I had this and it was one of my first Kinks records. I went to look for it recently and it’s gone. I must have traded it or given it to someone as a gift. I guess I didn’t need it anymore since I bought all of the albums with better audio quality. I still wish I had it though, or at least remembered what I did with it!
Off-topic Sunday time: I listened to Third by Big Star, and I found it much better than what I remembered of the other two. Great voice, good songs, good arrangements. I listened to the Spotify version, which seems to follow the 1992 Rykodisc edition. I tried to understand which tracklisting was the canon version, but there doesn't seem to be any and I can sense vicious mortal feuds behind the question. I started listening to #1 again but didn't have the time to go very far yet. It sounds OK to me, now that I got rid of the high expectations and the misunderstood revolutionary band stuff. It sounds like solid 70s pop to me. I still have to pay attention to the lyrics. As for "Feel", it does start like "Killer's eyes", in G instead of B. But the underlying chords in the chorus are even closer to those in "Isn't It A Pity" in the Big Star tune. It also reminded me of The Who's "Odorono", so I checked and it's actually the same chromatic descent as in "He's Evil" (7th to 5th). I wish I had the kind of life in which I could delve into this matter and draw a chart of it. But of course if this was the case I'd be bored to death and wouldn't want to do anything. Now it's over I'm dead and I haven't done anything that I want Or I'm still alive and there's nothing I want to do
And then Ray’s references Mick Avory several times in the interview. Meaning Mick isn’t a core Kink on the contract. Almost unbelievable.
I’m not a gear head and I found this to be fascinating, even if it’s just to show how much thought Ray gave to the sound and recording techniques. Of course I have no idea if what he said makes for good recording technique, etc. Hopefully someone better versed in this area will comment.
I guess it depends on how you define good recording technique.... The equipment is good, and Ray has his own mind on what he is trying to achieve..... so based on that it is sound recording technique. There aren't any right or wrong ways to record really. Many of the albums considered to be the greatest of all time followed unusual paths to get to the end result. There are things like standard mic placements and such, but then again, many albums have sounds considered classic, that don't use standard mic placement... Page with Zeppelin being a good example. There are two mentalities for recording, for example, in this instance drums.... - Get a room with the sound you want, and mic it well, to capture that sound.... like people recording in hallways, big reflective rooms, castles etc, or in this instance, ray creating a corrugated iron room to produce unusual reflections, giving it a naturally bright and somewhat mixed sound, with the odd reflections that the corrugated iron would produce... The other technique - Record the drums in a completely dead room, well curtained and insulated to have absolutely no reflective qualities, so you are just recording the natural sound of the drums with no supplementary reverbs, echoes or reflections... Generally with that second technique you will have people adding some reverbs or delays, or whatever to slightly sweeten up the overall sound of the drums.... On the first technique there, it is unlikely you would do much except perhaps eq it. You generally wouldn't add reverb to a technique like that, as you should have the sound you were after if you captured it correctly. I don't know if that is any help or not
The real studio I worked in had Tannoy's and JBL's, and given the money I would have either at home, they are fantastic..... but, First I am no studio wizz ... I love being in there, and I love mixing and playing around to get things I'm after, but I have no training and no technique, and essentially anything I did would need to be overlooked by someone who does know what they're doing, and has studio-wise ears.... For me fantastic speakers in the studio aren't necessarily a great thing, because everything sounds fantastic. When I set up my home studio I had 5 active Mackie/Tapco speakers, and the studio was also my listening room, theatre room etc etc ... so it