That makes sense since I used to buy Hot Rod Magazine when I was a kid & I noticed the UPC code on the cover starting around 1975.
Where Do You Come From The album opens with a strong hard rocker I really get into. The vocal lines are clearly at the ragged edge of Dave's range and capability, but I don't find that to be a distraction. A strong opener. Doing the Best for You I enjoyed this today more than I recall. If you can survive the bargain basement Casio keyboard opening, it gets better after that.
Visionary Dreamer. stereo mix (4:29), recorded Jan-Feb 1980 at Konk Studios, Hornsey, London By your smile, I know you think I'm just a dreamer And that the way I act seems Often kind of foolish, But eyes can lie, And sometimes words are oh so useless. Oh you're part of me, The rest is history. There is a light that shines above you when I'm near you That somehow tells me all the things we never say. And in my heart, I sense a love that lasts for always. Yes our dreams were true, It's just we never knew. Chorus I love you, Yes I do, There is no doubt. I love you, And there ain't no doubt about it. Repeat In your eyes I see you a visionary dreamer, And all at once they say you're acting like a fool. The world may change, But it can never really harm you, For there's a love that's true, That's deep inside you. Soon the time will come for us to say goodbye, But all the visions of our friendship will remain. And every time I see a child look to the sky, I will remember you. We shared a love oh so true. Chorus I love you, Yes I do, There is no doubt. I love you, And there ain't no doubt about it. Now as I gaze out of my window to the stars, It seems somehow our little lives are oh so strange. I close my eyes and feel the universe within me. And you're part of me, And you will always be. Chorus I love you, Yes I do, There is no doubt. I love you, And there ain't no doubt about it. Written by: Dave Davies Published by: DABE Music Limited, London, 1980 Maybe I am completely offline here, but this kind of sounds like Dave trying to do Journey to me.... now somewhat of a disclaimer .... I had the Journey debut album and Escape, and I liked them both well enough but never felt the need to go any further... Journey barely even got a mention in Australia. No charting albums, only four charting singles, and only one in the top fifty Open Arms (41) ... so I may be completely wrong, because I never really got particularly exposed to them, but of course in the US they were huge... anyway, enough on that. This is a love song, with Dave singing about this relationship that by the second verse we are left wondering if it is a couple or just some friends from the lyrics, but Dave's singing of it makes it seem like this is the most important relationship that ever happened. We open with a nice guitar arpeggio and some lead that keeps things nice and melodic. We are in a melancholic minor, and we get a steady flow of key changes and a sort of rotational theme, almost like Dave was looking at the circle of fifths while he was writing this one.... Now that doesn't mean it isn't well written. I think the chord progression works really well, and the melodic flow is really nice, and at times a little surprising.. After we get passed the opening, we initially have a clean guitar strumming the chords, and as we get towards the first chorus the way Dave is going to approach this becomes apparent, as we get these layered guitars with plenty of buzz, playing harmonised melodic lines to lead us in and out of each section. A bit of lead dropped in here and there. When we get to the second verse these guitars are now harmonised into the chords, and it is always an interesting effect, and it does thicken the sound up a bit. We get stacks of layering here, and I guess depending on whether you can connect with the song or not is going to result in whether you like the way this is done or not. I'm kind of in the middle on it.... I can see what he was going for, and I really like the flow of the melodic chord structure, and I even like the harmonised guitars and the general arrangement... I suppose to some degree on this one, I find Dave's vocal in the chorus to be a little over the top... He carries it off ok, but he is singing this love song, and it is sort of really over the top There is a lot to like about this song, and for the most part I really like it, but on some listens it feels a little too over the top
Nothing More To Lose. stereo mix (4:10), recorded Jan-Feb 1980 at Konk Studios, Hornsey, London Get out of that house, Stop watching T.V. Have you heard the news, Well there's a new world here, And it's staring straight at you, Don't want no politics, Religion too. They've got nothing left to prove, Well my heart's beatin' rhythm, And my soul keeps singin' the blues, I know we can make it happen, Anytime we want it to, I know we can make it happen, Now it's all up to you. Chorus We got nothing more to lose, Nothing more to lose, Nothing more to lose. We're so proud of our intellect, Arrogant selfish fools Who can look no further than, A bunch of separative rules. Well if we're all so clever and technology rules, Why is it we're so scared. I got a rockin' psychosis, And my juke box blown a fuse. Don't look there's someone watching, Though they're many light years away. Don't stop, They may be listening to every single word you say. Chorus Nothing more to lose, Nothing more to lose, Nothing more to lose. Can you feel something strange in your heart, In your brain, But it's not what you think. You're