The Kinks - Album by Album (song by song)

Discussion in 'Music Corner' started by mark winstanley, Apr 4, 2021.

  1. markelis

    markelis Forum Resident

    Location:
    Miami Beach FL
    Definite Maybe: This one’s a little bit more like it. I don’t think it would’ve worked well as the first single, at least with respect to the main stream, but for me, if I had heard this cleverly constructed, witty song as the first song off of the album, it might’ve gotten my attention a little bit more. I think in a lot of ways this harkens back to earlier kinks, where it would often be difficult to tell which part of the song was the chorus, not just because the structure of the song is so atypical to the standard verse, chorus, verse, chorus (maybe bridge), solo, chorus structure used in most hit songs, but also because the whole thing is so damn singable that it becomes one extended chorus. Dave seems more engaged here as well, unlike his rather basic contributions to the song State of Confusion. On top of everything else, this song really does display the more typical quirky kinks humor . Again, I am not knocking State of Confusion (the song), I like it and I have respect for the fact that it clearly meets the test of instantly memorable, easily singable, so it does make sense to use it as an album opener and the first release from the album, but I just find this to be the better of the two songs.
     
  2. palisantrancho

    palisantrancho Forum Resident

    "Definite Maybe"

    I couldn't remember much about this song. So far, we have had comparisons to The Damned, The Yardbirds, Chuck, The Stones, and 60s Kinks. That sounds like a very promising tune for the day! I can hear a bit of Captain Sensible and small hints of all the others that were mentioned. "'Round and 'round the circles go" is a lovely part and reminds us that Ray is still writing fantastic melodies. It never made much of an impression on me, but listening to it now, and I think it's far better than I ever gave it credit for. Since I am usually late to post, I should start writing down some thoughts the night before. I'm curious to what I would have thought before reading all of today's comments. You all have swayed me to put this into the win column for the day.
     
  3. Zeki

    Zeki Forum Resident

    You gotta write pre-Mark, otherwise you’ll like everything! :D (Which is okay, too)
     
  4. palisantrancho

    palisantrancho Forum Resident

    Ha ha! He can be very persuasive! Sometimes I jot down a few thoughts, but I mostly write it up the same morning after everyone has already commented. Up until now, I was pretty familiar with every song and had a general idea of what I would say. Now we are getting into albums that I don't listen to very much. I have heard these songs all before, but when I look at some of the titles I have no idea what they sound like until I play them again. This is one of those albums where I chose a couple songs I liked, and never returned to the rest of the album. Tomorrow's song is another that I couldn't tell you anything about right now. I will start taking notes the day before on songs I am not very familiar with! Some of these songs I have no strong feelings about one way or the other, so that's when all the comments can help sway me to one side.
     
  5. Brian x

    Brian x the beautiful ones are not yet born

    Location:
    Los Angeles
    Definite Maybe

    Another one that throws a bunch of unexpected melodic curveballs, including a '60s bit and some RCA-period choral stuff. Way too multifaceted to be an attempt at "fist-pumping arena rock."

    The Kafkaesque bureaucracy thing is very Ray, like the People in Grey have gone digital and become not so much threatening as ceaselessly, numbingly opaque.

    But I get something that RD surely didn't intend (but what is the "meaning" of a cultural artifact anyway, as discussed a few dozen pages ago?) -- quantum physics.

    Play for a moment -- the space between yes and no, 1 and o, heads and tails, the bit right before the universe splits off into the one where the cat is dead and the one where the cat survives. But the coin never lands, the switch never flips. A state of suspension, entanglement -- confusion.

    I don't know enough about either music or physics to say why this song takes me to the place where quantum mechanics and melody meet, but I'd stick it on a subatomic playlist that for now remains in a state of quantum indeterminacy (but would also theoretically include Randy Newman's Great Debate).
     
  6. Zerox

    Zerox Forum Resident

    Location:
    UK
    About thirty years ago (yes, most of my anecdotes will probably refer to this point of my life...you know, when I was young and carrying the burden of experiences I was yet to have, rather than old and carrying the burden of experiences that have come and gone...), I was discussing 'Definite Maybe' with a friend of mine in a letter (that's a form of correspondence which people used to engage in before they had email, texts, etc...or maybe I imagined it).

    I remember saying that this song was a perfect example of a Ray 'double whammy', in that you get a good intro, decent verse and what seems like the main hook; for most bands, this would be enough, but RD serves the secret that he's had up his sleeve, the knock-out second melodic punch which in this case is the "Round and round the circle goes" section. I mean, there's no coming back from that, is there? It's just gold.

