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
    A 1998 interview with Ray Davies conducted by my friend Jack, founder and head honcho of The Big Takeover.
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  2. pyrrhicvictory

    pyrrhicvictory Forum Resident

    Location:
    Manhattan
  3. markelis

    markelis Forum Resident

    Location:
    Miami Beach FL
    Some more great songs today.

    I do like the lighter touch given to One More Time. I’m still not totally sold on that song, but I know that many of my fellow Avids loved it, so it probably warrants another revisit or two before I decide.

    Come Dancing was really a nice surprise. Frankly, I was going to skip it. This song was played on MTV ad nauseam when it was released (my high school years). As big a kinks fan as I was, the ubiquitousness of this song made me hate it. The live version from To the Bone helped redeem it in my eyes. Nonetheless, I went into this one thinking “I don’t need another live version of this song“. Sure enough though, as usual, Ray takes a good song, and makes it great live once again. Not sure what he did here, other than inject a whole lot of fun into the performance. There were a lot of nice touches throughout the song, little deviations thar showed the band having fun, playing the song live, but I suppose my very favorite comes at the end, as Ray strums the riff on his acoustic just slightly ahead of the rest of the band closing the song out. Fantastic all around.

    20th Century Man is just such a good song that, no matter how Ray chooses to play it, it sounds great. This version is no different. The shredding guitar solo to the end made me sit up and take notice, as I thought to myself “hark, is that Dave I hear?“, but, alas, it was not. Still, a cracking version of this song.

    Celluloid Heroes is always a treat. As our fearless leader noted, it’s pretty tough to top the one from the road version, I lived and breathed that version from the moment that album came out. Nonetheless, Rat turns in another potent performance here.

    Good stuff!
     
  4. All Down The Line

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

    Location:
    Australia
    Sidebar:

    I didn't know how long the Mike Cotton Sound had been in operation but here they were on the opening Friday of the 5th National Richmond Jazz & Blues Festival in August 1965 supporting The Yardbirds, The Who & The Moody Blues.



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  5. mark winstanley

    mark winstanley Certified dinosaur, who likes physical product Thread Starter

    Ray Davies Live At The Roundhouse, London Part 4 .

    Tired Of Waiting For You.

    Ray dedicates this to the band, that band being of course the Kinks, he specifies the guys on this track Pete Quaife, Dave Davies and Mick Avory, and it seems really like an interesting choice of songs to dedicate.
    This probably speaks directly to how Ray actually felt. I guess we have decided that Ray didn't really want the Kinks to end, and virtually begrudgingly went into a solo career.
    Personally I think his solo albums are great, and that's just because the man is one of the great writers, but his position in the Kinks was obviously the leader, but he liked his crack troop of soldiers and wanted them at his side when he went into battle.
    This is a very good version.

    All Day And All Of The Night.

    Ray dedicates this one to Dave, and gives him some kudos.
    Then we get a very solid version of the song.
    We get the obligatory "weoh" section, but in a slightly different arrangement.

    Dedicated Follower Of Fashion.

    There's a sort of encore gag, and Ray says they're out of time, but goes on to introduce the guitarist, and they move into an acoustic version of this track. Ray plays with the audience, and they join in on all the prompts. Then we get Crouch End Festival Chorus join in.

    Days

    Ray dedicates this song to absent friends, and then jokes that they just didn't want to be here.
    He sings the opening lines without backing. Then we get a delicate acoustic version of the song with the chorus singing chords in the background.
    Then the crowd sings along with him.
    Then we move into a full band version, just when we think this is going to be a short version.
    This builds nicely, as if at first reflecting on those who are gone, and then building into a rejoicing that they were here to begin with.
    I think it works well.

    Waterloo Sunset.

    It's hard to imagine Ray doing a poor version of this.
    The chorus does a great job of adding some nice chord and melody backing that fits in beautifully.
    Certainly this is one of those songs where it is hard to imagine the original version ever being bested, but I think this works really well, within its own context.



    0:59:04 13 Tired Of Waiting
    1:02:04 14 All Day And All Of The Night
    1:07:42 15 Dedicated Follower Of Fashion (with The Crouch End Festival Chorus)
    1:11:59 16 Days
    1:16:57 17 Waterloo Sunset (with The Crouch End Festival Chorus)
     
  6. All Down The Line

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

    Location:
    Australia
    Now Zeki, will that be cash or card?
     
  7. ARL

    ARL Forum Resident

    Location:
    England
    "Tired Of Waiting"

    Fantastic. Goosebumps. Shivers down the spine. That guitar sounds like it's directly sampled from Dave's. And for once Ray sings the whole song! On this one and the next few you can tell that Ray loves these songs as much as we do.

