I’ve read @Zack's and some others' comments yesterday and I completely understand why he would say that “this is not the Ray I know and love”, or why @Luckless Pedestrian would state that there’s some poor rhyming here and there (but certainly not everywhere!), or why @Pawnmower would describe some tracks as "the Kinks not being themselves". Today’s song is definitely not the Ray we’ve known and loved either. It’s something else altogether, more impressionistic, more dramatic, more immersive, certainly not a 2 minutes miniature pop jewel. Can I love it in the same way I loved Mr Pleasant ? Definitely not. Can I love it in a different way, for different reasons, marveling at different qualities ? I can, and I do. It's common wisdom that there's a big drop in quality for most of the sixties bands in the mid-seventies, resulting from some changes in sounds, influences (not only musical but also… medicinal), recording techniques, adulthood, parenthood, etc. There’s noticeable decline (and occasional brilliance) in the Stones, Who, Beach Boys, solo Beatles output and many more. At first, I was tempted to stick to this narrative for the Kinks, but it doesn’t add up. It doesn't add up at all. For the most part, these other acts temporarily ceased to be searching, expanding, ambitious. At least for a while, they settled for a kind of default mode or automatic piloting to follow the times and sustain their new found arena rock status. But the RCA Kinks did the exact opposite, as @Martyj eloquently stated in an older post, pushing the boundaries, establishing their new playground, following Ray’s muse and creative mind wherever it would lead him, to unexpected, unsuspected places. When you put on Preservation Act 2, you don’t hear the old Kinks doing lesser Kinks material, you hear the new Kinks doing something completely different, reinventing themselves, stretching out and experimenting with sounds, structure, song form, stage performance. So no, it’s not the Ray we’ve known and loved. We may not like it one bit but we still have to give him credit for it. Ray's 1973 quote @Smiler posted about Sitting in a Midday Sun being in the same style but not in the same league as Sunny Afternoon is very enlightening, and provides some context to the band deliberately shying away from anything resembling their former selves on Act 2. It’s not an artistic crisis, it’s an artistic deliberate metamorphosis, if not an artistic rebirth!. I guess calling it Preservation was asking for being misunderstood, both literally and because of the 1968 precedent. But I suspect "misunderstood" is something Ray Davies liked to be then, to the point of personally engineering it whenever the opportunity arose…
Spot on. I just did tomorrows song, while wrestling with the puppy lol, and this is a brilliantly powerful opening salvo. I think you have a point with the Preservation title. Although this is totally Kinks to me, it isn't the whimsical dreamers from the Village Green, it is the realists stepping up, after seeing their preservation society become the victim of civil servant arson.
The term payoff in such a political storyline only has me imagining a large brown paper bag intended to be dropped off to the right party so that sonething either does (or as the case may be) doesn't happen!
When A Solution Comes: This song has been working its way through my brain for the past 24 hours. I’ve read down the page and see that @Fortuleo hears it in a similar fashion as I do. The song is divided into two parts: 1) the George Harrison-ish part 1, and 2) the Bowie-ish part 2. I was going back and forth between thinking whether it was two characters or all Mr. Black but Mark’s introduction (Mr. Black in the attic) answers that question. (And The Tramp was, it turns out, being literal. Mr. Black was in an attic!) The Harrison-ish part 1 is chilling: “When a solution comes, It's gonna breathe right down on everyone. When a solution comes It's gonna cover up the clouds And eclipse the sun And black out a pale blue sky, And everybody's gonna be terrified…” Sounds like a description of nuclear warfare to me. Or at least bringing it to the cusp of it. We’re way beyond just a village now: “When a solution comes. It won't take sides with anyone Regardless of race or creed, The whole wide world is gonna feel the squeeze.” And the talk of a final solution. Mr. Black is one diabolical creature. The bridge is brilliant, the pace quickens as Mr. Black figures out how his plans will take shape in the Bowie-esque Part 2. Mr. Black will manipulate and bring the whole world to the brink of nuclear annihilation and then…”Everybody's searching so desperately, They've got to run to someone And that someone's going to be me. Yeah, I'm gonna change the world, I'm going to use a little manipulation. I'm going to build a new civilisation.” It’ll be his time to step in and save the world, mold it to his satisfaction. This is one heavy duty, brilliant song.
I think just perhaps Ray Davies does not like being pinned down, exposed or even near fully understood. Does/did he stay out of range for his mental equilibrium and survival?
When A Solution Comes Definitely a favourite of mine from this album. The introductory guitar and piano start it off nicely, then we have Ray's vocal, giving an air of somewhat distant from the real world - as is our Mr Black. The second half swirls with increasing menace, a great song once again. I think Mr Black could well be a little crazy! Damn, it looks like Mr B. isn't going to be all that great, and I never even got the new deep-freeze as promised.
