The Neutral Milk Hotel vocal comparison that Mark makes would never have occurred to me but is interesting: it is a similar kind of folksy warble, albeit applied to a somewhat more workaday existential lament compared to the arcanely storied and allusion encrusted work of Mr Mangum. It does raise the question though: was their erstwhile drummer exiled On Avory Island at this time?
Killing Time This is more the Ray I look for; wistful, melancholic. This stately song has long been a favorite of mine. Looking at the lyrics for the first time in many years (homework) I noticed, or rather, really focused, on the phrase standing by the empty mine. Could it be alluding to the UK miner’s strike, which inspired so many songs to be written in the mid-eighties? If not, it’s a curious choice. Maybe there were more lines in this (ahem) vein, that were later excised as Ray didn’t want to be so obvious, or political. Writer’s do often cover their tracks, but can’t resist leaving a clue. Every profound thinker is more afraid of being understood than of being misunderstood. The latter may hurt his vanity, but the former his heart, his sympathy, which always says: ‘Alas, why do you want to have as hard a time as I did?’ ~ Nietzsche Or maybe I’ve lost the plot and Ray was merely settling for an oblique rhyme. But the visual that phrase conjures (and after all, we have been asked to think visually), wouldn’t make much sense in any other context. Regardless of any heat-induced delusions I may be suffering (93F again today, Avid Disko Joe), I still adore this tune. It kinda sounds like something Bruce could slip onto Tunnel of Love, or Billy might tack onto Side Two of Storm Front, between ‘State of Grace’ and ‘And so it Goes.’
To answer my own facetious question, here's what Mick was actually involved in in the 1986-87 timeframe: reunited with John Dalton as the proposed rhythm section for one of many attempted revivals of cult 60s mod/popart group The Creation. Dalton had previously played in The Creations antecedent, The Mark Four in the early 60s, before he left to join The Kinks for the first time and was replaced by Bob Garner. Apparently though intended as the Creations 80s rhythm section, Dalton/Avory didn't play on the recordings made for this single and were only added for intended live shows that never materialised, so their only contribution ended up being posing for the cover photos! When The Creation next reunited in the 90s, it was with their classic 1966 line up. Anyway, this really is a bit of an oddity: Eddie Phillips (Creation lead guitarist) up the top looks a bit like 80s Ray in that photo (I believe the other guy on the left is vocalist Kenny Pickett) so the end effect of this image is like some bizarre alternate reality where the 'Arthur' line up was still together in the 80s!
..and here's what that single sounds like.. um.. makes 'Natural Gift' sound like 'She's Bought A Hat Like Princess Marina'!
After the previous two numbers, Killing Time sounds a bit safe, but I welcome the return to a more classic Kinks sound!
Killing Time I love this song and always have. It's a typical Kinks track in that there's a hell of a lot more to it than you may think from initial listening. I used to feel very guilty about hanging about the house doing nothing except listening to some records or reading about stuff. Sometimes I would take a day off work and, apart from playing all my favourite records, do absolutely nothing. Come about 5pm the guilt feelings would start and I would reprimand myself for a wasted day in a life with a finite number of them. Now that I'm almost retired I just love doing sod all - killing time - and there's not a guilty feeling in sight. I will leave work early just to come home and do nothing. Anyway, Mark has done his usual fantastic job of disecting this one. I love tomorrow's track too. Another Dave/Kinks classic.
Killing Time Perhaps 'The Tramp' from 'Preservation' is back. The 80s wonderful world of capitalism has not reached everyone, the miners still out of work since the closures of the coal mines, and all now having to get back in the line, perhaps at the job centre. Luckily our tramp character hasn't changed and he's above all the complaining, he's used to killing time, no doubt while lazing in the midday sun. I like this one, a great vocal from Raymond, and everything sounds like The Kinks should be sounding!
“Killing Time”: Again, this is a song that has been in my mind since it came out back in 1986, while I had to play the previous two songs again to jog my memory. It definitely has a memorable hook and as our esteemed Headmaster has noted, the lyrics are a bit more profound. It’s definitely one of my favorites from the album. This one’s for you, Avid Pyrrhicvictory, the perfect song for a Manhattan summer’s day:
Used to live there myself. That Big Sky in the Montana context was so different from Big Sky in the Kinks kontext caused me some internal brain malfunction.
