The Kinks - Album by Album (song by song)

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

  1. mark winstanley

    mark winstanley Certified dinosaur, who likes physical product Thread Starter

    I don't know if I'm supposed to say who, but please stand up if you want to, but I was sent the audio for She's My Girl, and I just messed around and got it on youtube, so I could share it.

    I haven't done any of this kind of thing for a very long time, and the picture that was supposed to be on there isn't lol... I must have just had enough grunt in my ancient and decrepit old computer to get it down lol

    Anyway this is She's My Girl, and I like it.

    Steve gave you the info above, so...

    For me this is a cool little lost song. It is a nice beat group kind of pop song by Dave, and it really could have been used as a b-side, and even an early album track, instead of a cover.
    It isn't earth shattering but it is a cool little pop/rock song.

     
  2. ajsmith

    ajsmith Senior Member

    Location:
    Glasgow
    Thanks a million for uploading ‘She’s My Girl’ Mark! The one thing I know about this song is that Dave mentions it in his autobiography as being (like a lot of his other songs from this period) about the daughter he fathered in the early 60s who he was prevented from seeing for years.

    On listening to this again, doesn’t the middle 8 sound like a premonition of the verse melody of Roy Orbison’s ‘You Got It’ from 20 odd years later?
     
  3. mark winstanley

    mark winstanley Certified dinosaur, who likes physical product Thread Starter

    I had completely forgotten about his daughter. That gives the lyric a little more poignancy too. Thanks for the reminder
     
  4. zipp

    zipp Forum Resident

    Kinks singles were more successful than their albums. This is not a criticism but it is a historical fact.

    In the UK in the sixties the Kinks had 12 top ten singles, but they only had 4 top ten albums.

    By comparison the Stones had a similar number of top twenty singles, but they also had 8 top ten abums.

    In both cases I'm not counting compilations or live albums.

    Incidentally, to criticise a single for having a weak B-side is a bit of a non-starter, since a B-side should be just that - a song that doesn't overshadow the A-side.

    As it happens, the Kinks B-sides were generally pretty good. And, as we've seen, in the US one of them became the A-side.

    Why wasn't Face To Face a top ten album?

    Not because anyone said it was mostly filler, but more because of Pye's disastrous album release policy.
     
  5. mark winstanley

    mark winstanley Certified dinosaur, who likes physical product Thread Starter

    Overall as much as I am glad they got signed, Pye and Talmy were more hindrances than helps... I appreciate Talmy's eagerness, but there's a good reason The Who moved on quickly.... in my opinion.
     
  6. mark winstanley

    mark winstanley Certified dinosaur, who likes physical product Thread Starter

    For the record...
    I will be posting tomorrow, but it's a public holiday, so I am kind of hoping I won't be up at 3:30 am, so it may be slightly later:)
     
  7. All Down The Line

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

    Location:
    Australia
    Not sure paragraph 2 is true but who knows, I saw a doco and even in 68' Pye/management were just saying to Ray to keep doing more singles and we will see what comes up fully knowing that is not what he wanted to hear!
     
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  8. croquetlawns

    croquetlawns Forum Resident

    Location:
    Scotland
    Due to the time difference with Australia I'm likely to be swamped with comments to this page by the time I can check again, so I'll get in early. Tracks 3 and 4 continue the excellent start to this album, and again are very different from each other. I have no problems with the Hermen's Hermits version of 'Dandy', but The Kinks version is superior IMO, and a hit in its own right in a few European countries!

    Listened to the whole album again today and, despite a slight drop-off at the end, it's fantastic. Side 1 is incredibly solid.
     
  9. mark winstanley

    mark winstanley Certified dinosaur, who likes physical product Thread Starter

    "Dandy"

    [​IMG]
    Single by The Kinks
    from the album Face to Face
    B-side
    "Party Line"
    Released 18. November 1966 (Europe) 30. November 1966 (USA)
    Recorded May–June 1966 at Pye Studios (No. 2), London
    Genre Pop rock
    Label Pye 7N 317
    Songwriter(s) Ray Davies
    Producer(s) Shel Talmy

    Ray said "I think it was about someone, probably me, who needed to make up his mind about relationships. Also about my brother, who was flitting from one girl to another. It's a more serious song than it seems. It's about a man who's trapped by his own indecision with relationships and lack of commitment. That's the way I'd write it now, but when I was twenty-two or twenty-three I wrote it about a jovial person who's a womaniser."

