The Kinks - Album by Album (song by song)

Bit of a rough patch today.....

Wonder Where My Baby Is Tonight
Other than some clever modulation, there's really nothing of interest here. This is throwback stuff without anything to make it unique or Kinks sized. By now, I'm a little less forgiving of the Kinks not being the Kinks yet.

Dancing In The Street
All that goes double for this. The mismatch is especially bad as to my ears, Motown is as quintessentially American as The kinks are quintessentially English. This just doesn't cross the pond well (yes, Bowie and Jagger made an even worse mess of this one).

Double skip.... the grooves will never get worn out on these two.

 

Got really behind again, will have to catch up...!

Wonder Where My Baby is Tonight
No comments really - its pleasant enough- other than it reminds me of the theme to Only Fools and Horses (I know that didn't arrive until nearly 20 years later, but I heard it first!). That probably doesn't mean a lot to non-UK folks...!

Dancing in the Street
I'm pretty familiar with the Martha and the Vandellas original, but soooooo familiar with the Mamas and Papas version from 1966 (every childhood car journey was accompanied by Mamas and Papas and Beach Boys best of tapes!) that other takes on it sound odd (especially that Bowie/Jagger one...!).
This version sounds a bit rough and ready to me, and the harmonies whicb are so important to the song in my view aren't that great.

Me too, on both counts...

 

Wonder Where My Baby Is Tonight.
Good, classic groove. Can I get a witness? Good album track for 1965 overall, but nothing special.

Dancing IN the Streets hurts my ears.

 

Nothing in this World...
I'm in with the majority here that this is really good. Really nice vocal, and in the 1st line of the 2nd verse Ray almost sounds like somebody else - slightly deeper tone to it. Although I've casiskky enjoyed the Kinks music fir a long tine, I've never thought of Ray Davies as a particularly stand-out vocalist, but that might change! He certainly delivers it differently here and with great effect.

Nagging Woman
Also seems to be a majority that this isn't so great, which I also agree with. Seems a bit generic, and I don't love the subject matter!

 

I wonder where my baby is tonight

Not the worst song on the LP, but my least favorite Ray song among the original 12-track collection. The music feels like it’s a first take of a backing track, waiting for embellishments to be laid on top. The melody is predictable. That blues piano progression is so elementary that Ray probably used it as an exercise to learn how to play piano. Considering how far the Kinks have come in a short time, it makes me wonder if the genesis of this goes back to even pre-You Really Got Me? I give them credit for trying to inject a little diversity to the melody in the middle, but overall it doesn’t get the song over the hump for me. Really, any group could have done this song.

And though I give this one low marks, I’m enough of a hypocrite to admit that if this exact sort of Leiber and Stroller 50’s-ish knock off was fast-fowarded ten years, given new lyrics about the humdrum of the working man’s day and inserted into “Soap Opera,” I would be singing it’s praises. (Discloser: I’m an unabashed fan of the band’s RCA-era 50’s throw back stuff.)

Dancing in the Streets.

Ugh. So bad that any time I hear it I have to put on the “UK Jive” LP just to wash my ears out…and that’s about as harsh of a Kinks-related insult anyone could make.

Another of their fruitless stabs in early 1965 to successfully own a Motown sound, and the only actual Motown song they cover (thank God for small favors). The Martha and the Vandellas original is a classic, of course. But, hands down, this is the worst cover version in the entire Kink’s catalog. And yes, ajsmith, I’m including the “Everybody’s in Showbiz” live disc toss-off covers like “Mr. Wonderful” when I say that.

What happened to my beloved band on this track? The future Knighted Sir Raymond Douglas Davies sings with the enthusiasm of a half-awake father at 3:00 am lullabying a child to get it to fall back asleep. Did Dave, Pete and Mick call in sick, resulting in Shel Talmy grabbing whatever musicians were in the Pye studios hallway? “Time is money. We don’t have to have an actual Kink on the record. We’ll just pretend and say we did…”

According to Hinman, purportedly this number was cut at the last minute to ensure the LP had enough tracks. Wasn’t there another well-rehearsed R&B number they could have done? Big Joe Turner’s “Hide and Seek” was in their stage act at the time and they never properly cut that at Pye. Heck, I’d even settle for yet another Talmy-appropriated traditional folk song with “bald” in the title.

I have two possible theories for this misstep: 1) the front office insisted they cover a known, marque top-40 hit to hedge their bets on the LP’s marketability, and since Ray was besotted with Motown at the moment anyway… and 2) ajsmith makes a fair point that until the original’s re-release in 1969, this was a low-charter in England, so perhaps the hope was to “make it their own” in the minds of the British. Whatever the reasoning, it’s a miss by a mile.

