The Kinks - Album by Album (song by song)

Ah! Okay, thanks.

 

...still catching up.

Lavender Lane
Love this song and it should have been on MH. No doubt about it. would have lighten up some of the draggier sounds, I think. Funny, light, sunny despite the subject matter.

I'd probably remove Skin & Bone to replace it with that. And that is my final answer.

 

"Fair-haired" is an expression, not a literal description. To describe someone as "fair-haired" is to say they are well-liked all around and treated as such.

Re: those liner notes. I read an article a while back on the lost art of liner notes in the digital age, and the author cited Mendelssohn's Kinks Kronikles effort as an example of it being done right.

In the 70's as I was discovering the Kinks--and before those early t0 mid-80's books were written and WAAAAAYYY before the Steve Hoffman Forum--Mendelssohn's writing here and his less-flattering notes for the Great Lost Kinks Album were about the only deep, informed analysis of the band the average person could find.

 

^^ Yes! Arthur...
I was just listening to Mountain Woman and hearing the first 20 seconds or so and thinking this sounds like something we've covered and you nailed it...Arthur!

I like this song. Dig Ray's broken up vocal during parts of it. And like the general groove. Thumbs up. But not sure it would fit on MH. But good song to have around.

 

i can't remember exactly when i got my copy of the kink kronikles , which i indeed still cherish , but i know it was a seminal record in me becoming a kinks fan , and they at least up until preservation act 1 by all time favorite band ( i will chip in a bit about the last 3 rca records when the time comes i am sure! ). i know i got to see them live certainly by the mid seventies and several times through 1977 or 78. anyhow there are not many better collections than the TKK for sure!

 

I agree. And in general, I am not a fan of Ray's preferred sonic style - the very dry, almost deadened sound with minimal ambience that he favors. I prefer more of a Beatles/Beach Boys/Who sheen. So if I like a Kinks song, it is often despite the sound of it, not because of it. That's why I almost always prefer live versions of Kinks post-1965 rockers - besides bringing more energy, they just sound less "boxy" and more, well, open and alive.

As for Kinks Kronikles...digging through records I once meticulously kept, I see I bought this on April 29, 1977, a day after I bought the new Sleepwalker album. I liked enough of it to buy another 5 Kinks albums in the next 2 months as part of my exploration of their catalogue. While I liked perhaps half of what I heard, the band didn't join the elite ranks of the three bands previously mentioned. But discovering their live material in the last several years rekindled my interest. That and the influence of this thread to do additional exploration have certainly elevated them to elite status for me (despite patchiness...but as a longtime Beach Boys fan, I'm used to patchiness)!

 

Kronikles was the third Kinks album I bought in the 70s, after the Reprise greatest hits and Muswell. Loved it, and it inspired me to buy two Sire double album compilations of The Troggs and The Pretty Things.

 

But sir Kink Kronikles is:

Very
Good
Per
Song!

 

Agree though I recall there was a 2LP circa '73 US Parrot release of Van Morrison & Them that may give it a run for its money!

 

Looks like Mr M had Mr D pegged!

 

Interesting.

In my experience, "fair haired" was usually applied as a derogatory. Well liked, yes, but in a teachers pet sort if way.

 

For me it's proved highly ironic that we are in a brief mountain valley's lavender lane and reflecting on either Muswell Hillbillies or Kinks Kronikles as both arrived in my mailbox yesterday and as we speak I am spinning this for the very first time and trying to build a cohesive photograph er picture of just what it's all leading to!



Side 2 so far seems more appealing to me especially Oklahoma USA , Holloway Jail & their more melodiously pleasing surrounding neighbours.
Holloway Jail's guitar riffing is really reminiscent of a later Bob Dylan track that I can't quite put my finger on but is on One of his LP's between 1978-'83.

As for the Kink Kronikles LP I bought my first copy from the States 2-3 months ago and now picked up a 2nd copy to upgrade the 1st's water damaged cover.
I can't recall seeing one in the wild before and FWIW this one cost me $27USD + Gst & Postage.