    It is said to be predominantly about Dave, and Dave apparently confirmed this in the documentary Kinkdom Come, broadcast on the BBC in 2011.

    Herman's Hermits did do a cover of the song, but as much as I like some of their tracks, I don't find their version to be particularly engaging. I think Ray's personality is projected through the song too well for many folks to carry it off that well....

    Dandy was released as a single by the Kinks, but to the best of my knowledge only in Europe.... It seems odd to me that it didn't get a UK single release, because it seems like it would have been a winner straight off the bat, but it's the sixties and nothing makes much sense about the way things were done in the sixties.... from where I sit anyway :)
    The European single had Party Line as the b-side and it reached number 1 in Germany, 2 in Belgium and 3 in the Netherlands.

    From the perspective of the record, after the sad lament of Rosie, this track comes bouncing in beautifully and it grabs my attention instantly. It could just be because I like the song so much, but I really do think it adds to the flow of the album really well.

    mono mix (2:08), recorded probably Jan 1966 at Pye Studios (No. 2), London

    Dandy, Dandy,
    Where you gonna go now?
    Who you gonna run to?
    All your little life
    You're chasing all the girls.
    They can't resist your smile.
    Oh, they long for Dandy, Dandy.

    Chattin' up the ladies,
    Tickling their fancy,
    Pouring out your charm
    To meet your own demands,
    And turn it off at will.
    Oh, they long for Dandy, Dandy.

    Knockin' on the back door,
    Climbing through the window,
    Hubby's gone away,
    And while the cat's away
    The mice are gonna play.
    Oh, you low down Dandy, Dandy.
    Dandy

    Dandy, you know you're moving much too fast,
    And Dandy, you know you can't escape the past.
    Look around you and see the people settle down,
    And when you're old and grey you will remember what they said,
    That two girls are too many, three's a crowd and four you're dead.

    Oh Dandy, Dandy,
    When you gonna give up?
    Are you feeling old now?
    You always will be free,
    You need no sympathy,
    A bachelor you will stay,
    And Dandy, you're all right.
    You're all right.
    You're all right.
    You're all right.
    You're all right.
    You're all right.

    Written by: Ray Davies
    Published by: Davray/Carlin Music Corp.

    Lyrically this is a really interesting song to me, because we are caught between a strange respect, an uncomfortable loathing and almost a song of warning of the consequences of leading this seemingly promiscuous lifestyle. It is full of the observational wit and edge that Ray generally brings to his best songs. I have always found it interesting the throne given to the ladies man ... like a mark of respect for the bravado and sexual success, with the tagline, as long as you don't try it on with my lady .... The world is a funny place.

    Musically we come in with a bouncy acoustic guitar that sets up the feel nicely. We have Dave on an electric guitar in the back, that sounds somewhat like a ukulele.
    The song has a music hall kind of feel, and one could sort of picture this being a George Formby type track in style, if not lyric... I suppose in the US that would translate to a vaudeville type track.

    I like the descending bass line that follows the vocal in the second half of the verses.

    The bridge gives us a nice change, that also lyrically changes tone .... the "two girls are too many...." line is hilarious to me, and I think it kind of sets the real tone of the song.

    Rays vocal is quite brilliant. He manages to deliver that sort of comic feel in some ways, but we also get this beautiful rasp, particularly on the second Dandy, and the "four yer dead".
    Also we get this on the outro with the repeated "Your All Right" which in some ways shows the confusion of the singer as to how to feel about this guy

    For me this song continues on the greatness of this album, and we get yet another texture. A song very different to the two openers, but still hitting at a high level, and for me it just flows beautifully..
    Another great Kinks song.

     
  10. Zeki

    Zeki Forum Resident

    Dandy:

    The first Kinks tune where I’ve found myself actively recoiling from it. A cover version was posted up-thread and I almost fell out of my chair in my scramble for the off button.

    “Dandy...Dandy!” No, I don’t like this at all even as performed by The Kinks. There’s no question it’s an ear worm, though.
     