just waking out of sleep. Chorus Nothing more to lose, Nothing more to lose, Nothing more to lose. I know we can make it happen, Anytime we want it to, I know we can make it happen, Now it's all up to you. Chorus You got nothing more to lose, Nothing more to lose, Nothing more to lose. Can you feel something strange in your heart, In your brain, Nothing more to lose. Written by: Dave Davies Published by: DABE Music Limited, London, 1980 The song starts with some good advice that we've heard many times before and since. Get out of that house and stop watching TV. Dave proclaims a new world is here, and it is staring straight at you. He doesn't want politics or religion, but nobody gets much choice in that. politics has become the new religion for many, and no matter what stances any of us take they are going to be related to, or based upon those things... A choice of no politics, is a form of politics, and a choice of no religion is still a religious choice, so as well meaning as the lyric is, it is a bit naive. Then Dave quotes Chuck Berry's Roll Over Beethoven My heart's beatin' rhythm and my soul keeps singing the blues. Then we have a teen rebellion type lyric. I know we can make it happen, Anytime we want it to, I know we can make it happen, Now it's all up to you. The chorus is just "Nothin' More To Lose" The second verse is a little more thoughtful and works a little better. The very justifiable question of how is it we think we are so intelligent comes up.... and that has been a continual thought in my mind through my life, as we as societies continue to make all the same mistakes over and over.... The definition of insanity - keep doing the same thing and expect a different result?.... Dave complains about rules ... Well if we're all so clever and technology rules, Why is it we're so scared? This is the best line in the song so far, because it is a justifiable question and not just some pop revolutionary nonsense... The modern era's want to keep feeding information to the masses to keep them scared has been one of the major things over the course of my life. It is stunning that people are still manipulated by this obvious propaganda. Then Dave revisits Chuck with a slight variation I got a rockin' psychosis, And my juke box blown a fuse. In light of the state of things, Dave has psychosis, but his jukebox is still blowin' a fuse. It's a pretty decent turnaround. Don't look there's someone watching, Though they're many light years away. Don't stop, They may be listening to every single word you say. This is an interesting section of lyrics. It initially seems to point to the common Big Brother talk of the eighties, but then it suggests that these watchers are many light years away..... aliens? They may be listening to everything you say, preceded by Don't stop.... so we want them to hear us? The bridge works pretty well. It suggests that the feeling in our hearts and brains is that slightly confused feeling as we wake up. In this context, I believe he is talking to the big wake up, about the world and how it functions, not getting out of bed in the morning. I love Dave, and he has plenty of ideas, and he likes to think about the big things, but he always seems to struggle putting it down in a coherent way. Lyrically this is like a teen rebellion type song, that addresses some of the problems in the world in the eighties, or at least our perception of them at the time.... I don't dislike it, but it just ends up being a bit of a jumble as a lyric.... As a song it works fine. It sings well, and Dave has managed to put together a nice rocker, but as a lyric, it's a bit naff really. Musically though, this is really pretty good. We open with the straight beat and the grinding chunk of the rhythm guitar and bass. This is accented nicely by some intermittent double stabs of chords that give it a really nice punchy rock texture. The whole verse works based in this setup and it works well to create a certain tension that is broken nicely as we roll into the crescendo part of the verse. Dave comes in with a nice riff that repeats as the intensity builds, and the chorus works as the big release, and the whole song opens up into some joyous rocking delight. We have some nice lead guitar inserts that add a bit of colour, and the whole way this comes together just works really well. Dave's vocals on this track are really good, and suit the song well. He even shows a slight leaning towards putting some character into the vocals in several spots, that open it up a bit more for us. Most of the shouty Dave sections on this song are in the background, and I think that also helps to keep the song in a zone where we can enjoy the song without worrying about Dave's more extreme vocals. I also think Dave did a good job with the mix here. The bridge is really interesting too. I really like it.... it reminds me of something, but I think something that came later.... The laid back music, and the harmony vocals work really well, and the heavy guitar accents towards the end work really well also. Dave employs the repeated bridge technique we have seen from Ray recently, and again in the context of this song it works well. The song fades out on the chunk guitars with Dave adding some ... kind of textural lead guitar bits to colour it up a bit. I really like this as a song. I can take or leave the lyrics. I think Dave captures a really good rock feel, adds in some nice musical hooks and links, and we get this hard rocking, melodic track that is full of adrenaline and attitude. Good track.
