Runaway From Time In today's edition of our ongoing music appreciation class: Listened to this a few times in the car, exasperated by the muddled, pedestrian lyric. Listened to it while reading the lyrics, still somewhat disappointed. Then read through the comments again and listened to it while reading the news, ignoring the lyrics: Great song. I generally try to keep tabs on what RD is saying and how it reflects what's going on with him. But that isn't the right way for me to approach to this song. It's just a good catchy tune with lots of cool changes and some cool vocal stylings. And yeah, try running away from time, if you want.
Thank you, gentlemen, for reminding me why I loved rock and pop in the first place (hint: it wasn't so I could write a Master's thesis). One can sense Ray was already feeling the need to defend himself. And I too think he gave the perfect reasoning. Keep running away from time, Ray. I just may join you. Two Deja vu moments: The "take me, save me, maybe, baby" section reminds me of "Babies," and the following "I Can't Help Myself" bit makes me want to sing "Over the Edge." (Ha...I just checked, and "Babies" is immediately followed by "Over the Edge" on Phobia. Just coincidence, I reckon...)
Free Form Sunday Rambles (The Night Before The Morning After) Ugh… Several discussions have popped up recently, and rightfully so, of the long gap between official releases by Ray Davies leader of The Kinks and Ray Davies solo artist. I’ve posted before and made my disbelief and confusion about Mr. Prolific and this topic very clear several times. One thing that came to my mind over the years was that Ray had no record label contract during these wilderness years. But was this the reason? Doubtful. I may be wrong, but I think he was still in a position to pick and choose such things, and if he didn’t like an offer he chose to say no and keep working on stuff until the right deal came along. The problem with this of course is that his tendency would be to re-record and redo and remix ad nauseum which is usually detrimental but since we have no earlier demos or mixes to compare to, we’ll never know for sure. I think he needed a deadline to work to and call things good. As much as I hate to reveal such things to my own employer, I do my best work when I am under pressure and facing an ultimatum as it were. Left to my own devices and timelines my mind and my discipline wanders. Ray writes in the liner notes of Other People’s Lives that he feels a sense of insecurity at this time, and I truly believe these are some of the most true and revealing statements he’s ever offered to us. He had become used to being the boss and dictator of a stable band and organization over three decades with a somewhat regular routine. I’m oversimplifying things a bit here, but I think most of you understand what I’m getting at. Now after To The Bone he was truly on his own whether it was known to us fans at the time or not. And it was not. It was not announced as such but considering the projects that both he and Dave undertook in the immediate months after that, it seems clear to me that it was clear to them at least, that The Kinks were over and were history. Jim Rodford and Bob Henrit were long off retainer as early as 1996 so that’s a telling fact as well. While he was still the same musician, songwriter, singer, guitar player that he always was, suddenly he had no band or group to boss around and he had never been in this exact position before. The Storyteller project was an organic result that grew out a logical progression of having an autobiography published and then toured around. But after that what next? Since The Kinks were over a true solo album is of course the obvious easy answer, but there was no deadline or pressure from bands or record companies to produce any such album any time soon. I think we’ve established that he had enough songs and material already written at least 4 or 5 years before Other People’s Lives was finally released and most of it was recorded 3 or 4 years before the album’s release. The 2004 New Orleans incident obviously disrupts and complicates this timeline and delays the eventual release of the album. But really there is no one true reason for the long gap between releases but several life changing decisions and incidents that occurred here that caused this to happen. Some of these are his own doing and insecurities and others are by outside forces, but it still feels unbelievable to me now in hindsight as it did in real time as it was happening. One of the most prolific and influential songwriters of the preceding 30 years chose to go silent for a decade. Maybe it was inevitable (and needed) after such a long pressure packed three-decade treadmill, but it was still surprising and very unexpected at least from this impatient and unjustifiably entitled fan's perspective. This is my way of admitting those unrealistic expectations of this album I’ve brought up in recent posts is really of my own doing and of my own mind. Ray owed us nothing by this stage and I should have been grateful for whatever he had and chose to release in 2006 when it did finally appear. As a fun aside, I took Other People’s Lives on the road with me today during a drive out into the country to get out of the house. I work from home during the week, so I relish the weekends to get the hell out of the house for a few hours! I normally wait until I’m off the main roads and in the real rural wilderness to put the CDs in and enjoy an uncomplicated drive with no traffic to distract or disrupt the music as I enjoy the drive and the scenery. I was in a very backwoods swampy area as All She Wrote was playing and I saw a crow ahead that I thought I’d have fun with by spooking with a horn honk or two. Being the rhythm dude I am, it’s my inclination to honk horns in time with the music as certain accents are playing. No homes or other cars at this particular spot on the road and as I came upon this crow, we’re at the “Oooh, Oooh” backing vocals (still not sure how this fits in with a suicide note but oh well) and I’ll be damned if the horn of my car and the vocals here are in the same key as I hit that horn. I almost lost control of the car and drove off into the swamp at the excitement of discovering this! Made my day. There are still a few songs on the album that leave me scratching my head, but I really enjoyed most of it in this context today and will crow about it more now in retrospect.
