The Kinks - Album by Album (song by song)

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

  1. Fortuleo

    Fortuleo Used to be a Forum Resident

    I want it to be true. Some things are too good to be true. Others are too good to be untrue, and this is definitely one of them !
    Well, myself, I didn't debate about it for 50 minutes, I can tell you that…

    But this is still interesting in many ways, as one of the most obscure things we’ve encountered so far on this thread. I went through most of it, didn't find it groundbreaking (it was released 22 years after Oxygène…), but some of the synths melodies are good and pretty effective. It proves that on his soundtracks collaborations with John Carpenter, Dave was not simply the hired guitarist providing blues licks or solos, but a dedicated synth music / early-electro (house/techno) enthusiast. Is he any good on this field? I’ll admit having different answers to that question from one track to the next. The one with the shredding guitar is probably the worst, at least to my poor ears (I skipped it fast). The one song with lyrics I do like quite a bit. Good chord changes, nice singing, compelling groove and percussions, interesting synths sounds and pretty excellent ooo-oohs, too… it’s another one of Dave’s that could’ve passed for a later years John Lodge Moody Blues tune (yes, for those who are wondering, that’s a compliment in my book) with early eighties Peter Gabriel undertones, too. Not bad at all.
     
  2. Steve62

    Steve62 Vinyl hunter

    Location:
    Murrumbateman
    Crystal Radio/Purusha and the Spiritual Planet
    Thanks for the excellent review Mark. I confess to feeling put off at the thought of listening to a series of synth-based ambient tracks, especially from someone who's at his best when, to paraphrase Frank Zappa, shuts up and plays his guitar :winkgrin:. It's not that I'm anti-Dave: I bought his latest book and I've just shelled out for the 'black friday' RSD release of his 2006 solo album Fractured Mindz - which I'm pleased to say features the electric guitar. It's more that I'm anti-synth - like Queen (before they started playing with synths).
    Edit: I was puzzled by the collaboration with Russel T Davies, who in my mind was a screenwriter for Doctor Who!
     
  3. All Down The Line

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

    Location:
    Australia
    Played this through and it sounds like (background) new age themed mood music that has its moments though seems often incidental, suited to image or film as an accompaniment for the mind not to soon wander.

    Nice to hear some vocal and guitar on a Kut that could fit well on other Dave disc's and an effective finale, now they may not be the sole highlights but the rest sorry i just can't remember.
     
  4. markelis

    markelis Forum Resident

    Location:
    Miami Beach FL
    :pineapple:
    Did someone call? Yep Markelis approves. I’ve grown to love both presentations, the live acoustic and the even ‘eavier studio version. As we have seen, Ray may not be turning out A+ klassics over and over like he used to, but this song still has enough Ray Davies wit, grit and spit to throw on the current playlist and enjoy.

    I have fallen awfully behind. I did a better job keeping up on the other side of the world than I have since I gotten back. I don’t think I have a whole Lotta value to add song by song to, once I buckle down, and really listen to the stories, each was enjoyable.

    Suffice to say, as with many of these other albums that we’ve reviewed, as usual Ray knows what he’s doing. Where initially I thought it was a whole lotta talking and nothing but average acoustic versions that could’ve been more polished like those on To the Bone, I now realize this was a totally different conceit. The music and songs are definitely a key component, but they really are there more to bolster and expand the stories. As has been report repeatedly noted, we seem to see Ray predicting and creating an entire genre (the VH1 storyteller approach). As with many of you, I also found that as usual by going song by song (or in this case story by story), the charms of each one becomes much more readily apparent.

    Although my initial thoughts on this were that not many of these songs would make it onto my live playlists, and the ones that would, probably would have had the surrounding dialogue shaved off. Now I am planning on taking a completely different approach. Since I have three different live playlists going, dropping a song or two in from this album complete with the stories sprinkled throughout the playlists would probably be a better way for me to approach listening to it. That way I get mainly a lot of kinks concert and one or two of the story songs mixed in.