Killing Time: look, at this point, I am so deeply immersed in The Kinks and loving their style so much, it all sounds good. Do I like this song? Why yes, I do, to me it sounds like classic Kinks. Not a Klassic with a "K" Kinks song, but just their classic sound that makes me love them. Ray's voice for one, the acoustic strum they use so often and so well, for another. and as usual, I like the lyrics. As Fearless leader said, who can't associate with that concept? Whether a worker bee or a captain of industry, we all kill time. ...and then we go off somewhere else I guess that no one on here can truly say where that is (no matter what one believes or how sure one might be that they know). I do it all day long. My day consists of reviewing the emails on all the work in my office (on average at least two to three hundred per day), while I seek out new clients, manage the admin side of a law firm, and "kill" lots of time on the cell phone retaining existing (happy) clients, jumping in and pacifying them when they are upset about something and probably developing a brain tumor along the way. Sounds like a lot of killing time to me (but a necessary expenditure of time to make a buck, put a roof over our heads etc.). This song will make my Kinks playlist for this era. Its not a standout, it won't be up near the top of the list (I generally put the songs in order in a way that juggles rockers, the many other random Kink's other styles and their ballads, to make for my own, very lengthy, Kinks playlist for the era, while trying put my favorite stuff up front while holding back the true Classics to slowly feed them in to keep my interest levels extra high). ...but it will be on there because if I am listening to Kinks, this song would not diminish my interest as I listen through the playlist. So is this really a thumbs up or a thumbs down, well, its like 3.5 or 4 out 5 thumbs up. Sure, I can dig in and critique (a bit too long, perhaps Smiler can make a shorter version so Ray doesn't kill too much of our precious time that we have left listening to him kill time), sure this might sound like a demo-take in some places (someone mentioned a few duff notes) but then, why would Ray kill his time overdubbing when that's not the Kinks style, the Kinks music is best when Ray and Dave deliver it to us warts and all. ...but nah, its just a good Kinks song, about all I would really expect of them for the most part, 20+ years into their career. I mean, lets be serious, how many bands can still churn out likable, consistent and interesting new albums after 2 decades of writing and recording generally great songs? At this point I think Ray can write and record 10-12 tracks without too much effort, and [erhaps that's what he is doing here with Think Visual. Spurts of inspiration mixed in with the formula that he has been practicing and honing for 2 decades. I'll take that formula, it works. The days of him knocking it out of the park with the likes of Something Else, TKATVGPS, Arthur or Lola or (IMHO) Low Budget may be past, but he still has something to say and places that into solid, Kinky songs. I am still on board, still waiting to hear that Kinks album that isn't at least better than average (especially when compared with a large percentage of what else is out there. Finally (almost), I wonder how much time I have killed playing with this Kinks thread. probably an hour or two a day for a year now, so lets split the baby and call it 540 hours? so just shy of 23 days! if my math is right, I think I have spent almost %0.001 percent of my life thus far on this thread. PS: Smiler, super cool edits you created and put out there for us! I am no mixing expert (or even amateur), so I don't really hear the edits much. I am thinking I need to figure out how to download them, that way when you post the ones for Phobia, I will be able to use your edited songs versus the originals if I think the actual songs are too long as many have suggested is the case. Anyway, thanks!
Thanks @ajsmith. I never realised there was such a Konnection (apologies) between the Kinks and the Creation - which I discovered on one of those fantastic Nuggets box sets and always associated with the other (very) short-lived bands of the day. Looking more closely now I even see my favourite song of theirs (Making Time) was produced by Shel Talmy.
Killing Time This seems not at all odd to me. I have exactly the same reaction. For the most part, this song is actually quite forgettable. But as a non standout track, Ray still really sells it. Some kudos there even if I'm not in a hurry to add it to a playlist.