sounded great. What I would do though, would be make a tentative mix, burn it off, and then play it in the car, to see what it sounded like. Play it on a cheapo portable, to see what it sounded like there.... Mixing and mastering is... or rather was my achilles heal when it came to making my own albums... I have/had, no idea what I was doing, but loved doing it, and in order to try and balance out the levels, I would ignorantly use compressors and limiters to try and get things to sound balanced, but in doing that, I sacrificed other sound things.... It's a job for a professional, but from what I hear around the place these days, there aren't that many of those, and they all seem to have lost the knowledge of how to do it all properly or something..... Anyway.... more waffle from me, but I hope it gives some kind of perspective for you
...a little behind. Only read Mark's take on Add It Up so I'm sure I'll be saying some things that have already been said. I'm hearing so much here. This is definitely the early 80s sound in a nutshell. To me, that's a compliment. I'm hearing all sorts of bands/singers - The Cars, Joe Jackson, Billy Idol, maybe something like the Atlantics (New England folks may remember them, their Lonelyhearts song is a classic). First off, yes the start of it sounds a bit like White Wedding, but just a bit. It didn't hit me over the head that it was a double for that song, but obviously has elements. And once they come out the musical intro, they go into a ska-like beat and Ray's voice is not screamy at all, but wispy. It was unexpected. Felt like a Joe Jackson song from, what, the late 70s, at least the ska part? The Gucci/Cartier part has to be one of the most unusual Kinks' elements of all time. Pretty bold. I'm still not sure if I love it, but that's ok. I am enthusiastic about the lyrics! Labels and having the very best, or giving that impression, has never been important to me. I find it quite puzzling. I steer away from that type. Someone I have to know (cuz married into the family) is like that. We'll never be close. This is a song I didn't hear until the past year and it's a grower.
Destroyer Once again, haven't read anyone's take, except for Mark's. I know there could be a big divide of those who don't like this song because they stole from themselves and those who think (rightly) that this song kicks major a$$. This one was ALLLLLL over my radio and my world. I adore the lyrics and the atmosphere they create. It's funny, I never thought of this being a song about drug use (duh?). I always thought it was more about mental illness. Maybe it's both. I feel like Ray is, in parts, singing about himself. Whether he accepted that he had mental illness at the time or not, he definitely acted strangely throughout his life, notably and in private. He's certainly been a "self destructin' man" in his personal life. And he's smart and sensitive enough to know he can be his own worst enemy (of the parts he has control over). And love that Lola is back. I think it's absolutely brilliant. You created Lola, Ray...put her in anywhere you want! And the part that has always had my heart is "Stop! Hold on. Stay in control". That was the amuse bouche for me from the moment I heard it. (and loved how that was so much fun in a live show). And I don't mind shouty Ray here at all. The desperation of this song would not have been apparent if he had played it any cooler. Love the little piano bit right before "doctor, doctor...". To me another klassic on this album with another yet to come. ....and it goes like this.
Avid Wondergirl, you mentioned "Lonelyhearts" by the Atlantics so I go off to YouTube and find this: I have to say Avid Wondergirl that the local Boston music scene from 1976 to 1984 or thereabouts stands up to those of any other city in that era.
Here's example no. 2, the Neighborhoods doing "The Prettiest Girl": Wow, we were all so young and full of it back then weren't we? Don't forget that the Caaars also came out of Boston.
Agree!! I'm not sure how far the Boston sound got beyond our little corner, but there were definitely a ton of great bands in that era. It's a shame most will have missed out. The bass player, B. Wilkinson, went on and was in the band Ball & Pivot that I saw a TON in the area. I was in love with B. too (RIP). and I'm sure I've seen the 'Hoods at least once or twice.