    Anyway, as usual, I’m still on board the Kinks train. I have not had a chance to start digging into upcoming songs (upsetting for me, as I like to be prepared), but I remain excited for the balance of the journey!
     
  5. All Down The Line

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

    Location:
    Australia
    Now we're all on the Davey train!
     
  6. The late man

    The late man Forum Resident

    Location:
    France
    Storyteller

    Like most everybody, I think this album is a great listen (minus its bonus-like studio version of London Song, which in my opinion belongs in Kinks hell together with New World), that the spoken parts bear being heard more often than expected, and that, still, it is better appreciated if some time elapses between listens.

    Now, I feel the world needs to know how I've arranged my mock Storyteller album. Don't thank me.

    But first, I will confess the way I'm listening to those albums, if I haven't done it yet. I'm arranging my audio files in folders, and I use a folder-based player to listen to them. I don't do playlists, because it would take me too far into digital territory. I left the 100% physical world, but I still need to "own" my files on a local drive where I can contemplate and manipulate them. Also, each of these album folders is subdivided in two subfolders, "Side A" and "Side B". Which means my player stops at the end of each side, and I have to manually flip to the other one.

    They probably have a name for me in the DSM-5, but please don't let them hurt me.

    The album goes like this:

    Side A
    Storyteller
    London Song (live version)
    That Old Black Magic (edit)
    X-Ray
    Art School Babe

    Side B
    To The Bone (demo version)
    Back in the Front Room
    My Diary
    The Ballad of Julie Finkle
    Fortis Green (1999 demo)

    So OK, it may not be 100% consistent thematically, but soundwise it is mostly so.
     
  7. Zeki

    Zeki Forum Resident

    (Sounds a helluva lot like a playlist to me! :D )
     
  8. The late man

    The late man Forum Resident

    Location:
    France
    Don't... Don't you dare!
     
  9. mark winstanley

    mark winstanley Certified dinosaur, who likes physical product Thread Starter

    For the record... this is probably the upcoming schedule barring any complaints...

    We have quite a lot of Dave to get through, because he released quite a lot of stuff while Ray was off in pixieland for a while.

    The two live albums in this list of upcoming stuff are chopped down in terms of time being spent on them, but I have given them 3 days each, because these two particular Dave live albums do have a certain amount of significance.
    The solo live album is essentially Dave's version of Storyteller, so I have given it enough time that folks can listen to Dave's stories.
    Rock Bottom - Live At the Bottom Line is generally seen as a somewhat significant Dave live album, and I have given us three days with that, due to it being a significant Dave live album.
    Unless requested otherwise, most of the Dave live albums we go through will be one day affairs.
    Hopefully this works for everybody.

    Saturday - Dave Davies Fortis Green intro - Let Me Be

    Monday Dec 5th - Dave - True Phenomenon
    Tuesday - Dave - Voices and Away From You
    Wednesday - Fortis Green
    Thursday - Love In The World and Listen To The Spirit
    Friday - Soothe Sayer and Fortis Green wrap up
    Saturday - Big Country - Somebody Else and Devil In The Eye

    Monday Dec 12th - Dave - Unfinished Business
    Tuesday - Unfinished Business
    Wednesday - I'll Get Over - Love Gets You
    Thursday - When The Wind Blows - Climb Your Wall
    Friday - This Man He Weeps Tonight - Hold My Hand - Susannah's Still Alive - Death Of A Clown
    Saturday - Solo Live/Marian College pt1

    Monday Dec 19th - Solo Live/Marian College pt2
    Tuesday - Solo Live/Marian College pt3

    Wednesday - Dave Rock Bottom Live At The Bottom Line
    I Need You - She's Got Everything - Beautiful Delilah - Creeping Jean - Look Through Any Doorway - Love Me Til The Sun Shines - Tired Of Waiting

