The Kinks - Album by Album (song by song)

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

  1. Steve62

    Steve62 Vinyl hunter

    Location:
    Murrumbateman
    Love Gets You
    I really like the melody in this track - and Dave's singing. While the song isn't earth-shattering, it's still pretty good for 1983.
    True Story
    When I played the LP record I just enjoyed this track without paying much attention to the lyrics. The words on paper are eccentric - not unlike the music. Quite an interesting tune. though I don't get strong ELO comparisons. And I don't recall ELO doing call-and-response - I could be wrong though.
    Take One More Chance
    I think this is one of Dave's best songs since the sixties. It's a well-crafted song with a strong eighties feel in the bass and synths. He sings it beautifully and the backing vocals come in perfectly at the end. Good work Dave.
     
  2. mark winstanley

    mark winstanley Certified dinosaur, who likes physical product Thread Starter

    Glad your Dad's better.
    Love and prayers for your mum xo
     
  3. Zeki

    Zeki Forum Resident

    State of Confusion; Word of Mouth; Think Visual; Phobia
     
  4. Paul Mazz

    Paul Mazz Senior Member

    BYW In case it wasn’t obvious from the fact that it spurred me to look into obtaining a copy, so far I like Chosen People. Definitely like it the best of the three solo albums we’ve covered so far. I haven’t listened ahead. And haven’t listened to the tracks that have been covered so far enough to let them really sink in.

    The track that stuck out for me is True Story. I don’t believe in alien visitations personally, but the track made me smile, knowing Dave’s experience with other dimensional beings. When we saw him live in maybe 2002, I remember hearing some songs that were unknown to me, not having any of his solo albums, and thinking some of the lyrics were really out there. My compatriots and I joked about him having possibly having lost his mind (I know- totally inappropriate), but the show was otherwise great. I’ve since just come to accept that Dave has had some kind of first hand religious experience, for lack of a better word, and was profoundly affected by it, but he otherwise appears to be quite sane.
     
  5. DISKOJOE

    DISKOJOE Boredom That You Can Afford!

    Location:
    Salem, MA
    Avid Ajsmith, the Kinks appeared on a Dick Clark show, Where The Action Is, that appeared on ABC from 1965-67 daily in the afternoon. It was probably while they were doing this show during the 1965 US Tour when Ray got into the fight w/the union official that led to their 4 yr ban from the States and probably from American Bandstand.

     
  6. Paul Mazz

    Paul Mazz Senior Member

    Quite possibly - from within Spotify, it does not appear as one of his albums, but somehow an outside link led me to the album listing on Spotify, but all the tracks were greyed out.
     
  7. Zeki

    Zeki Forum Resident

    “The wild men, The Kinks!”
     
  8. ARL

    ARL Forum Resident

    Location:
    England
    Much as I'd like to forget it...UK Jive!
     
  9. mark winstanley

    mark winstanley Certified dinosaur, who likes physical product Thread Starter

    So this song should have been in between Love Gets You and True Story ...
    Again, apologies for missing the pressing differences.

    Danger Zone.

    stereo mix (3:20), recorded Jun-Jul 1983 at Konk Studios, Hornsey, London

    Ooh, I wrote you a letter,
    And you never sent a reply.
    It's a shame, always money or power,
    And it doesn't really matter what you think.

    Oh, I'd give you all I had to give,
    Over and over again.
    While the government hides its head in the sand,
    We live in a danger zone.

    We're living in a danger zone.
    You're living in the twilight zone.
    Watch out, fall out, gonna get ya, check it out.

    All the sad politicians
    Hold the world in the palm of their hands.
    It's a lie, just an old film on the late show,
    In the end everybody dies.

    Ooh, I'll give you all I have to give,
    Over and over again.
    Oh, when will we get it into our heads?
    We live in a danger zone.

    We're living in a danger zone.
    You're living in the twilight zone.
    Watch out, fall out, gonna get ya, check it out.

    We're living in a danger zone,
    You're living in the twilight zone.
    What's wrong with solar power? (No profit)
    Money money money makes me sick,
    You can't get enough of it, of it.
    We're living in a danger zone,
    You're living in the twilight zone.