Brutally Honest Rock Album Review: One for the Road Happy Sunday! I wish I would have found this a few weeks ago, but alas, I found it now... a couple weeks after our tour through One for the Road. This is a great read, and this blog has many more entertaining reviews of classic albums. There's also one for The Kinks Are the Village Green Preservation Society 50th Anniversary Edition, but if you read that one, it also ends up being a review of Arthur as well, because even though this blog shares the opinion that VGPS is one of those "great lost 60s albums", it argues that Arthur is even better. I've copied/pasted the review of One for the Road here for ease, but the link to the blog is above. It's a good blog, I often check for for any new posts. Album Review: The Kinks – One for the Road The Kinks – One for the Road April 23, 2020 ALBUM REVIEW OVERALL (OUT OF 10): 10 “Superman Superman I Wanna Fly Like Superman” What a catchy song. Our theme for the day is catchy. One for the Road is full of catchy songs. The album fascinates me – yeah, because it is full of catchy songs – but the resurrection of the Kinks is a pretty remarkable story too. The Kinks exploded onto the airwaves in 1964 with “You Really Got Me”, and released a series of loud, intense singles until Ray Davies decided what he really liked was telling short stories in song, and the band became a purveyor of delightful vignettes on the vagaries of English life past and present. “Waterloo Sunset” was a watershed moment for 60s music across the pond, although here in America it was mistaken for a sequel to that old Homer and Jethro song “Waterloo” and consumers didn’t bite. And who can blame them. But after that The Kinks hit a period of critical success and commercial decline, with The Kinks are the Village Green Preservation Society becoming one of the greatest albums of the 60s that nobody bought at the time. The same was true of Arthur, although after that The Kinks had an ace up their sleeve and unleashed “Lola” on the world in 1970, one of the coolest singles ever and a massive hit worldwide. But a couple of albums later, what had been a charming predilection for telling stories with songs had warped into a lamentable obsession with impenetrably dense concept albums, and Dear Uncle Ray had led the band so far off the beaten path many at the time completely dismissed their chances of ever finding their way back. The Preservation albums were a substantial drop off in quality, and the band reached their nadir with Soap Opera in 1975, not redeeming themselves all that much with Schoolboys in Disgrace in 1976. But then an interesting, unexpected thing happened. Generally record company interference in an artist’s work is a bad thing, but for perhaps the first time ever it was beneficial, and probably saved the band. A new label, Arista, offered The Kinks a contract, but said “no concept albums”. And lo and behold, a few albums later the by-now-long-in-the-tooth Kinks were back in the Top 20 and touring America. So they started the decade on top of the world, were has-beens halfway through, and ended the decade back on top. What a ride. One for the Road was released at the perfect time really – they had a couple more albums in the Top 20 afterwards, but their remarkable Renaissance was already on the downward slide. Just a few more short years and they’d be back to has-beens. If I could pick a year for a live album from the Kinks, though, 1980 would be it. And what exactly, you might be asking, makes this album so wonderful? Well I’ll tell you: Catchy songs. Did I mention the album is full of catchy songs? I’ve seriously had “(Wish I Could Fly Like) Superman” stuck in my head all day, and unlike most songs that get stuck in your head, that’s a good thing. You still feel like singing along “I’m a 20th Century man and I don’t want to be here” even if it’s not the 20th Century anymore, you do want to be here, and you might not even be a man. “Catch Me Now I’m Falling” shamelessly steals the riff from “Jumpin’ Jack Flash” – I guess they thought it had been long enough no one would notice – but that “Now I’m calling all citizens from all over the world/This is captain America calling/I bailed you out when you were down on your knees/So will you catch me now I’m falling” really grabs you. Politically I’m not sure I agree with its message – help from America often came with strings attached, so if other countries weren’t super enthusiastic about reciprocating and stepping forward to help in its time of need, who can blame them? But the fist pumping fans in the stadium weren’t all that concerned about the nuances in the message of the song, and neither am I. Then of course you have the old warhorses – “You Really Got Me” and “Where Have All the Good Times Gone” and “All of the Day and All of the Night” were the catchy songs that vaulted The Kinks to world prominence in the first place. There is plenty of music to tap your foot along to, and if you can’t decipher the message while you are tapping, that doesn’t make the experience any less enjoyable. “Lola”. This catchiest of all catchy songs deserves its own paragraph. Any great version of this song is reason enough to buy an album. And this is a great version, make no mistake. I’m more partial to the