My brother and I had tickets to see the Kinks in San Diego in 1993, but the concert was canceled due to "lack of interest." To say that I would welcome the opportunity to attend a Kinks concert 21 years later would be a massive understatement. Bring it on, "Banana Boat Song" and all.
I'm a huge Kinks fan but am too young to have ever seen them so I will happily welcome any sort of reunion.
When I saw Ray Davies on Jools Holland's Hootenanny I thought "Please don't do that Kinks reunion!". He couldn't sing anymore, not even the very simple "All Day And All Of The Night". If he really can't do any better than that it's time for him to quit.
I'm all for it ! Let them cash in if that's what makes them happy, they definitely have given so much to us.
I had the same thoughts. Perhaps it was Jools' big band drowning him out, perhaps Ray was having an off-night - it wasn't great. I don't think Ray should quit but I can't really see much value in a reunion. Ray talks about how a reunion show might go in the new 'Uncut'
I didn't see it (Jools Holland show doesn't go the the US), but I see a lot of Ray concerts when he comes out here, and he's still a good singer. I would think Jools Holland was just an off-night.
John Gosling still around? I thought he brought a lot to the band and who cares if he wasn't one of the original four. Not me. I guess real fans are always excessively hopeful, but this was a band that always knew how to play to its strengths and compensate for its weaknesses. Whether they can now function with a band mentality is an open question but I'm guessing it would be easier for them than it was for the Springfield. Saw two incredible concerts by them in the 70's, once coming on after a blistering set by Cheap Trick. Then the Kinks reminded everyone who deserved to be the headliners....
I just want to point out that Ray has been touring on and off for most of the last 10-15 years since the Kinks disbanded. His set lists are 95% Kinks songs, with a smattering of some solo songs. He usually does an acoustic set, an electric set, and sometimes he incorporates book readings (which is how he is planning his upcoming solo shows in the UK in March/April). Sometimes he has a band with him, and sometimes it is him and another guitarist. He is still consistently good, although he is going to be 70 years old in June 2014. The addition of brother Dave and Mick Avory, and maybe some other former members of the Kinks, would be nice to see as a celebration, but it really won't be any better on a musical level than just Ray at this point. Dave is a shadow of his former self, and I really don't see them playing together for a full tour. Maybe a show or 2 in London at the most. Just my thoughts. Arnie
The venue was full when Ray toured with The 88's. I would expect an even greater draw billed as The Kinks.
No Avery, no Kinks… so, I guessing no Kinks. Saw Dave last summer and he got better as the show progressed—definitely more fun than any solo Ray show I'd seen lately (think I'm done going to any more of those). Guess I'm still hoping the band who seemed to play the Santa Monica Civic every other month back in the early '70s will magically reappear… but, I suspect, it just ain't happening. There went Flash.
Agree. I've seen Ray solo a few times over the last decade and don't recall ever hearing anything like THAT! He sounds like a man whose dog just died...
If so, we've got to organize forumite get-togethers at convenient venues...and how do we get setlist requests for Arthur and VGPS material to the brothers Davies?/K
I know you probably mean new Kinks music, but have you checked these out? He's got some pretty strong songs on these: Great song writer, Ray is.
John Gosling is still around and regularly guests on London dates with the Kast Off Kinks, whose amorphous membership includes Gosling, Avory, John Dalton, Henrit, Rodford, Gibbons and Mark Haley: ie most of the non-Davies Kinks (Quaife and Edwards are both deceased of course: only Andy Pyle never joins them of those who could) : they are a functioning group who tour far more regularly than Ray and Dave put together, and so it would be very easy (from a musical standpoint anyway) for the Davies brothers to slip back in with them. While Ray would do this and has guested with them before, I don't think Dave would want to, as he can't be persuaded to work with Avory (YET!! fingers crossed).
Well in response, I'd like to point out that the Kast Off Kinks (Avory and at various times Dalton, Gosling, Rodford, Gibbons, Henrit and Mark Haley) have been touring far more consistently than Ray over the same period, and it would be very easy from a musical point of view for Ray and Dave to step back in with this well oiled unit (whether Dave would want to is another matter). I think they're at least as good as any of the backing groups Ray's had, but you can judge for yourself here and about a thousand other videos online: