Kind of wish they’d also got Rasa to sing the reverse melody of her DOAC part on ‘Shoemakers’… it’s really cool sounding!
Mr. Shoemaker’s Daughter: jaunty tune but rather repetitious. I have a feeling it didn’t take Dave very long to come up with this one. Lyrically, I don’t see anything sinister about it. The guy’s been away (maybe he was a merchant marine or was in the military or, yeah, it could even be a stint in prison...though there isn’t anything in the lyrics that points to anything specific. Just “away.” That all the women are walking away could be just a matter of his bad timing! He’s finally working up his nerve to say “hey!” and they’re all oblivious.
I guess I had just missed that angle previously. It just seemed like a kind of "damn all these girls are beautiful, please date me" kind of thing. When I read through it this morning that twist just took me by surprise I guess lol
Another "Hey, Mister..." song - the second one on this would-be album! (really need a thread to gather together all the "Hey, Mister...." songs) Hearing this for the first time - sounded a bit draggy at first but got better as it went on. Dave's vocal is a bit unsteady in places but comes through in the end. Sounds like a finished track - actually reminds me a bit of "Mr Pleasant" in places, especially with the horns. Certainly sounds worthy of being an album track - somewhere in the middle of Side One, although it wouldn't be a standout track.
"Mr. Shoemaker’s Daughter" I have known this song for years now since it was added as a bonus track of the Arthur CD I have. It always made me think this is what you'd get if you were to melt down the vinyl of Mr. Pleasant and Tin Soldier Man, and then reconstitute it into a new single piece of vinyl. But now thanks to @ajsmith, I certainly hear elements of MSD in the reversed DOAC (CAOD?). Does Ray then get co-writing credits on this too? It always seemed among the most Ray-like of Dave's songs. It still has the bit of country-ish tilt to the guitar and vocals, but I *think* it has some of the music hall influence too (in the oom-pah rhythm and some of the horn parts, perhaps?) The production is outstanding. This actually sounds 100% finished and clean, compared to the other demos/recordings in the middle of Hidden Treasures. I know the timing doesn't work, but I could imagine this in some alternate universe on Something Else or that mythical extra 1969 Kinks album "The Kinks are the Dave Davies Project".
That opening guitar riff is a direct quote of The Byrds' "I'll Feel a Whole Lot Better (1965)." After that, the rather pained sounding vocal is a strong turnoff for me. The change up resolves faiy well, but I know we're heading in for another verse, so it's still hard for me to enjoy. I'm also confused/curious as to what's behind all this. Is it just a fella excited about going home and seeing all the wonderful ladies in the neighborhood... or is he some kind of creeper... or are they walking away just because he's not a David Watts?
"Mr. Shoemaker's Daughter" is a jaunty country type ditty which to me, like the other Avids, is just a randy boy probably home from jail, who knows all the girls & they know him a little too well by reputation. Again, as the other Avids & myself have previously stated, both Davies brothers were rather open to what was going on musically in the States & that reflected in their material. Speaking of American influences, respect for Don Everly RIP, of the great Everly Brothers, who were fellow WB artists & probably one of the earliest influences to the Davies boys.
I agree with others that the production and arrangement are good on this one (recorded in January 1969, so why couldn’t they get “I’m Crying” or “Creeping Jean” to sound like this? Those were recorded in December 1968, if I recall correctly)…but in my opinion the song is not very good. The lyrics are super repetitive and the song has no bridge. Dave only goes to the chorus (I guess that is what it is—“Everytime I see you I want to say hey!”) twice. The production seems complete but the song itself doesn’t seem totally done. As for the lyrics themselves: I never interpreted these lyrics as creepy. That’s an interesting angle though, and I’m sure it’ll be in the back of my head every time I hear the song from here on out. I always imagined this as sort of a re-write of “Lincoln County”—guy who has been in prison (?) coming home and excited to see people from his hometown. I guess he just felt confident this time around that the girls wouldn’t need to be reminded to put their best boots on because their father is a shoemaker, so they have ample access to high quality footwear.
My first time hearing this. All I have to say is that the bridge (where I swear it sounds like he's singing "Do you think the piece of bread..?") has pretty much the same melody as the bridge of "Got My Feet On The Ground."