Another decent two tracks, with a bit of variety to keep things interesting. But I'm glad I'm listening to them two tracks at a time as I don't think I could handle a whole album of this, especially with Dave's vocals.
For some 40 seconds, Nothing More to Lose could almost appeal to me, a kind of re-imagined early eighties mix of retro rockabilly and new recording techniques. But the first big change ("I know we can make it happen…’’) all but ruins it for me. Then the chorus is a lesson in radio blandness or even worst, it sounds like it’s submitting its application to appear in a bad movie's soundtrack . When this chorus comes in, it’s like sirens during a bombing, my instinct is to look for shelter. I can see how I react to style over substance, here, but it prevents me from accessing whatever substance there might be. Visionary Dreamer is much better for me. I like what I gather from the lyrics, each verse could be a reflection of a different stage of a relationship. In each one of them, Dave also blurs the past, present and future. The verb tenses change all the time, making it hard to decipher if the singer conjures memories or projections into the future, "visions", "dreams" or present reality. Musically, Dave certainly sings over the top of his range. Boy, does this man scream. I don't understand how nobody told him that this singing style was not for him at all. I've read on Youtube and also here An Overdose Of Fingal Cocoa: Dave Davies that Linda Ronstadt's may be the soaring voice on the chorus ? I find it doubtful, maybe our own encyclopedi-@ajsmith will shed some light on this. Whoever that is, this voice on top of screamin' Dave is like being blessed with aural honey while an open wound is attacked by salt water. I like the guitar tones @Mark described so well and I think the last verse, treated like an acoustic bridge, is a very nice touch. But the best thing, by far, is the 1'43'' chord change with the processed guitar, to get back to the verse. This moment is heart stopping and makes the song for me, if not the entire record.
Visionary Dreamer The title is one that Van Morrison might employ, though he would certainly take it in a different direction. Dave doesn’t have a very elastic vocabulary on his lp’s; fool/foolish seems to be a favorite, government/politics another. There is some strong guitar work on offer which makes the song for me. The over the top vocals too, although I get that for many they’re a dealbreaker. Dave has said ‘it’s a love song to someone who has always been very close to me and always will be.’ Sue? Lisbet? As for Linda Ronstadt, I would eat my Homburg hat if she appears on this number. Certainly Dave has never mentioned her. I think it’s those internet gremlins having fun. Nothin’ More to Lose Inspired by Eddie Cochran, this song worked it’s way into a few Kinks concerts and generally did well live. I like it as recorded too, and as @mark winstanley points out that second stanza is quite good. Interesting that Dave shows some alien/other concerns on this album and the next before he was contacted by them in ‘82. What gives?
