Not to get too pedantic about it, or bogged down in semantics, but my friend wasn’t referring to their individual ages, but the age of the band itself, their longevity. (Though from time immemorial, mid-thirties, to a sixteen year old, will be viewed as ancient) The Kinks were an old band by this point; name an older band being played in heavy rotation on MTV. I guess the Stones began shortly before the Kinks, and The Who and Moody Blues shortly thereafter. He didn’t think a 60’s band would command a stage like that, so he was impressed. In the context of the time, these bands were the elder statesmen, veterans, old. It isn’t like today, when most bands are merely corporations. Now there are expectations for a decades-long career and to remain vital. These days, you’re a brand. In 1985, my friend Rich was sixteen and the Kinks were twenty-one. When someone was doing their thing before you were on this planet, it means something. Back then, and keeping in context, a band lasting that long was marveled at. To my friend’s credit, he wasn’t being ageist. He was somewhat won over witnessing that clip, as the boys neither looked their age or acted it, and that was more important to me, and him, than their birthdates.
This strikes as very true to me. In Perth around this time it seemed to be Surfs and Rockers.... to be honest I think the majority in Australia sort of looked sideways at punk and wondered what the fuss was about. It wasn't that we didn't like the music, it was just rock music ... but anyhow... The Surfs had their music, the Rockers had their music. The Surfs had foofy blow dried hair and the rockers had longer messy hair. The Surfs had the snappy clothes, and the rockers had the uniform of black..... with black DB's (desert boots) etc etc.... to be honest it all seemed a bit weird to me lol I had Stones, Kinks and Beatles... Kiss, Sweet and Cheap Trick.... Aus Crawl, Cold Chisel and Acdc... and cared little what the trend armies thought.... I had Chris de Burgh's The Getaway, and I still like it lol... needless to say, I got in a few fights lol I also didn't dress right.... I much preferred wearing shorts and a tshirt.... it was 120 frickin degrees lol I have always been incredibly fortunate to be completely unfashionable and just enjoy stuff, because I enjoyed it, not because my crew required me to
You Really Got Me It doesn't seem like Dave is doing a bit of an Eruption in the intro to this song, no? Sixteen years after this was a hit. But 1964-1980 seems like so many cultural shifts, and I will never accept the empirical fact that both 1980 - 1964 and 2022 - 2006 = 16. It just doesn't seem possible for a band to have so many different eras, albums, and sounds from 2006 to 2022. Part of that is nature of the business now, with most established bands releasing an album every handful of years instead of annually. Watching the video, and by this point, no more suit jacket for Ray. I laughed when the riff started and Ray's looking around as if to say "What? This song?! Why yes, yes it is. LET'S GO!" A driving, propulsive tempo as Dave rips that solo... but its different than the 1964 version. This one is modernized for 1980 guitar hero status. Victoria I love this. To me, this was definitely the most rocking song from their 1967-1969 period. I might argue that Powerman, Rats, or the Contenders were more rocking, but that would be 1970 and I stipulated in my previous sentence that I was covering 1967-1969 . This has such a great fist in the hair chorus for a live concert. "Vic-toooooooooria!!" Jealous of those who experienced this wonderful song live, and I am so glad they picked at least SOMETHING from the late 60s that works well in the context of the other songs performed live here. I assume the synth was overdubbed, because I don't hear that on the video. David Watts No video for this one? That's a shame. This keeps the kind of oom-pah of the original 1967 recording. Definitely a fun song to include, and I understand why they included it since it was recently a hit for the Jam. Not sure I would have ended the live concert with it, or a live LP. I think either of the previous two songs would have been more appropriate as a closer before telling folks it's time to go home.
