Without a doubt. A logical extention of the Powerman album and the songs about Denmark Street and such.
I have no idea why Ray is claiming to be a "Manchester United supporter from a long time ago" in that interview. I hope his dad didn't read it!
Good catch! I checked on the trusty inter web before I posted that. Guess I should have double checked the source. Now in rechecking, even though they were talking about The Move version, the cite to the date of release is clearly referencing the ELO version.a Clearly, not only do I need to get up earlier, I need more coffee before I post!
Another thought. I was a big fan of the Preservation story (whether it flowed or made sense or not) and a fan of the various characters. What’s gonna happen next …and so on. I should have stated this on Saturday, during the initial-thoughts-day, but I find myself without any interest in this plot. Too mundane and I really couldn’t care less about Ray and his “I’m a star” obsession. So I’ll be focusing on the music this go-round.
I am pretty sure this ad is the first time I heard this song. I like the track very much. In my opinion it is better than anything on either Preservation Act albums (which I did like), with the exception of "Sweet Lady Genevieve". A great start to an album I find interesting, but not great. Definitely one that veers closest to an actual show as opposed to a concept album. I don't really see it as a Kinks album. It is Ray's show.
"Star Maker" Love the sharp, fuzzy guitar riff and the horns. The backing vocals and handclaps in addition to those make it sort of a 'tea and biscuits' version of the Stones via Bowie and glam-era the Move as other posters have noted. Ray is camping it up something fierce, of course. The obsession with showbiz and how everybody could be in it continues. The Swengali will mould his clay into something sellable. Or at least so it seems at this point. Short and sweet and as such a great introduction to the album. By no means a classic but just plain old fun. A factor that understandably was largely absent within the political musings on PresAct II.
I haven't heard 'Soap Opera' (one of the few gaps in my Kinks collection...I like to save an album or two by my favourite artistes so that I still have something 'new to me' to discover, for better or worse) but I found 'Starmaker' on YouTube a year or so ago and watched it. I thought Ray acquitted himself very well in the role of Norman and found the story quite touching; by the end, I was feeling unexpected sympathy for this character who was in many ways defeated, conceding that he was (or had become?!) Norman and that maybe he did like shepherd's pie after all (Ray always gets you with the little things). Even the final song didn't rally my spirits, such was my sadness for the deflated starmaker... Who'd have thunk it, huh? Regarding Ray referring to 'The Kinks' in a way which implies they are an entity of which he is not a part, this is something that I noticed he did when I saw them live, which was much later than 'Starmaker'. It's interesting that it goes back that far and he's certainly done it it interviews, as well.
Preservation OK as a coda, or an introduction to Part Two. Can't get over excited about it. Web Of Time One of Dave's better tracks unearthed on 'Decade'. The first half is quite lovely, if rather shambolic in a demo recording type of way. Which is fine, as that's what it is. becomes a bit messy in the second half with seemingly multitracked vocals - showing more of Dave's later vocal stylings. Maybe they are later additions? Mr Moon First time on hearing this on buying the album I thought 'I've heard that line before'. 'Why?!!' from 'Bug'. It's not one of my favourites on that album, where I prefer the more mellow tunes. No wonder some of the 'Bug' reviews said it was rather dated in the 'back in time machine'. With a full [non demo] recording, this could have fitted well on Dave's early '80s albums.
Everybody's A Star (Starmaker) A serviceable start to the album, setting the scene well. The OTT female backing vocals are beginning to grate. A feel of 'Everybody's In Showbiz' to it, and I'm sure that's not accidental. The second album developing part of that theme. The 'whinging rock star' theme.
Soap Opera I listened to Soap Opera on YT music on a drive yesterday. I have to say I like it a lot. It's their most fully realized collection of songs since Muswell and maybe their best album since Arthur. I was surprised how good it was considering its reputation and origins. I like Lola but this might be a tad better. I don't think its that campy and Ray has written some strong melodies. I don't know if I'd like it if I were a teen in 1975 rockin' out to Kiss, Aerosmith, or Zep so maybe Ray was aiming for an older crowd 20s-30s for this one. But regardless it is far better than its reputation.
Everybody's A Star (Starmaker) Musically the core band sound not too unlike our Arista rockers to come. The brass is all RCA and the in your face female backing vocals scream soundtrack to me. I am not entirely sure what to make of Ray's lead vocal though he makes the subject matter sound pretty slight unlike Dave whose welcome solo supplies the beef and really cuts the mustard! Just prior to this we have a percussive beat that predates Primal Scream's "Rocks" & a Dalton bass line that hints at the Beatles "Drive My Car" though with this album I wonder how many may instead alight and move away from this vehicle?