Visionary Dreamer: Steve Marriott-ish vocals (I finally figured it out!) on a song that doesn’t seem quite finished as there’s a couple of changes that jar. Nothin’ More To Lose: Straight ahead foot-to-the-floor rocker, milking the guitar hero thing for all its worth. At least Dave sings in a lower register. I went back and looked at song credits: Both these tracks are all-Dave. Drums, bass, everything. “Dave Davies: Vocals, all tracks Guitars, all tracks Keyboards, all tracks Bass guitar and drums on the following tracks: Doing the Best for You* Visionary Dreamer Nothin' More To Lose
Just For Interests sake.... here are a batch of compilations to check out from all over the world I assume Some Compilations Part 1. 1977 The Kinks – The Kinks Best Collection Labelye Records – UPS-664-Y Format: Vinyl, LP, Compilation, Stereo Country:Japan Released:1977 Genre:Rock, Pop Style: Tracklist A1 You Really Got Me 2:14 A2 All Day And All Of The Night 2:22 A3 Tired of Waiting For You 2:30 A4 Set Me Free 2:13 A5 A Well Respected Man 2:40 A6 Long Tall Sally 2:10 B1 Sunny Afternoon 3:29 B2 Village Green 2:07 B3 Waterloo Sunset 3:17 B4 Dead End Street 3:23 B5 Victoria 3:37 B6 Lola 1978 The Kinks – Lo Mejor De The Kinks Genre:Rock Style: Year:1978 Tracklist He's Evil 4:20 Money Talks 3:41 The Hardway 2:32 Scrapheap City 3:15 Salvation Road 3:17 Jack The Idiot Dunce 3:17 Flash's Confession 4:26 Nothing Lasts Forever 3:40 Everybody's A Star (Starmaker) 2:14 Have Another Drink 2:42 The Kinks – Ihre 20 Größten Hits Genre:Rock Styleop Rock Year:1978 Tracklist Dandy Waterloo Sunset Sunny Afternoon Mr. Pleasant Autumn Almanac Dedicated Follower Of Fashion Susannah's Still Alive You Really Got Me Wonder Boy Apeman Lola Dead End Street All Day And All Of The Night Days Tired Of Waiting For You A Well Respected Man Plastic Man Victoria Set Me Free Death Of A Clown 4:04 The Kinks – Lola Label:Impacto – EL.4005 Format: Vinyl, LP, Compilation Country:Spain Released:1978 Genre:Rock Style: Tracklist A1 Lola A2 Village Green A3 Wonder Boy A4 Funny Face A5 Too Much On My Mind A6 Picture Book B1 Dandy B2 Sitting By The Riverside B2 Love Me Till The Sun Shines B3 Two Sisters B4 Party Line B5 Moments The Kinks – The Kinks Label:Vogue – VK 73 Series:V-King Format: Vinyl, LP, Compilation Country:Belgium Released:1978 Genre:Rock Style:Classic Rock, Mod Tracklist A1 Lola 4:05 A2 Autumn Almanac 3:08 A3 Waterloo Sunset 3:12 A4 Till The End Of The Day 2:18 A5 Sittin' On My Sofa 3:00 A6 Don't You Fret 2:42 B1 Apeman 3:54 B2 Tired Of Waiting For You 2:28 B3 I Gotta Move 2:24 B4 Village Green Preservation Society 2:48 B5 The Last Of The Steam Powered Trains 4:11 B6 Tin Soldier Man
1979. The Kinks – All Day And All Of The Night - The Kinks - Vol. 2 Genre: Rock Style: Pop Rock Year: 1979 Tracklist All Day And All Of The Night 2:23 See My Friends 2:41 Sittin' On My Sofa 3:00 Village Green Preservation Society 2:48 Afternoon Tea 3:24 Set Me Free 2:11 Louie Louie 2:56 Death Of A Clown 3:11 Party Line 2:33 Animals In The Zoo 2:21 Sitting By The Riverside 2:23 Tired Of Waiting For You 2:28 1980. The Kinks – Kinky Gems Genre: Rock Style: Year: 1980 Tracklist Long Tall Sally 2:11 You Still Want Me 1:59 You Do Something to Me 2:22 I've Got That Feeling 2:40 Who'll Be the Next in Line 2:00 Never Met a Girl Like You Before 2:02 Big Black Smoke 2:25 This Is Where I Belong 2:23 Act Nice and Gentle 2:36 Polly 2:47 There Is No Life Without Love 2:01 Creeping Jean 3:09 King Kong 3:22 Berkeley Mews The Kinks – Second Time Around Genre: Rock, Pop Style: Pop Rock, Classic Rock Year: 1980 Tracklist The Hard Way 2:35 No More Looking Back 4:27 Acute Schizophrenia Paranoia Blues 3:56 Motorway 3:29 Lola 1:40 Schooldays 3:32 (A) Face In The Crowd 2:17 Hot Potatoes 3:31 Celluloid Heroes 6:20