    Thursday - Milk Cow Blues - Imaginations Real - Wicked Annabella - Picture Book - Death Of A Clown - Too Much On My Mind - Strangers - Psycho Lounge

    Friday - One Night With You - Living on a Thin Line - All Day And All Of The Night - Money - David Watts - I'm Not Like Everybody Else - You Really Got Me

    Saturday - Ray Party At The Palace Dvd - Lola - Ray With Bon Jovi Celluloid Heroes

    Monday Dec 26th - Dave Davies Bug
     
  10. The late man

    The late man Forum Resident

    Location:
    France
    In a way I'm glad we get Ray and Bon Jovi's Celluloid Heroes for Christmas. It has the same effect on me as most Christmas music.
     
  11. donstemple

    donstemple Member of the Club

    Location:
    Maplewood, NJ
    Perhaps we just re-slot in another discussion about Father Christmas?
     
  12. donstemple

    donstemple Member of the Club

    Location:
    Maplewood, NJ
    Crystal Radio - Perusha and the Spiritual Planet

    Well that was interesting. I listened to the whole thing. No real guitar until about 22 minutes in. A lot of soundscape synth. Is this techno-pop? Some elements sound like proto-early-2000s Radiohead, to be honest. Probably won't come back to this again, but wanted to give it a full listen out of respect for our boy Dave. The one song with lyrics (Soothe Sayer) isn't bad. It's got a nice rising melody through the verses. There's a second, lower voice in the chorus. I assume that is Russell? There is something in the chorus that reminds me of another song, but cannot place it now. The "What a cool player" melody...
     
  13. The late man

    The late man Forum Resident

    Location:
    France
    I think at the time I must have stated it was one of the only Christmas songs I really liked!
     
  14. Michael Streett

    Michael Streett Senior Member

    Location:
    Florence, SC
    Purusha And The Spiritual Planet

    I listen to a lot of instrumental music in various genres be it guitar based, piano based, horn based, and yes, synth based. My avatar artist has a LOT of instrumental albums across multiple genres and instruments. Sir boogaloo Paul has his Fireman stuff which I like a lot. Zappa has a lot of instrumental albums too and I like lots of jazz and classical music as well.

    Dave is not in any of those leagues of course but his supersonic rocket ship excursions into outer space don’t faze me and provide some mild alternative entertainment whenever I bring them out.
    Like Storyteller, Purusha doesn’t get listened to very often, usually only when I’m going chronologically through the catalog, but I enjoy it for the most part whenever it does come out.

    If Dave says he’s seen and been kidnapped by extraterrestrials, who the hell am I to call BS on that. I think I’ve been to outer space a time or two myself back in the day, but it took altered states of mind to get there. I recall one time at a party (late 80s - early 90s era), Dark Side Of The Moon got put on (as it invariably did at practically every party back then) and I will swear to this day that the 4 minute instrumental On The Run lasted for 25 minutes that particular time along with an accompanying video, though this video was not on any TV or computer screen. It’s times like those that make me thankful iPhones didn’t exist yet. Purusha serves this same purpose nowadays without the mind alterations.

    Understandably this album will not be everyone’s cuppa tea, but I don’t drink tea anyway. Does that make me a tea totaler :laugh: ?
     
    Last edited: Dec 2, 2022
  15. Michael Streett

    Michael Streett Senior Member

    Location:
    Florence, SC
    Yes indeed! You hear it, don't you?
     
  16. ajsmith

    ajsmith Senior Member

    Location:
    Glasgow
    Maybe a recording of Ray’s 1967 song ‘If Christmas Day Could Last Forever’ that he wrote for the ‘At The Eleventh Hour’ show will have leaked by then and we can discuss that? I mean, I know it’s hugely unlikely, but hope springs eternal…
     
  17. CheshireCat

    CheshireCat Forum Resident

    Location:
    Cheshire
    Soothe Sayer
    I don't think I've listened to this CD since the day I got it, way back when it was released. An interesting diversion, sure, visiting a spiritual planet and so on. I believe there was a story to go along with the music, but it's not something I've investigated, and after all this time, it could well be a memory of some alien intervention in the past.