    Unlike the previous track, I've never really dwelt as much on the lyrics to 'Definite Maybe'. That's not a criticism so much as a reflection of how well the song works as a complete unit or maybe my attention span being lacking when I get waylaid by a nice tune!
     
  7. Paul Mazz

    Paul Mazz Senior Member

    Went back and listened again, and, yes, definitely the same melody. Thanks for pointing me in the right direction - I was listening for a guitar riff that was similar at first, not the whole damn verse melody. Doh. Maybe it didn’t jump out at me because I don’t think that that is the most memorable part of Over Under Sideways Down, and the songs have a different overall feel to them. Kinda like I can hear where Lennon borrowed from You Can’t Catch Me, but not the first thing that comes to mind when I hear Come Together.
     
  8. The late man

    The late man Forum Resident

    Location:
    France
    Same with From Me To You and Charming Man

    Edit: or Isn't She Lovely and Costello's Tramp the dirt down
     
  9. ThereOnceWasANote

    ThereOnceWasANote Forum Resident

    Location:
    Cape May, NJ
    Two songs in and its already apparent this album will not be GTPWTW part deux. Instead Ray begins a three album cycle where he looks back to 60s Kinks (minus the harpsichord) for both inspiration and ideas. The opening title track combines an arena rock chorus with all kinds of melodic twists and turns along the way. Maybe its his relationship with Chrissie and her love of '60s Kinks but from the jump this is the sound of a man acknowledging his weighty past and incorporating a certain mod-era pop element back into the Kinks sound. Here they are riding high on another hugely successful album and tour but of course Ray is confused by it all. A song more popular on MTV than FM rock radio, go figure. This should've been the advance track for the album instead of releasing it six months later when both tour and album momentum was through. A fun song despite the less than fun subject matter.

    Definite Maybe is another solid track bridging the gap between 60's britpop and new wave with a touch of arena rock from Dave. I put this in the Kwirky Kinks folder. Ray liked this one so much that he re-worked part of it two albums later for the Think Visual title track. Love the backing vocals. Once again a song chock full of shifting melodies and hooks. These two songs however are outliers because the meat of this album are songs about relationships and the past. SOC the album is one the Kinks more mature works. The (relative) fun over its the next 5 of 6 songs that define the tenor of SOC and are among the most I guess you could say "mature" works lyrically and on most of the 5 musically, in the Kinks katalog. YMMV.
     
  10. TeddyB

    TeddyB Senior Member

    Location:
    Hollywoodland
    My dad, who is no longer with us, spent his 19th birthday parachuting into Normandy on DDay. He never talked much about his experiences in the US Army. He was sent home after his leg was injured by a load of shrapnel from a land mine. I guess getting through this awful experience must have helped prepare him well to deal with his subsequent career in show business (that’s a joke, well pretty much a joke).
     
  11. Luckless Pedestrian

    Luckless Pedestrian Forum Resident

    Location:
    New Hampshire, USA
    State Of Confusion (song) - I really like how this bleak and stormy song has a moment where the sun shines briefly through the clouds, with the background oooohs like rays of light:

    Should feel happy, should feel glad.
    I'm alive and it can't be bad
    Of course, with Ray's patented irony, the protagonist is actually trying to talk himself into the fact that it can't be bad, does not seem convinced, and then the clouds roll back in again.

    Standing on an island
    In the middle of the road.
    I appreciate this section on a few levels. First of all Ray may be referencing himself and I'm On An Island (I'm on an island/ And I've got no where to run). Further, this is a nice reversal of expectation in the second line, our protagonist is not on a proper island (with the peace and tranquility that would imply), but instead a noisy, noxious, dangerous traffic island. I like the symbolism here, after the first two verses had enumerated the specifics of the house being in disrepair and the events surrounding his partner's departure. (I hadn't considered the house as a metaphor for a collapse in mental health, which is a great observation from Mark). The traffic island seems to me symbolic of the worldview that recognizes the futility of all human striving.

    At this point in the Kinks career, Ray really needed to give the people what they want; the increased audience and record sales demanded a large stadium tour to follow the next album, and it would have been destructive to not provide material that would work well in that setting. So he delivers on the stadium rocker, but at the same time is able to do it with intelligent, philosophical lyrics and an interesting song structure. This is a compromise I'm willing to accept, especially considering this is coming in the wake of several years of uncompromising and less commercial output.