Is it over yet? I'm prepared to take my lashing from the headmaster. It will be a reenactment of the Schoolboys In Disgrace album cover. "You Really Got Me" The intro is an immediate turn off. I much prefer the 17 year old Dave on guitar. The original has one of my favorite guitar leads ever. It's everything that this isn't. The drums are powering through, but I have no interest in this version. "Victoria" A very pale comparison to the live version from 1972. It's still a great song, but it makes me miss my old Kinks. "David Watts" At least they close it out in grand Kinks fashion. This is a really fantastic version and probably my favorite song on the album along with "Till the End of the Day" and "The Hard Way". This discussion didn't really change my opinion on this album. I still don't care for it and have no interest in picking it up. I would never listen to it. There is nothing on here I prefer to the studio versions. Half of this album is decent, and the other half I never need to hear again. If I were to cut it down to one album, I may give it the occasional spin. This would be my playlist for a very short 24 minute album. 1. The Hard Way 2. Pressure 3. Till the End of the Day 4. Stop Your Sobbing 5. Misfits 6. Prince of the Punks 7. National Health 8. Victoria 9. David Watts
This is exactly, word for word, how I feel and my experience with this album and my Kinks’ journey. I have spoken (or actually, you have spoken for me)!
Here's a write-up of One for the Road from Trouser Press. Let me know if you can't read it though. There was also an interview with Dave, but it was pretty boring, TBH
I could read it. Thanks. On what song did they bring an audience member up on stage in order to jog their memory (of song and key)?
Nah lol I'd never try and infringe on someone's freedom to enjoy or not enjoy something. I'll do my best to persuade from my perspective of why... but at the end of the day we all need to enjoy what it is we enjoy. That's why I had to write so far ahead for this album, because I knew it wouldn't be everyone's cup of tea, and I wanted to put my thoughts down without defensive emotions. I'm a little sad you couldn't find anything/much in it for you, but hopefully there's stuff coming up.
I believe it was discussed much earlier in this thread. It was some kid from the NY area. I forget what he wanted to hear. Maybe something off Muswell Hillbillies?? The guy came up and played piano. I believe there's even a (bad) recording of it too. Maybe someone with a better memory can fill in the blanks.
Autumn Almanac?.... I seem to remember it being something from much earlier... but I am not as sharp as I once was lol
I listed some thoughts I had about One For The Road at the start of this album's discussion. I listed some of the issues I had with it, drumming, etc. and that I wanted to come into this fresh after not listening for a couple of years. My thoughts remain pretty much where they were at the start so no need to go over those again here. I did enjoy it very much going through it day by day with the group here and actually enjoyed the video versions even more since I am not as familiar with those as I am the album itself. The versions are quite different as we've discussed here due to being different recordings between the album and the video or different mixes or later studio sweetening with the album. The 1999 Velvel CD reissue of this album had an extra Enhanced CD (remember those?) that had this concert on it. You watched it via the optical disc drive (remember those?) on your computer. I guarantee I had not watched this since I got that CD reissue in 1999 when I watched it probably once. The 2004 SACD did not have this extra Enhanced CD. So yes, enjoyed watching and listening to that again after so many years. I still have a lap top that has its own built in disc drive that still works . This album stands firmly as a well timed document of the band at that point in their career. Despite the age of the band itself, the album is not a look back with nostalgia and resting on their laurels but a confident stride forward in their new later career phase and focus. Yes, they capitalized by performing the older songs that were recent covers of their songs by new groups. Good marketing move actually. But a look at the varied setlists at this time and the tracks actually selected for the album prove that was not the only thing they had going for them at this time. This was a perfect time for them to do a live album plus the video for the then new fangled home video market. I'll reiterate it again that this was not my introduction to the band so I knew the studio versions long before I knew these live versions and there's no doubt that plays a part in it for me personally. I don't do rankings but suffice to say this album stands where it did for me, Komfortably in the Kinks Kanon along side every other album and it gets it's share of plays when I go through the Katalog. It starts and ends there. I don't love this album, but I do like it very much.
I think it was Autumn Almanac & it was a concert from the early 70s before the Kink Kronikles came out.