Easily the most disposable recording the band made in the 1960’s.

 

Probably the only thing positive I could say about the Kinks version!

 

Therebis also an Marvin Gaye song, “Can I Get. Witness” (covered by the Stones) that uses That same Sesame Street/Carl’s Big Chance/Good Vibrations piano groove.

 

I do enjoy Kinda Kinks, but as we go through the tracks (and I played the LP earlier to get in the mood) it reminds me how... okay it is. It's definitely a sign of much progress, but there's only a few glints of something more than average. This applies to both songs today, though DITS is definitely incredibly sloppy, mostly let down by Ray's vocal which struggles to keep up with the track, sounding incredibly uncertain throughout.

 

"Wonder Where My baby Is Tonight"

I don't have much to add today. This middle bit of the album contains my three least favorite songs. The only thing that saves this song is I like it much more than the previous song, but it might be the weakest Ray original up to this point.

"Dancing In The Street"

I forgot about this cover. It's the only song I didn't transfer into my iTunes, so is it really on the album? I had to give it a fresh listen and add it back to the album. It's actually not as bad as I thought. I kind of like their rough take on it. It is one of those songs that's reputation has been hampered by all the shoddy cover versions. At least they put the three weakest songs somewhat together (except for the respite of "Tired Of Waiting For You"). Thankfully from here on the album picks back up on the promise of the first three songs.

 

Along with "Nothin' in this World," the four songs we still have to discuss are my favorites on the album. So (to me) it ends well.

 

We’re in the serious drought part of the album for me. I don’t plan on get getting excited until four (working) days from now.

 

There was a real craving to hear that riff in the spring of 1965, as evidenced by the success of "You Turn Me On" and "I Know A Place."

 

Not to skip ahead much, but I love the next song.

 

And also "The Boy From New York City," which was entering the top 10 on the charts right around the time the Kinks went into the studio to record this.

 

I have no idea why there was such a hankering to use this riff in 1965 (culminating in "Talkin' 'Bout My Generation!" at the end of the year) but this is a fairly pedestrian example of it, redeemed only by a bridge that has a few interesting chord changes.

No better or worse than The Mamas & Papas or The Grateful Dead's versions, and that's not a compliment.

 

WONDER WHERE MY BABY IS TONIGHT

Dave's voice is improving no end. And the self-doubt is starting to overshadow the bravado. Natch because this song is written by brother Ray.

Musically it's no great shakes and doesn't really seem to go anywhere. But it's perfectly listenable.


DANCING IN THE STREET

On the UK charts for eight weeks in 1964 by Martha Reeves and the Vandellas, the Kinks ill-advisedly choose to cover this song. A pretty pointless exercise with a lacklustre Ray Davies vocal. He even fluffs the 'invitation across the nation' which becomes an unintelligble 'inuition'. It later becomes an 'intuation'.

Come on Ray, you can do better than this.

Listen to the original and weep:

 

Hey ! Quit bashing Neil Diamond. He's a-ok in my book.
But that does suck a huge ding-dong.

 

Both these songs are new to my ears...

Wonder Where My Baby is Tonight
This is pretty bland stuff. It KILLS me to say that as I want everything Kinks to have a touch of genius or a-ha, but this song has neither. Argh! It's a no for me, dawg. LOL

Dancing in the Street
Had NO idea that they covered this until fairly recently. The original is such a classic that it took some balls to cover it and it has none of the energy and awesomeness of the original so they should have not attempted it.

I'm going to go back to yesterday and listen to Nothin In This World Can Stop Me Worryin' 'bout That Girl!

 

John Mendelssohn said all that needed to be said about the Kinks' version of "Dancing in the Street" in the liner notes to Rhino's 1988 reissue of Kinda Kinks:

If they'd been on the ball, The Kinks would have substituted the names of various anonymous London suburbs for those of the American metropolises recited in Martha & The Vandellas' "Dancing in the Street." Can't you just hear it now: "They'll be dancing in Chiswick / Down in Bermondsey." But, remembering that they probably recorded their first three albums in forty-five minutes apiece, counting trips to the loo, let's not judge them too harshly.​

 

Nice

 

Wonder Where My Baby Is Tonight. Seems like the boys are still tinkering with a rock 'n' roll/ Motown hybrid. They can't seem to work it out of their system just yet. Better days lie ahead.

Dancing In The Street. Wow they really haven't shaken that Motown sound. Of all the covers of this song, I can not recall one I like including this one. Like in previous statements, the outtakes, B-sides etc. make for a better stand alone album.

