"Here Comes Another Day" is a great opener to Show Biz, w/the organ riff in the beginning, and then the drums crashing in w/the horns following. The lyrics are basically a day in the life of Ray Davies circa 1972, going on & on w/touring, especially in America to make up for lost time in the 60s, to the possible determent to his home life. I know we all here harbor little sympathy for the lives of rock stars, but from reading both of their books, both Ray & Dave had major problems in the early 1970s, which led to Ray's suicide attempt in 1973. I think that Ray had a need to control everything & Dave was reacting to that need. Also, points to Avid Ajsmith for the term "Bratpop". I assume that this Bis were one hit wonders?
Here Comes Yet Another Day A snappy album opener with no little thanks to Mick Avory & the muscular horn ensemble. Ray has his Ray Davies rock star mask on and vocalises with little positive emotion but nonetheless conveys exuberance anyway, if you can work that out. A fun number assisted by its sprightly performance whereby some great parts help make an enjoyable LP opener no more and no less.
Everybody's in Showbiz, and context I started listening to pop-rock music when I was 15 ot 16, re-descovering the 60s/70s records my elder sister was listening to when I was a kid. Methodically, I started with the Beatles, then the Stones, then Pink Floyd. Buying the then-new CDs when they were released, or the vinyls for the weaker albums, since vinyls were cheaper then... I turned to the Kinks in my quest for the albums surrounding the 60s hits I heard on the radio - in the case of the Kinks, it was Sunny afternoon. So I guess the first album I bought must have been Face to face. Or Lola (I remember discovering this song on radio around this time). And then the albums in between. Something Else and Arthur were my favorite. The RCA albums were not available in France at the time, or I didn't find them. My introduction to the Kinks was highly influenced by a sort of "Rock Dictionary" written by a French rock journalist (I don't remember which one, maybe Philippe Manoeuvre, or some other ; maybe Avid Fortuleo would know). Whoever the guy was, he was a huge Kinks fan. The "Kinks" entry in the dictionary was actually one of the longest. Maybe the longest, I'm not sure. And he insisted a lot on the early 70s records. I don't remember his opinion on Muswell Hillbillies, but as far as I can recall he thought highly of Everbody's in Showbiz, introduced (I think) as a kind of Lola pt2. And he went on praising the Preservation albums. So I did not approach these albums with the "72 is over" prejudice. In fact they may even have suffered from over-expectations on my behalf. I bought Showbiz in Sweden, if I remember correctly, during a train trip with friends in 1990. I came back home one morning, longing for a good rest but also excited to share my prize with my brother. But he was occupying my bed with a new girlfriend and I found myself fired from my room and brooding downstairs in the living. There, I opened the CD and put it in the record-player... I remember liking the sound, and the first two songs made a good and soothing impression on me. I instantly loved Sitting in My Hotel, and liked Sunny side and Heroes. The songwriting appeared uneven to me though - still does. I must have listened to the live part no more than once or twice at the time, and of course I was extremely disappointed by the Lola snippet at the end... I listened to the whole album again these last weeks, and my appraisal has improved. On the live sides most notably, but also on most of side 2. I had the impression that the concept was rather tight and I worried about how to include History somewhere on the album, but apparently the theme is rather loose, so I will do as I like. Here Comes Yet Another Day Very pleasant opener. I like the sound, the drum playing, the joy of it. The way Ray depicts a typical day on the road as anybody's dreary working day sounds really fun to me. (Lou Reed's first album is my favorite, by the way. And I love the production. If anyone had any doubts yet about my dreadful taste. I think Berlin is better, but I don't like to listen to it anymore).
