Those BBC takes are great, not 100% live I'm afraid, but really excellent. Days is a particular delight/highlight and the Steam-Powered Train/Picture Book footage is a constant joy. Steam-Powered Train looks like the closest to the real live thing, Picture Book less so (especially when Ray holds his hands high but his acoustic guitar still strums itself). And of course, Love Me Till the Sun Shines is THE definitive thunderous version. It all emphasizes how and why the band influenced power pop in the late 70's. They had both : power and pop. And in large quantities…
Yes that BBC footage is excellent. Ray's vocals sound live but the others are miming their playing in the style to which we later became accustomed on TOTP (and Countdown in Australia). Fun fact: according to Doug Hinman's book Ray wrote Victoria in the same week as that TV performance.
This is alluded to on the GLKA or 4 more respected Men wiki page, but you go into it in more detail here. Apparently some early 70's "Bomp" article lists all the songs... But does anyone have access to that data? It makes me wonder a little if the beautiful programming of side 1 was largely Ray's doing. It flows so well.
Re-circulating ear worm of the morning: Do You Remember Walter? Walter da da da da da da da da da. Over and over. And now back to the BBC!
It's interesting that you think of the first era ending after "Something Else". To me, if there are two albums that feel to be part of a same era, they would be "Something Else" and "Village Green." Every album is some sort of a progression, but I think of 1964-65 as one era, and 1966-69 as a distinct second era (With "Well-Respected Man" and "Dedicated Follower of Fashion" blurring the line a little). "Arthur" does feel transitional, but I feel like a new era starts with the "Lola" album and probably runs through "Everybody's in Show-Biz." (I'm not sure where Dave Davies' solo album fits in here. One would think it goes wherever "Arthur" goes, given that they were recorded at the same time, but it actually feels more like the "Lola" album.) I'm not sure what qualifies my demarcation of the 2rd and 3rd eras. Some major shift in attitude, new members, harder sound, new recording studio, new members? And as we listen more, I may shift "Arthur" to era 3. I recognize I may be jumping the gun a little, here.
As an album guy, I look at it from that perspective I guess... though I think the singles help the transitions. The band has a solid curve, where there aren't really definitive lines, more blurred edges. Face to face is the first of the undoubted classics to me, and it works as the first transition too. I'd put it as the start of the second era. This arc of writing continues to Arthur which for me is both the last of the second era and first of the third. Arthur is somewhat thematically linked to Village Green, and musically it is a step further, but it also incorporates a few things that will be coming up after. It's a really interesting, and surprisingly smooth series of incremental movements... After that, there is a sort of branching effect. But we'll get to that
No, it isn't but Golders Green is and that's not a million miles away. Kinks have played at the Golders Green Hippodrome when the BBC owned it.
nope not dull. Was feeling tense after getting off work and listening to some of my old faves was just what I needed.
That version is better than the album version. It's more raw. Mick and Pete are really audible in it. Sounds more like The Who than The Kinks. The BBC version of Dave's "Mindless Child of Motherhood" is also better than the studio version, in my opinion. Dave's vocals are fantastic in the BBC version.
I think it's Ray double tracked, so not entirely live. It's weird that Dave or Pete didn't do the "Oh Monica, my love!" part.