Edit: The archway in most evidence on my MH is not the tavern but a stylus scratch!
As for KK oh yeah it is an absolutely glorious Kompilation that my visiting brother in-law now wants!

 

Yes. I see. But it could be better. I was just saying I never understood the praise the tracklisting gets when I see so many holes. Wish I knew why VGPS was overlooked, but it's all good.

 

I've been enjoying this thread, perhaps more than any other thread in all my time here. And I dare say, in my opinion, the best stuff is now behind us, but I'm actually MORE excited about where we are going because I really need to finally start paying attention to these other albums. The Kinks have 24 studio albums. "Preservation Act 1" just happens to be 12, so it ends the first half while "Preservation Act 2" starts the second half. "Everybody's in Show-Biz" is album 11. I love their first 10 albums best and have spent many years with them . "Show-Biz" is the last one I am really familiar with. I have three copies. Vinyl, the CD with 2 bonus tracks, and the CD with a bonus disc. I have the rest of the catalog except maybe 1 or 2, I've just never been able to give them the time of day. I can't wait to do it with you guys.

 

I'm back with another off-topic question! Is it known why Do You Remember Walter was remixed for the 15-track version of TKATVGPS? Was it overdubbed etc?

 

I think someone has already pointed out that it was likely due to its US availability & whilst no tracklist for this would ever be perfect this gives it a mighty fine shake!

 

That’s interesting, I’d never heard that before and missed that meaning: I see it’s a North American expression. I have to add though, that Mendelsohn goes on to make a point of saying that the original group with Quaife had ‘identical dark hair’ still makes me suspect that the literal meaning of ‘Fair haired’ was being suggested in addition to the figurative one. Or maybe not, I dunno.

 

Based on the Super Deluxe, the 12 track lp has the Swedish version.... what that means exactly, off the top of my head, I don't know. Sorry

 

Everybody's in Show-Biz


Studio album and live album by
the Kinks
Released 25 August 1972
Recorded (studio) March – June 1972 at Morgan Studios, London;

(live) Carnegie Hall, New York City, NY, 2–3 March 1972
Genre Rock
Length 69:26 (Original release)
74:28 (Remastered release)
Label RCA
Producer Ray Davies


Disc 1
1. "Here Comes Yet Another Day" 3:53
2. "Maximum Consumption" 4:04
3. "Unreal Reality" 3:32
4. "Hot Potatoes" 3:25
5. "Sitting in My Hotel" 3:20
6. "Motorway" 3:28
7. "You Don't Know My Name" Dave Davies 2:34
8. "Supersonic Rocket Ship" 3:29
9. "Look a Little on the Sunny Side" 2:47
10. "Celluloid Heroes" 6:19

Disc 2
Live at Carnegie Hall, New York City, New York, 2–3 March 1972
1. "Top of the Pops" 4:33
2. "Brainwashed" 2:59
3. "Mr. Wonderful" Jerry Bock, George David Weiss, Lawrence Holofcener 0:42
4. "Acute Schizophrenia Paranoia Blues" 4:00
5. "Holiday" 3:53
6. "Muswell Hillbilly" 3:10
7. "Alcohol" 5:19
8. "Banana Boat Song" Irving Burgie, William Attaway 1:42
9. "Skin and Bone" 3:54
10. "Baby Face" Benny Davis, Harry Akst 1:54
11. "Lola" 1:40

2016 Disc 2 tracks
1. "'Til the End of the Day" 2:16
2. "You're Looking Fine" 4:38
3. "Get Back in Line" 3:13
4. "Have a Cuppa Tea" 2:58
5. "Sunny Afternoon" 2:38
6. "Muswell Hillbilly" 3:21
7. "Brainwashed" 2:57
8. "Acute Schizophrenia Paranoia Blues" 4:11
9. "Holiday" 3:26
10. "Alcohol" 6:39
11. "Complicated Life" 3:22
12. "She's Bought a Hat Like Princess Marina" 3:17
13. "Long Tall Shorty" 2:34
14. "History (studio outtake)" 5:22
15. "Supersonic Rocket Ship (alternate mix)" 4:08
16. "Unreal Reality (alternate mix)" 4:00
17. "Sophisticated Lady (rehearsal for early version of "Money Talks")" 3:22

