What about this 11 tracks/ 1 LP cut down ? 1/ Morning Song 2/ Announcement 1 3/ Shepherd of the Nation 4/ Announcement 2 5/ Second Hand Car Spiv 6/ Announcement 3 7/ Flash's Dream 8/ Announcement 4 9/ Scrapheap City (album version) 10/ Announcement 5 11/ Preservation Yummy !
Announcement 1: This works if considered and listened to as a radio play with listeners intent on hearing the spoken word, knowing if they don’t pay attention they’ll lose the plot. But as part of a rock album? Not really. Put this on at a party and there’d be at least a couple of people headed to the stereo thinking the radio had inadvertently been clicked on. But, in my case, I am listening to it as a radio play and it is necessary to set things up (as maybe someone bought Act II without first listening to Act I; or forgotten Act I and didn’t want to listen again before playing II). I suppose just including the announcement in the liner notes would work, too, especially as most folks may not consider it as a radio play. Introduction To a Solution: After declaring that the Announcement #1 is necessary…we have The Tramp providing his own overview. “While the rich get their kicks with their affluent antics Mr. Black sits and ponders their fate. He just sits in the gloom of his dimly-lit room Waiting for them to swallow the bait. While the rich run their rackets he sits in his attic And casually plots their defeat. While the politicians cover up mistakes that they've made And all the promises, the lies and deceits. A military coup has been long overdue. Now there's fighting and panic in the streets. Amid the mass disillusion, disorder and confusion, He will rise now his plan is complete.” The listener is brought up to date for a second time making the initial announcement unnecessary. The out of control rich, Mr. Black plotting in the shadows, fighting and panic in the streets…conditions ripe for a military coup…The Tramp tells it all. “And it's painfully clear that the battle is near” Musically, this is a nice lead-off track, rockier than The Tramp of Act I with a touch of Gimme Shelter era Stones thrown in.
Have to say despite what the lyrics online say I think it’s ‘casually plots their defeat’ not ‘clocks’.
Introduction to Solution The title of this song does it a disservice. It suggests it's not going to be a proper song, just an optional intro to the next song. Whereas it's one of the best songs on the album with a truly gorgeous chorus. Ray's "bewildered cockney everyman" voice here reminds me so much of the voice Steve Harley was using a lot, I guess around this same time period (e.g. "Psychomodo", "Mr Raffles"). Though it would seem impertinent to suggest that Ray was influenced by Steve, rather than the other way round. But who knows. I'm a bit confused as to whether this post is meant as a joke or not. It doesn't seem plausable either as an intended selection of the best of the album, nor the worst (though the latter seems more likely)? This album is so little discussed that I have no idea what the consensus is over individual tracks.
The Announcements are pretty interesting to listen to throughout the album. The first one is like, "Well, there's a bit of a problem in the outskirts but it's really nothing, carry on." The nature of these announcements will subtly change in the course of the album. As for "Introduction to a Solution", it's an effective table setter to the album as sung by the Tramp, one of the 2 characters in the whole story, along w/Flash, who is more than 2 dimensional. Reading our Headmaster's great description of him, I think that he could have been the protagonist of the great lost song, " History". I listened to the whole album last night to refresh myself for these discussions & I noticed what I think is another small flaw in the concept. I think that we Avids are in agreement that Preservation is generally about a small village. But as Act 2 unfolds, it seems that a whole nation is involved, not just a village green. Does Ray think that England is one whole village green? I'm just throwing this out for my fellow Avids to chew on.
Someone, during our Act I discussion, mentioned that the Flash/Tramp/Mr. Black story was set in a big enough town to have an industrial section, so it was a bigger place than a small village. But, yes, now, in Act II, we’re talking an entire nation. Ray’s gone big-time!
Shirley ye jest! But good on you for defending Exiles honour. With a username like yours, anything else should be perceived as somewhat close to a hanging matter or a capital crime Otherwise and in general: "Sweet Lady Genevieve" is my favorite track by the Kinks, by some distance. For that alone I love these two albums, even if it doesn't quite fit in with the story and can be seen as a personal song from Ray to Rasa, I guess. "Waterloo Sunset" is in most ways their greatest track but the Lady stole my heart the first time I met her.
Side note: I watched “Murdoch” (Canadian turn-of-20th century detective show) last night. Episode title? F.L.A.S.H.! I can’t escape the thread.
