The Kinks - Album by Album (song by song)

Discussion in 'Music Corner' started by mark winstanley, Apr 4, 2021.

  1. Thanks for posting, enjoyed it, interesting insights from Dave.
     
  2. mark winstanley

    mark winstanley Certified dinosaur, who likes physical product Thread Starter

    Wait Till The Summer Comes Along

    mono mix (2:06), recorded probably 3 May, 1965 at Pye Studios (No. 2), London

    I've been cryin' all the Winter.
    I've been waiting for some good to come my way,
    But I'll wait till the Summer comes along.
    Dear Lord, have I done so much wrong.

    How can I go on,
    Wondering what I did wrong,
    Can it be too much to ask?
    Please, oh please, let it be.

    If the Summer'll come my way,
    Will I find someone to take the place of [?]?
    But I'll wait till the Summer comes along.
    Dear Lord, tell me what could I've done wrong.

    Can it be that she,
    Never wanted to,
    Break some poor mother's heart?
    Please, oh please, let it be.

    I know my Summer'll never come.
    I know I'll cry until my dying day has come.
    Let the Winter roll along.
    I've got nothing left but song.

    Oh, oh, what's happened?
    Oh, oh, what's happened?

    Written by: Dave Davies
    Published by: Kassner Music Co. Ltd

    So we get Dave writing this track, and it seems like a fairly significant track to me. So far Dave has been the grunt and growl of blues and such, and here we get a very different Dave present himself.
    It seems like watching and hearing the advancement of Ray's writing has likely spurred that sibling rivalry thing, and Dave needed to step out and try something a little different.

    Dave seems to be writing of the seasons as emotions. Essentially we have this lost love track, and in that feeling of loss, we have this reflection and a slow slide into despair, that the summer, or joy/happiness will never return...
    The singer feels he will be living in a perpetual winter of crying. It seems to look at the dangerous isolation we often enforce on ourselves when we are hurt to the point of not wanting anyone to see us in this pit of despair.
    I think it is actually written really well.

    Musically we have a sort of bouncy two beat, kind of folk/country sound and feel to it. The acoustic instrumentation is a nice variation and the little electric guitar accents work really well.
    I think Dave manages to get a good vocal down, and he emotes his lyrics really well.

    This track took me a couple of listens to gel, but I really like the change we have here. I think it is just another layer in this musical Kinkdom. For me this is a really cool track.



     
  3. croquetlawns

    croquetlawns Forum Resident

    Location:
    Scotland
    Certainly a different sound for the Kinks up to this point. It always feels a little under-developed to me though.
     
  4. Definitely live vocals there, nice harmony by Dave Davies.
     
  5. mark winstanley

    mark winstanley Certified dinosaur, who likes physical product Thread Starter

    Such A Shame

    mono mix (2:17), recorded probably 14 Apr, 1965 at Pye Studios (No. 2), London

    All the good times have all been in vain,
    It's a shame, such a shame, such a shame.

    It's a shame,
    'Cause I didn't wanna cause you any pain,
    But I know that it wouldn't be the same
    All the good times have all been in vain,
    It's a shame, such a shame, such a shame.

    It's a shame,
    'Cause I didn't intend to do you wrong,
    I'd come back but it wouldn't last for long.
    I would, if I could, but I can't.
    It's a shame, such a shame, such a shame.

    It's a shame, such a shame,
    'Cause I swore I'd never let you down,
    But I was the one who was doing wrong,
    It's a shame, such a shame, such a shame.

    'Cause I didn't intend to do you wrong,
    I'd come back but it wouldn't last for long.
    I would, if I could, but I can't.
    It's a shame, such a shame, such a shame.

    It's a shame, such a shame,
    'Cause I swore I'd never let you down,
    But I was the one who was doing wrong,
    It's a shame, such a shame, such a shame.

    'Cause I didn't wanna cause you any pain,
    But I know that it wouldn't be the same
    All the good times have all been in vain,
    It's a shame, such a shame, such a shame.