Aren't those marvelous moments when the music and the universe are in sync? It made me think of times when the rhythm of my turn signal happens to match the beat of whatever is playing on the car stereo...just a little gift. Thanks for taking us along on your drive in the country!
I'm full of nonsense... it's who I am. Apparently most everything about me is quite offensive, and I have a gift for cussing/swearing so smoothly it's startling (apparently)... essentially I am a lowlife, working class scrubber, with a potty mouth and vivid imagination. Fortunately on the forum, everything is typed out, and so my natural proclivities and speech patterns don't exist lol ... I guess this is the user friendly version of Mark... the generally, but not always, PG version
I think it is somewhat the natural state of the Aussie isn't it? I may live in the US now, but I'm still totally a Perth lad
Wonderful horn story by @Michael Streett. About the long gap between recordings. The reasons are many and we collectively mentioned about all of them. Family stuff, life choices stuff, Storyteller stuff, contractual stuff, other interests stuff, shooting in New Orleans stuff… The main thing for me is still Kinks related. In the liner notes, Ray makes two interesting statements : 1/ he'd wanted to do a solo record for many years. 2/ his Kinks baggage was a reason of pride but also a burden as far as becoming a solo artist was concerned. Why more for him than for the other big names in his league ? Because his situation was unique among his peers : more than his creation, the Kinks had always been his vehicle. He didn't need a different outlet to express himself in a different way. When he wanted "different", he did different with the Kinks. The four guys from Liverpool, together they created a separate entity, that no one in the band "owned" or could even lead singlehandedly. So they had to break free from that to become artists in their own names. The Stones were a bit the same (a separate entity) and a bit different (band members could always make occasional solo stuff on the side). The Who ? They never were Townshend's vehicle but a force that he would use as a creative tool. He would write specifically for them and pursue his own thing in parallel. The Beach Boys ? They were Brian Wilson's creation, not his vehicle. Same as Townshend, he'd mainly write for them. Ray's position in the Kinks was very different. He wrote 99% of the material, sang 99% of the material, made 99% of the decisions. They were his band, his thing. It was still a collaborative space in some ways but he didn't need to break free of that space to find his own voice. In fact, losing the Kinks was in many ways losing that voice. I think that's what most of the liner notes are about. How could he ever remedy that? As much as I love each and everyone of his solo albums, I think he never really could make peace with that situation. As I observed a few pages ago, he only ever released two solo records that are not Kinks related, this one and the next. The others either have (most of) the Kinks playing on them, or the Kinks being the actual subject matter, or even Kinks songs thrown in. I think Ray never knew how to be a solo artist and didn't really want to become one, despite stating the opposite. And that's the reason he never really could develop or maintain a solo career.
Interesting discussion, kinda like “be careful what you wish for.” (I don’t know anything about Ray’s particular case as this is all new to me. ‘Working Man’s Cafe’ isn’t, but I had no idea there’d been this long hiatus, etc. Or that it was only the second solo record, for that matter.) @Fortuleo ’s use of the term ‘vehicle’ always brings to mind Jay Farrar of Son Volt. After three albums Farrar went on to record a couple of solo albums over the course of maybe 5 years (or so), then gathered the original members of Son Volt to reform and record. And evidently various demands scuttled the grand let’s-get-the-band-together plan and Farrar brought in an entirely new group of musicians. A long-winded way of saying that Farrar used the word ‘vehicle’; that this particular bunch of songs were written for the Son Volt vehicle. Implying that the members weren’t an important factor. Considering how The Kinks shed members, long tenure or not, but still kept the brand name…it seems that was just enough to keep Ray in his comfort zone. His brother, Dave, of course, being another component (so just a tad different that Farrar’s SV).