Killing Time This is another solid song, played and sung well. I can't stop thinking Tom Petty while I'm listening (thanks a lot, whoever mentioned him...). I'd rate this somewhere in the middle of the songs Ray wrote in the eighties. It's quite good but it doesn't have enough differentiation to make it really stand out from the pack.
Well, I reckon the lyrics are excellent, the metaphors works well, it’s probably the most original and complete of the “life’s sometimes dull, we have to get through the routine of it every day” because we're made responsible for it : each one of us is the time killer. For the first time, it’s both sociological (like Predictable) and existential (like Life Goes On)… and sure enough, in kustomary Ray style, both of these songs get a melodic nod, or even more than that: a direct musical quote. I used to struggle with some of Ray’s delivery here, almost too many changes in tones, but now I enjoy it, the orientalism of the verse, the low Tom Petty snarl in the pay-off line (edit : just pinpointed that it's reminiscent of The Waiting, a great song of Tom's), the melodic flow of the bridge, never more beautiful than on the “bite the bullet + ooooh’s” moment. It’s a rare case of the Kinks going “indy”, at some places it brings the R.E.M Green version of the Byrds legacy. A bit overlong, a bit overkill, but in line with many other Ray closers… before Dave wraps the record in style tomorrow.
Killing Time Again a great write up by @mark winstanley but i must ask him why he thinks it vaguely common that people have 7 Tv's? This song kind of passed me by and whenever such a thing occurs this thread does a great job of recasting it in it's own spotlight anew. I really enjoy the lone lyric on the page, such a fitting Ray topic and good song. The music and performance is fine possibly excellent but somehow I was wanting a deeper, darker exploration of the topic. Taking a sharp right i am unexpectedly reminded of Oklahoma USA which ponders work, the bore of life and just what living is for as it looks into a panoramic abyss as it contemplatingly kills time. There is a pleasing musical panorama behind Killing Time but it is not a barren expanse but it does convey space and time. I even find odd moments in Ray's vocal tone and phrasing that remind me of the earlier song. I have been killing time myself as until this week my influenza had only allowed me to only work 4 days of the last 40. That aside i have often had guilt about killing time but a dozen years ago i came to a point whereby it became almost always guilt free as i don't see why any excuse is needed for time out or spent of ones own choice.
C'mon, you're an Aussie, you know we exaggerate for effect Actually over here, whether true or not, it seems like everyone has a tv in each room.... it's weird.... there are 3 in my house, and I only watch one of them....
And coincidentally (or maybe not?) this appeared on their first album on the dreaded MCA after switching labels. Both band's fortunes ended up having a similar downward trajectory while on this label.
A Kinks backburner B-side album track that a certain Floridian used musically as the foundation of a top 10 smash a few years later. And in fact its a style he would use to great effect after that. I think the Kinks contributed to the creation a whole subgenre and future radio format here with this one. In that context Ray later working with the great Jayhawks makes all the sense in the world. Americana indeed since Ray pretty much creates the template of the sound here. I think Ray realized that too hence the name. I'm sorry but the breadth of styles on this album is pretty damn impressive, hits and misses be damned.
Killing Time Very solid deep album track mining similar territory on the album along with "Working At The Factory" and "Repetition" so a semi-theme seems to be part of this album after all. I don't think Ray can write and produce albums without thinking in terms of some sort of concept or theme. That's who he is and how he works and how he was able to sustain such a prolific career (up until after the band ended and his solo career, that is - but that's another subject for another time down the road, meaning the prolificity). From the liners of the Picture Book box set it's mentioned that by this point labels certainly didn't want concept albums and they wanted artists to take two or three years between projects, which is singularly unsuitable for this songwriter. Ray: "Songwriting is a continual thing. It's not something you do every time you're going to put a record out. The danger of doing that is that some of the little gems get lost. If I'd written a song like 'All Of My Friends Were There' during the Arista or MCA eras, it probably wouldn't have ended up on the album. It would have been A&R-ed off it." He's right about that.
That pretty much sums it up, but if you really want to get a handle on my day, you’d have to listen to Crosstown Traffic by Jimi. (Which doesn’t seem to be on YouTube! And I will accept no substitutes!)
