The Kinks - Album by Album (song by song)

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

  1. Geoff738

    Geoff738 Forum Resident

    Location:
    Toronto
    Just a regular Canuck Via train. Like Amtrak in the US. Late, as always.
     
  2. Geoff738

    Geoff738 Forum Resident

    Location:
    Toronto
    And thanks for the memories upthread of my first 4 track, a Tascam Porta One bought in 85 I think.
     
  3. Boom Operator

    Boom Operator Shake hands with yesterday's tomorrow

    Location:
    Sherman Oaks, CA
    My 1975 TEAC A-3340S still works great and some of my 15 ips band recordings from the ‘70s and ‘80s sound pretty danged jabtabulous, if I do say so myself! (And, I guess, I just did!)


    ~Huck

    [​IMG]
     
  4. ThereOnceWasANote

    ThereOnceWasANote Forum Resident

    Location:
    Cape May, NJ
    I have a Tascam 4 track in storage (recorded on cassettes not reels). Haven't used it in years.
     
  5. ThereOnceWasANote

    ThereOnceWasANote Forum Resident

    Location:
    Cape May, NJ
    Looks like one of the reel to reels from my college radio station.
     
  6. Paul Mazz

    Paul Mazz Senior Member

    Rock ‘N’ Roll Cities

    I lied. I said I never heard any of this album before. I do have a vague recollection of hearing this song on NY radio back in the day, but it certainly wasn’t often, and certainly didn’t make a big impression. I am growing to like it now though. The almost call and response of “look out, here we come” saves the song for me. I played the whole Think Visual album in the car, and the wife enjoyed it, well anyway enough to ask who we were listening to. I’m relating to this song right now having slept in three cities in three days - Chesapeake, VA, Wilmington, NC, and Charleston, SC. I haven’t played I’ve Been Everywhere Man yet on this trip, but am planning on it. Our French friends might be interested to learn that we had a really good meal in a French bistro in Wilmington, NC, of all places. The owner had an accent that didn’t quite sound French to me. It turned out she was from the north of France near the border with Belgium, and had French cocktails and Belgian beers on the drink menu.
     
  7. ThereOnceWasANote

    ThereOnceWasANote Forum Resident

    Location:
    Cape May, NJ
    Rock N Roll Cities

    Opens with a riff similar to Low Budget, which I think now is the engine under the hood-Dave's sort of re-write of Low Budget musicwise and lyrically a mash-up of I've Been Everywhere and Dancin' In The Streets with a dash of Sab's Dirty Women.

    After years of deriding this song I'm switching camps. Sometime just a mindless power chord stadium rocker is just what the doctor ordered like a good cold PBR or Lone Star. Rock n Roll Cities is the cheap beer of Kinks tracks. Sometimes you just want a damn Pepsi (or Bud) to wet the whistle. Sometimes it really is only rock n roll and that's ok.

    Besides is it really any worse than Back To Front or just about any Dave track on the final two albums?

    Ray was probably banking on this beimg a radio ready track for AOR here in the States bringing back the GTPWTW/One For The Road fans, problem is it was half a decade later and most probably bailed after either college graduation or Come Dancing. Radio had moved on as well as from this early-80s styled arena rock stomper too.

    Dave truly loved the song though apparently.

    From a sidebar conversation I had that originated from a different thread on the forum a few months back in a brief private message xchange with someone who had some first-hand knowledge of the song (I invited him to the thread here but I don't believe he ever joined or posted.)

    He said:

    "Funny that you mentioned "Rock and Roll Cities". Dave was telling me that they has just finished recording the song and he was very excited about it. I asked if he had a dub with him (we were at his house) and he didn't. In hindsight, I'm sort of glad that he didn't. I feel that it is one of the worst Dave tunes! And I'm a big fan (as you can probably tell!). Now if he has played "When you were a Child", well, that would have been different."

    Thank you good sir whomever you are for sharing this insight in case you lurk here and see this message.
     
  8. All Down The Line

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

    Location:
    Australia
    Maybe it is the real Mick and he had heard how well Ray had done Dancing In The Street and a new duet was in the wings?
     
  9. Fortuleo

    Fortuleo Used to be a Forum Resident

    Bowie and Jagger in their Dancing in the Streets outfits, I think ?
    That's the song. Nothing less, nothing more, that's the whole song. And it works !!

    Side Montana road trip note : we were driving in crazy winds towards the Yellowstone area today, and at some point (just 40 mn ago), we crossed the border to… Idaho. And I laughed thinking "Does anybody know the way to Idaho?" Not me, obviously! It had to happen on the Rock'n'Roll Cities day… But the craziest thing was at the EXACT second we got to the "welcome to Idaho" sign… Oklahoma USA started playing on the car stereo. I was speechless. Of course, geography wise, it makes no sense at all. But I thought it was the most beautiful poetic coincidence ever.
     