    I've been enjoying Andrew Hickey's "A History of Rock Music in 500 Songs" podcast - thanks again for the recommendation @Paul Mazz - and in the episode on The Ink Spots song "That's When Your Heartaches Begin", there's a funny section where he plays a series of excerpts from the beginning of several Ink Spots songs that sound almost exactly the same. He goes on to say:

    But the thing is — all those songs I just played the intros of, they all went top ten, and two of them went to number one. This was a formula that absolutely, undoubtedly, worked.

    And when I say “number one” or “top ten”, I don’t mean on the R&B charts. I mean number one on the pop charts. They did sometimes deviate from the formula slightly — and when they did, they didn’t have hits that were quite so big. The public knew what it liked, and what it liked was a guitar going dun-dun-dun-dun, then Bill Kenny singing a song in a high voice, then Hoppy Jones saying the same words that Bill Kenny had just sung, in a much lower voice. And the Ink Spots were happy to give that to them.​

    I think it's worthwhile to view the Kinks latter output in this light. Artists that want to continue earning a living (and continue to earn the trust of record companies, and to support the living of all those in their employ, whose numbers surely grew along with the band's increasing success) will necessarily be in a push-pull relationship with the public and their artistic muse. To completely disregard what the people want with a personal and uncompromising work - it easy for us to demand that after the fact, but we can see firsthand the risk with this approach with the unfortunate fallout that Dave suffered after the commercial failure of his album Chosen People.
     
  12. Smiler

    Smiler Forum Resident

    Location:
    Houston TX
    Definite Maybe – Frustration with bureaucracy distilled into a hook-filled rocker, and yes, I immediately caught the Yardbirds similarity in the verse (in the Musician interview, Ray insisted that his melody is quite different…). It has enough going on - "melodic twists and turns" as @ThereOnceWasANote said - that it doesn’t feel too long to me, unlike many of their songs from this era. For all the twists and turns, the different sections seem to flow together, and I appreciate the dynamic variation when most of the instruments drop out. Background vocals are a plus for me too (and that high "NOT TODAY"!). It may well be my favorite on the album. 4/5
     
    Last edited: May 30, 2022
  13. Brian Kelly

    Brian Kelly 1964-73 rock's best decade

    Definite Maybe
    This song is OK. Lyrics are interesting, but not profound. The music is enjoyable enough, but nothing that stands out. It is a competent album track. A full album like this would be tolerable, but nothing I'd care to listen to a lot. Fortunately there are a lot better songs than this on this album.
     
  14. All Down The Line

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

    Location:
    Australia
    If Ray had teamed up with Alan Bennett would any English observers have exclaimed Gordon Bennett?

    Trivia: The key track on the 1972 self titled Jeff Beck Group (a.k.a. Orange) LP is called Definitely Maybe & exists as a film clip made from a performance on Germany's Beat Club program.
     
  15. Steve62

    Steve62 Vinyl hunter

    Location:
    Murrumbateman
    Definite Maybe
    This song just about sums up the album for me with it's mixture of aggression and softness. The spiky riff, driving beat and Ray's vocals give it an aggressive edge then we have some beautiful harmonies to soften it. It's a solid song in its own right and gives the album a good 1-2 punchy start.
     
  16. zoostation

    zoostation Cover my face as the animals die.

    Location:
    Madchester
    Re-listened to Lola vs. the Powerman last night
    Easily in their top 3 along with the 2 albums before it
     
  17. mark winstanley

    mark winstanley Certified dinosaur, who likes physical product Thread Starter

    Labour Of Love.

    stereo mix, recorded Feb-Mar 1983 at Konk Studios, Hornsey, London

    Marriage is a two-headed transplant,
    Sometimes that's how it seems.
    When the sex wears off it's all give and take,
    And it's good-bye to all your dreams.
    One head wants to go to a movie
    While the other wants to stay at home,
    And just like a two-headed transplant
    You get the feeling that you're never alone.

    Mr. and Mrs. Horrible are an example of what I say.
    They used to be so in love, now they fight so much
    That they've frightened all their friends away.
    They never get visits from neighbors,
    They've alienated everyone.
    And what started off as all cuddles and kisses
    Has finally become

    A labour of love, labour of love.
    The torment, the worry and woe,
    Love's full of fears, bruises and tears,
    That's the way that a true love grows.
    It's a labour of love, labour of love.
    It's a struggle, without a doubt,
    But if they keep on trying, screaming and crying,
    Somehow they're gonna work it all out.