 

Don't Ever Change

We get a nice walking down guitar riff here, and then the track moves into a sort of Latin feel.... I could actually hear this as being something from early sixties Elvis to be honest.

mono mix (2:22), recorded 29 Dec 1964 at IBC Studios, London

Don't ever change
Don't ever change from the way that you are now
If you ever change
I would be sad 'cause I wanted you just as you are

Don't you ever change now
Always be the same now
No, don't ever change from the way that you were
Last night

Don't ever change
What can you prove if you're changing your ways to me?
Please don't ever change
Please don't be blind 'cause I need you can't you see?

Don't you ever change now
Always be the same now
No, don't ever change from the way that you were
Last night

Don't ever change
Don't ever change, I'd be sad
And I would cry
If you leave me
Don't ever leave me

Don't ever change
Don't ever change from the way that you are now
If you ever change
I would be sad 'cause I wanted you just as you are

Don't you ever change now
Always be the same now
No, don't ever change from the way that you were
Last night

Don't ever change
Don't ever change

Written by: Ray Davies
Published by: Kassner Music Co. Ltd

This song really kind of speaks to the idea that a man often marries a woman hoping she will never change, and a woman marries a man hoping that she can fix him up a bit lol

More importantly, from my perspective, we get this really well constructed track that moves into some territory that the band hasn't really covered yet. This really does come from the Elvis handbook. Although often maligned, Elvis was mixing and matching some traditional rock and roll ideas with Latin music influences, he just had a bigger budget and a fancier recording studio than the guys had at this stage.

Ray does a great job of creating what initially starts off as a seemingly simple track, but we get some really nice chord progressions that add some nice shades of colour to the song.
Ray also manages to lay down a really nicely melodic and rhythmic vocal.

I think this is a really successful track, and brings the album back from the edge.

 

Next up we get Come On Now, and we looked at that HERE
Come On Now keeps the level high, in my opinion

 

Don't Ever Change is another fantastic album track. After Mark's overview, I'm now imaging it with an Elvis vocal, perhaps with a big mock-operatic ending!

 

So Long

We open with a bright and cheery acoustic guitar dancing through a nice chord progression.

mono mix (2:08), recorded 15-17 Feb, 1965 at Pye Studios (No. 2), London

So long, so long
Now I'm on my way
So long, so long
See you all some day

Don't know where I'm heading for
Turn my back and walk away
Don't think about what's left behind
Otherwise

Think about the good times
Think about the people you love
Think about the sun that is gone
And there ain't no use me talking 'bout the things we used to do

So long, so long
I'm better by myself
So long, so long
Don't need nobody else

If I fade from people's hearts
I'm glad I left them far behind
There's one thing that holds me still
I'm thinkin'

The memory of your kiss
The memory of your sweet caress
The memory of your love that is gone
And there ain't no use me talking 'bout the things we used to do

So long, so long
Got no time for tears
So long, so long
Got music in my ears

Got no time for Muswell town
Gonna look around now
My old town was good to me
But oh...

Guess I'll say so long now
Don't even say a word
I'll turn my back and walk away, but oh...
The day that I've seen everything I promise to return

So long, so long
Now I'm on my way
So long, so long
See you all some day
So long, so long
Now I'm on my way
So long, so long

Written by: Ray Davies
Published by: Kassner Music Co. Ltd

Lyrically this is a young man singing about his need to go out and experience the world, and sadly that will mean leaving a woman and a town he loves, but he will never be who he needs to be if he doesn't go out and see what he needs to to figure it all out.
There is probably also a hint of Ray and the guys feeling like things were all about to change and the likely call of the US and their career ... sadly as we will find out on our journey, the US dream didn't quite work out the way it should have.

Musically we get a sort of folk type track, but it has more to it than just that. I'm sure we will get some McCartney references, because this possibly could be seen as influenced by some of the ballad type arrangements that he had been doing. Interestingly though, this seems more like McCartney circa Help, which hasn't been recorded yet.

Anyway, for me the chord and melody structure here is really quite wonderful. It is emotive and reflective, just like the lyrics, and the flow of it all is just perfect. Also the harmony sections are just wonderful, and really give this track some extra juice.
I assume it is Dave, but the guitar here is just sublime, this rolling, flowing beautiful fingerpicking delight. Mick is just holding down a steady rim shot beat, and that is exactly what is needed here stylistically. Pete gives the bass just what it needs and creates a really nice flow in conjunction with the guitar.

This is an excellent track, and the chord progressions are really starting to sound like classic Kinks here in my opinion. We have been getting tastes of what is coming from the band in quite a few of the songs, but here, we seem to get all that coming together, to make a pretty clear statement... from my perspective at least.

A really great song, and the album has fully recovered and thrived, after a couple of shaky tracks that made us wonder ....