The Kinks - Album by Album (song by song)

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

  1. pyrrhicvictory

    pyrrhicvictory Forum Resident

    Location:
    Manhattan
    The Smithereens are massive Kinks fans (fanatics, even). I remember twice running into them in the Beacon Theatre lobby before Kinks shows. Very nice Jersey guys. In the 70’s, Jim, Dennis, and Mike would hang at hotels where the Kinks were staying in New York to meet them. Dennis, who went on to play drums for Dave, was such a big fan that when I sidled up to him before an early Ray solo show, he was clutching his Kinks scrapbook, which he happily shared with me. That compilation cd is great but I would also recommend Green Thoughts, 11, and Blow Up, great albums all.
     
  2. Same here. But in my case, all, not most.
     
  3. palisantrancho

    palisantrancho Forum Resident

    "Hidden Quality"

    This is fantastic. I could easily replace it with over half of the songs on Low Budget. It's clearly still in a demo stage with the vocals too low in the mix. I have no idea why they would have ditched all of these bonus songs. Maybe they are too much in a different style than what ended up on Low Budget? I wish they would have went more in this type of direction in the 80s. As mentioned already, it sounds like some 80s band who loved 60s Kinks. The Smithereens are a good comparison, and so are many bands that also made their way onto the excellent Children of Nuggets box set. I love those first three Smithereens albums, but they lost me after that. One of the first vinyl records I purchased with my own money was a Smithereens album.

    Great rhythm guitar and vocal by Ray! It turns out we have another hidden classic. "Underneath this poverty, she knows I've got hidden quality." I love it!
     
  4. the real pope ondine

    the real pope ondine Forum Resident

    Location:
    usa
    I should mention I wasn't really here for the Preservation II/Soap Opera albums so maybe they're better thank I remember (my teen ears gave them cursory listens and tossed aside to play the prime stuff over and over)

    Hidden Quality: this is a gem. Love the demo sound, the chiming guitars. maybe they should've made Low Budget with this sound....fits the title. It rocks
     
  5. palisantrancho

    palisantrancho Forum Resident

    Nice one! I just tried to photoshop The Kinks logo on the Duke album cover. I'm sure someone here could do a better job than I did. Anyone want to give it a try?
     
    Last edited: Apr 9, 2022
  6. palisantrancho

    palisantrancho Forum Resident

  7. Whoroger89

    Whoroger89 Forum Resident

    I love Low Budget I can't wait to get to Give the People What They Want, my favorite Kinks album
     
  8. Brian x

    Brian x the beautiful ones are not yet born

    Location:
    Los Angeles
    Woah, Hidden Quality is great. They owned this sound, & at this point bands like the Romantics were covering their power pop songs of yore; I join others in wondering why they didn't go in this direction for an LP or two, or at least for a track or two per LP.
     
  9. ThereOnceWasANote

    ThereOnceWasANote Forum Resident

    Location:
    Cape May, NJ
    I feel they did on parts of Word of Mouth and especially side 2 of Think Visual.
     
  10. ThereOnceWasANote

    ThereOnceWasANote Forum Resident

    Location:
    Cape May, NJ
    Especially For You is a great album too.
     
  11. Brian x

    Brian x the beautiful ones are not yet born

    Location:
    Los Angeles
    don't know those LPs; looking forward to hearing....
     
  12. ARL

    ARL Forum Resident

    Location:
    England
    Absolutely on Think Visual.
     
  13. Vangro

    Vangro Forum Resident

    Location:
    London
    Absolutely, but Shouty Ray was knockin' them dead in the US so why bother?
     
  14. All Down The Line

    All Down The Line The Under Asst East Coast White Label Promo Man

    Location:
    Australia
    Hidden Quality

    A good call from @mark winstanley on the Sunnyboys which for me is with the chordal structure and strummed accents.
    The slowed parts with backing vocals sound very 60's to me though in a good way so overall I like where Ray was going with this though it needed plenty more work.
     
  15. ThereOnceWasANote

    ThereOnceWasANote Forum Resident

    Location:
    Cape May, NJ
    I find them to be really enjoyable albums.
     
  16. Michael Streett

    Michael Streett Senior Member

    Location:
    Florence, SC
    Since it's a quiet period here on a Sunday break, I'll post that early withdrawn Superman mix that me and poster Boom Operator were talking about on Friday.
    This mix was briefly released on the first UK 12" single but quickly withdrawn and reissued with a new mix that added the Giorgio Moroder-esque synth sequencer thing as Boom described it that drowned out a lot of the other instrumentation.
    The double tracked (and sometimes triple) vocals stand out a lot more in this early mix and if you listen closely, you will hear acoustic piano. This piano was mixed out of the common version we've all known for last 40 odd years.
    This track was recorded at Konk in January 1979 before they came to the US and recorded the rest of the album in May. The title track Low Budget was also recorded at these January sessions and we know the piano on that track was performed by Gordon Edwards. It was thought that was the only recording he appeared on as a member of The Kinks. It's not confirmed anywhere but now that this early mix has come to light, it's probably him on piano here would be my guess.

