I haven’t done a software compare as a check, only headphone listening but they sound the same to me. I’m happy to be corrected if I post anything incorrect concerning this stuff as I am a stickler nerd when it comes to this mix stuff. That said, I’ve found where some of these Velvel credits are incorrect. Such as on Act 1 it describes both bonus tracks “Preservation” and “One Of The Survivors” as remixes. “Survivors” is a remix but “Preservation” does not sound like it has been remixed. They got the “(Everybody’s A Star) Starmaker” bonus mono promo mix info jumbled on A Soap Opera (we’ll get to that track in a couple of weeks here). Another is on Sleepwalker they added “Artificial Light” as a bonus track and it is clearly a remix of the single but it is not identified anywhere on the back cover or the liners as a remix. Note on the “Mirror Of Love” bonus track here in the back liner of the CD you copied it says “Unreleased As Single”. So typical Kinks typos and confusing liners/credits. I’m reminded of some posts years ago here concerning the 1998 Village Green CD when I was first digging into all of these mix things with The Kinks where I brought up what the liners in that CD call alternate mixes with some of the 12 track version bonus tracks. You rightly pointed out to me that according to Andrew Sandoval they were not and indeed that was correct.
Thank you i am just posting snippets from the one article when we get to them chronologically. That said i only began doing it around Apeman and there are lots of interesting comments on every single from 1964's Long Tall Sally onwards. If need be i could photograph them or if deemed inappropriate for the thread perhaps just PM yourself?
So that was RCA 5015 and had clear label differences to a domestic French release? Qualifier: If it came out there at all that is.
I can’t speak to French RCA single label differences or not, but yes, the French Export single release to the UK is catalog RCA LPBO 5015 as you say. Looking at Discogs photos of French RCA Kinks pressings at this time show the band name at the top and the song title at the bottom as this single pressing shows. That seems to match UK pressings. The German pressings are the exact opposite with the song title at the top and the band at the bottom.
I like this too. Interesting to read what the press was reporting at the time and what actually happened after the fact.
I have that issue of Record Collector, so that explains my misunderstanding of which version of "Mirror Of Love" is which.
Nobody Gives. stereo mix, recorded Jan-Mar 1974 at Konk Studios, Hornsey, London Sung by The Tramp I can't understand why everybody's quarreling, Nobody gives in case they lose face, And everybody's guilty and everybody's innocent, And the fact of it is nobody gives any more. It's the same throughout all history, Nobody gives unless they receive, And nobody trusts or is willing to believe And nobody gives or is willing to concede. Back in nineteen hundred and twenty-five There were thousands of people struggling to survive. There was hunger, unemployment and poverty, Then in 1926 they decided to be free So they all went on strike and The workers told the unions, who blamed it on the government, The politicians blamed it on the strikers and the militants, Everybody's guilty and everybody's innocent, But the fact of it is nobody gives any more. Back in nineteen hundred and thirty-nine There were scores of German military waiting in a line, And the Fatherland wanted what the world wouldn't give, And then Hitler decided he could take what was his, So they all went to war and said Kill all the left-wing intellectuals, Annihilate the Jews and wipe out their race, Eliminate the weak because they're ineffectual, And the fact of it is nobody gives any more. I'm only sitting here watching it all go on And listening to both sides. Yeah, why can't we talk it out, Why can't we sort it out, We'll work it out if we try. Why can't we sit down and work out a compromise, Why not negotiate and try to be civilised? I'll tell you why, because nobody gives a damn. Nobody listens and no one will understand. Yet I'm wondering, sitting here wondering, And listening to both sides. Why can't we work it out? Why can't we sort it out? We'll work it out if we try. Why can't we sit down and work out a compromise, Why not negotiate and try to be civilised? I'll tell you why, because nobody gives a damn. Nobody listens and no one will understand. Yet, I'm wondering, sitting here wondering, Yet I'm wondering, sitting here wondering Listening to both sides. Nobody gives, nobody gives, nobody gives. The workers told the unions who blamed it on the government, The politicians blamed it on the strikers and the militants, Everybody's guilty and everybody's innocent. Nobody gives. Nobody gives a damn any