    I have a few Jarre albums, a few Oldfield albums, so I like a good instrumental album. Sadly this isn't on that level.

    'Soothe Sayer' was however a blessed relief on finding a proper song eventually. I enjoy it. I'm perfectly happy with a synth-based song and Dave's singing nicely, so it doesn't scare the animals. All is good. It was tagged onto another of Dave's albums later - 'Fortis Green'. It's more manageable there.

    I'd have liked Dave to have spent perhaps a tenner to have an album cover designer around this time for his solo releases.
     
  18. Paul Mazz

    Paul Mazz Senior Member

    Purusha and the Spiritual Planet

    Far out man. I have to admit that I did not listen to this too closely. I had it on as background music while working this afternoon. It's pleasant enough, and I might listen to Soothe Sayer again.

    @The late man cracked me up with his reference to the DSM-5 in regard to his obsession with organizing his music files. I do wonder sometimes about Dave's mental state though - but somehow when reading his descriptions of his psychic experiences, (twice now, as I just finished his second autobiography), he comes across as very sincere. Paraphrasing @Michael Streett, who am I to call BS on Dave's experiences.
     
  19. pablo fanques

    pablo fanques Somebody's Bad Handwroter In Memoriam

    Location:
    Poughkeepsie, NY
    Our version of Toad's is The Chance. Many of the same bands plus Bowie previewed his Reality tour there. Bon Jovi would do surprise shows and of course The Kinks played there as well. Its still around but those days are sadly gone
     
    TeddyB, markelis, CheshireCat and 7 others like this.
  20. All Down The Line

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

    Location:
    Australia
    So your rating is a Celluloid Zero, dead not alive?
     
  21. All Down The Line

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

    Location:
    Australia
    At least that choice will provides good presence by jovi!
     
  22. All Down The Line

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

    Location:
    Australia
    More a tea subtracter.

    Q. At that party is it possible the needle got stuck during On The Run for 25 minutes before the other trippers noticed and you'd been slipped a placebo?
     
  23. Leo Comerford

    Leo Comerford Forum Resident

    "Never Met A Girl Like You Before" is probably about a "girl with something extra", right? It was released as the B-side of "See My Friends", which is officially an innuendo-laden song. It would be neither Ray Davies' last (see "Lola") nor his first (see "I Took My Baby Home") song about a transvestite or MTF-transsexual love interest. And
    , for instance, is either very cloying or very knowing, and it's more usual for Ray Davies' songwriting to be knowing.
     
  24. CheshireCat

    CheshireCat Forum Resident

    Location:
    Cheshire
    I'm quite concerned about how you manage to deal with ailments such as 'water on the knee', or even 'hepititis'. Indeed, how do you sleep at night?
     
  25. mark winstanley

    mark winstanley Certified dinosaur, who likes physical product Thread Starter

    Fortis Green - Meta Media Demo Series.

    Produced by: Dave Davies
    Release date: 8 Nov, 1999
    Record label & catalog #: Meta Media MM02
    Country: USA
    Format: CD
    Release type: Dave Davies solo release