When A Solution Comes So Black's in the attic mixing up his medicine & the Tramp's on the pavement warning about our governments! A quick 2 listens and what are my initial thoughts? Pretty coherent and seamless for the most part compared to being previously read the Act. Here we have a theme, musical power & confidence that provide us with some grand moments. It's too early to know for sure if I would like to hear this in isolation but so far so good. A creepy dangerous man but the music wields the power and tells much of the story. Love the electric keyboards droplets of rain, Dave's refreshing powerchords, Ray's adoption/channeling of Bowie circa '74 & Dave's gritty, spare & sparse Rocking lead licks that even the mighty Rory Gallagher would likely dig. Other than that terrible of course except that i have covered a fair bit of the song and it's ingredients already as a positive following of fascism.
Ray commented once that Van Halen got it right by changing the key of You Really Got Me from G to A, as you could play the riff more effectively (I think he meant changing back and forth between a G on the third fret and an A on the second rather than having to slide from a barred F to a barred G, although some might say the sliding is part of it!).
When a Solution Comes Is this not the Kinks we've all come to love so far? No, this is different. Is it in any way bad or less than? No, this is epic! The story/character exposition is good, but the music is excellent. I particularly like the way the song builds, adding instrumentation layer by layer, kind of like musical 3D printing, laying track upon track until you've built this grandiose object. Delicate melody be damned.... I say if Ray wants to get bombastic, we let him! This is just yet another aspect of an amazing musical mind.
Thank you kindly sir. Just considering his being Bi Polar and weighing it against his history of behaviour & songwriting. Writing is so crucial to Ray, he is insular and communicates better this way as a safe observer through his artistic outlet. No wonder he says his songs are better than him and that he disappoints and doesn't live up to them! Hard to imagine him having too many really close friends, especially in the rock fraternity of the 60's, Ray really was closest to the well known individual watching and somewhat living vicariously through Terry & Julie as the sun-set on his own outgoing growth & confidence as he grew ever closer to his muse and the as yet unimaginable heights (& sanctuary) his deep immersion in it may deliver unto him!
Apologies if I got that wrong but I do feel Ray has serious lifelong mental issues or at least challenges.
That is a bold proclamation. And I assume since you typed that, you mean it. Wow. Fun to see the differences in people's experiences with songs.
I far prefer the Kinks version but learnt the chording from others not actually considering it was the Van Halen way as it just made simplistic logical sense and is a seriously fun way to physically play it!
"When A Solution Comes" may be a bit monotonous but it builds and I really like Dave's guitar on this one. Listening to it while viewing the lyrics on Mark's post helps a lot as well. This song has an ominous mood to it which I really like.
Ray can be quite the fibber. He says one things and then says another so it's hard to keep track of his "porkies" (Cockney for lies). But yes, I do believe he is bipolar. He has admitted it. and then taken it back. I'm sure there is some personality disorder mixed in too (narcissism possibly? Wouldn't be the first performer to be a narcissist). Also he's an extremely sensitive guy. Having read a lot about the man, he is someone I wouldn't want to have a personal relationship with. But his obsession with writing and music has done some good for the world. Whatever combination of factors that make up the complex personality of Ray Davies, it has lead us all here to this thread. So thanks Ray!
"When A Solution Comes", the first time we really get into Mr. Black's head & boy it ain't pretty. He doesn't really want to help the people. He thinks of them rather as clay to be molded into his vision of a perfect society. As I said yesterday, it seems that Preservation is more than just a small village green, w/this song's lyrics stating that even the Arabs & Israelites are going to feel his "revolution". That's not something you expect about the possible destruction of a village green. You should get something more like Mr. Flash singing a song about building cheap housing (oops, he did) & Mr. Black retorting that there should be more parks & greenspace instead of conquering the world. To me, it's another flaw in the Preservation concept. Also, I would like to point out, without naming names & stepping on toes, what Mr. Flash & Mr. Black represent in the abuse of political power. A Mr. Flash type wants only one thing & that's money. He doesn't care where you worship or what you do, just as long as he gets his money one way or the other. He would probably buy votes & do little favors to the voters (getting a child a job, fix the sidewalk), just as long as the gravy train is rolling. However, a Mr. Black type not only wants your money, but he wants your soul, or everything about you. You must conform to his beliefs on society. You must do or approve of everything he does. You have no freedom to truly express yourself. You are merely a cog, easily replaceable. "When A Solution Comes" expresses this vision & again, it ain't pretty.
