This sounds like it was custom made for Freddie & The Dreamers. It's very much in the same vein as "Just For You" (click HERE). The sour noted intro of The Majority's version appears to be a parody of the intro to The Searchers' then recent hit, "He's Got No Love" (click HERE). Overall, it's a good cover with some nice harmonies in places, but I think going staccato on the series of "All That I Wants" was a poor choice. The instrumental break (at 1:46) is kind of interesting. It sounds like a baritone sax and a trombone playing in unison. This would've actually been a nice change of pace on the "Kontroversey" album, if produced properly. The problem is that Shel Talmy simply lacked the chops for less bluesy pop oriented stuff of this nature. George Martin, John Burgess, Tony Hatch or Ron Richards would've known how to stick an appropriate orchestral arrangement on to it.
It's a pleasure for me to sing A Little Bit of Sunlight out loud when no one is around (though I have to hum the verses). It's a pleasant, catchy melody that doesn't range too far but still has some character.
I was originally planning on posting about this when the thread got to 1967 (the release date of "Catalina Caper"), but what the hey, I'm certain the movie was filmed a lot earlier than that. Notoriously a terrible film (the Mystery Science Theater 3000 version improves it slightly), it's not really clear how this recording wound up in it. It serves the same purpose in the film that the Byrds' "Don't Make Waves" served in that one, or The Hollies' "Kill Me Quick" served in that one. The Cascades turn the slow burner into an uptempo go-go dancing tune with some nifty 3-part harmonies. To the best of my knowledge, there was never any soundtrack album to this movie, so in order to hear the song, one had to actually go out and see it. When it came out, it reportedly was frequently used as the first on a double bill with the Elvis Presley vehicle, "Double Trouble," another notoriously awful movie, and they both mostly played at drive-ins. Probably not for very long.
I do intend to get to all of these. "Emptiness" is up next. The Honeycombs 2nd album was released at around the exact same time as "Kinks Kontroversey," so I'll probably mention it midway through observations of what's on that album.
I don't know if the Dave Davies/Kinks song "She's My Girl" is up on the internet anywhere, currently. It probably dates from the Kontroversy sessions, and has never been officially released. My memory is that it's sincere and angsty, with a powerful vocal (in other words, a Dave song), and especially lo-fi in its once-available leak.
I don't have a reference to consult right now but I seem to recall from memory reading on the internet about there being a Ray song that intrigued me called "You're Getting Old" that came later, like around the time he was doing things like "Where Did My Spring Go" for that TV show. I wonder if there is a demo or anything tangible to show for that one.
‘Could Be You’re Getting Old’ was one of 9 songs Ray wrote in late 1967/early 68 for the satirical BBC2 show ‘At The Eleventh Hour’, all performed by jazz vocalist Jeannie Lamb on the show. Ray’s demo for this track finally got officially released on the VGPS 50th Anniversary box set in 2018 so it indeed exists and can be heard on that set. The only other song from the series that’s at large is ‘Did You See His Name?’ because The Kinks made their own group recording of the song slightly later in 1968 and it latterly appeared on Kronikles and several other comps. The other seven songs are still only known to fans as titles.
A Little Bit of Sunlight A very pleasant ditty. Lightweight. Like the oooohs. But glad it didn't become a Kinks song. The Majority did a bang up job and got it as good as it's going to get. There's A New World Just Opening For Me This song never takes off for me. Like the chant-like bits, but there's nothing in this to get my attention otherwise.
Loved your original critique then just for a second there I thought you were wittily suggesting that the song A Little Bit Of Sunlight needs a Pacemaker but turns out I was dreaming.
A Little Bit Of Sunlight-As already stated on the thread pretty much poppy porn. Ray was shedding away the bubblegum Merseybeat from his act although later in his career he would occasionally return to it with a perfect pop shine. There's A New World Just Opening For Me- Excellent tune. Yeah some slight similarity to "Nothing in the World" but lyrically a whole new world is opening up for the boys and Ray can see it and is going to run right to it. The droning backing vocals add extra textures and a weariness to contrast the optimism of the new future arriving. I don't believe this would be a successful single but wow what a great deep cut.
This I Know mono mix, demo version, recorded 31 May, 1965 at Regent Sound Studios, London This was recorded a few days after the other Publishing Demos, and we get a nice gentle semi-folk sounding kind of song. Like the clouds that bring the rain Like the sun that makes the flowers Like the soft and gentle breeze I will blow away the showers This I know, this I know and I know I love you for the rest of my life I can't wait till tomorrow comes I can't wait to see the sunlight in your eyes When you know that I am yours I don't know what makes the stars Light up the sky when nighttime's falling But like the stars up in the sky My love for you is everlasting This I know, this I know and I know I love you for the rest of my life I can't wait till tomorrow comes I can't wait to see the sunlight in your eyes When you know that I am yours When the leaves fall sadly down When the autumn winds are blowing They don't feel sad because they know A new life comes at springtime's dawning This I know, this I know and I know I love you for the rest of my life I love you for the rest of my life Written by: Ray Davies Published by: ? We have this ghostly sound, that a few of these had. Here we have a nice acoustic guitar, and either some low mixed drums or some sort of metronome mixed low in there. We open up in a G to C set up, and although the Kinks website says we get an F#, it sounds more like an augmented chord. Either way it is an interesting use of melody. The chorus is a really nice and interesting series of chords, and Ray is playing with the idea of using chords to drive the melody. The lyrics here are really nice love song lyrics, using descriptive nature scenarios to describe this love..... More than the lyrics though, I really like Ray's gentle, and thoughtful delivery. I kind of feel like this may have been being considered as a Kinks track at some point, or Ray just had access to the studio and wanted to put an idea down. It isn't called one for publishing copyright, and it is recorded separately from the others, and it seems like for the most part that they got those others out of the way with little fuss. Anyway, this is a cool little song. Nice melody and I really like Ray's delivery, but obviously it didn't go any further than this.