    "All Day And All Of The Night"

    Again the guitar sounds amazingly authentic, and Ray and the band rip through this one convincingly as well, even finding the time to pause for a quick "way-oh" in the middle as well!

    "Dedicated Follower Of Fashion"

    A great catalyst for a singalong as well as a great song, Ray wrings every last drop out of this one. We get our first glimpse of the Crouch End Festival Chorus, and they go on to provide an impressive contribution to the next few songs.

    "Days"

    What can one say about this song that hasn't already been said? Ray begins with just the vocal, before bringing in the acoustic. The audience gets the chance to join in as well. And then you think it's over, but it's not, as the whole band comes in for a triumphant last verse and finale. There can't be a dry eye in the house - there certainly wasn't in mine after watching this (and the next song) this morning.

    "Waterloo Sunset"

    It's quote a tribute to Rasa that it takes this many people to replicate her parts perfectly! No audience singalong with this one, Ray sings it straight, the band plays it faithfully and of course it's wonderful.
     
  8. All Down The Line

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

    Location:
    Australia
    Roundhouse Part 3

    Nothing To Say

    All good versions but i don't find any as being near definitive.
    As stated the band are on here and having fun adding their little musical motifs and stamps to this freshly learned material and arrangements.
    Rays mood elevates the show as does his introductions and avid asides!
     
  9. stewedandkeefed

    stewedandkeefed Came Ashore In The Dead Of The Night

    Today's segment is pretty great as Ray consciously presents the achievement of the Kinks. What I like is Ray basically tells his audience that the Kinks are something he is very proud of and the purpose of his life. What follows is pretty consistently magnificent. The band's playing is sharp and Ray is in his element. And he runs through a series of Kinks klassics from the sixties. The "angels from North London" are a very nice touch. Ray pulled out all the stops to make this show memorable. Most of these songs were Kinks live staples but the one that was not a regular Kinks setlist inclusion, "Days", stands out the most for me.
     
  10. Fortuleo

    Fortuleo Used to be a Forum Resident

    Does he speak french, there ? I think he goes : “I want to dedicate this to the band I was in, great band… Pete Quaife, Dave Davies, Mick Avory et moi…” Now @The late man and myself are honored! Merci, Ray!!
     
  11. stewedandkeefed

    stewedandkeefed Came Ashore In The Dead Of The Night

    I forgot to mention Ray's focus on North London and how he identifies William Blake as a north Londoner. William Blake inspired one of Bob Dylan's greatest songs - the current night ender in Bob's show - "Every Grain Of Sand" (Blake wrote a poem "Augeries Of Innocence" that began with the line "to see a world in a grain of sand" and served as Bob's inspiration). Ray displays a pretty keen interest in literature and I thought the Blake reference was pretty interesting. Blake was definitely not a fan of industrialization and saw problems for humans as we abandoned the natural world, a sentiment I suspect Ray understands.
     
  12. Fortuleo

    Fortuleo Used to be a Forum Resident

    And after the french bit, Ray says: “I’m really proud of these songs, I’ll sing them in the spirit… I’m really proud, they’re part of my life, I hope they’re part of your lives too, here’s a couple of songs from that band.”

    This is quite touching. And then Ray does sing them like they’re part of everyone’s lives, really. Wey-ho’s notwithstanding, All Day and All of the Night comes across as one of the best up-tempo rockers of all time, the ultimate showstopper. Relentless. How great it must be to have this ace in your set list sleeve….
    The encores then come with yet another shirt and (for a short while) another black jacket. How Ray engages with the crowd on Dedicated is pure joy. He looks like he’s having the time of his life. Days, a capella, then with the choir, then with the crowd, then with the band… This is one of the best songs ever. Waterloo Sunset, majestic, they play all the little sonic nuances of the record, reminding us that every nuance of it is just as ikonik as the song itself. Outstanding stuff!
     
  13. Steve62

    Steve62 Vinyl hunter

    Location:
    Murrumbateman
    I'm loving this live performance at the Roundhouse. A good sign is that I can't make up my mind whether I prefer his versions of the Kinks 60's classics, their latter work or his solo stuff. For a "heritage act" that's as good as it gets.
     
  14. markelis

    markelis Forum Resident

    Location:
    Miami Beach FL
    Day three of Roundhouse:

    More great stuff.

    Tired of Waiting sounds great, not much more to add maybe, other than to say that I’m happy to see a band behind Ray good enough to do justice to these old classics.

    All Day and etc.: For me, this was probably the real surprise of the day. Without Dave on guitar, I’m just not prepared to like these old proto heavy-metal type songs. I just go in to it feeling like Dave is so essential to these early heavy-metal blasts of fun (which is not to say that he has not been essential to every kinks song, this is just my own personal bias), and yet if I close my eyes, whoever it is that’s grinding out this riff and shredding out that solo has done just fine.