I just remembered a quote from Ray in an interview at the time Jeremy Corbyn had become leader of the Labour Party, which I have found: 'Is he heartened, then, by the rise of Jeremy Corbyn and his far more emphatic socialism? He gives a wry smile and tells me I should look up Preservation, the rock opera he made in the early 70s. It’s about vaudeville comedian Mr Flash who becomes a dictator. “Mr Corbyn is Commander Black in that: ‘While the rich get their kicks with their affluent antics / Mr Black sits and ponders their fate / He just sits in the gloom of his dimly lit room / Waiting for them to swallow the bait’… What do I think about Mr Corbyn? He has his style. He’s very media-friendly.”'.
Early kinks fan here One question: "Where Have All The Good Times Gone" I'm pleased to have that one on the "singles" compilation. But that was a b-side. Is the appearance on that CD related to the fact that it was issued as an A-side in the 70s ?? One opinion: "I need you". Such a shame it was just a b-side. I consider it stronger than some of their a-sides of the time. I understand it sounds similar to "Got Me" and "All Day", but it rocks so hard!! Man, that tambourine... Love that track. What can you tell me about: "I'm not like everybody else" ? Such a strong track. I really don't understand why it is so... lost. Who wrote it ? Ray and Dave? I kinda of understand the reasons why they relegated "I need you" to a b-side. But this track was not like anything else they had. Maybe a b-side was as important (or more) as a regular album track to them.
Announcement(s) I don't mind them at all, but wish there was a better way of getting this information across. They just seem a bit 'basic'. Introduction To Solution A favourite of mine on the album and a great start to things. The song is far better than its title, which lets it down. Unlike Act One where you could easily lift most tracks out of the album for individual listening pleasure, no matter how good they are on Act Two, the songs here are so plot driven, that no matter how good they are, they really need to be listened to as part of a whole. So, despite the great drum and guitar work, great vocals, melody, and everything else about this song, it's stuck as part of having to be listened to a part of a while. A top drawer first song for the album. If the lyrics were of a more universal theme, it would have been a great choice as a single.
Act II Like as for Act I i am a prime listening candidate for Act II, having bought and sold it eons ago with no fondness or memory of songs as it wasn't something i could put on to relax and enjoy or rock out to as i found it impenetrable or perhaps i wasn't prepared at the time to seriously penetrate it's external shell? So now Act I has risen in my estimation enough to keep my eyes out for a copy thanks to all and sundries here (cricket pun intended) so perhaps when the ashes clear i will act nice and gentle towards Preservation's 2nd installment and also find some likeable songs that i can announce instead of denounce on Mark's thread. Psst: I always kind of liked the cover, well certainly more than that of Act I!
Introduction To A Solution Not thinking i would call it prog however it does present as grandiose, theatrical and urgent, the later with commensurate thanks to Ray and particularly Mr Mick Avory whose playing is heavily symbolic! Dave plays some nicely toned lead lines amidst this well fleshed out track.
funny right before this thread started , i listened to act 2 while driving around on some errands over a long weekend or so. as i remembered it , i found it a bit tedious overall and not what i would call a great rock and roll record. a great musical on the other hand.......same way i feel about the two RCA records to follow. i did see them live on this tour (act 2) and if i remember there were stage props etc and i thought it came off rather well. i remember following the tour bus back to the hotel to meet the band when they got there. i and a few others were standing there and ray looked displeased to say the least. asking for an autograph didn't seem like the thing to do so i just kinda thanked him for the music etc. one other note and as someone who is meticulous with their lp's i somehow lost the lyric sheet to act 2 and it still bugs me! was there some sort of poster on the one side or something? maybe i had it hanging in my room. i have considered buying a used copy on line just to get the lyric sheet again.
Avid Yesternow, "Where Have All the Good Times Gone" was on an album called The Kink Konterversy. A later live version was on a 1980 album called One From the Road. It was a popular song even though it wasn't a single As "I'm Not Like Everybody Else", it was a Ray song that was originally offered to the Animals (Eric Burdon), who rejected it. The Kinks probably thought it was too good of a song to waste, but couldn't fit on an album, so it became the B side to "Sunny Afternoon". I hope I answered your questions & I agree, all three songs are excellent.