See My Friends alternate take Forgive me if we already had this posted, but it seems worth taking a look at to me. mono mix, alternate take (2:30), recorded 3 May, 1965 at Pye Studios (No. 1), London This is a little more raw, and we have a raw guitar in the background. We hear that the structure and styling of the song was obviously set up, to have the sound we are familiar with, but here we get a little more .... for want of a better way of putting it, more grungy kind of sound.
Come On Now alternate vocal I think this did get posted, but again just for making sure we don't miss anything. Here is a take with an alternate vocal. This is fine, but I think they went with the right version. We get a stumble and a chuckle anyhow lol
BBC Sessions We get some more tracks from the BBC Sessions I figure as we have covered these three tracks already, we'll post these three today. The first three of these BBC tracks were recorded live at the BBC Maida Vale Studios, London on the 20th of April 1965 You Shouldn't Be Sad This comes across really well, and if it is actually live, they do a very good job of it, with even the backing vocals coming through really well.
Disagreement ! While When I See that Girl of Mine or A Little Bit of Sunlight are average Mersey beat little tunes, This I know is a genuine jewel for me, on par with I Go to Sleep and Tell Me Now So I'll Know, maybe even a top ten “before Face to Face” song as far as I'm concerned, with a wonderful twisted melody, some amazing chord changes, and a tender delivery. I can hear some British folk and some early Paul Simon in this, but what strikes me the most is how close it sounds to what Elliott Smith (a self-confessed Ray Davies fanatic) did on his first three albums for the Kill Rock Star label. Which is amazing as I'm pretty sure this demo was not available even on bootlegs before Smith made those records. Nevertheless, the way Ray follows the line “I’ll love you for the rest of my life” melody by an ascending chord change is pure Elliott, as is the harmonic and melodic shift in the middle of the “I Can’t wait to See / the Sunlight in Your Eyes” line, a jaw dropping moment that defines the song for me. Truly magical.
Tired Of Waiting For You It's funny, but even as we move through the thread this seems like a long time ago now. Another solid version here. Having heard quite a few BBC sessions from this era over the years, they always seemed to get a pretty good live sound in their studios.
"This I Know" is very tuneful and appealing. I suppose Ray was coming up with more folky songs than they had room for on their records (as a Rock Band) so excellent songs like this went to waste.
Ev'rybody's Gonna Be Happy The vocal seems on occasion to fall away from the mic. The performance is good though. This has good energy and the rhythm guitar is really pretty sharp. Solid performance
I agree with this and @Fortuleo on this track. Another new one to me.... I kind of wish they had done a proper take, but the ghostly folkish delivery here is really very engaging to me.
"This I Know" This is an example of something that crops up a few times on the next album we'll be covering - the disconnect between the lyrics and the music. While the lyric seems to be coming from a happy place, the music is anything but, sounding haunted and mournful. Are we really believing Ray when he sings "I can't wait till tomorrow comes / I can't wait to see the sunlight in your eyes" here? Anyway, it's a fascinating track and deserved to be used somewhere. See My Friends alternate take - an inferior take to the released version, and I can't hear anything in this one which isn't done better in the released version. Come On Now alternate vocal - Up to the point of the mistake at the end, I think this might be a better take than the final one. BBC Sessions - all sounding very good, as is usually the case with these. Very good drumming on "Tired Of Waiting" - presumably it's Mick Avory this time? Are there no versions available without the presenter talking over the beginning? (never a problem with John Peel!)
I think most of the BBC releases will have DJ prattle on them... that's just how they presented their shows.
Personally I love Brian Matthew (and it's nearly always him)'s enthusiastic intros to the BBC stuff. He's one of my two favourite DJs (the other being Kenny Everett, a completely different kettle of fish) because he was such a likeable stolid pro, always polite and about the artist, never his own ego as so many others succumbed to. He presented the Sound of the Sixties radio show in the UK all the way up to his passing in 2017, and is a beloved figure amongst his listeners (or as he called them, 'avids'). I kind of get why people who don't know the man or context could find his contributions annoying but he is such a comforting kindly avuncular figure to me (and many others) that it's always an addition, not a subtraction to a recording to hear him. Brian Matthew Forever I say!