There are so many Kinks songs, many of which I have heard but never listened to carefully - Mr Shoemaker's Daughter is one of them. Thanks Mark as always for including the lyrics and analysis. What stands out to me most is Dave's fantastic vocal performance, it's packed with complex emotion as demanded by the lyrics - he's excited to come back after all this time, yet all the girls turn away from him; it hurts, does he understand why? He's damaged in some way, a pariah, but he still has some pride. Whoever mixed the track did a great job by featuring Dave's vocal performance and giving it the space it deserves.
My first time hearing this version. The main difference between it and the original is that instead of the same four chords over and over, it's the same five chords over and over. I rather like that this time they've included the dominant (B7) to drag the melody back to the tonic (E).
Speaking of the Everly Brothers, their album Roots came out around the same time as VGPS & like the latter, was one of those album that WB/Reprise released in the late 1960s that was long on prestige & quality, but a bit short of sales:
The Who covered the Everly Brothers (“Man With Money”—not from this album). Did The Kinks ever cover them?
Yesterday, Dave wrote this on Twitter: "The Everlys had wonderful harmonies , amazing - Bird Dog is funny - we would occasionally do it on stage #DonEverly Rest In Peace" -Source
If it's of interest, this type of rhythm is what's known as a "Swing Beat." Other examples would include IN AND OUT OF LOVE, LAZY DAY and TIE A YELLOW RIBBON 'ROUND THE OLD OAK TREE. Besides the obvious inclusion of the overused "Feel A Whole Lot Better" riff (which I call the COUNT ME IN riff), the "Every time I see you I want to say hey" part gets it's melody from "Little Black Egg," a song that only made it to #85 nationally, but was huge in Florida and also got a bit of airplay here in L.A: While the tune might contain a lot of borrowed elements, I still think it would've been a welcome addition to "Arthur" in place of...well, in place of numerous things. More about that later.
It just doesn't fit in Arthur thematically. Arthur is a tight story line...basically a rock opera about the working man. They'd have to use different lyrics to include it on Arthur. That "Little Black Egg" song is nice though. I definitely hear the similarities to "Mr. Shoemaker's Daughter."
So I've been playing catch up since Kelvin Hall basically. I was all caught up and ready to take part in the day's discussion! I was working on my reviews of "Crying" and "Mr. Reporter" on Saturday when my Internet went down! And it's going to be down two more days. So I'll do what I can at work.
Mr Shoemaker's Daughter Lyrically, this is my take...I think the singer is in jail..maybe even wrote to all these gals while in the clink. the lyrics that Mark posted show "I'll see you soon today", but it sounds like "I'll see the sun today". and talk of "fresh morning feeling"and "the dawn and the evening" - things you aren't necessarily experiencing behind bars. I like this song. First time hearing it today. the horns in it remind me somewhat of Mr Pleasant.
"Mr. Shoemaker's Daughter" Here is a song that I have had all this time and never bothered with it. I'm not sure why. I am instantly intrigued with a title like "Mr. Shoemaker's Daughter". This is a very sweet vocal and I feel like I have heard this many times before, but I haven't. It's another song that I'm not sure where it would fit on an album. Maybe it could have been saved for a future album like Everybody's In Showbiz or how about an album or EP with all the Mr. tunes? There seemed to be quite a few of them around this time. Another good song that got lost in the shuffle. I'm not gonna be able to shake this melody out of my head.
Brilliant album. Americana Everlys with a touch of psychedelia. Got to see them in the 90's with Pete "18 With a Bullet" Wingfield on keys. Amazing show. So sad that they arte both gone now
Mr Shoemakers Daughter Always liked this one since I picked it up on the UK 1998 Arthur CD & whenever i think of it i also recall Mr Reporter though that may be in part as they share the same disc space. Great spot the Avids who saw a link with Lincoln County, until Mark's post i had never actually thought much about the lyric and any hidden meanings! Our protagonist has been away and may even have been a guest of her Majesty but the form he is better known for is clearly with the ladies who upon sight all give a wide berth. Perhaps they're no longer surprised and less tolerant of his absences aware it's as he plays such a wide field that some may have even spotted him with another local girl?
“Mr. Shoemaker’s Daughter” and “Lincoln County” are like Dave’s boisterous, jovial versions of “Village Green.” All about guys going back to their small hometown and they’re excited to see the hometown girls. But of course Ray’s story is quiet, contemplative, and reflective, while Dave’s is fun and easygoing. Ray’s character sought fame, whereas at least one of Dave’s characters was in jail.