    [​IMG]
    [​IMG]
    Liner Notes:
    Produced by Dave Davies. Engineered by Dave Davies, Russell Davies and David Nolte. Recorded at Russell Davies' home studio in London except 'Fortis Green' recorded at David Nolte's home studio in Los Angeles. Mastered by Mark Chalecki at Capitol. Thanks to Kate, Christian Davies and Jim Laspesa. Photos courtesey of Jade Townsend, Joanne Corsano and Paul Undersinger. Other pictures taken from Dave's autobiography 'Kink'. *Taken from the album 'Purusha and The Spiritual Planet' by Crystal Radio. Produced by Dave Davies and Russell Davies. All songs written by Dave Davies except 'Fortis Green' and 'Away From You' by D. Davies/Hague. 'True Phenomenon' inspired from a concept by D. Davies/Richard Lawrence. Art design by Dave Davies and Christian Davies.
    These demos form only a part of a greater collection of unreleased songs that Dave has written over the years. Mostly recorded at his son Russell's home studio in North London. 'Fortis Green' was recorded in August of this year at the home studio of David Nolte with Jim Laspesa on drums. 'Fortis Green' has become an extremely popular song in Dave's live shows. The song was inspired by early passages from Dave's autobiography 'Kink'. Growing up in a large working class family in the late '50's & early 60's in Muswell Hill, North London. Reflections and observations of some of the characters and influences of that time. Dave recalls... "Every Saturday night there were parties in our house. There were always lively and colourful characters around. I remember on a Sunday night we would all sit around the wireless (we didn't have telly until the late 50's) and listen to 'Journey into Space' a fascinating and mesmerizing science fiction series. We'd also listen to the Tony Hancock comedy show. 'Hancock's half-hour'. I loved his film 'The Rebel' that later became one of my favourites. I was transfixed by the radio. I used to make up my own programmes when I was a boy.'

    1. Let Me Be stereo mix, recorded late 1990's at Russell Davies' home studio, London
    2. True Phenomenon stereo mix, recorded late 1990's at Russell Davies' home studio, London
    3. Voices stereo mix, recorded late 1990's at Russell Davies' home studio, London
    4. Away From You stereo mix, recorded late 1990's at Russell Davies' home studio, London
    5. Fortis Green stereo mix, recorded Aug 1999 at David Nolte's home studio, Hollywood, California
    6. Love In The World stereo mix, recorded late 1990's at Russell Davies' home studio, London
    7. Listen To The Spirit stereo mix, recorded late 1990's at Russell Davies' home studio, London
    8. Soothe Sayer (Mukti's Song) stereo mix, recorded summer 1998 at Russell Davies' home studio, London

    _____________________________________________

    So a couple of things.

    - This is another Dave set of demos, but so far, from what I heat it's a bit more solid and coherent. It has a sound, like the songs weren't recorded that far away from each other.
    I kind of assume that Dave couldn't get a contract to release his songs, and so he was recording in his sons studio, which is so odd to me, as you would think that his son would be recording in his studio, as of course Dave is the successful rock star, but it is what it is, everything about the Kinks seems to operate differently to the rest of the world.
    - The is actually a Fortis Green 2 released in 2012, with a newly recorded song, and a making of, but we'll look at that down that road, because there is sort of a glut of Dave material around this point in time, while Ray was essentially wandering around in his own world and not really releasing that much.

    I'm listening to this at the moment, for the first time, and it actually sounds pretty reasonable to me.
    These are obviously demos, but they actually sound pretty good to me.

    The sound is a little muddy, but I'm not sure if that's the youtube uploads or just the demo sound, but we have, so far, Dave singing in his lower register and a sort of warm melodic sound and feel, as far as I can tell so far.
    The drum sounds aren't great, but probably not distractingly so... I think the songs stand up pretty well.

    There is some use of the keys, but it is much more successful to my ears at this stage, like Dave has moved beyond the idea of the keys and synth to experiment with as a toy, and to try and generate songs using the tools available, rather than looking for a funky sound to make a song with.

    I'm going to pause a minute and listen to the title track, I've never heard it, and it appears to have a sort of cult following around it, but the first four tracks sounded pretty good to me, without diving in deeply.

    Yea, I reckon I really like the title track.

    We'll see how we go when we run through the tracks, but this sounds like a pretty solid demo album... it actually seems like a shame it didn't get finished off.

    I'm not sure why Soothe Sayer got a run on here though. Perhaps he wanted the song he did with his son on here..... Listening to it now it sort of feels like it is in a better spot than on Purusha....

    Anyway, we'll see how we go
     

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