  11. ajsmith

    ajsmith Senior Member

    Location:
    Glasgow
    As the single that never was, ‘Dandy’ was a regular in The Kinks live sets from 1966 to 1969, although it seemed to get dropped pretty abruptly after that, only showing up occasionally thereafter decades later. Like ‘I’m On An Island’, I prefer the 1967 Live At Kelvin Hall version, it seems more of a band performance than the acoustic led studio version, and Pete Quaife is playing a more interesting bass line by this point:

     
  12. mark winstanley

    mark winstanley Certified dinosaur, who likes physical product Thread Starter

    Too Much On My Mind.

    mono mix (2:25), recorded Apr 1966 at Pye Studios (No. 2), London

    There's too much on my mind,
    There's too much on my mind,
    And I can't sleep at night thinking about it.
    I'm thinking all the time,
    There's too much on my mind,
    It seems there's more to life than just to live it.

    There's too much on my mind,
    And there is nothing I can say.
    There's too much on my mind,
    And there is nothing I can do
    About it,
    About it.

    My thought just weigh me down,
    And drag me to the ground,
    And shake my head till there's no more life in me.
    It's ruining my brain,
    I'll never be the same,
    My poor demented mind is slowly going.

    There's too much on my mind,
    And there is nothing I can say.
    There's too much on my mind,
    And there is nothing I can do
    About it,
    About it.

    There's too much on my mind.

    Written by: Ray Davies
    Published by: Davray/Carlin Music Corp.

    This is a song I would have really gotten into as a younger man, from a lyrical perspective, but sadly I didn't discover this til a lot later in life.... that certainly doesn't devalue it at all though, I can just really relate to the theme.

    Lyrically this is quite straight forward, but the thing is, for me at least, this is pretty much how I felt most of my life, so I connect with it instantly.
    Again, we have Ray delivering the vocal beautifully, the gentle reflective nature of his delivery, suits the theme beautifully, and when we move to the chorus the harmony, I assume provided by Dave, is beautiful.

    Musically we open with a pretty straight forward chord progression on the acoustic guitar, and the suspended fourths work to give the track a really nice character. The sliding bass line works beautifully to back this up, and we gradually get this nice build up. It isn't that the song moves into rock or anything, it just has the excellent earnest feel that propels it forward.... it is almost like in spite of the mental baggage our protagonist propels himself forward by pure force of will.
    Again we get a wonderful Harmonium/Harpsichord backing, and it all just sounds divine together.

    For me this is another excellent track. the band are shooting four for four and each song has its own distinctive sound and feel, and the album really has developed a distinct personality that draws me in as a listener.

    It is not hard to believe that Ray had an idea for linking the tracks, and it is a terrible shame that the Pye people stopped that, because it may well have been something even more special, but for me the songs are so strong that although I would love to hear the finished idea Ray had, this is a sublime start to the album, and this is all part of the reason I feel this album is such a big step forward from Kontroversy.


     
    Last edited: May 31, 2021
  13. ajsmith

    ajsmith Senior Member

    Location:
    Glasgow
    Sorry to be a pain Mark, but it looks like you’ve posted one of tomorrow’s songs by mistake in the ‘Too Much On My Mind’ post.

    EDIT: fixed now. Thanks Mark.
     
    Last edited: May 31, 2021
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  14. mark winstanley

    mark winstanley Certified dinosaur, who likes physical product Thread Starter

    Cheers mate.
    Sorry it must have changed over on me as I was copying it.
    Thank for the heads up
     
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  15. Zeki

    Zeki Forum Resident

    Too Much On My Mind:

    Psychedelia. The tinkle of the harpsichord, the spacy vocal, melodic bass, a very pleasant song (and The Kinks are in my good graces again!).
     
  16. mark winstanley

    mark winstanley Certified dinosaur, who likes physical product Thread Starter

    Listen again mate. I messed up the post. the correct song is in there now
     
  17. Zeki

    Zeki Forum Resident

    I wrote this yesterday so I should be referring to the right one! I’ll double check, though.
     
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  18. ARL

    ARL Forum Resident

    Location:
    England
    "Dandy"

    Seems like a faster take on "A Well Respected Man" to me, and the descending chord part of the verse is kind of similar to the verse on that track. It's an irresistable tune, though, and Ray's rasping vocal really sells it. Continues the strong and varied start to the album, which of course very much continues into the next track.