    It turned into a two-headed transplant,
    But it started off with "Here Comes the Bride."
    But cut off one of the heads and you'll soon find out
    That the other just couldn't survive.
    Because they couldn't stand to be separated
    They're still each other's to have and hold.
    Anyone who thinks the transplant is easy
    Really ought to be told

    It's a labour of love, labour of love.
    The torments, the worries and whoas,
    The battles, the fights, the bruises and bites,
    That's the way that a true love grows.

    They took the vows, for better or worse,
    And they had it blessed by heaven above,
    But what started so brightly as a tender romance
    Turned into a labour of love.
    Turned into a labour of love.

    Written by: Ray Davies
    Published by: Davray Music Ltd.

    I actually like the lyric here, because it obliterates the old fantasy that marriage is some kind of happily ever after. I don't think it is quite as cynical as a first look might suggest. Anyone who has been married knows that life doesn't get easier, and you need to learn to make compromises .... and that isn't necessarily a bad thing. If you can figure out how to do it with one person, perhaps you can figure out how to make that work with other people in your life, and find a middle ground, which makes life a much nicer journey.

    We start off in pretty cynical territory... the two headed monster variation, the sex wears off, it's the end of all of your dreams ... well there is a certain amount of hyperbole about that really.... but also a little bit of truth.
    The fire and passion of a new relationship has burned down many forests, and the seeming boredom of routine has burned down many homes, but it seems like more often than not it is an inability to communicate that causes the most problems.
    The one head wants to go to the movies and the other wants to stay at home line is pretty realistic, but the "feeling like you're never alone" line seems like it would be more of a dysfunctional situation.
    I get time to myself, not always at a specific time, but it's there, and I think it is important for everyone concerned. It isn't super useful to be in a codependent relationship and ends up being unhealthy for both people, with resentments building up, and eventually becoming vocal issues.

    The Mr and Mrs Horrible verse is pretty funny, but I haven't experienced that one personally lol

    I actually like the chorus lyrics.... Life is a battle whether you have someone to share it with or not, and there is something to be said for sharing the little victories with each other, and generally each of you will have your strengths and weaknesses, so it is nice to have each other to lean on at various points in the road when on your own you may fall down.
    I'm not so keen on the screaming and crying section... I've never been in a relationship like that... but anyone that knows me, knows that it isn't a good idea to get me worked up into shouting, because the local air raid siren would be inaudible under the din I create when I start shouting at someone.
    More often than not, with open communication lines, and less of the screaming and crying, it will all work out to some degree .... the Disney prince and princess horse crap needs to be dealt with internally by anyone wanting to be in, or who is in a relationship, because happily ever after, and all the horse crap that is involved in that just causes discontent.... oh, and all that tv BS too.... ever notice how on tv everyone is f'n rich and can afford to do anything anytime. lol what a pile of crap.

    The next verse is great, because it sort of lays it all out. Although these folks have their differences, they are lesser without each other. Companionship is one of the vital ingredients for life, and whether that is a marriage, or just some solid friends, it is a necessary part of our existence. I can function quite easily on my own to be honest. I am not discomforted by being on my own at all, but life is often, but not always, nicer when there is someone to share it with.
    But the real important part to me here is the
    "Anyone who thinks the transplant is easy
    Really ought to be told"
    and to me that comes back to the Disney/TV depiction of relationships... it seems like too many folks get the idea that it is all going to be beer and skittles, and as soon as life does what it does, they think they are in the wrong place, or with the wrong person ... or suddenly they think that girl or guy at work (most often) or the person they met at the ..... (whatever) suddenly looks really good to them, because there is an unresolved issue at home.... then it gets really complicated.....
    We are all just different shaped sacks of flesh, with stupid ideas and insecurities and thinking that changing house is going to fix the problem is hugely naive .... though of course there are certainly bad relatioinships that should be exited pronto, as we looked at on the last album.
    No matter what shape the sack of flesh comes in, the mind is where it all comes unstuck, and you can't see that, and that's always going to be the hardest part to deal with.... In the words of Robert Palmer "a pretty face don't mean no pretty heart"

    To some degree the lyric is kind of like Ray's version of True Love Travels On A Gravel Road ...

    So I like the lyrics, even with that somewhat cynical Ray edge creeping into it.

    We open with a slightly unusual sounding distorted guitar and Dave (I assume) rolling out Here Comes The Bride.... Is it a chorus on the guitar?

