"Mr. Moon" I have to be honest and say this is one of the first songs that I wanted to skip within 30 seconds. I stuck with it, and ended up playing it a few times. It's not as bad as I first suspected, and when he sings "Mr. Moon" I get a Sparks vibe. Perhaps a song that could have fit on Big Beat, which came out a year later. He gives it a heavier treatment on "Why?!!". I'm not sure which version I prefer, but neither would be something I would listen to often. I'm not familiar with most of his solo albums. I'll have to start giving those a little sample so I know what we are in for. Ray had tremendous energy in the early to mid 70s. Dave had to recognize his brothers talent, and I am guessing was a bit intimidated by how many songs Ray was cranking out. He didn't have time to write because he was busy learning all of Ray's songs! In his off time he was probably at the pub being obnoxious to Lennon. I can't recall if this story has been posted before. This is a quote from Dave about hanging out with John Lennon. We were once both drunk, sitting at the table in the Scotch of St James. I’d had a few pills as well and he couldn’t stop me talking. As I was leaving, John said to me: “You’re one of the most obnoxious people I’ve ever met!” I took that as a great compliment.
You don't have to pretend it's the Kinks anymore. This version is jazz-based, so your mileage may vary; the original singer doing "Scrapheap City." MaryAnn Price, as some might know, was famous for being one of the vocalists in the original version of Dan Hicks & His Hot Licks.
Here's an article that I read on a website that I frequent which talks about heroes & antiheroes. Although the author was discussing TV shows, I thought it may be of interest here since a few Avids have stated that their problem w/Preservation was that there was no one to really symphaize with: It's About TV: Matter and antimatter, hero and antihero
Absolutely, having assumed Web Of Time was a Kinks song I went straight into reading the lyrics and it just wasn't adding up in my head that Ray could or would have written this. Stretched out feelings and thoughts that are not so linear nor easily resolve......ahh.... ladies and gentlemen introducing Dave Mr Death Of A Clown Davies!
Web Of Time Delicate Dave looks inward and finds important and interesting ideas and themes to dwell upon and share. But I guess it wasn't shared and waited until Decade came out for that to happen? I find the vocal a real strain particularly in the latter part of the song and wonder if some of this was overdubbed by Dave Davies, senior citizen? I assume this is a reworked demo that didn't see the light of day and agree with Mark that a sympathetic producer could have been very beneficial to Dave. N.b. Out Headmaster and non Baptist wrote a great lyrical interpretation that I really enjoyed with lines such as: "Trying to avoid reality, than perhaps change it ... or perhaps we feel so helpless in spite of our charade of intelligence and power ....."
Today, “the Kinks” officially “released” this EP on streaming services. It’s called Timeless Classics and contains 6 curated songs, with an appropriate 5:1 Ray-to-Dave ratio. It sounds like they will be releasing some other “themed” EPs as well, including “rockin’”, “party”, and “ballads”. But this is the only one I could find on Spotify so far. Interesting that whoever is behind “the Kinks” nowadays is doing something like this at all. I assume this got Ray’s blessing.
Web of Time/ I was expecting to dislike Dave's lost songs but I've had the opposite experience. I like Web of Time's mystical lyrics though the music sounds unfinished. I've recently watched Peter Jackson's Get Back where it underlined how valuable it was for Paul and John to be able to use the other as a collaborator to flesh out their song ideas and make them better. It made me think it's a shame Dave wasn't able or willing to use Ray to the same effect - he could have helped turn Dave's good song ideas into great songs. Mr Moon I've listened to Mr Moon a few times. Dave's cool guitar licks tracking the vocals (or is it vice versa?) makes this musically interesting and I'm not turned off by his mystical lyrics - who were those heretics of Islam and where is that Polynesian gold? Hmmm. I love Dave's guitar tone and patterns on this song. It reminds me a little of Robert Quine's guitar work on Matthew Sweet's Divine Intervention and Stephen Stills on his cover of Dear Mr Fantasy. It also has a Celtic feel which I like.
