Yorker recording everything himself in a home studio or similar, so the results aren't up there with Rutles Tier stuff. But it is a very interesting exercise of definite interest to Kinks fans: I'd be interested to see what everyone thinks, and I hope Mark will forgive me for using todays date to cram in a Kunks song-by song today.
     
  6. ajsmith

    ajsmith Senior Member

    Location:
    Glasgow
    The Kunks
    [​IMG] [​IMG]
    [​IMG]
    Release info:
    Produced by: Tal Shelmy
    Release date: Oct 2007
    Record label & catalog #: Heartpunch HP 837101395397
    Country: USA
    Format: CD
    Release type: Tribute album
    Description/Notes: A Rutles-like parody of the Kinks

    Tracks:
    1. I've Got Nothing
    2. The Bad Times Are Coming
    3. Life In Order
    4. Mr. Trendy
    5. Beautiful Spring Day
    6. The Only Things We Can Afford
    7. Charlie Watts
    8. The Olde Fashioned Values Committee
    9. Archie
    10. Leslie
    11. A Fair Lady
    12. Sleeping Fits
    13. Aquaman
    14. The Next Day
    15. At The Picture Show (live)
     
  7. ajsmith

    ajsmith Senior Member

    Location:
    Glasgow
    Kinks biography:

    The Kunks were formed in the sleepy little UK town of Swell Mum Hill by brothers Dae and Nite Ravens and childhood friend Pat Quaint; drummer Nick Avarice joined in the middle of their first recording session when their original drummer, Henry Bobbit, was kicked out of the British Federation of Musicians for cutting off the president of orginization on the M4 en route to the studio. Their career spanned four decades but they were constantly overshadowed by the legendary Rutles. While Rutlemania swept the world, The Kunks continually put out solid albums and built up a cult following that started a tradition of throwing paper cups on stage with song requests written inside them.

    After a string of unsuccessful singles, The Kunks finally broke through with the song I’ve Got Nothing, a song written by Dae after losing his girlfriend to Stig O’Hara of The Rutles, hence the lyric,” He’s in a money making band, And he’s the one who holds your hand and I’ve got nothing.” The song is often covered to this day: Swedish rock god Hans Valen’s version of the song is often mistaken for being the original.

    They built a reputation as consistent hit-makers. The most popular ones, Mr. Trendy, Beautiful Spring Day & The Bad Times Are Coming are all included on this compilation CD. They were soon respected for their string of, now considered, classic albums; Kunkthing Else, The Olde Fasioned Values Committee, Archie and Swell Mum Hill Follies.

    In the 70’s they gained a bad reputation for entering the world of concept albums a little too enthusiastically. Although the albums Scubas In Disgrace, Sleeping Fits and Fit Miss, among others, were dismissed by fans and critics alike, you could still find a Dae Ravens gem or 2 hidden inside those ambitious efforts.

    Their later records were amongst the biggest sellers of their career, but they lost some of their dedicated cult following. Later albums, No Budget, Give The Pupils What They Want and State of Connecticut gave them a new fanbase that only knew them from the hits off those albums-Aquaman, The Next Day and At The Picture Show are represented on this disc. The legendary strained relationship between brothers Dae and Nite finally led to the disbanding of The Kunks in the 90’s. Diehard fans keep hoping the rumors that pop up every couple of years about a reunion tour will one day become true.
     
  8. ajsmith

    ajsmith Senior Member

    Location:
    Glasgow
    I've Got Nothing

    The 'You Really Got Me' pastiche

     
  9. ajsmith

    ajsmith Senior Member

    Location:
    Glasgow
    The Bad Times Are Coming

    their take on 'Where Have All The Good Times Gone'

     
  10. ajsmith

    ajsmith Senior Member

    Location:
    Glasgow
    Life In Order

    AKA Well Respected Man

     
  11. ajsmith

    ajsmith Senior Member

    Location:
    Glasgow
    Mr Trendy: 'Dedicated Follower' with a dash of 'Dandy'. For my money, this is the most successful Kunks track, in that it actually sounds like a song in it's own right.

     
  12. mark winstanley

    mark winstanley Certified dinosaur, who likes physical product Thread Starter

    That album cover is pretty funny :)
     
  13. ajsmith

    ajsmith Senior Member

    Location:
    Glasgow
    Beautiful Spring Day/Sunny Afternoon

     
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  14. mark winstanley

    mark winstanley Certified dinosaur, who likes physical product Thread Starter

    I like the way they turn the beat upside down, but manage to make the song reflect the original
     
  15. stewedandkeefed

    stewedandkeefed Came Ashore In The Dead Of The Night

    "Superman" - a pretty catchy song which has some elements of disco music. Of course, reactionary rock n roll fans were ready to yell "disco sucks". But just as punk worked its way into the music in the late 1970s, so did disco. "Superman" is much better than, say, "Do Ya Think I'm Sexy" in my view but I can see why some died in the wool Kinks fans may have been a little shocked at the time of release. Disco music is just dance music and I don't really have a problem with that. The soundtrack to Saturday Night Fever has some killer tracks on it. "Superman" is light fluff - I don't think it is meant to be taken too seriously. The Kinks became more popular around this time and this song was one of the reasons. It isn't one of my faves but I don't cringe when I hear it. It was also a regular set list inclusion at the time and was a fun part of the show.
     
  16. ajsmith

    ajsmith Senior Member

    Location:
    Glasgow
    The Only Things We Can Afford/Dead End Street

     
  17. ajsmith

    ajsmith Senior Member

    Location:
    Glasgow
    Charlie Watts/ David Watts

     
  18. ajsmith

    ajsmith Senior Member

    Location:
    Glasgow
    The Olde Fashioned Values Committee.. I'm sure you can guess

     
  19. ajsmith

    ajsmith Senior Member

    Location:
    Glasgow
    Archie/Arthur

     
    All Down The Line, DISKOJOE and Zeki like this.
  20. Michael Streett

    Michael Streett Senior Member

    Location:
    Florence, SC
    Just sorting these versions out. :)

    This is the full length track released as a 12” single and a bonus track on the 1998 Velvel Low Budget CD reissue.
     
  21. Michael Streett

    Michael Streett Senior Member

    Location:
    Florence, SC
    Yes, the 7” single but also the album version, edited from the long version. Same mix though.
     
  22. Michael Streett

    Michael Streett Senior Member

    Location:
    Florence, SC
    This is a fan created version, not a real official release by the Kinks.
     
  23. ajsmith

    ajsmith Senior Member

    Location:
    Glasgow
  24. ajsmith

    ajsmith Senior Member

    Location:
    Glasgow
    A Fair Lady.. I think this is meant to be a take on 'Oklahoma USA'?

     
  25. ajsmith

    ajsmith Senior Member

    Location:
    Glasgow
    Sleeping Fits/Sleepwalker:

     

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