Pete Quaife; audible vocals in the Kinks?

The backing vocals in The Kinks are usually dominated by Dave, Rasa (in the early days) and Ray overdubbing himself, but it's also known that Peter Quaife was a backing vocalist on studio recordings while he was in the band: I was wondering if anyone could identify his most prominent appearances as a backing vocalist?

I always wonder about 'David Watts'.. you can hear Dave on b/v pretty obviously at some bits, but the male vocalist singing 'Wish I could be' at around 0.55 really doesn't sound like Dave (or Ray).. I was wondering if this could be Pete on his own? Anyone else agree, and are there any other examples?

 

bumpo!

 

There's one album that credits the vocalists by song on the rear sleeve (forget which one, Face To Face maybe), and notes Pete on backing vocals with the word 'help!' or something next to it.

 

Kink Kontroversy is what you're thinking of.

 

Yeah it's Kink Kontroversy, the song in question being 'Till The End of the Day'. I can't really hear him too well in the mix for that one though.

 

Just guessing ... maybe in the gang vocals during the break on Starstruck? (love this video by the way)

 

In this '98 interview Pete doesn't pull any punches. He owns up to BV on Waterloo Sunset.
Pete Quaife interview
"Not much is known about your vocal contributions to the band. Indeed a lot of the mixing on early Kinks songs blended the voices in an indiscernible manner. Which songs did you contribute vocals to in a significant way?'

"Waterloo Sunset was my most prominent contribution. As you say, most of the background singers that you can't identify include me."

 

Should add another one - pretty sure Quaife can be heard solo doing one of the daft character vocals on their version of 'I'm A Hog For You Baby'.

 

You can hear him very well in this performance (perhaps too much). Check out Mick's expression around the :32 mark. Priceless.

 

I understand he joins Dave prominently in the la-la-la's in Wonderboy, a great track.

 

Think he's kinda audible on 'I've Got That Feeling' too... the guy singing the 'sweetest girl' and 'kisses me' backing vox doesn't sound like Dave anyway.

 

Dave Davies revealed on twitter today that it's Pete shouting 'Bingo' at the end of 'Harry Rag'!

 

Dave Davies' solo in this clip doesn't exactly quash the Jimmy Page rumors !

 

It might be a poor solo in that clip, but it's definitely Dave on the single. All eye witnesses and documentation agree on this, inc Page himself who has confirmed he wasn't on the the record. ( he's on rhythm guitar on a few tracks on the debut LP, that's it). The Page on lead on YRGM rumour is just that - a rumour dating back to the 60s when hard info was scarcer and D. Davies was considered an impudent upstart by the guitar hero establishment of London.

 

I believe that is Pete who picks up the counter-melody "Mr Pleasant is good, Mr Pleasant is kind," towards the end of the track when Dave switches from that to a harmony line?

 

And, just replying to myself, something similar seems to happen towards the end of "Afternoon Tea", I think.

 

Pete is very audible on the BBC session. for Waterloo sunset

 

I think Pete's voice was kind of similar to Ray's.

I'm assuming he does the falsetto voice in "Last of the Steam Powered Train" (the third "steam!") and also something similar in "Plastic Man."

If I remember correctly, you can kind of hear his voice singing along with Dave's in "Cadillac" from the BBC Sessions. "C-A-D-I-LL-A-C!"

 

Yes that's Pete, he then carries on with the 'Mr Pleasant's okaaaaaaay'.

 

That's it, great stuff!

 

According to the 2019 booklet of Arthur (IIRC), Quaife sings the lower octave to Dave Davies's lead vocal in the song "There's No Life Without Love".

I guess that makes it the closest he ever got to singing lead on a Kinks record (kind of like Brian Jones on "I Wanna Be Your Man")

On a slightly unrelated topic, are there any Kinks songs where Ray Davies sings a higher harmony to any of Dave's lead vocals?

Also on a completely unrelated topic I gather that Dave is a high tenor, but what about Ray? Is he a high baritone or a low tenor? The man could wail some really high notes when he wanted to. And how about Pete Quaife for that matter? By what little vocal work of his that exists, it sounds like he had the same range as Ray.

 

No I'm pretty sure that's Ray. Pete and Dave are doing the "fa-fa-fa-fa" bits throughout.

 

I read that in the book but it’s full import didn’t hit home for me until you mentioned it there. Now I’m wishing they’d included a ‘Pete Quaife vocal only’ mix in the box!

 

Just relistened and I’m still not convinced it’s Ray. It doesn’t have the characteristic timbre of his voice to me. That said, he did often put on accents and characters (including on the outtake version of ‘David Watts’, where he sings the lead in a much camper style) so I’m not saying it couldn’t be him either, just that I still think the jury’s out unless you have more evidence. (Let’s make this thread the Kinks answer to ‘Who sang the Ahhhs in ‘A Day In The Life?’!!!!)

 

I don't know if that would haven been possible if all the vocals were bounced to one track.