Michka Assayas, I'd say. For some reason, everybody would put horn sections everywhere in 1970-1973, from the Band to the Kinks, from Van Morrison to the Stones and then young Springsteen, in order to sustain a certain mood and "funky" urban sound. Some of it could probably be "blamed" on the high quality and high profile of Van Morrison's output from that time period (his hits Caravan, Wild Night or Domino all feature horns). In any case, on Here Comes Yet Another Day, the horns have that kind of rhythmic edge to them and this is the first (and probably only) time, the Mike Cotton Sound attempts to play in that particular style on a Kinks record. The key influence may be what Allen Toussaint did a little less than a year before for the Band’s Life is A Carnival on Cahoots (an album on which Van Morrison guests, coincidently) and for their "rock of ages" shows at the academy of music in NYC at the end of 1971.
Could be. Thanks. I can't find the cover on the web, though. I see something yellow, maybe with the "Rock and Folk" logo. Whatever.
Look a little on the sunny side. It could have been a lot worse. You could have found him in bed with your girlfriend.
Avid The late man, great entry. Sorry to hear about your brother tossing you out of your room. Big brothers are always like that . Anyway, I was wondering, what is the state of radio stations in France? Are there commercial stations as well as a government run one? Also is there a law that a certain percentage of the songs played have to be of French origin, like in Canada? Finally, I also like Berlin, although it's very heavy. My personal favorite Lou Reed album is Growing Up In Public.
The early 70s was the era of "jazz rock", w/Chicago being very popular, as well as songs such as "Vehicle" by the Ides of March. Van Morrison & the Band were great.
A side note on my reference to horns. I now know exactly how much horn use is on the album but I’m going to document its insertion as we go along to keep a running tally. Is the album dominated by horns? Am I going to select (or avoid) the brassy songs for my infamous list? So that is what I’m up to!
Indeed ! Well, actually, no, I didn't have a girlfriend, which was the reason why I was living my life in a Rock'n'roll fantasy, listening to a lot of out-of-fashion (at the times) music, which entrenched me even further in my nerdy virginity. There are a few public radios and a bunch of private ones, yes. And quotas of French songs, if things are still the same as last time I checked. I love Growing Up In Public too !
Well-Respected Man in the café in which I'm trying to work (but checking the forum instead). Really nice playlist.
The first and last time I discovered someone shagging in my bed was my 21st birthday.... it was a wild night, I was a little drunk.... well frankly I don't remember much of it.... my best mate told me I scared the hell out of them by running in and jumping on top of them, only to laugh my ass off and run back out lol
Have to admit that’s not my invention, that’s what the UK music press called them at the time! (And worse!) They did have one further hit a few years later, with the more New Order-ish ‘Eurodisco’:
"Here Comes Yet Another Day" I agree with @side3 that the track is a bit bland. It's a fine rocker and a good album opener, but it's not much of a progression. Having fun, however, instead of making art, seems to be where the Kinks started to go. I get the insight into a busy touring band and the quick music emphasizes the anxiety he speaks of. Though I would think by this time, touring isn't the whirlwind it was in the mid-60s. Plus, singing about not changing your underwear, going to the bathroom and blowing your nose is a bit more gross than "cute" like @Zeki suggested. I do prefer it to "20th Century Man." The horns really add a lot so I'm grateful for them.
I'd like to sum up how the quota work with a percentage, but the regulations are more complex than kosher rules.
Drifting back a few days - but was 'Nobody's Fool' the last time (most recent time) Ray had a demo taken up, recorded and released, that The Kinks hadn't already released? (like 'I Go To Sleep', 'This Strange Effect' and so on)? (I recall a couple of songs he wrote with Big Country and Cathy Denis which he hasn't recorded or released - much more recently (late '90s) - but they were collaborative writing activities)
Here Comes Yet Another Day: Thus far, after two weeks of listening to Showbiz, this song qualifies as my favorite on the album. Pretty funky with catchy, funny lyrics. I normally don’t like horns much, but I would argue here they elevate the song quite a bit. I will need to listen to a few of the other songs closer before I say definitively this is the best track on the album, but it certainly rocks along robustly. I realize this album focuses on the difficulties of the touring musician, a topic many don’t seem to like, but if that’s what he is doing here, I am not bothered. Ray can whine all he likes if the song is this bouncy and dance worthy.
