I hadn't noticed the Sha- lalas, and I'm not sure I hear them very clearly, but there is a definite Javanaise feel at this point, yes !
Golden Hour Vol 2 I may well have borrowed this one from the university record library in the 80s as well. You can't complain about the amount of material you're getting for your money, although I doubt the quality is very good, especially with those "simulated stereo" mixes. "Time Song" Only the second time I've heard this, I think. Again, you are left in amazement at how a piece like this can be discarded and forgotten about for 40 years. It does what it does very agreeably in two minutes, and deserves to be up there with the very best of Ray's material in the 70s. "I'm Going Home" Never heard this before (and barely heard it now!) but from what I can hear it does sound like it could have morphed into "Can't Stop The Music", but I can also hear a lot of "Milk Cow Blues" in there. Probably not a lost classic but sounds as though it would have been exciting to be there.
I used to have Golden Hour Of The Kinks Vol. 2 as a UK import. The UK albums by UK artists I have owned have usually sounded great, but not this one. Still, it was the only place you could get some of the tracks easily and the embossed lettering made it look more classy than the domestic issue.
Just emerging from way back in time when you were all discussing LvP&tM without me: I haven't heard the radio play yet, but I'd be equally surprised if the BBC would allow him to leave in "I've been invited to have dinner with A Prominent Queen" today. The line is by the way, more of a cheeky pun than an outright slur. While it does slyly reference a real-life encounter with BBC producer and noted bachelor-about-town Ned Sherrin, it also plays upon the popular but archaic notion of being invited to take tea with The Queen (God Bless Her Majesty) as a measure of success and social importance. Also, the 'London Jewish Impresario' manager character at the end of ToTP was a stock character in British comedy of the post-war era (like it or not).
Time Song Amazing how Ray can squirrel songs like this away, because presumably they no longer fit the theme. It's a lovely mellow song, which does all it needs in its brief two minutes. I'd have it on Preservation Act 1 without a doubt! In fact, my home-compiled version ends the album with it. I'm not convinced it's the best place in the tracklisting for it though. Any recommendations where to slot it in as we discuss the album gratefully received! This song was one of the main reasons for going for the 2018 box set, and having it on a 7" single was very nice to have. (I'm only missing two of the Kinks UK officially released singles, 'You Still Want Me' and 'The Road' [which I've never seen as a 7" single] so need to find those to complete the collection).
The Kinks – Golden Hour Of The Kinks Vol. 2 I don't fully understand the use here of "Golden Hour". I mean, I get that it's ~60 minutes. But, in the USA at least, Golden Hour (when it comes to photography) tends to mean that time just before sunset/dusk when there's a beautiful natural sunlight that warms the hue of tries, buildings and faces. It's right before the sun goes down. I think technically Golden Hour also covers that first hour after sunrise when there's a similar effect, but the typical usage is that late afternoon sun. Does "Golden Hour" mean the same thing in the UK or elsewhere abroad? Time Song I remember watching that YouTube video when it was premiered a few years ago for the Village Green 50th box. It's splendid, beautiful, and touching. All the slightly different phrases using the the word "time", such as "all in good time", "wasting our time", "no more time"... This could be a lullaby. The guitar work and production is gentle, and fits the waltz style perfectly to my ears. I love these lines: When we were young and our bodies were strong We thought we'd sail into sunsets When our time came along Now that we're nearing the end of the line Time has changed, time will heal Time will mend, and conceal In the end everything will be fine And I've purposely shifted that last line of the top verse and joined it the bottom verse because thematically, that's how it fits. In our young and innocent days, we were strong and we'd buy a boat sail away to sea with Walter. But it was not to be, time erodes the rough rocks away until they are smooth sand dunes. Time heals, mends, and conceals. As unique as each rock is that falls off a cliff, splashes into the sea, and then washes in to the shore, eventually it all ends up looking like the same sand dune over time. Or something like that. This seems as sort of as a sister song to Days. Originally I was thinking Days would be the perfect song for a funeral, but now I'm thinking Time Song could also work.
All of the lyrics were left in. The line about "a prominent queen" isn't that problematic anyway, even today, the venal Jewish agent/manager complete with exaggerated accent is though,
"Time Song" is gorgeous. I only first heard it recently. It would have been a beautiful song to add to either Preservation album, but it does sound like it's from another time. At least they finally released it! A sublime vocal by Ray that glides along with that certain Nilsson melancholy. It's hard to believe Ray threw this song away. At least give it to Harry! I'm a fan of Nilsson, but I say this song would have been a highlight on any of his albums. Has Ray ever commented on the music of Harry Nilsson?
Every track in simulated stereo here only exists in a mono mix, no stereo mixes were ever made for these tracks. Interesting how in the early 70s that simulated stereo was preferred to mono mixes (if no stereo mix existed) whereas now it's the exact opposite. Yes, the video has the "Single Mix" that came on the limited 7" single that came with purchasing the box set through the Kinks website via Music Glue. Different from the "Monitor Mix" that is on the box itself.
"Time Song" is wonderful.. As others above have said: gorgeous, splendid, beautiful, touching. I've played this one so many times--what an unearthed treasure. Can't believe it was kept from us for decades. Puts a real exclamation point on that VGPS box set.
Yeah, it's never sat that well with me either to be honest, but I can see how it fits in/with the song's subject matter. I think the line "Who cares if you're Jewish" from 'When I Turn Off The Living Room Light' is much less justifiable.
None of the Kinks' managers were Jewish, as far as I'm aware, so it always seemed pretty crude and gratuitous to me.
They should have found space for 'Time Song' on one of the 'Preservation' LPs. But thinking about it, Act One would have possibly been overloaded with wistful nostalgic numbers if it had been on there, and it doesn't really fit on Act Two (my big beef with 'Preservation' as a whole is that the two Acts don't mesh comfortably together at all, sonically speaking). How about 'Time Song' b/w 'History' as a 1973 standalone single?
THANK YOU. I said that when we looked at Marathon earlier in this thread and no one agreed with me. LOLLLL
Hey. I did agree it was similar! I definitely hear the resemblance in both mood and lyric, though I still would consider them separate songs.
The Time Song Oh geez - what a freakin' great song. As others have exclaimed, how could this lay buried for so many years? But glad it's out there now. It feels like a song I always knew when I first heard it. Ray sings a beautiful, lazy vocal. Almost feels like a lullaby. And the backing vocals are lovely too. and the lyrics bring tears to my eyes. I ponder time quite a bit and so this song really hits me in all the feels. I'm not quite at "the end of the line", but one's mortality seems to come into focus with each passing year. Lovely song that more people should hear.
Time Song A wonderful song and I agree with others who are puzzled as to why it was left in the vaults for such a very long time. Unfortunately, I rarely play it as I find it a really difficult listen because it so accurately depicts how quickly time passes for us. It's a scary thought. Too scary for me.
"Heady sales figures give a clue to their early days, particularly between 1964 (the year of their first Silver Disc 'You really got me') and 1970." So I take it this comp covers 64-70 lol.
