Of course let's just name everyone who has ever been remotely close to him! I just mentioned Larry as he used the "exact" term and is well known to most everyone here.
Lol I don't either, by the time I was legal the only time I really went to the pub was to play a gig I hadn't even thought about that, but yes indeed, a nice coincidence .... I may have a couple of glasses of absinthe tonight
"When The Day Is Over" is another song that recalls the 1950s to me - in fact, I definitely hear the melody of "Under The Boardwalk" in this song. It is a pretty snappy little tune that I enjoy. Going down the pub (after work) is a very British idea - yes, some North Americans favour their local bar but it is not as ingrained in the culture. After the mind numbing experience described in "Nine To Five", it makes sense to have a song that shows the need to escape such an existence.
That is the only instance where i would argue running a bicyclist off the road to be a humane action!
Before going into "When Work Is Over", I would like to say that reading about Our Headmaster's early banking career as it reminds me of PG Wodehouse, whose works I discovered at the same time as the Kinks. After attending Dulwich, in which he was very happy playing cricket, he was supposed to do the Oxbridge route, like his older brother. However, his father, who worked in India as a civil servant, decided that he didn't have the money to send Plum (Wodehouse's nickname) for future schooling. The new plan was to send him to the New Asiatic Bank in London to learn the banking business for a few years & then ship out to the main branch in Hong Kong. Plum had the same reaction to his job as Our Headmaster did to his (hated it) & he got himself out of it so that he could begin his writing career. He did use his experience at the bank in his subsequent writings, especially in the novel Psmith In The City. Going back to the work of another English artist who has brought joy & entertainment, Ray Davies, "When Work Is Over" barges in after the quiet desperate softness of "9 to 5" in a loud rush to declare that work is over & now's the time to go down the pub & drink away the past few hours. It's a very energetic song, the flip side to the previous one. Does anyone else notice the desperation in Ray's voice as he recites ""Have another drink?"
Here's one of my favorite PG Wodehouse quotes, which is going out to Avids Fortuelo & The last man, who are probably softly smiling like a pair of cats after reading this: "Into the face of the young man who sat on the terrace of the Hotel Magnifique at Cannes, there had crept a look of furtive shame, the shifty, hangdog look which announces that an Englishman is about to talk French."
I started liking the Kinks when I was probably 15 or 16, in the mid-late 90s. Mostly the pre 1966 stuff, and mostly the singles, I Need You, Set Me Free, Tired of Waiting for You. There was something so special and unique about these songs. These were not songs that any other band could have made. These were so particular to the Kinks to me. I think the first album I got was VGPS, followed quickly by Lola vs Powerman, then I read up on them more and picked up Arthur a couple years later to fill that gap between my first two albums. By this time, I was hooked and then I expanded back and forth and got Muswell Hillbillies and Face to Face. I've loved all those albums deeply for ~20 years now. But somehow skipped over Something Else. Never forayed past Muswell however. Until this thread! Sorry to drift off today's song here.
When Work Is Over: As I noted yesterday*, this one springs forth without pause from the last song, taking us from a sleepy crawl to 100 miles an hour in a single note! I love it. Others have already torn apart the pieces that make this song such a quick little blast of fun, but in particular great to hear Dave ripping away in the background. …and yes, I agree, more Dave and less ladies on background vocals would have only improved an already great song. Why use second stringers when your front line can do what you need? *Dear headmaster, I meant no umbrage the other day when I mentioned that this song and yesterday’s song should be heard together. It made total sense the way you handled it, no critique intended. In fact, I wanted to let you know that I have been thinking for a while about making a comment on how well run this thread has been. You provide a fantastic intro and analysis every morning on every one of these songs. You’ve kept the thread clean and have allowed no infighting or digressions from chronology (other than minor ones which have generally been quite welcomed it seems). It’s been a pleasure every day to join in and learn and enjoy all this new music by a band I thought I knew about but really didn’t! …and kudos to all the other participants on this thread as well, What a great group of people, enthusiastic, knowledgeable, insightful and funny. I can’t tell you how much I have been enjoying this entire journey. We have a healthy mix of scholars, comedians, naysayers and supporters, and the mix has been wonderful. I feel lucky to be on this thread as a witness, no less to even be allowed to be a contributor.