I think that sounds like a pretty reasonable assessment.... and although Ray was probably the main driving force behind the Kinks, there is a certain amount of protection in being hidden behind the band name I guess... almost as if just being Ray Davies, was in some way presenting himself naked to the world, without the overcoat of the Kinks to hide behind
Avid Foruleo’s observations on Ray’s solo career are spot on. I would like to add that another reason why Ray hung on so long to be “the Kinks” for so long was probably that he felt partially obligated to keep the band together for Dave’s sake. I realize that it may seem weird to say that considering their history, but I feel that deep down, Ray felt a brotherly obligation to keep the band together. We have seen that Dave felt the same way when he abandoned his attempt for a solo career in the 60s. By the time the brothers started their solo careers in earnest, they were locked in together so much that we’re seeing, through our exploring though their solo work, their respective faults in not having each other. Also, I just started reading the second volume of Veritas. It’s just like I left off so far.
Interesting points re: Ray’s solo career above. It’s very fan-snobby of me, but I always used to get annoyed when a Kinks reunion was discussed online and a typical response from many was ‘don’t care about a nostalgic reunion of old men: just keep pumping out those solo records Ray!’ I always thought folk with that take didn’t understand Ray or his relationship to the group dynamic. While he is lauded as a Great Songwriter under his own singular name, it does not therefore follow as many would assume that Ray has a Solo Artist’s ego. Rays entire solo career always felt a bit square peg/round hole.
Totally agree and in that regard he is very much like Chrissie Hynde - yes she’s released a couple of solo albums, and to most people she is The Pretenders, but she seems to prefer the dynamic of being in a band, even if she is the only constant member.
Yeah, this is what I am trying to get at in my usual 11/8 odd time signature way. (Drummers…) It seems Ray never had trouble or hesitated when making decisions or calling the shots for anyone or anything else around him when he was the boss of the big machine. But he had extreme difficulty when making decisions for only himself. And I say all of this without criticism or judgement as someone with unique and probably irrational idiosyncrasies myself.
I just looked at my Apple ‘Get Up! Mix’ playlist and, lo and behold, there’s Dave’s ‘Lincoln County (single stereo version).’ I know what I’ll be listening to on my dog walk.
Here’s the 2003 ‘World At My Window’ doc, made for ITV. It’s been on this thread before but thought it worth reposting today while it’s era-appropriate..I’ve not seen it in full since it went out, but I recall it’s focussed my mainly on Ray the songwriter as opposed to The Kinks. It includes some footage of the recording of OPL as well as some pretty high profile talking heads singing Rays praises, in particular Bowie in his Reality phase.
All (He?) Wrote Just thinking back a few songs to the sudden end mention of suicide and our differing views on what it may mean. Literal or a figure of speech we don't know and a good argument could be made for either case. As we do know this is a composite of Ray's break ups just consider Rasa's dramatic defection & Ray taking his ongoing cocktail of pills that day of the White City show!
Now that’s interesting. I’m surprised it didn’t come up when we were discussing the song. I sure didn’t think of it, and I’ve been of the opinion that even when Ray’s songs are character songs, there can usually be a bit of autobiography as an alternate interpretation, or inspiration.
I thought I'd check on the hard drive on which I've archived my TV recordings - I have a folder with dozens of music documetaries in it. The "Imaginary Man" doc is in there, and the Dave "Kinkdom Come" doc is in there, but not this one. However, checking further, I do have a copy of it on a DVD-RAM disc (there's one for the kids!). Fortunately I do still have a machine that plays DVD-RAM discs!
I don't hear/read it that way at all. It makes me think of a double (make it a triple) meaning I noticed when listening back to that Creature song : "you're always suspicious / I'm terrified I've made a mistake". Here, mistake could mean being guilty of "cheating". Or it could mean "failing to cover it up properly". Or even (my favorite interpretation), incriminating oneself despite having done nothing particularly wrong. Since this is Sunday, allow me this painful personal anecdote: years ago, I was on a work trip during which I had fun exchanging "kinky" text messages with a good friend female colleague. It was 100% a joke between us (please take my word for it) but on my way back home after the ten days trip, I thought "hmm, I'd better erase those texts because if seen out of context, they could be taken at face value". And so I processed to do… except I left a couple of them on my phone by mistake. And of course my "always suspicious" then girlfriend eventually read them (I know, I know). How did it go ? Well… let's just say it wasn't pretty. Especially since it was almost impossible to prove my claim that we'd just been goofing around : with the bulk of them erased, the ones remaining were even more "out of context" and incriminating! That’s how I interpret that «mistake» line. Suspicion, jealousy and paranoia always create nightmarish out of control situations, even when no actual cheating’s involved.