    Written by: Dave Davies
    Published by: Dabe Music, Ltd.

    Interestingly parts of this remind me of Barclay James Harvest... I think that's who I'm hearing?....

    Dave drops in some Londonese accents in this one, in quite a few spots.
    It isn't too bad of a lyric, but a little goofy, with Dave being annoyed at politicians again.
    There isn't really any form of power that has no impact, or even less impact on the environment, so Dave seems a bit bewildering with his what's wrong with solar power (no profit) ... of course the resources used for the panels and such is highly impactful, and I don't know about in 1982/83 but they have always been super expensive ... I just looked to see if I could afford to get solar power for the house, and it essentially meant another mortgage.... I don't have any answers for our issues, except go back to local farming and get rid of all machinery, no air conditioners, no electricity, I guess a return to a pastoral existence.... I think that's why Talking Heads' ironic Nothing But Flowers is probably my favourite track about the subject, because all the other songs seem based on agendas rather than realities...... anyway, that's all just depressing....

    The song itself is pretty reasonable. We open with a big rock sound and then move into some more mellow verses.
    The change in the verse leading to the chorus is the bit that reminds me of Barclay james Harvest, and it has a nice melodic construction, but the choice of chords/melody for the Living in a Danger Zone lyric doesn't really work for me.

    We get some good guitars and some slamming drums , and some banging piano...
    A pretty decent track, but I think I would prefer it elsewhere, if it went on the album.

    The way the album was released seems really odd to me.
    Danger Zone is on the US pressing.... but it is also on the UK and Europe pressing, but it isn't on the Netherlands, Scandinavia or French pressings ...
    The reason I missed it is because on Discogs, the Netherlands pressing is the one that comes up as the home page....

    Anyway, Apologies for that.

     
    Last edited: May 23, 2022
  10. Michael Streett

    Michael Streett Senior Member

    Location:
    Florence, SC
    There has always been some issue with the rights and licenses to this album and it's songs as to what can be released and by whom, where and when. I don't know what the issues are, but outside the original 1983 releases on LP and cassette, Chosen People has only ever been reissued once, on CD in the US in 2005.
    Long out of print as you point.

    In 1998/1999 two different Dave Davies Unfinished Business Anthologies appeared, one in the UK (Anthology) and one in the US (Kronikles). Two entirely different track lists with some exclusive material contained within each release. The UK version of this Anthology has 6 of Chosen People's albums tracks in their original released versions from the original album. The US version has zero original tracks from Chosen People which is why there is a new recording of Love Gets You recorded in the 1997 era specifically for this US release due to the rights/licensing issues. 1997 re-recordings of a few of his 68/69 Dave/Kinks singles tracks were also issued on this US version for the same reason. The original recordings of these tracks got issued on the UK version. The UK version contains none of the 1997 re-recordings.
     
  11. ajsmith

    ajsmith Senior Member

    Location:
    Glasgow
    I'd forgotten that WTAI! was a Dick Clark show. I'm still kind of surprised they were never on American Bandstand as a group at any point in the 70s or 80s though!
     
  12. Zeki

    Zeki Forum Resident

    Ah! That’s not on Apple. Maybe the label wants to forget?
     
  13. All Down The Line

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

    Location:
    Australia
    Happy 1000+ pages to everyone!

    I got onto Mark's Who song by song thread 20 odd pages late and by 40 I had almost caught up but I let it go there before feeling some sense of community.

    Miraculously I discovered this thread by accident on page 1 and sporadically contributed until late '65 where I began commenting on most every song onward.

    Love @mark winstanley 's chilled, orderly & non judgental (& non egotistical) approach which seems to rub off on everyone unless it is just a regular trait of Kink Avids to amicably discuss all things Kinks with plenty of amusing sidebars along the way?

    Many extraordinary posters here that have stunned me with there knowlege, depth of fandom and piercing depths of insight.
    Just to name a few off the top of my head such as @Fortuleo , @Martyj, @DISKOJOE wqw& @donstemple does not discount a hand full or two of others that have made very welcome and telling contributions also!