    Anyway, special thanks to @Boom Operator for creating the file and sharing it with me and to @The late man for uploading this onto YouTube. We are indeed a fine Kinks Kommunity here. Thank you, gentlemen.
    Once Ray finds out this is on social media, he'll likely demand it be removed :laugh:.

     
    Last edited: Apr 9, 2022
  17. Geoff738

    Geoff738 Forum Resident

    Location:
    Toronto
    I quite like today’s track. More than a lot of Low Budget, despite some clunky transitions between sections. It does have a certain charm. Will also that while it is definitely a demo, a fair amount of effort was put into the vocals, in particular the background vocals. Making me think they thought they had a keeper.

    So, looking forward to the next few tracks based on this one.

    Will also mention that I hauled out a guitar and played along for the first time on this thread for Gallon of Gas. A LP junior clone made by Brian Monty for those that care about such things. Anyways, I liked the little diversion down to Bb that takes it out of I IV V. Then it was just a lot of booze daddy cliches. It’s what I do.
     
  18. ThereOnceWasANote

    ThereOnceWasANote Forum Resident

    Location:
    Cape May, NJ
    Thank you for posting this "The Superman Stripped Bare" mix. I like the air and space in this mix with nice guitar licks kind of Moroder'd out of the released version. I like how the vocals stand out as well. I like it even better than the version we have known for 43 + years.
     
  19. The late man

    The late man Forum Resident

    Location:
    France
    :D I never heard this expression, I love it. It would make for a great band name. Th Booze Daddy Clichés.
     
  20. Zeki

    Zeki Forum Resident

    I tried my best listening but can’t hear the piano at all. Can you point me to the right spot?
     
  21. Michael Streett

    Michael Streett Senior Member

    Location:
    Florence, SC
    If you haven’t already, try listening with earphones/earbuds or your full stereo speakers as opposed to iPhone or computer speakers. I didn’t pick up on this until I listened on my full room speakers.

    It’s in the center of the mix and loosely follows the bass line. It’s audible at 1:10 in the video, then again at 1:30, 2:40, and 3:47. It’s subtle, but it’s there.
    It’s almost a boogie-woogie style part on what is always labeled a “disco” song.
     
    Last edited: Apr 10, 2022
  22. Wondergirl

    Wondergirl Forum Resident

    Location:
    Massachusetts, USA
    Some nice person on a Kinks FB epage was kind enough to post a bunch of clippings from around the Low Budget time period. There are about 30 of them, but will only post a few.

    Fort Worth Star-Telegram, Fort Worth, TX 7/13/79:
    [​IMG]
    The Los Angeles Times 8/18/79:
    [​IMG]
    The Miami Herald 8/19/79:
    [​IMG]
    San Diego Union 9/4/79:
    [​IMG]
     
  23. Zeki

    Zeki Forum Resident

    Thanks. I still can’t hear the first three spots you noted but (and it could be wishful thinking!) I think I heard at 3:47.

    No matter, it’s a great version.
     
  24. ThereOnceWasANote

    ThereOnceWasANote Forum Resident

    Location:
    Cape May, NJ
    Moving Pictures

    I've always liked the Euro-disco glide Ray gives this one. It's fun, slightly funky and what better sums up the Ray Davies ethos than life being both a moving picture like a photo and moving pictures like a film considering the cinematic ambitions and style in his writing.

    Everybody is in showbiz, and a star of their own Moving Picture (and its always moving).

    Oh, and Moving Pictures is a top shelf Kinks Klassic.

    They started the decade as Contenders and finished it after starring in several of Ray's attempts at Moving Pictures on vinyl during the only decade the Kinks released an album in every year of the decade. Sadly there are just a half dozen studio long players left in the Kinks Katalog.

    Think Visual indeed. After all the power chord crunch this is a nice little palette cleanser to close out the Low Budget production starring Ray Davies, co-starring Dave Davies and featuring Mick Avory with Jim Rodford. Special appearance by Gordon Edwards.

    A DavRay Production.

    You could almost picture credits something like those rolling as Moving Pictures plays.
     
    Last edited: Apr 10, 2022
  25. Fortuleo

    Fortuleo Used to be a Forum Resident

    Me too, I find this Superman origin not necessarily better but edgier and far more modern than the one we're used to. OK, better, I'll admit to it… Without the Blondie/Moroder thing (which I love, mind you), it makes a huge difference, it becomes almost a minimalist trance-inducing rock song. With its angularity and swingless groove, one could mistake it for a lost kraut track, or rather for something a 00's rock band like Wilco or Spoon could've tried to masquerade as their impression of kraut rock for their post-punk/americana/classic rock/power pop audience. A few of us here know each other from the Wilco thread (by my count, there's five of us from that contingent, including the Headmaster) but Spoon is an even better comparison in this case. I keep hearing a bit of their strange mix of raw minimalism, percussive aggressiveness and sharp robotic grooves in a lot of Kinks tunes from the Low Budget era. Of course, as known Kinks adepts, they were featured on the title track of the See My Friends duets project. Not their best claim to fame, admittedly, but still some real kredentials. If you get the time, check out their recent single The Hardest Cut, it has a guitar solo with a huuuuuge unmissable early Dave stamp on it…
     

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