  10. TeddyB

    TeddyB Senior Member

    Location:
    Hollywoodland
    Yes, I loved Gilbert Gottfried, who appears in the video . He was one of a kind. As for the song, well we all know how dumb the lyric is but the hook runs through my head on a fairly regular basis - “rock and roll cities, here we come!”. So I’m in agreement with @Fortuleo. Ridiculous to choose as a lead single, but still catchy. And the drumming is more to my taste, and it sounds like a band. Rock on maaan!
     
  11. All Down The Line

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

    Location:
    Australia
    That looks a fine piece of machinery!
     
    DISKOJOE and mark winstanley like this.
  12. The late man

    The late man Forum Resident

    Location:
    France
    But then, it also means you won't spend hours trying to better your old recordings. They have a definitive, organic quality, defects and all. And it takes us back to pre-Ctrl+Z times. Both Ctrl+Z and no-Ctrl-Z carry their own kind of anguish, but maybe the former is more insidious. (Two of my friends developed a kind of software for live looping that is named "Noundo". They had to explain that it actually reads "No Undo")

    Thanks! There's hope yet, in some future.
     
  13. Steve62

    Steve62 Vinyl hunter

    Location:
    Murrumbateman
    She certainly had the drinks under the correct flags. I hardly ever drink full strength beer these days but happily make an exception for anything brewed by Trappist monks in Belgium. :angel::righton:
     
  14. ajsmith

    ajsmith Senior Member

    Location:
    Glasgow
    :laugh::laugh::laugh::laugh::laugh::laugh::laugh::laugh::laugh::laugh::laugh::laugh::laugh::laugh::laugh::laugh::laugh::laugh::laugh::laugh::laugh::laugh::laugh::laugh::laugh::laugh::laugh::laugh::laugh::laugh::laugh::laugh::laugh::laugh::laugh::laugh::laugh::laugh::laugh::laugh::laugh::laugh::laugh::laugh:

    Now that’s funny!
     
  15. The late man

    The late man Forum Resident

    Location:
    France
    Wow, you can tell a Northern accent in a French guy's English? Never thought about that.

    They do have good beers. I have great memories of my years in Lille.
     
  16. stewedandkeefed

    stewedandkeefed Came Ashore In The Dead Of The Night

    I was thinking of saying absolutely the same thing in my post about "Rock 'n' Roll Cities" (I, too, own no Kiss records but "Rock And Roll All Nite" is a guilty pleasure).
     
    Smiler, Steve62, DISKOJOE and 3 others like this.
  17. mark winstanley

    mark winstanley Certified dinosaur, who likes physical product Thread Starter

    "How Are You"

    [​IMG]
    Single by The Kinks
    from the album Think Visual
    B-side

    • "Killing Time" (UK)
    • "Working at the Factory" (US)
    Released 22 December 1986
    Recorded January 1986 and June–August 1986 at Konk Studios, London
    Genre Rock
    Length 4:27
    Label MCA / Davray Music Ltd.
    Songwriter(s) Ray Davies
    Producer(s) Ray Davies

    stereo mix, album edit (4:27), recorded Jan 1986 at Konk Studios, Hornsey, London

    It's been a while, I haven't seen you for at least
    A year or more, or is it less? I can't be sure
    Well, anyway, you must have heard about the
    Troubles that I had, but somehow I got through
    I always managed to... and by the way
    How are you?
    How is your life?
    How is it going?
    Are you still dreaming and making big plans?
    How are the nights, are they still lonely?
    Are you still struggling the way that I am? Oh
    How, how are you? How are you?

    You always said that you would try to change
    Turn a new leaf and start all over again
    But I bet you're making all the same mistakes
    You're a lot like me, that's why I'm still your friend
    Still no offence, no more hard feelings left on silly sentiment
    No harm was ever felt or ever meant
    You go your way, I'm bound to see you on the street again some day
    And when I do I'll always say
    How are you? How are you?

    How is your life? How is it going?
    Are you still dreaming and making big plans?
    How are the nights? Are they still lonely?
    Are you still struggling the way that I am? Oh
    How, how are you? How are you?

    I know you're making all the same mistakes
    You're a lot like me that's why I'm still your friend
    I better go, I gotta thousand little things I better do
    Ah, but it was really good to talk to you
    Be on my way, I'm bound to see you on the street again someday
    And when I do I'll say
    How are you? How are you?

    How is your life? How is it going?
    Are you still dreaming and making big plans?
    How are the nights? Are they still lonely?
    Are you still struggling the way that I am? Oh
    How, how are you? How are you?

    Written by: Ray Davies
    Published by: Davray Music Ltd.

    This was the second single released from the Think Visual album, and on the album it follows the first single Rock and Roll Cities.