    Lastly this thread has worked to jog my memory of forgotten personal Kinks experiences and viewpoints going back to 1977 and also enhanced my vinyl collection as i enjoy the good natured camaraderie & bonhomie of so many diehards that have become hooked at their point of entry!
     
  14. DISKOJOE

    DISKOJOE Boredom That You Can Afford!

    Location:
    Salem, MA
    First off, glad that your father "escaped" from the hospital, Avid ChesireCat and may your mother follow him back home soon.

    Avid Pyrrhicvictory is correct in his assumption that my favorite version of "Love Gets You" is on the US version of Unfinished Business (it's not on the UK version). I just heard the Chosen People version for the very first time this morning, thanks to Our Headmaster. It's not bad w/the additional instruments. It doesn't sound as dated as a future Dave song that's on Think Visual which I also like but suffers from a period production. I still prefer the acoustic 1998 version which I think is one of the best of Dave's late period songs:

     
  15. All Down The Line

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

    Location:
    Australia
    UK Jive no?
     
  16. Zeki

    Zeki Forum Resident

    Back to interview: Ray says there was talk of Pete Townshend and him doing an album. And that Pete did one with someone else instead. (Ronnie Lane? Did Townshend put out anything else, as a duo, besides Rough Mix?)
     
  17. All Down The Line

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

    Location:
    Australia
    They sure got the program title prophetically right!
     
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  18. mark winstanley

    mark winstanley Certified dinosaur, who likes physical product Thread Starter

    I'm assuming it would have been Rough Mix
     
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  19. markelis

    markelis Forum Resident

    Location:
    Miami Beach FL
    It really is, isn’t it? Tom Petty did some really fantastic covers back in the day. His cover of Don’t Bring Me Mown by The Animals is one of my favorites too. In both cases, although the originals are just fantastic (I mean, they are the originals after all), I think a good argument could be made that Tom equaled or topped them. I also appreciate the fact that instead of doing a cover of some big hit by what are obviously some of his favorite bands, he went the more obscure route. His death was a staggering loss to music in my opinion.

    It may have been mentioned before (by me?), but if our fearless leader is looking for another stellar discography to dissect piece by piece as we have done here, I think Mr. Petty and his Heartbreakers would be a fine choice and I’d be on board from day one!
     
  20. DISKOJOE

    DISKOJOE Boredom That You Can Afford!

    Location:
    Salem, MA
    It was the Rough Mix album that Pete did w/Ronnie Lane, which gives me the excuse to post the YouTube thingie of "Street In The City" from that album which I heard a lot on WBCN back in the day:

     
  21. DISKOJOE

    DISKOJOE Boredom That You Can Afford!

    Location:
    Salem, MA
    Ray probably did such a great job of p***ing off the WTAI! staff back in '65 that Dick Clark had him and the band on his "no guest" list, notwithstanding Dave's appearance.
     
  22. CheshireCat

    CheshireCat Forum Resident

    Location:
    Cheshire
    Danger Zone
    I think I prefer the album as our leader laid out with today's three songs! The verses are fine, but for me, I'm not keen on the echoed shouty sections - they detract from the song for me. It's perfectly OK as it gives the album a good dollop of guitar and drums, amongst the keyboard led tracks around it.

    We need more songs advancing the use of solar power too. Especially in 1983.

    Thanks for the kind words folks :)
     
  23. ThereOnceWasANote

    ThereOnceWasANote Forum Resident

    Location:
    Cape May, NJ
    5 actually. It's sad to think that the Kinks only made 5 more studio albums. Back in '81 on the success of GTPWTW that would've seemed hard to believe.
     
  24. ThereOnceWasANote

    ThereOnceWasANote Forum Resident

    Location:
    Cape May, NJ
    That's some Jive man. Are you full of Aggravation on some kind of Loony Balloon?
     
  25. ThereOnceWasANote

    ThereOnceWasANote Forum Resident

    Location:
    Cape May, NJ

    My Baby Gives It Away got a lot of airplay on the FM too. Rough Mix is an understated gem.

    Fascinating as the collaboration sounds. Would there have been enough room in the studio for the egos of Sir Pete and Sir Ray?
     

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