    Written by: Ray Davies
    Published by: Kassner Music Co. Ltd

    We stay a moment longer in the well of misery, as Ray gives a spin of the lost love, problematic relationship song.

    Musically we get some nice chord progressions, based in a minor feel, and we switch up to the 7th leading the bridge.

    For me this is a lesser Ray song.... I like it well enough, but "shame" probably appears too many times for me to get too excited about it.

     
  6. croquetlawns

    croquetlawns Forum Resident

    Location:
    Scotland
    Such a Shame - pleasant but inessential.
     
    Wondergirl, ARL and mark winstanley like this.
  7. ajsmith

    ajsmith Senior Member

    Location:
    Glasgow
    I always assumed that 'Well Respected Man' was the lead off track on this EP, as it was clearly the breakout song (and became a hit in it's own right outside the UK), but no, it opens Side 2!

    Another point of interest: on the EP, 'Wait Till The Summer' (so clearly a Dave composed song) is credited to 'R Davies'!!!!!!

    [​IMG]

    Fortunately this at least got amended for the songs re-release on the 'Well Respected Kinks' LP the following year:

    [​IMG]
     
    Last edited: May 7, 2021
  8. ARL

    ARL Forum Resident

    Location:
    England
    "Wait Till The Summer Comes Along"

    My first response to this is...."A Well Respected Man" wasn't the lead-off track on this E.P.? What on earth were they thinking??
    This one should have been the closer, or at least on side two. I know it's significant in that it's Dave's first solo write, and I don't mind it's country-esque backing (actually it sounds like it could have come off the Monkees' Headquarters), but Dave's vocal is a real downer. It sounds like he has a bellyache, especially once you get to the "oh, oh, what's happened" bit. I find that bit difficult to listen to.

    "Such A Shame"

    A song which would have been a decent highlight on Kinda Kinks, but sounds a bit out of date in the new world that Ray has unleashed with the last single and the standout track on this E.P. Pleasant but inessential just about sums it up.

    The first time I came across these tracks was on the Marble Arch compilation - which sensibly opens with "A Well Respected Man" and has "Wait Till The Summer Comes Along" as the penultimate track, after "Don't You Fret". ("Such A Shame" had to wait until the next Marble Arch comp)
     
  9. Fortuleo

    Fortuleo Used to be a Forum Resident

    Such a Shame : Talk Talk wouldn't've dared calling one of their songs Waterloo Sunset, Village Green or Mr. Pleasant, would they ? That tells us something about this forgettable tune.

    Wait Till the Summer Comes Along : is it the first ever solo Dave composition ? Then it's an important Kinks piece for this reason alone, especially since he immediately finds his own voice, both as a singer (rawer, scruffier) and a songwriter (folkier, with some Dylan inclination). Not a great creation, but any song leading up to Strangers is fine by me.
     
    Last edited: May 7, 2021
  10. ajsmith

    ajsmith Senior Member

    Location:
    Glasgow
    Thought I should speak up a bit for Such A Shame, as I see it's not been well received so far. Yes, it's pretty one dimensional and as subtle as a sledgehammer, but what a dimension and what power is in that sledgehammer-like ATTACK on the guitars as the intro smashes into the thrust of the song! The visceral sonic dynamics of that moment gets your attention like a Faberge egg smashing into a million pieces on a solid steel floor!

    Maybe the tracks endless self pitying refrain won't appeal to everyone, but sometimes.. sometimes you feel exactly like this song sounds, and it gets the mood dead on.. wailing into the uncaring void never sounded so cathartic!!!
     
    Last edited: May 7, 2021
  11. Zeki

    Zeki Forum Resident

    Wait Till the Summer Comes Along: brilliant! Off kilter vocals and an overall shambling feel, this is a great song. Of course this makes my playlist.

    Such A Shame: I’m still thinking about this tune. Initially, I dismissed it but then I did my homework last night, listening again, and it rose up a notch or two.
     