    The initial demo of "How Are You" was recorded in January 1986 at Konk Studios.[1] Ray Davies liked his vocals on the demo so much that he transferred the vocals from the demo to Konk Studios' 24-track machine. He then worked on the instrumental to center around the demo's vocal.

    "How Are You" was first released in November 1986 on the Think Visual LP. However, one month later, "How Are You" was released as the debut U.K. single from said album, backed with "Killing Time". It was a moderate success, peaking at #86 on the U.K. Singles Chart. This would be the last time that a Kinks single charted in Britain. Although the Dave Davies-penned "Rock 'n' Roll Cities" was chosen to be the lead Think Visual single in America, "How Are You" was eventually released as its follow-up, this time backed with "Working at the Factory". In the U.S., AOR disc jockeys flipped the single over and played "Working At The Factory" as though it was the second single. It reached #16 on Billboard's Album Rock Tracks chart.

    On his review of Think Visual, David Wild of Rolling Stone wrote, "the melancholy "How Are You" is another of Ray's well-crafted songs of love and loss."

    This is an interesting lyric... It is one side of a conversation of two people meeting who haven't met for a while, and the implication is they used to be in a relationship, and this is a somewhat awkward, but friendly "bump into each other somewhere" conversation.

    We open with the driver of the conversation asking whether this person heard all the stuff that he has been through, and then switching up to ask how the other person is. asking a series of questions.

    In many ways the questions speak to the intimacy of these two people.
    Are your nights still lonely?
    Are you still making the same mistakes?
    This could be seen as problematic in some ways, but we also have the added twist of "you're a lot like me, to imply that I'm not judging you, because we both know I'm no different to you in this regard.
    I mean no offence, we had a situation and neither of us meant harm nor offence, it's just one of those things, and if I see you around I will always ask "How Are You?' because I actually do care, in spite of the underlying pain and disappointment ....

    There are a lot of unspoken implications in this lyric it seems to me.... and I think that reflects reality really well... I'm not sure what I would say if I ran into my ex-wife, but I wouldn't be mean, unless verbally attacked, it's a futile way to go.
    I think the thing though, is that Ray again manages to be so very human in the way he sets this up and lets it go.

    The last verse almost seems uncomfortable in the sense that our speaker feels/knows he probably said the wrong thing, and makes up some excuse that he has a thousand little things to do.
    But to me there seems to be remorse, and almost a longing that this hadn't ended, or perhaps could be rekindled... The references to being lonely, much like him, seem to keep coming up.... almost like a "what are the chances?" kind of subtlety.

    This is a pretty sad song lyrically, because no matter the reasons, it is always sad, to me at least, when people break up, particularly if it is over some kind of futile nothingness.

    We open with, what sounds to me like, a very sixties guitar riff, based in a chord pattern arpeggio style.
    The riff dies down and we move into the vocal, with a nice dynamic fall.
    As the vocal goes along we get this tension building synth, just sitting on a pitch.
    I think it works well to focus on the way the conversation is going, and then as we move into the "by the way, How Are You?" we get a nice resolve back to the F. It releases the tension, and the focus isn't on how the speaker is, but them asking how the person they are talking to is.

    I think that is an important part of the way the song works for me. Our main character is obviously still hurt over the relationship, and they get caught in their own thoughts, until the tension is released by them asking how the other person actually is.

    The change up into "How Are You?" is followed by a nice little descending chord riff that is somewhat reminiscent of Boz Scaggs' Lowdown's little instrumental link.

    The pizzicato synth strings work really well too, as a nice colouring.

    Then we get a bridge to mix it up again, and the feel changes, as we move into an emotional outpouring of sorts. Then with a nice modulation we move back into the regular key the song started with.

    We get a lot of these devices used over the course of the song, and I think they work well to give the song a really nice feel and flow, that works to make it connect really well with the listener.

    About three quarters of the way through, we get another key modulation and a short effective lead guitar statement, and it leads to a bridge variation, with an almost desperate vocal from Ray.
    Then it moves incredibly smoothly back into the original key.

    This isn't probably in my Klassic Kinks tracks, but I think it is an excellent song. We have this very human situation captured, with music that manages to work really well with the subject matter, and I also like that Ray didn't go for a weepy style here, I think it would have cheapened it.

    For me another excellent song, on this very good album.

     
  18. mark winstanley

    mark winstanley Certified dinosaur, who likes physical product Thread Starter

  19. mark winstanley

    mark winstanley Certified dinosaur, who likes physical product Thread Starter

    a 1986 tv appearance

     
  20. ARL

    ARL Forum Resident

    Location:
    England
    "How Are You"

    No hyperbole, I think this one is a bona fide Klassic on every level. It's built on a basic foundation of "Tired Of Waiting", but goes on to easily transcend being a simple retread or 60s throwback. Firstly there is Ray's vocal - I wasn't aware until now that it was from a demo, but that explains why it is a little ragged in place - however, the amount of naked emotion in the delivery far outweighs any concerns there.