I hadn't really thought of it like this. Arthur has brass on it and it's a very British album--both in terms of themes and sonically/arrangement wise. The Lola album is back to basics...hard rock with some American-style folk-country thrown in for good measure (interestingly, The Who and The Stones were turning to kind of American folk-country around the same time, like "I Don't Know Myself" and "Here For More" and "Wild Horses" (which is from 1971)). So I see the Lola album as very much leading into Muswell Hillbillies. "Denmark Street" and "Got To Be Free" wouldn't be out of place on "Muswell Hillbillies," but I think they would be out of place on Arthur. I could see "The Money-Go-Round" maybe fitting on Village Green or Arthur though. Apparently that was an old song anyhow (dating to around 1968). I think that's the only song on Lola where Ray sings with a thick British accent too. Dave's solo album has horns and sounds more sonically like Arthur than Lola. It was mostly recorded between Village Green and Arthur and also during the Arthur sessions ("Groovy Movies," "Mr. Shoemaker's Daughter"). I think "Mindless Child of Motherhood" (which dates to the Arthur sessions and has Dalton on bass and I think pretty prominent backing vocals) could fit in on Lola, but I don't think the other material that Dave recorded around this time could. "Hold My Hand" even has the same piano riff as "The Village Green Preservation Society." The odd-man out here is Percy, which was recorded simultaneously as the Lola album. A few of the songs, especially "Animals In the Zoo", sound like Lola tracks (I always associate that song with "Apeman") but then stuff like "Just Friends" and "Moments" could fit in well on Arthur. "Dreams" sounds like it could have even been an earlier track. I don't think it would sound wholly out of place on Village Green or paired with "This Is Where I Belong" or "Big Black Smoke." Obligatory shout out to "God's Children" and "Moments." Absolutely wonderful songs that are sadly overlooked. I think both Dalton and Gosling said "God's Children" is one of their favorite Kinks songs. Dave recently had a quote that some of the Percy material was really strong but he didn't understand why Ray essentially threw those songs out "for that s**t project."
Enjoyed listening to these versions. "Days" - a very nice alternative take "Waterloo Sunset" - good as far as it goes, but leaving out the final verse? "Love Me Til The Sun Shines" - an absolutely blistering version that blows the album version out of the water "Monica" - only heard it once so far but sounds at least as good as the album version "VGPS" - can't play the video in my region "Animal Farm" - sounds more like a different mix than a different version, but I think this mix would have made a great single "Steam Powered Trains" - Ray is either doing a live vocal or miming to a pre-recorded new vocal "Picture Book" - this is total miming to the album version, but nice to actually see footage of the band in "action" at this stage. Mick doesn't seem to enthused about miming.
I think Mick’s simulated drumming ain’t bad. I’d put it a 6/10 on my miming scale. Iggy Pop on Aussie TV set the zero benchmark. Apologies for going OT but these Kinks clips did remind me of his performance where he shows no interest in pretending he’s singing live. It’s pretty funny.
This captures the Kinks live sound so well - teetering on the edge of control. It’s a terrific version.
That interview is hilarious. I think Iggy may have had some very strong....... coffee... hmm, yea, coffee
I love this version. There is so much going on here. It’s like some sort of barely controlled chaos. Mick’s drum breaks near the end are amazing. And of course that raw dirty lead guitar from Dave that is just all over the place.
the video quality of this performance is amazing! Dave looks so cool. Mick seems so relaxed and makes it look effortless (although I think he’s mining to the track). The harmonica switches are neat to see. It’s almost weird to see a “live” performance of these unique Kinksian songs. I wish there were more…
Do You Remember Walter BBC mix. This does sound like the studio version, and I am guessing there were a couple of mixing tweaks or something.
Dedicated Follower Of Fashion / A Well Respected Man / Death Of A Clown (TV Pre-Mix). Unfortunately I cannot find this online at all. I haven't had a chance to get through all the discs yet, so I can't even give a description at this stage. So if someone can find this, please post it, and if you are familiar with it, and want to give everyone a description of what we have here that would be cool. I imagine it to be a medley
Sunny Afternoon TV premix. Again MIA I'm afraid Picture Book Tv Premix. This also somewhat sounds like a remix of the album version, although the backing vocals sound slightly different, and there is obviously a reverb added on the vocals all round. Anyone ion the know, it would be interesting to know what they did here. The ending makes it sound like it might be somewhat live. Apparently from the Colour Me Pop show.
Nice, cheers. It's very raw sounding. It sounds like a live vocal, and the rawness of the sound makes it sound like it may all be live. I like the way they link the tracks too .... interesting that it sounds like a dog barking in there also lol. I'm assuming this is live. Is the big box version more clear?
Most of the off air of the show as broadcast can be heard here. Its not exactly the same as the version on the box set as this is a low res off air of the show as broadcast and the box set version is higher res backing tracks as prepared for the show, so the lead vocals are mixed out on the box set versions: (also two songs were changed between the time the backing tracks were prepped and the show went out: Lazy Old Sun and Monica replaced by She’s Got Everything and Riverside). [/QUOTE]