  12. FJFP

    FJFP Host for the 'Mixology' Mix Differences Podcast

    As someone who discovered this track via the Sunny Afternoon compilation, this track means a lot to me, and you summarise it perfectly I think. It sounds unlike a lot of other material from the group, and I never actually noticed the repetition until I read the lyrics above! This compilation was a key development in the Kinkdom for me beyond a few of the early hits, and this is a vital piece of the puzzle.

    As for "Summer", this track opens up the EP comfortably in the folk vein, and heralds the start of the Dave we'll grow to love. I can hear Strangers in this track, and there's plenty of evolution along that road to come. A simple, but significant ditty.
     
  13. Endicott

    Endicott Forum Resident

    Kwyet Kinks has got to be one of the silliest titles ever. Another bad business decision. That said, the songs within aren't half bad:

    Wait Till The Summer Comes Along -- Now THIS is a curveball. A folk/country ditty with Dave on the lead vocal? Dave should be in over his head here, given that it's an awfully mature and introspective song for an 18-year-old, but he pulls it off somehow -- it's an endearing vocal performance. Of course, being forcibly separated from his girlfriend gave him some perspective. The ending -- oh, what's happened? -- is devastating, leaving his emotions just dangling there. And that twangy guitar drives it home. A real sleeper, but quite powerful in its own way.

    Such A Shame -- A solid enough ballad that doesn't break any new ground, but Dave's trademark earthy guitar sound (an echo of the "You Really Got Me" riff ) drives it along nicely. Ray's vocals here are more regretful than bitter -- it was his cheatin' heart that undid the relationship, after all -- and the result is engaging, if not classic. It's an average Kinks track, which means it's quite good.
     
  14. Purple Jim

    Purple Jim Senior Member

    Location:
    Bretagne
    This Strange Effect - Dave Berry
    Not a bad song from Ray and Berry's voice works well with it.

    Wait Till The Summer Comes Along

    Perhaps Dave's best song and vocal up to this point and he was obviously lining up with what Ray was doing. A nice folky feel to it.

    Such A Shame
    Not top drawer Ray. Maybe a Dave vocal would've suited it better?
     
  15. FJFP

    FJFP Host for the 'Mixology' Mix Differences Podcast

    It took me too far too long when I was younger to work out exactly how this was meant to be read!
     
  16. ajsmith

    ajsmith Senior Member

    Location:
    Glasgow
    Not sure if I've ever read anything to definitively confirm it, but I've always assumed the 'Kwyett' or quiet was meant to signpost that the EP was intended to be showcase a folky, gentler sound presumably in response to the folk rock boom of 1965. Which I guess it did, except 'Such A Shame' doesn't totally fit like the others. It's not too out of place though.

    It's (Such ) a shame in a way that this would be the last original Kinks EP, I think it would have been a great format for them to explore further. I particularly lament the non appearance of the proposed 1966 'Occupations' EP : except for 'Mr Reporter', I've never been able to work out exactly what was intended to be on that. But I'm getting ahead of ourselves here...
     
  17. Wildest cat from montana

    Wildest cat from montana Humble Reader

    Location:
    ontario canada
    Kwyte so.
     
  18. Martyj

    Martyj Who dares to wake me from my slumber? -- Mr. Flash

    Location:
    Maryland, USA
    Wait Til the Summer Comes Along

    My impression of this has alway been the novelty of 1) being the first emphatic non-blues-structured country-type arrangement in the Kinks cannon, and 2) being Dave’s first recorded composition—-which was technically proven untrue when in the late 90’s the earlier, unreleased “I Believed You” showed up on his “Unfinished Business” disc.

    I don’t have much to say that Mark didn’t hit on already. It’s a nice track. It was the most unlikely Kinks song for me to hear coming from an open doorway of a bar I walked past while vacationing in the Virgin Islands. Someone among the cleaning crew, apparently, was blasting what I assumed was a Marble Arch collection. I was tempted to linger around just to confirm that but I was with a group of people.