The Kinks present A Soap Opera. Soap Opera Studio album by the Kinks Released 16 May 1975 Recorded August 1974 - October 1974 Studio Konk Studios, London Genre Glam rock Length 37:30 Label RCA Producer Ray Davies Side 1 1. Everybody's A Star (Starmaker) stereo mix (2:57), recorded Aug 1974, additional overdubs done Oct 1974 at Konk Studios, Hornsey, London 2. Ordinary People stereo mix, recorded Aug 1974, additional overdubs done Oct 1974 at Konk Studios, Hornsey, London 3. Rush Hour Blues stereo mix, recorded Aug 1974, additional overdubs done Oct 1974 at Konk Studios, Hornsey, London 4. Nine To Five stereo mix, recorded Aug 1974, additional overdubs done Oct 1974 at Konk Studios, Hornsey, London 5. When Work Is Over stereo mix, recorded Aug 1974, additional overdubs done Oct 1974 at Konk Studios, Hornsey, London 6. Have Another Drink stereo mix, recorded Aug 1974, additional overdubs done Oct 1974 at Konk Studios, Hornsey, London Side 2 1. Underneath The Neon Sign stereo mix, recorded Aug 1974, additional overdubs done Oct 1974 at Konk Studios, Hornsey, London 2. Holiday Romance stereo mix, recorded Sep 1974 at Konk Studios, Hornsey, London 3. You Make It All Worthwhile stereo mix, recorded Aug 1974, additional overdubs done Oct 1974 at Konk Studios, Hornsey, London 4. Ducks On The Wall stereo mix, recorded Aug 1974, additional overdubs done Oct 1974 at Konk Studios, Hornsey, London 5. (A) Face In The Crowd stereo mix, recorded Aug 1974, additional overdubs done Oct 1974 at Konk Studios, Hornsey, London 6. You Can't Stop The Music stereo mix, recorded Aug 1974, additional overdubs done Oct 1974 at Konk Studios, Hornsey, London 13. Everybody's A Star (Starmaker) mono mix, created for radio play, slightly sped up (2:57), recorded Aug 1974, additional overdubs done Oct 1974 at Konk Studios, Hornsey, London 14. Ordinary People live, stereo mix, recorded 14 Jun, 1975 at New Victoria Theatre, London 15. You Make It All Worthwhile live, stereo mix, recorded 14 Jun, 1975 at New Victoria Theatre, London 16. Underneath The Neon Sign live, stereo mix, recorded 14 Jun, 1975 at New Victoria Theatre, London THE KINKS RAY DAVIES * DAVE DAVIES * MICK AVORY JOHN DALTON * JOHN GOSLING * ALAN HOLMES LAURIE BROWN * JOHN BEECHAM OTHER VOCALISTS PAMELA TRAVIS * SHIRLIE RODEN * LYNDSEY MOORE Featuring June Ritchie as Norman's Wife Public performance clearance-PRS Written, Arranged and Produced by Raymond Douglas Davies Copyright Davray Music Ltd. 1974/5 Engineered by Roger Beale Recorded at Konk Studios, London Art Direction: Pat Doyle Illustration: Joe Petagno Up until a very short time ago I would have said that this was easily my least favourite Kinks album, even though it is probably stronger than the first two Kinks albums. By 1975 we have one of the best recording bands ever, with one of the best songwriters ever, so the expectations are somewhat higher, and for an early sixties band it is pretty much par for the course for the first couple of albums to be a little uneven, and heavy with cover songs ... and yes, even though I enjoy their first two well enough, I include the Beatles in that .... The whole point of these threads for me is to revisit, and make myself really listen... Not a passing glance, with an experienced and "all knowing" ear ... but to get down in the dirt and really have a listen, see what makes the album tick. Try and find what the artist was going for, give the songs enough exposure to have a chance to find a place .... I am not sure I love this album as much as the albums since Kontroversy, but I have found a place for it... and I think it makes sense to me now. My first error with this album was, the opening song, and the general way it's presented made me think that this was an attempt at an album version of Pygmalion/My Fair Lady, and in the process of listening to it, it just seemed to be anything but that, and so I didn't think it made much sense, and not really digging in, it seemed the songs were a bit flat, or not really grabbing me, and all the kinds of things that make you feel that this album isn't going to make it..... So when I was reaching for a Kinks album, it wasn't going to be this one, and that's an easy habit to get into. Prior to the thread, in all honesty, if I was reaching for a Kinks album it was going to be - first tier - The Kinks Are The Village Green Preservation Society, Muswell Hillbillies, Low Budget and perhaps Give The People What They Want .... - second tier Lola, Sleepwalker ... State Of Confusion - I have to give it another go tier Arthur.... As is likely apparent to all, the thread has done a great job of making it really difficult for me to decide now, with everything from Kontroversy onward, so far, and in fact up to this point being pretty much first tier .... even Act 2 of Preservation hovers around there, if I want dark heavy themes, with dark heavy humour .... Now I'm not sure whether this is there