A Brit carpet layer that went to Auz I have never found any of those Reprise LPs good sounding, the mastering is poor, mostly hot and loud (although Arthur is less blighted by that) and the pressing quality was lousy compared to other parts of the world, notably the UK. I got my 'red & tan' Arthur from a shop in Oxford St circa '73/'74. In those days a lot of the souvenir shops had records bins down stairs, which were stocked with cheap imports. This is where I got my Reprise copy of Arthur from - was in its shrink (a novelty itself in the UK back then), but the shrink had been broken and the records themselves stored behind the counter as was the way back then. Even when I played on my Fidelity UA9 (which folks, ain't the worlds best record player by some considerable margin) it sounded terrible from the get go. Decades latter when I sold it, I described it as thus, mint sleeve and contents, record visually Ex but only plays VG. The purchaser wrote back to me saying thanks for the accurate description, but when I 1st played it did I do so with a knitting needle! Nope that is the way it sounded from the get go. My copy of Kronikles bought at around the same time sounded nearly as bad, but that has the added distraction that some of the tapes were clearly not 1st gen. A real shame, great contents but poor sounding. My view is the recent 50th anniversary vinyl re-issues sound very good indeed and I was particularly impressed with FtF and Percy, the later in my opinion sounding as good as it has ever done.
I didn't think it necessary to mention the carpet layers initial homeland but i know you are always keen to help out. As for Arthur I had a US 70's tan copy that rocked but for a Shangri-la Scratch so i gave it the Shanghai Sling and it got ditched decades back. Sure would love an original UK copy but we all know a clean copy is dear as poison and even here Aus Astors are akin to finding hens teeth. My 2-tone is pretty good and at the same time i will flip the lesser one and note that while i also have the 50th Anniversary Arthur 2LP vinyl i do enjoy the authenticity factor and different sound of the original being a (vintage) Vinyl Preservation Society Member from way back! N.b. I agree that the recent Percy LP reissue sounds superb but have not heard the Face To Face reissue and will stick with my clean mono US copy.
@Geoff738 Sorry to hear of this news i went through a similar thing with my mother 28 years ago but in saying that i can't pretend to understand your particular situation, emotion and experience. Just know that there is no right or wrong in how you approach the coming week(s) it's whatever is the best fit for you and be kind to yourself. Best, Michael.
The problem with the US mono is the quality of the vinyl and the mastering as I mentioned up thread. The 50th anniversary re-issue blows the back side off it. It is currently fifteen quid on the Kinks shop, one can't really go wrong at that price - being an overseas purchase the VAT should be removed also making it even better value.
We would need to add international postage of course. One thing i should mention is that i do like the Arthur 50th reissue and acknowledge it's clarity and spacious sound though when seriously cranked i miss the sound of the original that's closer to peaking and sounds very R&R to my ears.
The best sounding re-issue of Arthur to my ears is, the 2012 RSD white vinyl mono/stereo twofer. That said the 50th re-issue is pretty good also, particularly at its current price point.
I'm trying to get back in the swing of things around here and I already missed a couple days. "Love Will Change" I admire what Dave is up to. Very 80s like and reminds me of a-ha. I'd rather hear this direction over guitar jamming. I think they were on to something with this album. It might have been a hit in 1986. "Remember Me" I'm not sure about this one. At points it has a Pink Floyd quality, but then it also has moments when it sounds like music for a commercial. "I'll Get By" My girlfriend thought I was playing Gorillaz. I really don't care for Gorillaz, so this is not really my thing. I do love Damon Albarn's band The Good The Bad and The Queen. I know I have recommended them before, but I think it's the most Kinks like music he has released. The band also features the tremendous talents of Tony Allen and Paul Simonon. Fantastic live band! I went to see them a few years ago and was impressed with their talent. I loved the younger brother and his drumming style and energy. However, I wish I liked their albums more. Aside from a few tunes I can't get into them much. The new album is getting rave reviews, but I don't get it. My son loves this band and also went to see them a few weeks ago. Love it!
A cost effective way of snagging an original pressing is via the "All the Good Times" box set. In that one gets Arthur, Part 1 and the 'Black Album' all from the original stampers. Because its part of a box the records tend to survive in good condition and I would have thought it would be possible to get a copy in excellent condition for 60/70 quid. On related note I spun my Ronco 20 Golden Greats LP for the 1st time in an epoch. An interesting difference that I had not noticed before is Lola is indeed mono, but however, it has the 'Coke a Cola' lyric which is normally associated with the stereo album version. I'm not calling a different or unique mix at this stage - but, definitely an interesting curio. I A<>B'd it with the mono 'Cherry Cola' single version on the Kinks File and there is a definite sound difference with acoustic/resonator dropped back in the sound stage. Interesting. Also I'm far from sure that as stated on Discogs that Victoria and Apeman are stereo on this comp.
A Kinks Kommunity Kommunications Kable This ebay seller has 36 Kinks & or Dave 7" for sale of which one example I have linked below. I had forgotten about him but have bought of him a number of times over the years. The KINKS * Drivin' * 1969 French 45 * MOD FREAKBEAT * Listen! | eBay
Rest easy, my streett and lateman friends, an insider told me who got the coveted item, and it's indeed in deserving hands. @Geoff738, all my thoughts are with you, it certainly makes some tough memories come back to me… Stay strong.