As we head into 1981 .... Here is an oddity I found .... More images Glenn Campbell* / The Kinks – What's It All About? Label: TRAV – MA 1850 Series: What's It All About? – 559 / 560 Format: Vinyl, 7", 45 RPM, Transcription Country: US Released: 1981 Genre: Rock, Non-Music, Folk, World, & Country Style: Religious Tracklist A Glenn Campbell*– An Interview With The Artist Featuring Some Of His Hit Songs 4:50 B The Kinks– An Interview With Ray Davies Featuring Some Of The Group's Hit Songs 5:00
One For the Road Overview. With some bands there are live performance recordings that are an essential part of their discographies. The Who’s Live and Leeds is a good example. The Kinks, IMO, do not have something compatible, but of their live 4 (or 5, depending on how one counts them) releases, One for the Road comes the closest. Certainly, it is the most important, if not quite a “must have” unless one is a completist (which I am.) The album needs be appreciated as the dividing point between the band that once was and the version of it moving forward. Think about it: The version of Kinks that ceased existing around 1976-77 with personnel and label changes evolved over the span a three studio album to arrive here—this live LP—and remained essentially the same for the rest of their days. Personnel came and went, but philosophically the version of the band that called it quits in 1996 was the band that begin with the One For the Road project—16 years until dissolving, roughy one half of the ensembles 32-or-33 year existence (albeit with an imbalance of actual recorded output when compared with their first half.) If a fan refuses to acknowledge one half of a band’s entire existence, then they are denying themselves the full experience. (Admittedly, I’m that way with Dylan.) I honestly don’t know how one can truly “know” the Kinks without experiencing these 4 sides. Listening to it all these years later I find myself missing the intimacy I feel listening to whatever they accomplish nearly everywhere else. Even the live half of Showbiz manages to retain a connection with the listener. OFTR places me in the crowd, never feeling close to the music reaching my ears. I feel more aware that I am part of a faceless mass that can move from The Kinks, to Tom Petty, to Cheap Trick, to—whoever—and respond with the same cheers of recognition, hoisted bic lighters, and leave feeling exhilarated and satisfied. Nothing wrong with that...but nothing unique about it, either. OFTR is more a document of the experience rather than of the songs, which is probably why having absorbed this LP once, the greater distance I get from it, the less I feel compelled to return to it. Still…it’s a worthwhile experience. What they bring to the embellishments on All Day and All of the Night and Lola have become iconic in themself and stand as worthy separate entities from the originals. Those are probably the only two tracks I feel that way about. The rest? A reggae rethinking of “Till the End of the Day” is similar to having a Beer Garden reworking of “Do You Remember Walter” on To The Bone: its novel to hear them a few times, but my life wouldn’t be the lesser for having never heard them at all. That’s just one track called out as an example. Meh…I dunno…I feel like I’m rambling. Basically, after this forum discussion, I’m more or less where I started: a fan with tremendous sentimental attachment to it but content to leave it there. Bring on the next album….
Well said! I have to agree. this version kicks some serious ass. Any deep criticism of this song I will never be able to understand. Is this their zenith at least in regards to their career? Everything firing at the same time...good songs, good crowds, good shows, good behavior...or slightly improved behavior. As I mentioned earlier in the thread, this song was recorded in my hometown of Lowell. Imagine me in my 8th grade (14 years old) science class talking about this show. It was a big deal! It's the only time in my young life that I knew about a band coming to town. It stood out. The kid who sat next to me went to it and I remember being a bit jealous, but more so, curious. Most 14 year olds I knew didn't go to shows. It definitely planted a seed for my future concert going days. God Save the Kinks
Victoria This song gets to me each and every time I hear it. Pretty much always in my top 3. So much so that I named a kid after it. I could make some minor criticisms of the live version, but I just can't even bother. All is forgiven when I hear them perform it. I'm really enjoying this album more than I thought I would. This is a welcome surprise.
David Watts Always a favorite! Nice way to end the album. -One for the Road afterthoughts- I still hold that I may not play this album a lot, but I am SO glad it exists as a record. I gradually fell for this album as we went along. Those who fell off the cart...before the album discussion even began - well, that's just too bad for you. They're an exceptional band...even their warts are pretty compelling. I have not lost interest yet...