When Work Is Over What's really interesting is that this song absolutely works as a standalone song. Like the previous song, it feels longer than it is -- perhaps because it does seem part of the larger whole. From the first beat, its funky bass, and those horn pops, and goes right into what I consider the call/answer Chorus. So yes, to me, it works as a standalone song. But, immediately following the basically unfinished 9 to 5, it also absolutely works as a movement in an overall 5 minute suite. There seems to be no gap at all between the two songs. It's like Ray/Starmaker/Norman is trying as hard as he can to make it to 5, but he decides to immediately get up from his desk and head out to the pub at 4:59. So 5pm sounds a bit different than you'd expect it to! The "Drinking helps us to forget what we are" section seems like the bridge to me. I also think that's an interesting choice there. "forget what we are", not "forget who we are". And what are we? Just a part of the scenery, part of the machinery. We are what they made us. Animals caged in an office. I do miss the days of hitting the Irish pub for a pint around the corner of our office in NYC. I look forward to the days of doing that every once in a while when I eventually do start commuting again into NYC.
It's really an awesome thread! Glad I've been here since the beginning & that there's so much more to go!
Yes the irony cuts through, this isn’t a simple celebration of the fun to be had while drinking at the pub after work. In that respect, I think the choice of the female backup singers is more effective than if Dave was singing that part - he would come across as too sincere. The female singers add a campiness that enhances the irony, seems to me. In the same token, the way Ray enunciates “jar” with that exaggerated, round ‘Rrrr’ - a sarcastic delivery that seems to be saying that the whole scene is pathetic and sad.
It's all good mate. No harm no foul... Several people had mentioned the links, and I just wanted to explain why I did it how I did it. I'm not the best communicator, but I try
Same here Edit: in fact now I'm doing the songs a day ahead, I get impatient to get the next song up lol
When Work is Over This song is not brilliant. But it does make me bob my head and tap my toes... and smile.
Just in from walking the dog and thinking, yet again (!), about this thread and The Kinks. And, generally, I’ve been in lock-step with you. Up to this album. Similar to you, I’m coming at this chronologically. But a difference is that Soap Opera is brand new to me. And I’m sorely disappointed. Not because of the musical/opera idea, but because of the subject matter. Norman’s bored out of his mind? Well, so am I! (And I really made a mistake watching a bit of that Starmaker show. Atrocious…and now I can’t get the image of the audience having to hunker down while a potential lawsuit swings over their heads.) I put Showbiz at a 4 (maybe even a 4.5…though that might be due to already waxing nostalgic) and was tickled and delighted by the Preservation wacko (yet filled with truths) storyline. I’ll never forget Flash and Mr. Black (in a good way). Maybe the issue for me is that I know the routine: get up, commute, work, look forward to the end of the day (though I’ve never had the good fortune to leave at a certain designated time ((my work has always been connected with Japan. Get off at 5? Ha, in your dreams)), go out drinking, etc. So I’m not interested in the storyline. Preservation was interesting fiction; Norman’s travails? Not so much (other than what’s in his head). Sorry to be the naysayer. I will be in a better mood towards the end!
So right about catching this one from the start. As I mentioned at the beginning of this thread, the only time I have ever have gotten involved at the beginning was this one. I did jump in to the middle of an album by album, song by song thread for Iron Maiden, which I then followed and contributed to for several months until it ended. I can’t accurately convey the feeling of emptiness that I experienced when that thread ended. I suspect this one will be way worse. I guess we’ll just have to see whichartist our leader proposes we learn about next!
"When Work Is Over" When you hear this song it makes you question how the band say they hated this album. It sounds like this would be fun to play by everyone involved. Whether or not they agreed with the stage production and the concept, Ray was still bringing in good tunes for them to play on. The bass and drums drive the song and then Gosling has some great parts on the organ and piano. The lyrics are great, and for those that enjoy a beer after work, this is your anthem. I love the pub scene in England. It's much different than in the states. You definitely know when work has been let out in London. The pubs and the streets are packed with people sharing pints and smoking harry rags. I suppose people in the US go to a bar after work quite often, but it doesn't have the same level of camaraderie. I couldn't find any covers of this song. I was hoping to find a Wilco or Tweedy cover after @Fortuleo mentioned them. It does have a Summerteeth quality to it.
I'm still thinking about it... but I never know until I get there lol We're still probably a year away