    It may seem odd that the band use this sort of grinding rock for a song like this, but marriage and relationships are a nose to the grindstone type of situation.

    As far as the music itself goes, it is a pretty straight forward rock chord progression that presents few surprises, if any at all.

    So this is, all in all, a slightly lesser song for me... I think it is fine as an album track, but leans towards filler, except for the message within the lyrics, which contains a few truths to hang onto for those in, or looking at marriage...
    I would actually have liked Ray to try something a little more interesting for the music, and it could have really given this a bit more to it, but the style does kind of suit the lyric, but I think the predominant reason many of the sixties Kinksers aren't as fond of the later stuff... It sometimes seemed like Ray would put together some good to great lyrics, and then dress it up with a fairly straightforward rock song ... and there is nothing wrong with that at all, but when it happens on what is perceived to be too frequent a basis, the listener can switch off and decide that the writer has lost their edge or whatever...
    Like I say though, I think Ray's main focus around this time was writing words/lyrics that meant something to him, and packaging them in a straightforward framework in order to make the lyrics the main focus..... and when you have that sixties and early seventies run of magnificent lyrics and inventive music to accompany it, it is a challenge to compete...
    Anyway, just my typical rambling thoughts.

     
  18. Fortuleo

    Fortuleo Used to be a Forum Resident

    While the title mirrors another Preservation Act 2 single, the heavy boogie style of this track is quite reminiscent of Money Talks. Intentional? I hope not, as it wouldn’t be the most elegant move to link marriage difficulties and cynical money talking, even just musically. Because of Young Conservatives on side 2, I’ve always suspected there would be some political clues in this song but no, nothing of the sort. Weird by Ray standards, I'd say.
    I happen to like the opening wedding guitars, the first melodic line and some of the lyrics, especially the too-headed transplant concept, more biting than bitter. But… I don't find it too inspired either. I think what’s lacking in the first few songs on this LP is that most lyrics aren’t specific enough. Marriage is a "labour of love", fine, but the best Ray Davies would’ve cooked up a little scenario to prove this point, actual characters, not just broad generalities about sex wearing off and disputes. I mean, come on!, we’re talking about the Situation Vacant guy, aren’t we? We’ve often said his great songs were like mini movies. This one would be a crass TV comedy, with all of the clichés (of the world). I think @zipp already hinted at that lack of specificity when we discussed the title song, and then @pyrrhicvictory lamented that Definite maybe didn't have enough “charm”, but today's song is the main offender, I think. Obviously, things become much better after that on the LP. Anyway, once again, Ron Sexsmith should have the last say about this, as he managed to turn a rather undistinguished blatant song into an agreeable and nuanced little tune.
     
  19. mark winstanley

    mark winstanley Certified dinosaur, who likes physical product Thread Starter

    I guess there are some issues with Discogs listings ... This seems like an actually pretty important collection that is on discogs, but is not where it is supposed to be.... so forgive me as I slide it in here.

    1983

    The Kinks – The Kinks Greatest Hits - Dead End Street
    Label: PRT – KINK 1
    Format:
    Vinyl, LP, Compilation
    Vinyl, 10", EP, Bonus
    Country: UK
    Released: Oct 14, 1983
    Genre: Rock, Pop

    [​IMG][​IMG]

    Pressed By – Orlake Records
    Marketed By – PRT Records Ltd.
    Distributed By – PRT Records Ltd.
    Published By – Edward Kassner Music Co. Ltd.
    Published By – Davray
    Published By – Carlin Music Corp.
    Published By – Copyright Control

    Concept By, Compiled By – Matt Haywood
    Design, Artwork By – Chess Creative Services
    Written-By – Dave Davies (tracks: B10), D. Davies* (tracks: B3), Raymond Douglas Davies* (tracks: A1 to B2, B4 to B7, B9), R. D. Davies* (tracks: B3), R. Davies* (tracks: B8, C1 to D3)

    The Kinks took legal action to halt sales due to the bonus 10" rarities disc. The album was withdrawn and rereleased 4 months later, as Greatest Hits - Includes 6 Mod Anthems, with different (previously released) tracks on the bonus 10".
    Title / artist name varies between spine, front, and discs


    Published by Ed. Kassner Music Co. Ltd. (A1, A2, A3, A9, B1, B2, B3), Davray/Carlin Music Corp. (A4 to A8, B4 to B9), Carlin Music Corp. (A10, B10), Copyright Control (C1 to D3)