· Ray Davies – lead vocals, acoustic guitar, resonator guitar
· Dave Davies – lead guitar, slide guitar, banjo, backing vocals, 12-string acoustic guitar on "Celluloid Heroes", lead vocal on "You Don't Know My Name"
· John Dalton – bass guitar, backing vocals
· Mick Avory – drums
· John Gosling – keyboards

Additional personnel
· Alan Holmes – saxophone, clarinet
· Mike Cotton – trumpet
· John Beecham – trombone, tuba
· Dave Rowberry – organ on "Celluloid Heroes"


This album charted at 38 in Australia, and 111 in the USA (though the wiki notes suggest it charted at 47 in Record World and 70 on Billboard)
This album seems generally to be a definitive end to what most consider the Golden Era of The Kinks… To some degree it seems those that still hung on for Muswell Hillbillies started to fall off around here…. And by the next album a great deal of people thought it was all over.

I suppose because I came from the other end of the band’s career, I don’t really function that way. For me, like any of the artists I love, there are albums I like more or less, but it is rare for me to be indifferent to whole sections of a band’s catalog that I love.
I think I can say that generally I think this is a slightly lesser album than those that came before…. If I take Percy as a soundtrack album, and not a regular release, for me Kontroversy through to and including Muswell Hillbillies are all A1 albums, and Something Else through to and including Muswell Hillbillies are all albums that would wrestle for positions in any best albums of all time list I may (or more likely may not) try and put together.

Having said that though I don’t think for one minute that this album is not good. I think this album is just a little confused in some ways. It seems to me like they should have focused more on the album, and just released a two disc live album at the same time, or just after.
Also, having said that though, this album has this weird quality for me, whereby, when I look at it to decide if I want to play it or not, I generally have this ho hum kind of mentality, but when I actually put it on I enjoy it a lot more than I think I am going to..... and I am really not sure why.

I can understand why they put them together, Ray looking for somewhat thematic releases, we have this album somewhat representing the trials of Rockstar life and the monotony of touring. Not exclusively mind you, but it is present in a few of the songs and works as a somewhat loose theme. In which case the studio album represents the down time, and the live album represents the shows.

I am getting the impression that some of the folks that disliked Muswell, may end up preferring this album, as it moves more in the Vaudeville, Showman direction, which has much more in common with the Music Hall Kinks than the American Roots styling of Muswell….. In fact the dislike for Muswell has been the huge eye opener for me on this thread so far. Something I really wasn’t expecting, and is still really very surprising to me…… So I guess I will wait with Baited breath to see what the general opinion is here, because this album is different again. We have horns on some tracks, so that isn't going to work for some people I guess, but I like them. Also, this seems a little more lighthearted than Muswell Hillbillies in some ways, so perhaps that will appeal to some folks

It is really nice to have a much better recorded live document of the guys here, as Kelvin Hall is somewhat of a disappointment to me, although I see its nostalgic value to those that got it at the time.

Probably my only question about the live album, is some of the songs included. We know from the expanded version that the guys did plenty of great songs, so it seems like the original release sells the guys a bit short, and whereas a full show can hold several off the cuff, sort of novelty songs, in a short form live album, they seem a little …. unnecessary in the short form context …

But anyhow, I really like this album, but again, it took a few listens, because again, it is “something else” by the Kinks…. Which really seems to be a defining statement of intent, rather than just a Kinks album title.

So please give us your thoughts and feeling on this album …. You know the drill, when you first got it, what you thought, what you think now? All that kind of groovy stuff, and we’ll hit the first song in the morning.