    "Too Much On My Mind"

    An absolute Kinks gem - genuinely top-drawer stuff. The acoustic guitar part is beautiful, Nicky Hopkins elevates it further with the harpsichord, and once the guitar and bass comes in Pete plays a fantastic part. The backing vocals on the second verse and the harmonies (Rasa?) are superb as well and it's topped off with a great Ray vocal and lyric. It could be said that this is another one with a disconnect between the lyrics and music, but this time it's the other way around. The backing track could easily support a happy, sunny theme, but instead we get a downbeat lyric.
     
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  19. ajsmith

    ajsmith Senior Member

    Location:
    Glasgow
    The Kinks revived ‘Too Much On My Mind’ live in the 80s and 90s, with Dave on lead vocals! Now that’s an unexpected deep out!
     
  20. ajsmith

    ajsmith Senior Member

    Location:
    Glasgow
    Garage rock obscuros The Gates Of Eden took a tilt at TMOMM in 1967 or so:

     
  21. Aftermath

    Aftermath Senior Member

    Dandy:
    I really like this song and hear it as a good-natured take on his brother Dave.

    Too Much on My Mind
    A really great one. Unlike his peers at the time writing about external conflict, Ray sets himself apart by writing about quiet, inner conflict. He has an amazing knack for writing about very human topics. I wouldn't be surprised if Ray is writing about himself here as much as anyone. My favorite track on this album thus far.
     
    Last edited: May 31, 2021
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  22. Purple Jim

    Purple Jim Senior Member

    Location:
    Bretagne
    Face To Face is a terrific album and marks the beginning of an amazing run, all the way to Lola (and beyond I suppose). That album cover is fabulous, beating The Beatles and The Stones to full-color psychedelia. Look at the man's face on it, it's like something from the Yellow Submarine movie or a Terry Gilliam Monty Python animation (especially with the opening head).
    I don't think I'll be commenting on every song as it's hard to keep up here. All good though.
     
  23. Fortuleo

    Fortuleo Used to be a Forum Resident

    Dandy is not a “he” song like A Well Respected Man or Dedicated Follower of Fashion, nor is it a “I” song like Sunny Afternoon. No, it’s a “you” song because it is not a topical satire but it works as an address to Dave and a brotherly piece of advice about his lifestyle. There’s bite and spite in the lyrics, but it’s still a guy talking to his little brother, maybe with just a touch of jealousy but mainly with good will and benevolence. Between them, there’s the same relationship than between the two sisters of… Two Sisters, one of the best songs on the next LP : one is wilder and more carefree than the other, but also a conformist in his/her own way. Like @ARL, I like the self-conscious melodic quotation of A Well Respected Man for the descending “chasing all the girls / they can’t resist your smile” bit. It’s more than clever, it’s very effective and thought provoking.
     
  24. Fischman

    Fischman RockMonster, ClassicalMaster, and JazzMeister

    Location:
    New Mexico
    Dandy
    I'm not naturally a vaudeville/dance hall music kind of guy but the Kinks often overcome that for me. However, maybe this one is just too far in that direction for my taste. Combine that with the overwrought vocal affect and a lack of affinity for the subject matter of the lyric, and I've just never really been able to get into this one. Again, a fine song, a solid and appropriate Kinks kontribution, and in this case, well sequenced on the album, but not quite my cup of tea.

    Too Much On My Mind
    Beautiful. Just beautiful. Too much analysis will be a distraction here, so I'll just say beautiful and leave it at that.
     
    Last edited: May 31, 2021
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  25. Fortuleo

    Fortuleo Used to be a Forum Resident

    Too Much on My Mind was used in a sequence of Wim Wenders first movie (Summer in the City, a 1970 art film called after a Spoonful song, but dedicated to the Kinks !), and again in the same director's later film An American Friend (alongside Nothing in This World Can Stop Me Worryin’ ‘Bout That Girl). Here's the Summer in the City scene, in bad low res…

    Anyway, what did I tell you about harpsichord ? It’s all over the LP, all over this song. Here, its use is even more astute than on Rosie, as it’s not only an arrangement embellishment but an actual illustration of the ideas and thoughts buzzing in the singer’s mind. I particularly admire the moment around the 1’00’’ mark when it becomes too “busy”, almost annoying, like piercing insistent sounds in an alienated mind. Of course, you only notice it when you’re trying to analyze the song. On first listen, it’s just a magically melodic slice of baroque 66 pop, probably the prettiest ballad Ray had written up to that point. What an extraordinary track!
     

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