more. The politicians, unions, workers and the militants, The fact of it is nobody gives any more. Written by: Ray Davies Published by: Davray Music Ltd. Here we have the Tramp looking on, being the perpetual observer of the madness around. The title phrase seems to be used in several ways here. Initially it is used in terms of saying nobody will compromise their position to find a middle ground. He sees all the arguments, and fails to understand the reasoning behind them, and comes to the conclusion that it is all about saving face and attempting to be seen to be right. He goes on to say/observe that it has been the same throughout history. Then Ray via the Tramp goes on a little tour of history, and the awful conditions that led to unionism. Probably the main point to me here is the passing the buck that goes on. Everybody blames someone else for the situation they find themselves in. The next section explores the motives for the second world war, kind of loosely tying us to Arthur. Ray appears to be using the theme of the album to explore the lines drawn in the sand by the left and the right, and how neither are particularly correct. In the next section Nobody Gives moves to a point where it is being used to describe the fact that Nobody Gives a damn. Essentially through the eyes of the Tramp we are asking the question of why can't we sit down together and work it out, instead of this futile fighting. Why can't we negotiate things in a civilised manner? We roll back through the idea that everybody blames everybody else in this cyclical point the finger game. It's actually a pretty good, and pretty well thought out lyric, and it helps join the previous announcement about the fighting in a civil war-like manner to the story, or underlying theme that led us there. To me, the main thing we have here is the band getting into a nicely written rock song, that covers a few musical bases. The intro comes in via a slow, thoughtful series of guitar strums, with Ray bringing the intro verse to set up what he is talking about. Then we get the lead guitar, piano, and a thumping bass bring us in to the main body of the song, sort of tentatively, with this dirty blues kind of feel, that has enough of a rock edge as to suggest we are heading somewhere here. The opening of the song has this slow burn feel, that builds in dynamic as we move along. I really like the licks that Dave and Gosling throw in here. They give each other space, but they also rip out some nice playing that works for me. When we move through the second world war section, we get some really nice accenting done, and by this time we have Mick giving us some nice solid drums, and there are some great fills on this track that work really well for me. At the end of that verse we move into this reflective section led by the piano and strings (violin/cello?) We get this rolling arpeggio and the music fits perfectly with the Tramp's reflections. and we get this intensity and tempo build that is driven by the frustration of the two sides refusing to talk, compromise, or even care about it all. The build works really well for me, and we get full strings, or mellotron as the song gets faster and faster until we break into a guitar riff section that works as a punctuation point building tension, and then we break into the closing section which is a reprise of what has come prior. I actually really like this song. I think it works musically, and I think the lyrics make a valid point about the futile fighting that is going on, and how it is merely replicating the stupidity through the ages. Having gone through a lot of styles and merging of styles through the last few songs, we get a fairly straight kind of song that works due to the dynamics and the great playing on it. I also think that this song somewhat focuses the underlying theme of this album. Although we get caught up in the whole idea of Mr Black and Flash, as they are the main characters, the underlying theme is futility of the left and the right of politics, and how they tear the world apart in order to try and appear correct. They both blame each other for the problems, and slander each other in order to seem superior, but they are both essentially criminal organisations with more self interest than governance interest... That works for me. Really well executed song, and focus point.
Oh sure i agree and that's what I have been doing since Apeman. If anyone wants the UK Record Collector Magazines commentary on the individual Pye singles (which I never thought to post in real time) i will PM them.
Ah, the Tramp is back, sitting down again and this time giving us a history and philosophy lesson! Another excellent song musically (I particularly like the strings towards the end), with a clear lyric which works within the story or on it's own - quite a feat!