    Dedicated Follower of Raymond: Good version, nothing earth shaking, but then it would be an unrealistic expectation to think that Ray is going to shake the earth every single time he plays a song live. I suppose it should be enough that this song was earth shaking when he created it.

    Days: It would be pretty hard to screw this song up. At this point, it just kind of carries itself. The studio cut is so damn fine itt’s hard to imagine Ray finding a way to improve on it. Merely playing it competently means he’s playing a classic and we mortals should all just shut up and enjoy it. I did and I did!

    Waterloo Sunset: See above. Classic, played well, no real complaints (other than, wouldn’t it just be amazing to see Dave in the spotlight, grinding out that riff live!?!?).

    I am not yet sure quite what I think about having the chorus behind him on these songs. At this point, I will simply say I’m glad to see Ray still being the artist that he is and finding ways to re-create and re-present these old classics. In the end (and I know I’ve said this before so pardon my redundancy), I want to hear the core band playing the song. Drums, guitars, bass, vocals, end of story. I don’t normally want to hear a horn section or back up singers or choruses or orchestras. That said, there are enough stripped-down live versions of all these classics that so far I’m rolling with Ray and his desire to present them in a new form.

    good stuff again!

    Also, everything that All Down the Line said above holds true for me. I suppose I tried to say the same things he was saying, he just did it so much more succinctly!
     
    Last edited: Mar 21, 2023
  15. DISKOJOE

    DISKOJOE Boredom That You Can Afford!

    Location:
    Salem, MA
    This is the same festival that the US music show Shindig broadcast as one of its last shows:

     
  16. DISKOJOE

    DISKOJOE Boredom That You Can Afford!

    Location:
    Salem, MA
    Here’s Part 2:



    As for Ray’s Roundhouse thingie, I’m probably burn it on DVD and watch it later based on the great things you fellow Avids are saying.
     
  17. Paul Mazz

    Paul Mazz Senior Member

    Live at the Roundhouse

    I've been following along, but not posting. I felt compelled today to chime in and say that I am really, really enjoying this show. I almost don't miss the Kinks :hide: playing. Sure it doesn't have the same raucous youthful energy of earlier Kinks shows, but I'm not sure I remember Ray seeming to be as relaxed, and enjoying himself quite as much, as on this show. Ray's "angels" on Days and Waterloo Sunset were fantastic and very moving, but I always heard angels singing in my head when I heard these songs.
     
  18. Michael Streett

    Michael Streett Senior Member

    Location:
    Florence, SC
    And the bass guitarist for The Mike Cotton Sound at this time?

    One Jim Rodford.
     
  19. All Down The Line

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

    Location:
    Australia
    What a link, did they later work again with the Kinks at some point Rod was there?
     
  20. donstemple

    donstemple Member of the Club

    Location:
    Maplewood, NJ
    Roundhouse (continued)

    Come Dancing / 20th Century Man

    Great versions, really energetic. The stops/starts are really cool, and I can't help but stop along with him, and then bop my head as the riff and groove come back in. That joke about the bass player's town only having 20 people, but he's one of them so only 19 are home watching. That's pretty funny. So is the casual "following the disaster of Muswell Hillbillies..."

    Celluloid Heroes

    On this particular song, Ray's voice sounds almost exactly like it did in the 1970s to me, am I off there? He did the "vanted to be alone" voice though from the To the Bone version... I really like the slide guitar on this, but again, Ray's voice is just so fantastic on this one.

    Tired of Waiting / All Day and All of the Night / Days / Dedicated Follower of Fashion / Waterloo Sunset
    My god. Imaging having a catalogue where you can sing these 4 songs and still have more killer songs for an encore??? These all sound great, and Ray makes it more intimate with the solo acoustic Dedicated Follower. All just incredible songs that I have gushed over many times before. Nothing else to add.

    What a fantastic show.
     
  21. Zeki

    Zeki Forum Resident

    £45 (by my count) and “they described my brother’s guitar as the sound of a barking dog.”

    Quiz Question material!
     
  22. CheshireCat

    CheshireCat Forum Resident

    Location:
    Cheshire
  23. Zeki

    Zeki Forum Resident

  24. Paul Mazz

    Paul Mazz Senior Member

    The first time I ever even heard of Blur was during an interview I heard with Ray many years ago. The interviewer had asked Ray, (something like) what new bands he liked, and he responded Blur and Oasis. Blur actually sounded like bleh when he said it, so for quite a while I had no idea who he was talking about, lol.
     
  25. sharedon

    sharedon Forum Zonophone

    Location:
    Boomer OK
    Nice feature on the new compilation in the May 2023 issue of MOJO, just out, with brief interviews with Ray, Dave, and Mick about some of the tracks.
     

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