    Now, I’m not an expert on these sort of things…but is Dave repeatedly off key when he sings those prolonged “pleeeeassse…oh, pleeeessse?” When I watch singing competitions on TV I’ll often think a contestant does a fine job until a judge points out they are off key. I don’t have an ear for that sort of thing. So when I do think I hear something is off, then that’s saying something.

    Such a Shame

    Endicott and ajsmith kind of picked up on my takeaway from this: that it’s a slowed down appropriation of their heavy, patented back and forth power riffing. It deserves more love than it gets among Kinks fans, but I agree it’s a minor song. It feels’s like one the band is doing with one hand tied behind their backs, as if to say “look how easily we can do this this type of thing.”

    I’ve always been a sucker for Ray’s voice cracking the way it does here at the 1:07 mark. It shows he’s not afraid to take it right up to the edge of the cliff and see how far he can go before falling off. That’s always been among my favorite qualities in any artist. Great 60’s British rock howlers like Eric Burdon and Van Morrison, just to name examples, are far better technical singers than Ray. They are so in command of their voices they can go to the edge and stay in control. With Ray he’ll hit that limit and you can feel it. So raspy, just ready to bust. He’s very much like Lennon in that way.

    The lyrics are inconsequential in the sense that it’s just another boy/girl thing patterned after what other songwriters were doing. But Ray sure has been writing a surfeit of songs about relationships that didn’t work out lately, hasn’t he? A curious mind-set for a man who in real life was still in the first year “honeymoon” phase of marriage—and yet the couple did eventually divorce, so maybe he’s got his intuition working here.

    (Note to self: today’s entry only took me 15-20 minutes to write. Much better.)
     
    Last edited: May 7, 2021
  19. Martyj

    Martyj Who dares to wake me from my slumber? -- Mr. Flash

    Location:
    Maryland, USA
    Nice break down of the musical structure. That's the kind of thing I can't do.

    But, are we not waiting until Mark gets to the Kinks version on the live BBC release to discuss this one? I have a few things to say about this but want to do it in the right place. Mark?
     
  20. Martyj

    Martyj Who dares to wake me from my slumber? -- Mr. Flash

    Location:
    Maryland, USA
    Session Man? Just a guess.
     
  21. FJFP

    FJFP Host for the 'Mixology' Mix Differences Podcast

    And the 5-Track EP that an acetate was cut for in '66/'67, which was then finally issued recently for RSD (the one with And I Will Love You).
     
  22. Zeki

    Zeki Forum Resident

    :D Your loss of time is The Thread’s gain! (Always good thoughts.)
     
  23. mark winstanley

    mark winstanley Certified dinosaur, who likes physical product Thread Starter

    It's out there now mate, go for it.

    It makes sense to look at the covers in chronological, and I have no idea what they are, so if @idleracer is happy to slot them in, I'm happy for them to do so.

    If guys want to talk about the later released Kinks versions, in contrast and context, that's fine.... I'll be leaving it until we get to them in the discography... I'm just a bit too busy to alter my direction and add more in at the moment.
     
  24. ajsmith

    ajsmith Senior Member

    Location:
    Glasgow
    Thought I'd bung this on here today as I'm trying to stick as much appropriate ancillary material onto this thread as I can think of where era appropriate. An audio only interview with the Kinks on the Clay Cole TV show during their summer tour of the US in 1965. The visuals are MIA, but fortunately a fan audio taped the interview at home and it was included on the 2014 Anthology box. I love things like this cos unlike the Beatles or Stones, there isn't too much interview or candid stuff of the Kinks from the earlier days, and esp not featuring Pete and Mick:

     
  25. mark winstanley

    mark winstanley Certified dinosaur, who likes physical product Thread Starter

    Time is really an annoyance...
    I probably get 15 minutes each track, give or take, each morning. More clarity of thought, and fewer typos would come from a little more time ... when the dogs wake me up at 2am, I get more time... like yesterday :)
     

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