Oct 1963 - Nov 1966 Apr 1967 - Feb 1970 1965 Never Say Yes 1966 Trouble In Madrid Nov 1970 Lola Vs Powerman And The Moneygoround The Contenders Strangers - live 1970 - Dave live Denmark Street Get Back In Line Lola - TOTP - video - alt version Top Of The Pops - video Moneygoround - mono This Time Tomorrow - 2020 mix A Long Way From Home - live 70's - Ray live Rats Apeman - video - alt stereo - alt mono - ToTP - Calypso - live 94 Powerman - mono - 2020 mix - live 70's Got To Be Free Anytime The Good Life 1971 Golden Hour Of The Kinks Feb 1971 Percy (movie) - trailer Mar 1971 Percy (soundtrack) God's Children Lola The Way Love Used To Be - Ray live Completely Running Round Town Moments - Ray live Animals In The Zoo Just Friends Whip Lady Dreams Helga Willesden Green God's Children Outro The Follower 1971 You Really Got Me - Mini Monster EP Nov 1971 Muswell Hillbillies 20th Century Man - single - Alt Instr - Ray live Acute Schizophrenia Paranoia Blues - live 73 - John Peel Holiday - live 73 Skin And Bone - live 70's - Ray live Alcohol - live 75 - cartoon Complicated Life Here Come The People In Grey - live 72 Have A Cuppa Tea - alt version - live 72 Holloway Jail Oklahoma USA - Ray Live Uncle Son - Alternate Muswell Hillbilly Lavender Lane Mountain Woman Kentucky Moon Nobody's Fool - Cold Turkey(Kinks?) Queenie Dec 1971 Muswell Hillbilly EP 1972 Muswell Hillbilly single (Jap) Mar 1972 Kink Kronikles Aug 1972 Everybody's In Showbiz Here Comes Yet Another Day - live 74 - live 75 Maximum Consumption Unreal Reality Hot Potatoes Sitting In My Hotel - 76 remix Motorway You Don't Know My Name Supersonic Rocket Ship - fan vid - BBC live - band video - live Look A Little On The Sunny Side Celluloid Heroes - live 82 Top Of The Pops Brainwashed - Alt Mr Wonderful Acute Schizophrenia Paranoia Blues - Alt Holiday Muswell Hillbilly - Alt Alcohol - Alt Banana Boat Song Skin And Bone Baby Face Lola Til The End Of The Day You're Lookin' Fine Get Back In Line Have A Cuppa Tea Sunny Afternoon Complicated Life She's Bought A Hat Like Princess Marina Long Tall Shorty History Sophisticated Lady January 1973 The Great Lost Kinks Album Apr 1973 One Of The Survivors/Scrapheap City (Ray Vocal) One Of The Survivors (single version) Ray's near death experience/suicide? The Kinks Live AT The BBC 1973 Oct 1973 Golden Hour Of The Kinks Vol 2 1973 The Time Song I'm Going Home Nov 1973 Preservation Act 1 Morning Song/Daylight - live 74 Sweet Lady Genevieve - Ray live - live 70's There's A Change In The Weather Where Are They Now? One Of The Survivors - Compile version - edit 1 - edit 2 Cricket - Cricket Money And Corruption/ I Am Your Man - Alt/ext Here Comes Flash Sitting In The Midday Sun - video Demolition - Peel sessions extras Village Green (Overture) Picture Book/People Take Pictures Of Each Other (live) May 1974 Preservation Act 2 Announcement Introduction To Solution When A Solution Comes Money Talks - Peel Sessions - Live 74 Announcement Shepherds Of The Nation Scum Of The Earth Second Hand Car Spiv He's Evil - Hippodrome 74 Mirror Of Love - Band Version - Hippodrome 74 Announcement Nobody Gives Preservation Live World Radio History Starmaker Tv Play Winterland 1977 Ray On Wonderworld 2005 Thanksgiving Day Ray live on Conan Obrien Oct 2018 Dave Davies - Decade - interview If You Are Leaving (71) Cradle To The Grace (73) Midnight Sun (73) Mystic Woman (73) The Journey (73) Shadows (73)
"Nobody Gives" I think this is a fantastic track musically. Until the strings (or is it string synth?) come in midway through, it just sounds like the five Kinks in a room playing live - Ray on acoustic, Dave with a great electric tone, John G with the piano flourishes and John D and Mick providing the menacing, sinuous backbeat. Mick in particular is outstanding on this. The Tramp now appears to be a student of history. We are now as far away from this song being written as Ray was from the events he was writing about. I'm not so sure about the middle bit - the "why can't we compromise, work it out, sort it out" etc - it's an unwelcome reminder that we still have "Black Messiah" Day to come. I don't think The Tramp's pleading is going to make the armies of Flash and Black throw down their weapons. It's a decent rock song - maybe a bit longer than it needs to be. I haven't lived with it long enough to know how it will hold up in the long term, but I feel that it is better than most of what remains on the album.
