The Kinks - Album by Album (song by song)

Yeah, perhaps it is a misconception of mine. I've read the whole thread this last week or so and I just felt that a lot of people wrote stuff like 'he isn't that great' and '"Death of a Clown" isn't really that great shakes' but I can most def be wrong about that.

Thing is, I always loved Dave's songs because "Living on a Thin Line" was probably THE song that really pushed me towards thinking that the Kinks were more than just a singles band from the '60's (and boy, was I right).

I can see your point with George vs the two-headed monster but as I'm not that much of a Beatle fan, I feel that Dave is a better songwriter (or perhaps more like) a better fit for the main band than he was

 

I certainly feel this way ... I am still getting into Hidden Treasures ... I must say I like it, but I also think it shows that Dave works better with Ray's songs to bounce between, rather than hold court.... but I have only had the chance to listen to it once, so that may well change ... That whole discussion is going to be really interesting ... particularly Dave's falling away from the idea

 

So far as people looking back at sixties music and assessing it all .... The Kinks really did themselves a favour by setting themselves apart and following their own light. It may have cost them some sales at the time, but man the material stands up as unique and special to me.... I can hear the age in the recordings, but not so much in the songs, because they are uniquely Kink(y) to my ears

 

Re: Dave’s songs. Agreed. They’ve received accolades on this thread.

 

We've got a long while yet to get there, but I assume we'll be touching on Dave's later solo albums? Maybe not necessary to spend a day discussing each song on Chosen People, for example, but a couple of days on each album would be good.

 

We will be running through Ray and Dave's solo albums as they come along ... perhaps my mindset is wrong, but to me Ray and Dave are the Kinks, and I don't mean that as an insult to Mick, Pete, Rasa, or any of the other members through the years, they all added pieces of themselves, but the vision, direction seems to be all Ray and Dave .... and probably mainly Ray.
I reckon the solo albums are just as important in defining these guys and their musical legacy.... I have certainly heard good things about Americana I and II but I haven't had a chance to put them in the player yet. A lot of this sixties stuff has been very new for me, in terms of having a proper listen, so it has taken a fair bit of my listening time up

 

And we haven’t even gotten to his best ones (imho)!

 

FYI (per Songview ASCAP/BMI database). Dave Davies has 198 songs registered. Ray Davies, just a week or so ago, had 664. Now he has 673. So the game is afoot!

note: sometimes one song is registered in multiple variations. Also, a lot of artists use PRS now and I can’t access (I think requires subscription). Not sure if there are additional songs listed there.

 

I’m looking forward to it, then. As you know, I’m unfamiliar.

 

Dave consistently added great songs to the Kinks.... I am not in the zone at the moment, but memory tells me Living On A Thin Line is among the highlights of Word Of Mouth

 

I've never picked up "Hidden Treasures" as I guess I assumed it was just a compilation of Dave sung Kinks tracks we already have elsewhere. Am I wrong about this?

 

Although I only have limited knowledge of it at this stage, I believe it is a batch of songs written for Dave's unrealized solo album... some/many of which did end up on the deluxe sets as bonus tracks... as to what is actually exclusive to the collection, I couldn't say at this stage.

 

There were a few exclusive tracks on it, some of which then ended up on Anthology and the Arthur SDE.

 

Cheers mate...
I just looked up the price of the anthology... I guess I won't be getting that on lol

 

Yep - it was well-priced on release, but has gone up quite a bit! It's a similar situation with the great BBC box.

 

Yea, the Arthur sde was as bold as I could go here... I couldn't believe it was already extinct

 

I'm going to be away until Tuesday so here are my thoughts on Monday's song.


AUTUMN ALMANAC

This song is an absolute joy from start to finish.

While Terry and Julie spend Friday evening romantically staring at the sunset, ordinary people like you and me are sweeping up the leaves in the garden.

For them Friday is fine, but for us the weather is useless and we're hiding from it.

For us poor folk the summer seems to be permanently all "gorn".

But trying to get away to find the sun is pointless since we're too attached to our way of life to feel at ease anywhere else.

Blackpool, Waikiki, Greece .... it's all the same to us. Nowhere is as good as home and all the little things that make up our Autumn "almaniac".

Featuring a climactic repetition of one simple word - yes yes yes yes yes yes yes yes - the positivity of this song is infectious.

Musically somewhere betweeen a pub knees-up and the theme to to the Archers.

A truly amazing single.

 

There are two tracks that remain exclusive to the Hidden Treasures CD. I mentioned the mono mix of Good Luck Charm earlier and there’s yet another stereo mix of Mr. Reporter (Track 25) that is only here. If you’re counting, this makes 4 unique stereo 1969 stereo mixes of a track that remained unreleased until 1998!

There’s a used copy of The Anthology on Discogs right now for $60 shipped. It’s the 5 disc US version so it does not come with the bonus 7” that the UK version had. There are lots of unique mixes and versions with studio chatter and such that remain exclusive to that set especially in the Something Else/Village Green era. Yes there is a lot of duplication as well…

 

Cheers mate

 

Wow, this a totally different listening experience and I will go back and listen again...HOWEVER, the maracas are horribly high up. I guess there was a reason that this was unreleased. I'm no audiophile, but that is horrible. but still want to hear the different vocal and try to focus on the other stuff.

 

That is such a polite version. Very interesting to hear, for sure. You wonder which take this was compared to what was ultimately released. I know Ray liked to often do things over and over (and over) again to get it just right...just how he pictured it in his head.

The raw energy of the released version is totally missing. But so cool to see part of the creative process.

 

I'm cool with the one a day format for the foreseeable future. Thanks for adjusting with the times, Mark...so to speak.

 

Kinda Kinks Non-LP tracks and Kywet Kinks EP:

I have to say these tracks are all pretty well done and continue the upward trajectory. However, like last time I will highlight a couple picks:

Set Me Free:
I find this song absolutely captivating. If I could write even one song that sounds this effortless and charming I would count myself lucky. Love the chords.

I Need You:
Third in a sort of trilogy after YRGM and ADAAOTN. You would think two songs built on the sonic footprint of a previous hit would seem like retreads. The last thing I usually want a band to do is repeat themselves. However these two sequels somehow capture my attention and are worthwhile additions to the catalog. Just when you think you know where I Need You is going it changes up the formula by just the right amount.

See My Friends:
A beautiful, poetic and almost impressionistic composition. I love the "Eastern" influence which (as I'm sure has already been said) was ahead of it's time. It just goes to show the danger of thinking the Beatles did everything first ; )

Wait Till the Summer Comes Along:
What a little gem from Dave! Love the guitar playing, and the song itself too.

Well Respected Man:
What a treat to hear this incredible leap forward in songwriting! The lyrics are masterfully written, presenting a perfect little snapshot of a certain segment of British society. The critique occurs not in the lyrics themselves, which are after all simply a detached description, but in the tone and delivery of the piece. A totally new point of view presented in this song then, a different type of song altogether... and from what I hear a taste of things to come.

Overall:
The main takeaway for me from the second album and all the accompanying tracks is the consistent improvement of Ray's songwriting. It seems to be going off in all sorts of directions, experimenting with new chords, new lyrical structures, and with all kinds of interesting new influences creeping in.

I can't wait to move on to some Kinks music I haven't heard before and see where this is all going...

 

The bonus of not buying Anthology (although it's highly recommended) is that your nearest and dearest won't hear you swearing when you try to remove the discs the first time... think From Elvis in Nashville but even tighter...

 

Cheers mate, I picked that up. Much better than the $400 I initially saw