1980. The Kinks – The Kinks Collection Label: Hallmark Marble Arch – PDA 072 Format: 2 x Vinyl, LP, Compilation Country: UK Released: 1980 Genre: Rock, Pop Style: Rock & Roll Tracklist A1 Lola A2 Animal Farm A3 It's All Right A4 I Need You A5 Till The End Of The Day A6 Stop Your Sobbing B1 You Really Got Me B2 I'm Not Like Everybody Else B3 Just Can't Go To Sleep B4 Victoria B5 Tired Of Waiting For You B6 A Well Respected Man C1 Dedicated Follower Of Fashion C2 Dead End Street C3 See My Friends C4 Louie Louie C5 I'm A Lover Not A Fighter C6 Set Me Free D1 All Day And All Of The Night D2 Waterloo Sunset D3 Where Have All The Good Times Gone D4 Something Better Beginning D5 Come On Now D6 Sunny Afternoon
Oct 1963 - Nov 1966 - Kinks get a haircut Apr 1967 - Feb 1970 1965 Never Say Yes 1966 Trouble In Madrid Nov 1970 - Jun 1976 Ray interview The Kinks Move To Arista Records Feb 1977 Sleepwalker Life On The Road - OGWT 77 - ITV 78 Mr Big Man Sleepwalker - Mike Douglas - OGWT - Supersonic - SNL - Outtake Brother Juke Box Music - single - OGWT Sleepless Night Stormy Sky - OGWT 77 Full Moon - live 77 - Ray live Life Goes On - OGWT 77 Artificial Light Prince Of The Punks The Poseur On The Outside - remix Elevator Man Kinks Live Feb 1977 Ray acoustic Apr 77 Kinks Old Grey Whistle Test show 77 Kinks Live Dec 1977 Christmas Concert 1977 The Pressures Of The Road Nov 1977 Father Christmas - video - live 1977 - tv promo - Dave live May 1978 Misfits Misfits - tv 1978 Hay Fever - live? Black Messiah Rock And Roll Fantasy- the hotel room - live Paris 1978 In A Foreign Land Permanent Waves Live Life - US version - UK tv Out Of The Wardrobe Trust Your Heart - live 1979 Get Up 1978 The Misfit Record EP Lola live in the hotel room UK tv 1978 The Misfits Tour Live in Paris 1978 Sept. 1978 20 Golden Greats Jul 1979 Low Budget Attitude Catch Me Now I'm Falling - remix - alt mix - The Late Man, Sea Cows In Love Mix Pressure - live 1983 National Health Superman (ext. mix) - single/album mix - ext fan mix - video - straight mix 12" Low Budget - Extended mix - Live 89 - Ray Live In A Space A Little Bit Of Emotion A Gallon Of Gas - Live in 1982 - Full US single version - Alt mix Misery Moving Pictures studio outtakes Hidden Quality Duke Nuclear Love Maybe I Love You Stolen Away Your Heart Mike Konopka Restores the Kinks for the Velvel Reissues The Low Budget interview Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 Part 4 Ray On Wonderworld The Kunks Ray on the Stones Compilations part 1 Dave Davies - AFL1-3603 Where Do You Come From Doing The Best For You Visionary Dreamer Nothing More To Lose Live In Frankfurt in 1984 Kinks live TOTP 1994 2005 Thanksgiving Day Ray live on Conan Obrien Oct 2018 Dave Davies - Decade - interview If You Are Leaving (71) Cradle To The Grace (73) Midnight Sun (73) Mystic Woman (73) The Journey (73) Shadows (73) Web Of Time (75) Mr Moon (75) - Why Islands (78) Give You All My Love (78) Within Each Day (78) Same Old Blues (78) This Precious Time (78) Mick Avory Pete Quaife - interview - Kast Off Kinks - I Could See It In Your Eyes - Dead End Street Rasa Didzpetris Davies John Dalton John Gosling Jim Rodford Andy Pyle Gordon Edwards Clive Davis
Visionary Dreamer At first, this song sounds like a straight ahead love song. Then it sounds like Dave is reaching for something more, but it's impossible to tell just what. Nothing More to Lose Whoa! The 80s have arrived with Dave! If the previous song was Dave doing Journey, then this is Dave doing the main theme to an angsty coming of age 80s teen movie. I get visions of the Brat Pack flying down the road in a convertible signing along with the cassette tape, all about flipping the previous generation the metaphorical bird. In that sense, it's as good as any such example from the day. I agree Dave sings this one really well. Yeah, I may relive a little of my own youth as I drive to the trailhead for my mountain bike ride today.... CRANK IT!!!