As a fellow club member (or rather non-believer/other), I do have to say that I get the concept of both the song and that other thing
John Dalton. born 21 May 1943, Enfield, Middlesex John went to school at Cheshunt Secondary Modern School.... there was a guy there at the time named Harry Webb, who later went on to change his name to Cliff Richard, and is obviously a legend of the English pop music scene. In 1959 John joined a band called Danny and the Bluejacks, and says he couldn't even play a note at the time. They became popular locally, but never crossed over to UK success, even though they did record a couple of singles. In 1962 he left Danny and the Bluejacks and joined a band called the Mark Four (Mick "Spud" Thompson, Eddie Phillips, Jack Jones, Kenney Pickett) who apparently became one of the most popular bands in North London, often sharing the bill with a bunch of guys called the High Numbers (The Who). The band released singles, but failed to make any impact, and so they weren't making enough money to support a family, and so in 1966 John left the band and joined the building trade, no not another band, it's a real job . As we know John subbed for Peter Quaife in 1966 for a short time and then went back to being a builder. Although not a permanent member of the band at this point in time, John played on Little Miss Queen Of Darkness 26th June 1966 (although Peter says that he did in a 2005 interview) and Dead End Street 28th October 1966. As we know form our discussions earlier Peter said he wasn't coming back and the guys talked him into returning, so in November 19666 John went back to being a builder. The Kinks called John up again in early 1969, when Peter decided he had had enough of being in the band, and John appeared on It's Dee Time, in April of 1969 miming some tracks. May and June of 1969 John spent recording for the Arthur album.... On November 8 1976, John ended up leaving the Kinks after spending most of the summer rehearsing and recording the Sleepwalker album..... but that is yet to come. Although there is certainly a lot of folks with a deep love of Quaife, and see him as the Kinks bass player, as we have seen, John Dalton did an exceptional job during his time with the band, and has a recorded legacy with them that is certainly something to hang his hat on. John is still in the music industry and has been a frontman for the Kast Off Kinks.
The first verse refers to the general strike of 1926 in the UK: 1926 United Kingdom general strike - Wikipedia I had never heard, even in passing, of this historical event (unlike obviously the rise of Hitler/WW2/The Holocaust in the second verse which is part of widespread general knowledge and we covered at length in school) until I heard this song so this was something of an education on first listen at the age of 16. I guess this kind of remotely works as the 'battle song' that I complained the album was lacking t'other day, with the Tramp observing it all sadly from a distance and comparing it to previous ideological struggles.
after Dalton's exit to join The Kinks, The Mark Four swiftly became cult mod/pop art group The Creation, produced by Shel Talmy, who scored a couple of minor UK/Euro hits and later went onto attain enduring cult appeal across the ensuing decades, with Alan McGee naming his label after them and Wes Anderson (that guy again)'s use of their track 'Making Time' in Rushmore introducing them to a wider transatlantic audience in 1998. The Creation reformed several times in the 80s, 90s and 00s and Dalton (and Avory!) actually briefly joined an 80s edition of the group.
Nobody Gives Ray loves documenting wrongs and where it leaves people and happily this can stand well on its own as an entity to itself and not indivisible from Preservation Act II. It does sound as if the band are interacting together in real time and both Ray's Acoustic guitar and Dave's Electric have great tones which Dave puts to excellent use. Gosling plays some fantastic counterpoint lines throughout and none are better than the outstanding one right at his very point of entry. Everyone is given room and there are stop and start moments accentuated with bass and guitar that provide tension and then the little piano notes are delicious and just for a moment I recall the chilled moments of tension on a classic song with a mostly very different feel by Traffic called The Low Spark Of The High Heeled Boys. Nice to see the return of the Tramp who has been gone so long Ray decides to disprove his song title by giving him a very generous 6:32, oh why can't politicians take note? Edit: Not sure if it is just some of Dave's playing or if also that this might feel like a slowed or toned down version of it but in some places i hear Rory Gallagher's JackKnife Beat like at 4.59 onward.
Nobody Gives A long and quite complicated song that draws together a lot of musical threads from the last few years of Kinks' records, like the plaintive voice of "The Way Love Used To Be" and the bluesier guitar touches of some of the Lola tracks. It works for me.
That's Eddie Cochran (star of the cover of EISB) not John! Think the fact it was included in this John Dalton interview may be the source of the confusion: John Dalton : bass player in the Kinks - twice
