And this was posted earlier in the thread, but it seems like a good time for a re-post in case anyone missed it.
"This Man He Weeps Tonight" I've known this song for over 30 years, but I had to listen to it to remind myself how it goes. I often get it confused with "Mindless Child Of Motherhood", which is the one that I find much more memorable. Anyway, "This Man..." is a nice enough track with a Byrds-like feel. I think it would have made a very good album track, but I don't think it has enough direct impact to have been an A-side.
They appear to be in good standing with each other. I'm not sure if Dave lives 100% in London, but when he's there, I understand that he lives next door to his brother in Highgate . And obviously they were friendly enough to do the Kitchen Sink talks on the Lola 50th anniversary release. Let's hope they can keep it that way. But I don't think a tour is on the horizon.
Either this restates the negativeness of the universe. The hideous, lonely emptiness of existence. Nothingness. The predicament of man forced to live in a barren, godless eternity Iike a tiny flame flickering in an immense void with nothing but waste, horror and degradation forming a useless straightjacket in a black absurd cosmos. Or you forgot the attachment.
Well that makes me happy. I'd prefer them to be happy and enjoying their lives than touring.... although that may seem odd, as I never got to see them.
"This Man He Weeps Tonight" If there ever was a solo album this would have been the perfect opening song. I'm not sure what Kinks album it would sound a part of. It's kind of its own thing which maybe is one reason a solo album was being discussed. The verses sound like some classic 60s stye melody and then the chorus sounds more like later 70s Dave. A catchy tune. Go Davey Go!
I once drew on this in an art gallery- using an emergency Exit door to demonstrate to my friends the futility of existence - waffling on as in the quote above. I feigned amazement when a staff member gently advised us that the door wasn’t one of the exhibits.
Annnnd.... yes. This was posted earlier in the thread, but it seems like a good time for a re-post in case anyone missed it. Did A Teenage Girl Make The Kinks Great?
His argument effectively is that "Rasa Davies contributed both lyrically and melodically to the songwriting during the time of the Kinks’ greatest records. And once she stopped doing that, Ray Davies never wrote another truly great song again.... [therefore]... the Kinks’ greatest records weren’t written by the genius Ray Davies, but by the genius songwriting team of Ray and Rasa Davies." I do agree that Rasa played an important role in the sound of the Kinks - maybe as important as Nicky Hopkins - and an even bigger role in some of the hits (especially Waterloo Sunset). However there are many examples of songwriters who hit their creative peak around the late sixties and never managed to recapture it no matter how many albums they released afterwards. Paul McCartney, John Lennon, Brian Wilson, Pete Townshend (post-1971), Jagger/Richards (post-1972), Arthur Lee. It's easier to count the exceptions: 1. Bob Dylan. As statisticians say, correlation does not necessarily mean causation. P.S. I also disagree with the contention that Ray didn't write any great songs after the sixties, but that's another topic, which we'll get to.
That’s such a frustrating article, because the author has a great premise (Rasa is a severely underlooked contributor to the magic of the 60s Kinks and they definitely lost an ineffable something when she stopped working with them) but then he goes and spoils it all by gilding the lily with his ‘let’s be honest with ourselves, it’s a scientific fact that Ray only wrote 3 good songs after 1970’ stance, which is, to use the technical term, unmitigated bullocks!
2. Paul Simon. This last observation made me laugh – and think. Dave's early songs may not be that different from whatever Ray was doing at the time musically (which would dramatically change over time), except they were never funny. Never funny at all. Going track by track on the Village Green route was a great reminder that for all their melancholy, nostalgia and deep emotions, most Ray songs in the later half of the sixties had a comical side to them. Dave's lyrics are the opposite. They are grounded in some dramatic life experiences, while Ray’s are airy and often the product of his imagination. With very few exceptions (Groovy Movies maybe), most Dave songs from that time are either poignant, bitter or melodramatic, full of anger, spite and even suffering, in one word intense, whereas his brother’s are agreeable and lighthearted, even the most profound ones. I'd guess it's the main reason a whole LP consisting solely of Dave tunes can be a little overwhelming sometimes but also why they often stand out and jump at you as terrific rock'n roll nuggets when surrounded by Ray tunes.
You know, at this time, the most I hope for is one last Kinks album, even something cobbled together from unused songs, and perhaps a final concert in London that gets widespread distribution. Watching that VGPS documentary, Ray seemed worse than Dave, who was pretty good himself despite the stroke. Ray's gunshot wound was probably worse than was let on. I don't think that either can do a tour at all.
I love "This Man He Weeps Tonight." Probably has the best lyrics of any of Dave's songs from this batch of songs -- because they are clear, straightforward, and contain those outstanding lines in the verses that have been mentioned already. And the chorus is perhaps the strongest hook of any of Dave's songs through 1969. I agree that this could have made a great A-side, but what do I know about selling records? I love the horoscope line. It's human, and I think is IS funny, in a relatable and un-detached, sad-funny way. The vocal range leap from the verses to the chorus is a great choice, too. So much drama here. It's simply a fantastic song. I'm a little surprised it was passed over on Kronikles for "Mindless Child of Motherhood," which is also great.... but not, to my mind, quite at the same level. Isn't it this song that has a prominent acoustic guitar overdub in the mono single mix that's missing from the standard stereo mix? Also, I think it may be this song that was copied wrong on the 1990's "Arthur" CD and featured only one of the stereo channels, spread out in mono, as the "Stereo" mix. Unless that was "Mindless Child of Motherhood." My CDs are in storage.
Yea, I think it is really sad that Rasa didn't really get fully appreciated by the guys ... so far as attention in the sixties for her contributions. But I think it is trying to make 2+2 equal 5 to suggest that without her Ray was hobbled. When I go through the catalog, I see changes in style, not quality of writing, and the big contention for most with the early seventies albums seems to be the Broadway tilt, then the big contention for many with the Sleepwalker albums and on seems to be this nonsense about playing arena rock is just some kind of sell out.... The songs are solid, and there are plenty of classics, and Ray pretty much invented the arena rock style on the band's first album, so why wouldn't he revisit it later on, when he had done everything else .... Anyway, we'll get to those in the future, and it will be interesting to read what folks have to say
I think Ray has some health issues. I noticed in some recent video that his right arm shakes. and I think his voice is shot (from all that rock n roll screaming he did?!). One of his daughters made reference to his health not being great in recent years. Could there be a one-off show? Perhaps, but certainly no touring so everyone should get that out of their minds. Ain't gonna happen. All I hope for is that Ray, and of course, Dave are enjoying their days. They owe us nothing.
The way this is getting set up, I have a feeling you might be needing to bullet point this. (I reserve my opinion, by the way, as I have no idea whether I’ll embrace the latter (middle?) days or not. Though I think one can recognize your statement (above) and still be disappointed or prefer a different era).
I saw Ray in 2006, which was 2-3 years after he was shot, and he was excellent. Whatever is going on with him health-wise now is something unrelated.
Yes, the mono mix of “This Man” has the prominent acoustic strum. The mono and stereo mixes of “There Is No Life Without Your Love” are also very different. Possibly “Hold My Hand” too. There are two pretty distinct versions but I cannot remember if one is an early take or demo or something.