    A1 You Really Got Me
    A2 All Day And All Of The Night
    A3 Ev'rybody's Gonna Be Happy
    A4 Till The End Of The Day
    A5 Dead End Street
    A6 Sunny Afternoon
    A7 Dedicated Follower Of Fashion
    A8 Victoria
    A9 Set Me Free
    A10 Apeman

    B1 Tired Of Waiting For You
    B2 See My Friends
    B3 Death Of A Clown
    B4 Days
    B5 Lola
    B6 Waterloo Sunset
    B7 Wonderboy
    B8 Plastic Man
    B9 Autumn Almanac
    B10 Susannah's Still Alive

    C1 Misty Water
    C2 Pictures In The Sand
    C3 Spotty Grotty Anna

    D1 Groovy Movies
    D2 Time Will Tell
    D3 Rosemary Rose
    -----------------------------------------------
    So this is a quite interesting one all round.
    Jam twenty songs on 2 sides as a best of collection, and then without authority slap 6 previously unreleased tracks on a ten inch record.

    After the legal action from the band this is the revised version of the album.

    [​IMG][​IMG]

    A1 You Really Got Me
    A2 All Day And All Of The Night
    A3 Everybody's Gonna Be Happy
    A4 Till The End Of The Day
    A5 Dead End Street
    A6 Sunny Afternoon
    A7 Dedicated Follower Of Fashion
    A8 Victoria
    A9 Set Me Free
    A10 Ape Man

    B1 Tired Of Waiting For You
    B2 See My Friend
    B3 Death Of A Clown
    B4 Days
    B5 Lola
    B6 Waterloo Sunset
    B7 Wonderboy
    B8 Plastic Man
    B9 Autumn Almanac
    B10 Susannah's Still Alive

    6 Mod Anthems
    C1 David Watts
    C2 Stop Your Sobbin'
    C3 Dancing In The Street

    D1 Louie Louie
    D2 Beautiful Delilah
    D3 Long Tall Shorty
     
  20. stewedandkeefed

    stewedandkeefed Came Ashore In The Dead Of The Night

    "Labour Of Love" - first of all, the lyrics to this song are really quite funny (in a very sardonic manner). Having been married (and divorced), I probably find them funnier than most people would. But the message of the song, ultimately, is kind of sweet. It's all a labour of love. Well, that fits with many peoples' thoughts on the subject - long-term love takes a lot of work. But, put another way as an older woman character says in Woody Allen's Annie Hall - "Love fades". Musically, I like the guitar at the outset and the way the song is built around a Dave guitar riff. I think it is a funny song and I was glad to be reminded of it this morning.
     
  21. ARL

    ARL Forum Resident

    Location:
    England
    "Labour of Love"

    I don't have a problem with the lyrics of this one - it's pretty straightforward and direct in its portrayal of "Mr & Mrs Horrible", but musically it really feels leaden - particularly in the chorus. Not much of a tune to speak of and not much subtlety. This is one that has to be endured rather than enjoyed, in the knowledge that much better is coming right up.
     
  22. Zerox

    Zerox Forum Resident

    Location:
    UK
    I'd forgotten this track over the many years since I last listened to the album, especially Dave 'Hendrix' Davies's intro! It pulls itself back from the rock work-out it could have been courtesy of some nicely observed lyrics and more of a melody than that initial guitar torturing suggests we're going to get (no insult to Dave, by the way; he performs admirably here). That all said, I think the track serves its purpose well enough but probably benefits from the strength of the songs surrounding it.
     
  23. Luckless Pedestrian

    Luckless Pedestrian Forum Resident

    Location:
    New Hampshire, USA
    Just like a marriage! :D
     
  24. pantofis

    pantofis Senior Member

    Location:
    Berlin, Germany
    "Labour Of Love"

    I agree it sounds rather laden, but the song is memorable, it does have a "face" melodically. The over-processed guitar and the roomy vocal place it firmly in early 80'es production values, thus the track feels very "at home" on the album. Also being track 3 it's good that it's out of the way so early. I imagine if it came in at track 9, it would have been quite tiring.
     
  25. Luckless Pedestrian

    Luckless Pedestrian Forum Resident

    Location:
    New Hampshire, USA
    Unusual recording of the vocals on Labour of Love, sounds like Ray is trapped inside some sheet metal duct work, from which there is no escape. The isolated echo & metallic reverb on the vocal reminds me somewhat of a CD I have of Joe Meek productions that I’ve never warmed to, because of the lack of warmth in the sound. So, fitting for the stale marriage the song describes.
     
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