It was widely assumed (I was told this, anyway) that they were a singles band. Funny how nearly all these supposed "singles bands"- e.g. Kinks, Madness, ABBA, Queen, Pet Shop Boys - all turn out to have made good albums too. It's almost as though you don't get to be a great singles band without also being a great band, period. Completely I'd skip this one. Bar band stuff. Running Round Town Better. Reminds me of "Labio Dental Fricative" by Vivian Stanshall (with Eric Clapton).
Yes, the Kinks were regarded as a "singles band" in the UK, just like the Hollies, who was another "singles band" that also made good albums, like the ones you mentioned. It was something that Pye Records did nothing to discourage, putting out scores of complilations of their singles. Also, I dig the Viv song, which was on The History of the Bonzos, a great compilation of the Bonzo Dog Band that I recommend.
"Completely" - I wouldn't guess this were the Kinks. There are a hundred other bands that could do this. I'm not detecting any Kinks stamp anywhere on this overlong instrumental. Filler movie music, I get it. "Running Round Town" is almost more forgettable than "Completely" due to its length. Not exciting stuff. Glad we're taking care of them both in one day.
"Running Round Town": Before the piano bit, sounds like background music for a scene from "The Dukes of Hazzard." Maybe Bo and Luke got hoodwinked by a little old lady into transporting moonshine in the General Lee and it turns out it really belonged to Boss Hogg and now Sheriff Rosco P. Coltrane is chasing them on a backwoods road. Not much to it but it's pleasant enough. 3/5.
Completely Nothing Kinky about it. It's background music on a soundtrack album, and that's about it. Nice little blues jam, with the very predictable blues chord sequence. You could sing Hendrix's Red House, the Beatles For You Blue or about 835 other songs over this groove. Running Round Town Is there like a bo-diddly type thing going on in the beginning of this? Also kind of reminds me of the groove we'll hear on Animals In The Zoo soon. Again, background soundtrack music, and not much more than that. Both are ok to listen to in the background while doing other stuff, like washing the dishes completely or perhaps even running around town.
"Completely": A completely generic blues workout, but competently played. Would never guess this was the Kinks in a blind taste test. Sounds like music for Daisy Duke to seduce Boss Hogg by in an attempt to distract him from Bo and Luke sneaking out the back door. Not much to it but it's pleasant enough. 3/5.
Completely I can live without this one, but it's pleasant enough. It could also be outstaying its welcome slightly. Running Round Town Conversely, this one is too short! I definitely prefer this one. An interesting little piece. I wonder if these two instrumentals had been part of standard albums amongst ten other vocal tracks they'd be better thought of? Percy just has too many instrumental tracks to ever be thought of as more than a diversion.
"Completely" We hit a weak moment in the album. This does fit the part of soundtrack music, but even then it's pretty generic. However, you could place it in any number of 70s movies and it would work. I picture a 70s police car driving through the rough part of the city. Slowly riding by the prostitutes and drug dealers while the L train cruises above the street like something out of The French Connection. The organ in the middle saves it from being a complete waste. At 3:42 maybe it's about a minute too long? I still haven't watched Percy. I would be curious how this song is used. I'll let you all know if nobody has already said so. "Running Around Town" @Zeki nailed it with the Mahoney's Last Stand reference. Something about that acoustic and bass sound that recalls the Ronnie's. This also works better because it's only about a minute long. These two songs do go well together, but for me it's the only non essential part of this record. Maybe this detoured people from fully appreciating or checking out the rest of the album?
If you’ve set a trap I’m about to fall into it: I think you’re referring to Tortelvis - the Vegas Elvis impersonator who fronts Dread Zeppelin - the well-known (in some parts) Reggae Metal version of Led Zeppelin
Completely this is nothing that will light the world on fire, but it's got a good groove. Very soulful harmonica in there. This song reminds me of theme song to the old Roseanne show. But maybe it's just because it sounds like a typical blue song?! LOL Running Around Town Too short. Over before it even begins.
You know you’ve been studying The Kinks syllabus for too long when you (actually) dip a toe into the (bizarrely titled) Isn’t Pete Townshend the Greatest Songwriter of Any Genre Between 1968-1973…and, for just a moment, consider listing between 45-50 Ray Davies songs (released between that time frame) as a counterweight. But, nah!
That was a bizarre premise for a thread. However, from what I've heard from the Who Sell Out deluxe box set, I would grant Pete the title of the Greatest Maker of Song Demos.
This fits the pet peeve thread topic but I get really irritated by these drive-by thread starters. A clever title, no supporting thoughts in the OP…and disappear. I suffered through the thread so did see that the OP popped back in around page 10 or so (which is saying something, I guess).
The two most inconsequential Kinks tracks since? These are part of the reason Percy hasn’t graced my turntable in decades. But neither has Soap Opera. But that’s for another day.
I got my replacement for the Village Green box set today. Between both shipments, I almost have a flawless box set. I now have a mixture of both boxes and will send one back. Neither set was perfect, but the new records showed up in good shape. The box itself and booklet however were better on the first shipment. It was a bit of a mix and match to get a set I am happy with. I'm listening now to the Swedish version LP and the sound quality is top notch! I like the track listing for this version, but it's missing "Big Sky" and "Animal Farm" which I think are two of the best tunes on the record! One other bonus of returning the first copy is the second copy had an extra photograph in the memorabilia folder. I would have never known it was missing, but supposedly some boxes were put together without the photo of the band with their signatures on it. I read this on a review on Amazon. "Before I discuss this boxed set, I should make you aware, that if you look at the sheet shrink-wrapped to the rear of the boxed set, there is a photo of all of the set's contents. Fans will note that the colour photo with reproduced autographs is not included with the set. According to BMG, this is because of a "production issue". BMG are now printing the photo. Contact BMG at [email protected], give them your address and they will send you the photo when it is available." Did everyone receive this photo in their boxes? If not, you can write to them and ask for it! It's one of the nicest photos of the band. Might need a frame for this one.
Good to know that you got the second box. Thanks for the tip re: that autographed photo. I just sent my request.
Yep, the photo wasn't included originally - I had to write to BMG and they posted one to me. Some lucky people also got a Kinks promo pin (I think) shipped with their photo.
Yes, it was recognized that one photo was missing at the time the SDE box was issued and there was much chatter here about that in the dedicated thread for that set. Most of us eventually received the photo once we contacted that email address but it took several months in my case before it showed up and that was pre-pandemic. I’m surprised they made more sets that includes that photo now. I’m not sure that was known before the post above. I don’t remember anyone on this site ever mentioning that in the various threads, so good on BMG for rectifying that. I do remember reading at least one post in a thread from a forum member about contacting that email for the missing photo and they still had not received it after many, many months. Not sure if they ever did. This was around a year after the release of the set and we are now at 3 years later so good luck DISKOJOE. Enjoy the set palisantrancho, it’s a great one.
I emailed BMG at the time regarding the missing photo. It still hasn't arrived. I'll try again I guess.
