The Kinks - Album by Album (song by song)

Re: vaudeville. This is covered under “English speaking vernacular.” (For those who aren’t willing to grant poetic license!)

 

Kinks Trivia for today's Euro Cup final:

In 1966, the victorious England team famously sang Sunny Afternoon, in the baths after the World Cup Final. The track was no.1 in the charts at the start of the tournament.

 

Just “McGoohan”.

 

I'll be interested to see how Soap Opera comes together for me on here.... to be honest, I have just never got that one ... perhaps (at this stage) my least favourite Kinks album lol

 

I think you should watch this before we discuss Soap Opera. It's the TV play Starmaker that Soap Opera came out of:

 

I've watched this many times in recent months. I was taken in by it. Some songs are better than others, of course. And Ray is quite a good actor. But more on that later.

 

Yep. I'm reminded of that often told story about Pat Boone during the recording of his watered down. white-bread cover of Fat's Domino's "Ain't The a Shame." He protested that it was grammatically incorrect--he wanted to substitute it as "Isn't That a Shame"-- and that his fans would object to him betraying his image by presenting himself as someone who would use a word like "ain't."

 

Desperate Dan.

Desperate Dan - Wikipedia

Fu Manchu.

Fu Manchu - Wikipedia

Moriarty (of Sherlock Holmes).

Professor Moriarty - Wikipedia
The Final Problem - Wikipedia

Mrs. Mopp?

It's That Man Again - Wikipedia

Good Old Mother Riley.

Old Mother Riley - Wikipedia

The George Cross, "the highest award bestowed by the British government for non-operational gallantry or gallantry not in the presence of an enemy."

George Cross - Wikipedia

Tudor Houses.

What Is a Tudor Style House?

Vaud-a-ville.
Vaudeville - Wikipedia

Variety.
Variety (magazine) - Wikipedia

 

I look forward to defending this unjustly maligned era of Kinks history. I hope you allow yourself the time and repeated listenings to let these RCA albums sink in.

But I guess today's the day to ruminate on Village Green Preservation Society, so I'll point out this: In recent years VGPS stature has grown, hailed as the rightful masterpiece it is, and making it onto various "100 greatest albums"/"essential LP's you Must Own" type lists in books, articles, and websites. In many cases it is the only Kinks entry.

I find that slightly troublesome--special emphasis on slightly--because such lists attract dilettantes who are more interested in checking off a mark on a list than truly cultivating an appreciation of the band. I think of this as "the Pet Sounds syndrome", where curious consumers are steered toward a singular lauded work that gives the neophyte a false representation of the more genuine flavor of an artist. I'd put Springsteen's "Nebraska" in the same category.

VGPS is not an appropriate Kinks gateway, IMO. Ditto for the equally excellent "Muswell Hillbillies." Most rock fans expect a harder edge from rock artists, and if either of those albums are the first exposure, I understand a "I-don't-get-what-the-fuss-is-all-about" reaction.

 

I'm not sure if I'm entirely onboard with your take here, but you do make a good point about "vaudeville." This three syllable word is equal to the three syllables in 'music hall," and "God Save Donald Duck, music hall, and variety" rolls off the tongue just the same. So it is curious why he made the choice to go with vaudeville.

 

Alliteration.
Moreover, while vaudeville and music hall match metrically, vaudeville is a smoother word that actually does roll off the tongue more easily than music hall.

 

Alliteration. Vaudeville and Variety are both "V" sounds. It sounds great.

EDIT: oops, Scottsol scooped me.

 

I know what you mean. For years when I was younger and such things bothered me more I had a kind of chip on my shoulder about the common sight of seeing a greatest hits and VGPS combo as the only Kinks representation in someone’s music collection: more cos I felt they were missing out on so much by stopping at just those two than anything else. It kind of irritated me with the implication by omission of ‘that’s all I need to hear by these guys’.

 

Oh yes. I get that. Not saying alliteration doesn't work here. But if that's why it's the necessary option over "music hall," then why does Ray not even bother with alliteration in any of the other "God save..." verses?:

--God save strawberry jam and all the different varieties

---God save Mrs. Mopp and good Old Mother Riley

---God save the George Cross and all those who were awarded them

--God save little shops, china cups and virginity

--God save tudor houses, antique tables and billiards

 

I totally agree.... Which isn't to say that someone couldn't have it/them as a gateway album/s.

 

These are my gateway albums (not first exposure: various singles were) and is entirely the reason I’m participating in the thread! So I pretty much vehemently disagree with your line of thinking. My reaction from these two albums was to beat myself up and curse and wonder how I could have missed this for so long; just the opposite of I-don’t-get-what-the-fuss-is-all-about.

(Now ‘Pet Sounds’ (and Nick Drake) are an entirely different kettle of fish).

 

Obviously, you have good taste, my friend

 

Take deep breath, then roll yourself a Harry rag and put yourself to bed.

 

By the way, was this mentioned? Harry Rag is slang for "fag" (cigarettes) but did you know that the "Harry" part isn't random? It's a reference to this famous jockey:

Harry Wragg - Wikipedia

 

I was just listening to the box set disc three, and finally read the book....

The thing that really stood out to me while reading through, was the idea that the Village Green was childhood .... this really brings everything on this album into a sharp focus for me, and I can totally see the idea of the village green being the unspoiled heart and mind of a child. As adults we have seen and heard too much, and all that information, particularly in the modern world taints us.... cynicism and bitterness are often the fruits of the world, but the green is unspoiled. The green has that clean and fresh unspoiled perspective, that isn't twisted by the pain caused by the slights and injustices of the world.
Looking at some of the character songs, I can see the, through the eyes of a child imagery ... it isn't childish, it's childlike.
The gentle idealism, rather than dogmatic dogma.

We spend too much time trying to be adults, intellectualising and enjoying our apparent wisdom, yet it avails nothing. The simplicity and acceptance of a child, before biases and twisted realities are inflicted upon them.... and we absorb these things to become adults, and generally by the time we are teens, we have already lost that spark of childhood. The thrill of discovery, becomes mundane, as we have seen it all, and the thrill turns to a cold acceptance.

In this context

"Preserving the old ways from being abused
Protecting the new ways for me and for you"

takes on a different light...

The old ways when we had the hearts of children unspoiled by the assault of the world.... we need to try and prevent that heart of a child from being abused by the world and the cynical, dangerous adults in it.
At the same time though we need to grow and learn, guarding the incoming information.... the result being we have the open hearts of children, but we learn and grow to a maturity that isn't damaged by the negative things in life.

Anyway, that may be nonsense, but it seems pretty feasible to me

 

Still classic Kinks for me. I think it’s their most misunderstood and underrated album. I’m really looking forward to this period. I’m hoping these albums get some respect!

 

That's what I'm here for , to dig and learn

 

There's a radio station in Cape Cod, MA that plays old American Top 40 w/Casey Kasem shows every weekend (70s shows on Saturdays, 80s shows on Sundays). This AM was a show from July 16, 1983 & at #6 was "Come Dancing", which was its peak chart placing in the US, matching "Tired of Waiting for You " from 1965. I remember listening to this when it first broadcast & I was amazed that the Kinks did so well.

 

Thanks! Very interesting. Who knew?

 

I remember my Dad remarking on the jockey connection the first time I exposed him to that track by osmosis (playing Kinks CDs in the adjacent room incessantly as a teenager).