quite yet, but we'll see where we end up after we have been through the songs. This is again a very interesting theme that Ray has chosen to tackle, and again he has set himself a difficult task. It seems that he wanted to challenge himself.... quite a lot..... This is more of a Trading Places theme .... and it is really interesting the way it works out. We have a world class songwriter, playing a world class songwriter who wants to live the life of an ordinary mundane office worker, in order to write an album of songs that make that life pop and zaz like a star's life does. What we end up with, is quite an interesting study on human nature. and the nature of songwriting, but I still need to look more closely at the individual songs on here to fully put that picture together in my head. This album actually started off as a tv play, somewhat in the style of a radio play, and I will post the thirty something minute play here today for folks to check it out if you haven't already... I'm pretty sure @ajsmith posted this earlier in the thread for folks to get a pre-listen to it and it does help put the context together. Essentially Starmaker (Ray as the pop star) wants to get into the head of an ordinary person and start writing an album based on that, but in the process he loses himself in the character somewhat, and transitions into the person he is supposed to be writing about, therefor making it almost impossible to complete the task, and leaving the once somewhat arrogant Starmaker .... as an ordinary person. This could be seen in so many ways, and it is a really interesting idea. Essentially it is the audience and critics that make a star what they are, not the person themselves.... sure they may be talented and have drive and all that kind of stuff, but at the end of the day, they ARE just an ordinary person...... so this should be an interesting journey... Another thing that this album does, or attempts to do, is be a lot more lighthearted than the heavy and somewhat oppressive tone that the Preservation albums had, and I think that is altogether intentional on Ray's part. It is more concise, but in many ways, but even more over the top than Preservation in many others. This album should be a really interesting journey. It is likely to draw a few groans I would imagine, but try and give the album a bit of an upfront listen, in order to try and get the feel of it in you, and see where you end up from there. One thing this album does, which is really unexpected to me, is it really does actually show what a great and inventive writer Ray still was. It's very easy to say that Ray lost it after the sixties because he wasn't doing stuff "I like" anymore, but the whole point is that Ray had done the sixties, and moved probably further, but at least as far as any of his contemporaries in that era, and once you have climbed Everest, you need to set a new goal, because it is kind of futile to just keep climbing Everest and feel that it is any kind of achievement .... So instead we got an interesting and very good change up album with Lola. A surprising and quite brilliant Americana/alt Country type album with Muswell Hillbillies. a good time show band album with Everybody's In Showbiz, and then one of the most ambitious albums ever recorded for a pop/rock band, that may not have reached its ambition for most, but it is certainly original in the world of pop and rock music, and it contains some of the best writing Ray ever did, even if it isn't completely balanced, and even if it isn't full of pleasant, quirky pop-rock tunes for folks to hum along with. This album is quite camp in many ways. It is over the top in many ways, and it is very different in many ways. This really could be polished up a bit, maybe undergo a slight rewrite here and there, and be a very interesting Broadway play/musical... Anyway, I will be really interested to see how this unfolds for everyone........ This is certainly not anything like sixties Kinks, nor is it like the good rocking Kinks we have coming up in the not too distant future, but it is quite original, and it does have a lot of great writing in here, but it needs to be heard for it is, and not what it isn't ..... if that makes any sense whatsoever. ------------------------------------------------------ Of course just to be difficult the complete Starmaker TV version has been deleted now.... So I will need to put it up in parts .... It is s worth a watch though. Pt 1
It wasn't actually me who posted the Starmaker TV show earlier in the thread, twas another poster, although re: the lack of PT3 in the multi park upload, there's a one stop upload of the complete thing here: (I believe this is what was posted earlier in the thread). So are we gonna discuss the Starmaker TV show this weekend then? Makes sense, as it predated the Soap Opera album by about a year (and confusingly it even came before the full Preservation stage shows!)