"Here Come The People In Grey" The Canned Heat similarities are clear as day, but I never noticed it before. I guess because I don't really listen to Canned Heat. I also once again hear some Faces in this song with the electric guitar tone and slide which recalls Ronnie Wood's playing. The guitar sound reminds me of the song "Too Bad" on a Faces album. That song has a bit more kick to it though. This is pretty straightforward musically. The type of song that would be fun to play along with and practice your guitar chops. Ray's vocal and lyrics elevate it and make the song more interesting. I always assumed the lyrics were about the mental health authorities coming to take him away. That just tells me I never paid attention much to the lyrics or the song. I like it more now and it's a good tune to start out the second side, but I prefer all the songs on side one. You can hear Dave in the background and this could have been another candidate to give him the lead vocal on. Although, it works great with both of them singing together.
One thing is certain : since we've started our Muswell Hillbillies deep dive, each of our "songs of the day" has colonized my brain for 24 hours before being smoothly replaced by the one after it. But today, for the first time, Here Come the People in Grey has failed to dislodge Complicated Life's. Admittedly, those "Ladeedaas" are tough to beat… but something tells me the demented "hallelujahs" of Have a Cuppa Tea's will set things straight tomorrow…
Can't disagree with that. I really like Here Come The People In Grey, but it isn't a song that's bothered too much with being catchy, or hooky, it is meat and potatoes.... I already have tomorrow's song kickin' my butt...
Ha! This is so true. Two of us over here are still singing about mashed potatoes and buttered scones. Even as I type this my girlfriend is in the other room singing “Skin and Bone”! Just like you, I have had all these songs taking over my brain. “The People in Grey” are even starting to take me away.
Ok, just a little side note. At our current rate of one song per day, and for the record I am happy to stay doing that, we will be at the beginning of the 2000's in 430 days (approx.) There are a couple of albums/releases I am not certain how much we need to look at, so I guesstimated, and there are a few instances of looking at more than one song per day, due to things like length and live releases.... So this isn't a spot on accurate figure, but pretty close.... In the 2000's we have 4 Ray solo album and a couple of collaborations 4 Dave solo albums, and a bunch of live albums and compilations For the Kinks we have BBC sessions Picture Book Anthology Various compilations 3 ep's Obviously as we go along, we may decide to breeze through a couple of things.... also there may be some solo stuff we decide to compress or whatever..... But there has been speculation about how long we may be going, and barring incident, I'm happy to go all the way, but guessing on the 2000's releases it looks like early to mid 2023.... This is just info.... if you want to respond, cheer, scream, or whatever else, feel free to do so lol Ps I did include the empty Sunday slot, so you don't need to add another two months LOL
Wow! Amazing. That’s some dedication! I wonder how many people will stick through until the end? I imagine we will lose some people along the way. I’m in for the long haul! I am pretty unfamiliar with most of the solo albums. I only have the first 2 Ray albums. I have heard some of the other albums but never found them interesting. I guess we will see how I feel in 2023!
Today in Kinks history: On this day in 1970, following the end of the principal recording for Percy, John Gosling dons an elaborate ape costume to star in the band's forthcoming video for 'Apeman' -
It's kinda selfish really, I get great insight from the folks participating, and I get to achieve the goal I was aiming for, a deep look at the Kinks body of work.... It's just nice so many people came along for the ride. Not sure how many folks will stay with us, as certain eras seem to bring in and push away different people, but I hope a lot of folks roll all the way with us, where possible.
I suggest we avoid the Announcements on Prez Act 2. OK that saves only five days…. But we could save more time by breezing through some of the solo albums.
I counted those with a song each lol We can definitely look at that.... I personally really want to have a good look at Ray's 2 Americana albums, and Dave's first couple of solo albums..... But we're a little way off those for now. When we get there, we'll see how everyone is feeling. There are many options.
Here Come the People in Grey This is one I will admit to not being so familiar with. I know some may suggest it sounds TRex-ish, but I don't think so. I'm not as well acquainted with bands from around this era, but it sorta sounds like something you may have heard at Woodstock. That's my very unsophisticated hot take. LOL I really like it though. It doesn't have crazy hooks in it, but it has a nice feel. And it made me happy to hear Dave's backing vocals again. More Dave! I always assumed the people in grey were taking the poor guy away on a little 'holiday', but obviously I wasn't paying close attention to the lyrics. Sounds like I'm not the only one to think that. ------- Not that anyone necessarily cares, but I'll be heading on holiday/vacation tomorrow. Headin' to Jamaica! Will be checking in periodically, but may not have the time or inclination to do major posting (but one never knows).
Here Come The People In Grey Like Avid @palisantrancho, I certainly hear some Canned Heat in the vocals even though I don't really listen to Canned Heat... Just from what I have heard on classic rock radio over the years... And like our leader @mark winstanley, I also thought the "people in gray" were taking him away to the looney bin, before actually paying deeper attention to the verse lyrics. But thanks to this now I understand the full story and history behind it! As for the song, I love the combination of the fat crunchy guitar, the lead guitar licks, and that occasional riff that I could only describe as a long lost Keith Richards riff. I hope you know which one I am talking about...the slightly crunchy one repeated right after the last "here come the people in grey to take me away" of each chorus. I also like the faint harmonica in the mix. You gotta search for it, but it's there. And hearing Dave joining in just after the 2:00 mark elevates it to another level. This ain't breaking any unchartered ground, but it's a solid rocking tune to kick off side 2. 7 for 7.
Here come the people in grey Reading the lyrics helped me appreciate this track better ; nice character-in-action study (as I chose to see it). I really like the guitar sound. I'm all for a good blues/rocker, but this one failed to grab my ear, or what little guts I have. I'm still wondering what Mick Avory is trying to do when entering the song around 1'00.
That's incredible...2023. My goodness. I plan on sticking it out. Hopefully 'life' won't get in the way of that. When it comes to music I can be pretty "loyal" or is the word "fanatical" when I love a certain band. Mark, thanks for all that you do. I, for one, greatly appreciate it. It's been a lot of fun!
thanks! Why am I going in November? I know we could have gone in January or February, but then you gotta worry that a damned snowstorm will screw up your ability to go or come back. This trip is a pandemic postponed 25th anniversary trip .We were supposed to go in May 2020 and as we can all remember, the poop hit the fan.
But it says you're from Canada...and supposedly a wildcat from Montana. sorry if I missed something along the way. Are you vacationing or living there? Anyway, we're in Montego Bay. I see you're at the northeast of the island. How's the weather been??
This thread is like an old friend. Keep it going Mark! It's very comforting to know I can dip into it at any time for the next 2 years. Wow!
Congratulations then, Avid Wondergirl! I had that experience of having a snowstorm screw up a trip. I went to Memphis w/my friend, who's a big Elvis fan, in January 1996 & we had to spend an extra day there because there was a big snowstorm back here. We were even interviewed by a local TV station waiting in the airport.