I apologise in advance because I'm going to review Dave's first four songs in reverse, which is the order in which I've listened to them. I do have the LP but I see it needs a deep clean, which will have to wait until tomorrow. Nothing More to Lose This is a fast rocker which Dave says was inspired by Eddie Cochran. It doesn't try to do anything too complicated and doesn't need to. Great song! Visionary Dreamer I understand Dave wrote this as a love song of sorts. That might well be the case but I can't easily make out the lyrics - which undermines the notion of a love song. It's a good effort but could have been better. Doing the Best for You There's some nice crunchy riffing on this (as there was on the previous/following song) as well as the synth accompaniment that was popular at the time. The lyrics are weird but I like the chorus and Dave's solo on what is a good song to my ears. Where Do You Come From The album opens with a medium-paced hard rocker for want of a better description. This has the feel of an exciting song that is inconclusive. There is no climax, which can be a problem - including in songs. So I found this a bit disappointing. Overall impression so far I'm enjoying this record. It's amazing that Dave played all the instruments as well as produced it. I don't know if that means the angelic backing vocals are Dave double-tracked? He's clearly having a good time with all that freedom - giving the music an uplifting feel.
Not all instruments on all of the above: “Special thanks to Nick Trevisick and Ron Lawerence, drums and guitar respectively, on: Where Do You Come From” (but, yeah, I’m always impressed by multi instrumentalists).
For the record. What I will probably do with compilations now, is on a Saturday when we are looking at something from a specific year, I will post compilations that line up with that year. I personally don't have too much to say about compilations (I mean the plethora of best of's, not boxes like Anthology, Picture Book, BBC etc) so on the odd Saturday I will post the years batch of compilations and that way with it being the weekend anyone who has something specific to say about any of them, can, and they will have time to do so. For example, the next batch will come up during Give The People What They Want, and there were 7 compiles release in 81, and 5 in 82 etc etc ... I hope that works for everyone. It seems like a way of getting them in here without actually spoiling the flow of the albums we are looking at, and also not losing days and time setting them aside for specific days... where there may not be much interest?
Visionary Dreamer Nice, very straightforward song. Funny, I wouldn’t have thought Journey, but I can totally imagine Steve Perry singing these verses, and some of the guitar tones do sound similar to something Neal Schon would add on top. I really like the acoustic guitar and vocal layering in the bridge. It changes the feel in a nice way, before rounding back to the chorus. Nothin’ More to Lose The opening groove here sounds like a bit heavier, sped up version of Love Will Find a Way by Pablo Cruise (1978). Now there’s a comparison I wouldn’t think I would ever make on this thread! As for this… …yes! As I first listened, before reading your post, I had this thought that this chorus seems like it belongs in Rocky IV as he’s driving his car at night, contemplating that he, may, in fact, have something to lose. My only qualm with your statement is that I happen to enjoy both Rocky IV and the song they ended up choosing for that scene, Robert Tepper’s No Easy Way Out Also, never really knew Dave could play bass and drums too, so these two songs today are pretty impressive.
It's Saturday, so I will attempt to shake off my annoyance and sour attitude. I had nothing to say about the first two songs and likely don't have much to say about these either. I am surprised that Kinks fans like this music, but I'm sure we all have very wide and eclectic taste, so I guess you never know what someone will love or hate. "Visionary Dreamer" That's what is sounds like to me. This doesn't appeal to me in the slightest. I don't like anything about it. An instant skip. Sorry Dave. I hear what you are saying, but Steve Marriott was far superior. He also got more and more annoying as time went on. I love Small Faces and early Humble Pie, but this is more in line with what he became on albums like On To Victory, which was also released in 1980. Steve is still far better, even at his weakest. I couldn't even get through this entire tune before I wanted to rip my ears off. "Nothin More To Lose" I completely agree with this. There is a good song in here, but the chorus squashes it. I like the rockabilly flavor and Dave's vocal in the verses that has him playing up the rockabilly swagger. I even like the blasts of electric guitar. He should have kept it simpler and more in line with the rockabilly start. It's not great and I will probably never listen to it again, but it has its moments. It may be the only song on the album that I find halfway listenable.