Dave's solo on this track is very impressive! He'd obviously been practicing while Ray was up in his attic furiously penning concept albums.
Everybody's a Star I think this is a solid tune. This is likely a song that Ray could create in his sleep, and because he's so freakin' talented, it works. It's not breaking any new ground, but after Preservation, my ears are welcoming some silly pop songs. I observe the people, The ordinary people ^^As we all know, this is definitely what Ray does. If you read more than a few interviews with him, we know he's a great observer. And it's how he often makes songs. Ray would rather observe than interact. But his alter-ego (Starmaker) wants to take on more than observation. Enjoy all the various musical parts - Dave's guitar bit(and the opener too), the horns, a nice strong bass, handclaps. I approve.
This is exactly how I feel after watching Starmaker. Very down about Norman/Starmaker's future. He's kind of a pathetic figure, but you still root for him. PS @Zerox are you an Ants fan?
As described above, a serviceable rocker. Tidily sums it up. Enjoyable enough I suppose, with a cracking Dave solo, but I can’t say I’m enthusiastic to hear it again. Plus I hate Dave’s compressed, nasal guitar tone. Playing? Fantastic. Tone? Not so much. Well, at least so far, I don’t hate it. Trying to keep an open mind as we move forward.
"Everybody's A Star" It sets the scene for the album and kicks it off in a glam fashion. The riff is probably the basis of hundreds of songs, but it does sound remarkably close to The Move. I say Ray puts it to better use on "Starmaker". "Do Ya" has its moments, but loses me in the chorus. There is also some really nice guitar picking and bass lines when the song breaks down into "I'm the magic maker". Ray sells the song beautifully with another excellent vocal, but the real stars might be John Dalton, Mick Avory, and John Gosling who elevate this ordinary little tune into a spectacular slice of 70s pop. When it comes to the hand claps I expect to hear the Bay City Rollers start shouting "S A T U R D A Y night!" Even though this album was a flop, I believe Ray created an album that seems like it would have appealed to a wide range of music fans. If they were a new band in 1974, would this album have a much better reputation? I'm not sure what fans expected of The Kinks at this stage, but they delivered a song that should have been a hit. It looks like they released "Holiday Romance" as the first single in the UK, and "Everybody's A Star" was the first single in the US, but not released in the UK. Maybe it would have done better if it was released in the UK? Probably not, because The Kinks were still too strange and eclectic for mass success during this time. These mid 70s Kinks albums are probably more influential now than ever before.
Too much work these days, together with fashionable viruses and old-school bacteria. I remember first listening to Soap Opera in the 90s, probably a bit after or before Preservation, certainly after Everybody's In Showbiz. I bundled it with "Schoolboys" as "sub-par except for a few songs", and I listened to those on end. There were a couple of them on Schoolboys, but only one initially retained my attention on Soap Opera, and that was Holiday Romance. Which is the one some find the most loosely tied to the plot, even if I'm not so sure anymore. I guess I liked it more because I come from the opposite direction than Mark's : I loved the Kinks for Sunny Afternoon type of English Pop Songs, and that's what Holiday Romance is. Songs based on repeated keyboard chords every eighth will get me most of the time. And I love the lyrics. There are a few flaws in the arrangement though, but more on that in due time. The rest failed to impress me, until I revisited the album during the first lockdown, and I really liked it. I have listened to it a few more times since, and even bought an old vinyl of it. Some songs are slowly growing on me, even if none are really nesting into my melodic memory. I committed the mistake that avid Fortuleo advised us against (but I read it too late !) : I listened to my vinyl copy in the presence of my wife and kids (remote work and Parisian flats don't leave you much space and time for private listening). They didn't say anything, but my attention rebounded upon their unexpressed judgment or the risk of it and kind of spoiled the experience. Also, I was extremely sick. Anyway, at this point, I think of this album as a "Side B" album, where most good stuff are cluttered on this one side, much like George Harrison's Gone Troppo is to me. We'll see if I change my mind. Not a big fan of the opening tune. Lyricwise, too blandly narrative. That is, the first time I paid attention to the words, a few weeks ago, I loved it, because I didn't know what came next. But once the surprise effect is gone, it doesn't work anymore. And the chord pattern is really, really overused. I mean, this riff belongs to everyone, and it's OK to use it, but for a good reason. The Hard Way is a good reason, this one is not good enough for me. Perhaps because I discovered The Hard Way first, via my local library's copy of One For The Road. I'll give it one more chance tomorrow, now that I have recovered most of my mind.