We Can Do This Together. Again we open with a soundscape, and these are much more convincing soundscapes than the Purusha album for me. We move into a sort of new age techno groove and there is a chant of We Can Do This Together. Then we have more of Dave's spoken word delivery. Then, just before the halfway mark, we change up into a more synth pop kind of sound that could be heard as a sort of modern variation on Yazoo or something along those lines. I think part of what has been appealing to me about this series of songs so far, is the fairly consistent changing of textures... It's kind of like some of these tracks aren't so much a series of traditional verses and choruses, but a series of smoothly connected textures.... an aural journey of sorts.... well, that's how it's working for me.
"We Can Do This Together" Another song that begins with a mysterious soundscape and uses spoken voice before establishing a rhythm that gives this song a bit of structure. I find with these songs, the main thing for me is to focus on the mood of the piece. The vocals do not quite function the same way as they usually do in more conventional song. The vocals are mostly buried in the mix though in this one, you get the repetition of the title throughout the song to, at least, send a clear message (sounds like a really positive message). There are some interesting sounds in there but I find this less compelling than the first couple of songs.
I like the way some orientalizing sounds and feels/melodies are combined to mostly westernized chords and sequencer harmonies, it’s almost disorienting, but quite interesting. The chant-like title works fine too, but the last couple of tracks are really Dave/Russ going back to eighties stuff without bringing anything too exciting to the table, which is a bit disappointing after the three punches combo that opens the LP. Side question : does someone know what “Aschere” stands for ?
"We Can Do This Together" This actually becomes quite hypnotic and enchanting as it plays, and that repeated (almost) title phrase is still spinning around my head after it's finished. Yes, the synth sounds are mostly those which would sound at home in an early 80s synthpop track, but I don't mind that. I've come out of it with the feeling that I'd like to hear it again, and that can't be bad.
We’ll find out in The Year 2030. (Setting of the attached story). Perhaps affiliated with one of Lucretia’s “witchy crones”…but maybe not!
We Can Do This Together I do like the doomy synths here. Reminds me of some of my avatar's synth-based albums and his excursions into soundscapes, television and library music over the years. I found a piece of an interview by Chris Wade from Hound Dawg magazine from a decade ago where Dave talks about the genesis (pun intended) of the project. I could only find a couple of excerpts so there is a gap between the two sections. Seems like Russ may be responsible for the majority of the music itself, though no way of knowing for sure. Dave: "The Aschere Project is very much a story which takes on our pasts, future and how we deal with it in the present. It came about one day. My son Russell, who is a professional musician in his own right, he has a few projects out by Abakus. And he has started off in dance music, then ambient and experimental music, then song writing, so across the board. We worked on a project together a long time ago when he was learning music, 17 or something. He emailed me and asked if I fancied doing some stuff together. He said I have some musical ideas, he sent me a few MP3s of these musical things. I put them on to a CD and went out in the car driving over Exmore and went for a walk playing music. And I could see this story emerging from this music. Russell's composition is very ethereal and thought provoking and it stimulates the imagination. He's got a real talent for that. And I was getting these story ideas. So I said I'll bring them…. (gap in interview) ...We Can Do This Together, he hears his ancient ones talking to him, saying the ancestors were here before and that it is of utmost importance to the balance and energy of the universe that Bella and Charlie reunite, like reunite the Yin and the Yang together to make the universe whole. There is also a lot of information when you regard the male and the female being the two parts of the whole consciousness if you like. That's why we have so much political and social and mental and emotional problems in the world because the two forces, the Yin and the Yang, or the male and the female, have been separated constantly throughout our history by design or fate. Without any discipline or training, it's up for grabs. If we can't think for ourselves and make informed decisions about our reality, what is reality? About what's going on around us, then we don't stand a chance. We need to train our minds to become informed creatures. Anyway, this is all connected to the story. And the back drop is this multi-dimensional creature, or monster if you like, or baddy, that's got this incredible power over multi dimensions. It's like this vampire form that can cross time and space and suck the life out of people. So a lot of the story is based on science fact. The Aschere was worshipped by the Egyptians and Persians. Long story short again, the Sirius star and on the cover of the album we see the great pyramid, but above it we see the inverted mirror image of the same pyramid. And that is the connection with this other planet that sits the other side of the Milky Way. So the story works on many levels. Also it's interesting because the meeting of fact and fiction, once your mind has played around with it, it's fun. You know, you're a writer, you can have a lot of fun with it." Aschere: Star Of Sirius (another Genesis connection if you consider Steve Hackett had a song titled this)
Popped up in my feed. American Songwriter. As usual, and expected, The Kinks are included (thus supporting my own opinion that they are properly acclaimed): The Top 8 British Invasion Bands of the '60s
While there were plenty of great British Invasion bands there are only four that should always be in the top five. Pretty much every list will have Beatles, Stones, Kinks, and The Who. Hard to come up with another band that was as consistent and influential as any of these.