    I love the way that the track builds - each time the "how are you" chorus comes round it has a little more added to it. The first time it is just simple vocal and guitar, by the end it is accompanied by soaring backing vocals.

    Then there is that wonderful "I know you said that you would try to change" bridge section and that odd chord change/key change at "still your friend" - that bit gets me every time. The second time the bridge comes around, instead of the vocals we get a key change and a little guitar solo which continues to drive the song upwards. I love the little synth flourishes which come around to remind us that we are in the 80s. The chunky guitar riff which has sat well in the background throughout the song finally emerges on top as we get to the end. The lyrics are obviously personal to Ray but easily relatable to anyone.

    I could continue to try to deconstruct this track, but I wouldn't get close to conveying the greatness of it. This is the track that takes this album to the next level for me. The rest of the album is a fine supporting cast, but this one is the star. Kontroversial or not, I think "How Are You" is at the same level as "Days".
     
  21. croquetlawns

    croquetlawns Forum Resident

    Location:
    Scotland
    I really like the opening to this, and it maintains the quality - this would have been the better choice as the first single. And Ray even tries falsetto!
     
  22. stewedandkeefed

    stewedandkeefed Came Ashore In The Dead Of The Night

    "How Are You" - nice bittersweet ballad after the rock n roll excess of "Rock 'n' Roll Cities". Probably one of the less memorable songs on the album for me but certainly no dog (speaking of dogs, I never realized there was a Kinks video where Ray presents a variation on the story of a boy and his dog!). Musically, the chords of the chorus are really striking to me - a good example of a songwriter finding the right music to match the emotional core of the lyrics of the song. Ray chooses the I/you point of view where he speaks directly to a departed lover (I can only speculate about the real life situation that inspired it and whether Ms Hynde might be the inspiration). This point of view is used a lot by Bob Dylan in his latter day bittersweet relationship songs and Ray, like Bob, I feel is just more interested in exploring the perspective on a relationship after it has crashed and burned than during the full bloom of love. Musically, it is a little too Eighties for my taste but the music is inoffensive so the attention falls on the lyrics and Ray always seems to craft a decent song by this stage of the Kinks' career.
     
  23. All Down The Line

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

    Location:
    Australia
    How Are You

    Begins with a feel of Tired Of Waiting For You and throughout Ray is open, warm, conciliatory and even vulnerable.
    The melodic pop of the guitar and synth figures recall recent quality Arista moments on cuts from the last few albums.
    Hey i just realised that i can imagine Chrissie Hynde totally nailing this vocally with a sympathetic reverb in tow to bring it on home.
    To me this comes as a welcome relief after the pretty mindless sounds and sentiments of Dave's proceeding track.
    I think there is a little bit of The Cure here with the single note keys melody, sparse and melodic guitar and all that alongside Ray's dark brown voice.
    Not much to say except this a quiet little victory with an excellent delivery from our people watcher Ray Davies, empathetic as ever even if boys don't cry.
     
    Last edited: Jul 19, 2022
  24. ajsmith

    ajsmith Senior Member

    Location:
    Glasgow
    Great description by @ARL that I can’t add much to. I could imagine this being a UK hit at the time, (the jangly guitar even kinda reminds me of The Smiths!) but it’s somewhat of a slow burner and it would have needed a lot of prime airplay to break through to the level it deserved. This is the one song on TV where I can hear the quality 60s-style poprock that others hear all the way through the album, but I would also venture to add that imo that style never went away, and I could name you a dozen songs in that ballpark from the Arista era without thinking too hard.

    There’s a bit circa 1968 in Ray’s first autobiography X Ray where he and Rasa’s dog goes missing at the same time as he’s having an emotional affair with another woman: The dog and the other woman are both called Georgie in the book although that was almost definitely not the woman’s real name and it was maybe not even the dogs real name, but AFAIR some kind of parallel about looking for something missing is drawn between the two Georgies. Anyway I’ve sometimes wondered if the canine theme to the video for this song was related to this story but I’m probably ‘barking’ up the wrong tree.
     
  25. mark winstanley

    mark winstanley Certified dinosaur, who likes physical product Thread Starter

    Same

    Ray seems to have entered a reflective middle aged part of his life by this point....
    and to me at least, it is entirely possible that the love reflected on here could well be Rasa.

    Ray did a bit of Chrissie reflection on Word Of Mouth I think..... and being the type of thinker Ray seems to be to me, it wouldn't be illogical for him to have entered further reflection back to his first love? and where that all went wrong...

    No matter where we end up, and how life rolls, I think a first love always has a certain immovable place in our hearts, even if there was something bad attached to it...

    Anyway, just me waffling again.
     

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