original, of course, but this a version with fiery guitar and every bit of emotional nuance in the vocal as the classic single. And the audience sing along is a lot of fun too. I consider the original version one of the greatest singles ever – it’s got a clever arrangement, a melody that really grabs you, and lyrics that are hilarious yet remarkably moving. I think a lot of people missed the point of the song and just laughed at “I’m not dumb but I can’t understand/Why she walks like a woman but she talks like a man” – yeah, I get why that’s good for a laugh, but Ray Davies wasn’t mocking Lola. He was telling a love story that ends up as loving and caring as the story in any other love song. There’s so much tenderness in his voice when he sings “Well, that’s the way that I want it to stay/And I always want it to be that way for my Lola”. It is not, and has never been, a joke song. It’s a love song. And the catchiest one I know of. Truly ahead of its time. And this live version is very cool. Dave Davies. Sure, his super-powered high-octane riffs powered all of The Kinks early hits, but the band moved away from hopped-up garage rock, and his guitar playing became a less prominent part of The Kinks package. When guitar gods are named, Dave Davies’ name is never mentioned. But listen to his playing on One for the Road – I’d put him up against any guitarist in 1980 who wasn’t named Eddie Van Halen or Randy Rhoads. Listen to the intro to “Celluloid Heroes” – those are quite the guitar pyrotechnics, and they improve the song immeasurably. He really lets rip at the end of “You Really Got Me”, doing his damndest to steal the song back from Eddie Van Halen – and not quite getting there, but making a valiant effort all the same. His playing on the album is exceptional. Any time he takes a solo, he almost steals the show. This is a guitarist who truly doesn’t get his due, even if he did rip off The Rolling Stones with the riff in “Catch Me I’m Falling”. Mick Avory sounds fantastic on drums as well, not at all like someone who burst on the scene in 1964, when rock drumming was considerably less sophisticated than it would become over the ensuing years. Mr. Avory acquits himself well. Probably the best setlist you could hope for on a Kinks live album. Sure, nothing from Village Green, but other than that omission you get the classic early singles, a couple of highlights from the early 70s, and the best of their late 70s comeback years. And they all sit together comfortably side by side, the older songs don’t sound the least out of place next to their younger brothers. Any album that gives me “Where Have All the Good Times Gone”, “Lola”, and “Superman” all on the same album is a pretty amazing album in my book. And “Victoria” – I promise you, no one in the audience that night had ever heard Arthur, and yet if I didn’t know where it came from I’d have thought it was a song that was born in 1979. They play it like it belongs in 1979. And it’s a lot of fun. They reach all the way back to their first album for “Stop Your Sobbing”, which had just been covered by The Pretenders. There’s some “David Watts” and some “Misfits”, tons of great tunes. There are only one or two songs I don’t care for, “Prince of the Punks” and “Celluloid Heroes”, everything else is a great listen. I know this sounds like it can’t possibly be right, but The Kinks, those survivors left over from the original British Invasion, wading ashore right behind the Beatles, made a live album that captured a typical concert from 1980 better than any other band I can think of. It is the quintessential live album of popular music from 1980. See, while they got lost for a little while in a wilderness of pointless concept albums, before and after they had been producing the kind of short, powerful songs that fit nicely in the space between the punk that obliterated dinosaur rock and the New Wave that washed over the music world in the late 70s and early 80s. The Kinks’ blasts of three minute garage rock melodies had just enough in common with both of them to be very of the moment in 1980. There’s a reason The Pretenders and The Knack and The Jam were all covering Kinks songs at the time – their music naturally fit the aesthetic of the era. There are parts of the album that are very Ramones-like, and that band’s brevity and condensed blasts of pure pop power align nicely with many of The Kinks’ most popular songs, although The Ramones were never half so subtly whimsical as Ray Davies. And don’t forget Van Halen’s first single was “You Really Got Me”. A band leftover from the 60s captured the sound of 1980 as well as anyone could. “Celluloid Heroes” sucks a little less live than the original version, mostly thanks to Dave Davies’s guitar heroics in the intro. I’ve never figured out why people like that song – the lyrics are kind of awkward, and the message is a little muddled – we all walk on the names of the stars on Hollywood Boulevard and let’s name check a couple of dead ones but everybody’s in show biz and everybody’s a star but celluloid heroes never feel and pain and celluloid heroes never die. Whatever. Just listen to Dave’s guitar intro, which is awesome, then skip to the next track before the words start. Finally, this is the best live album released in 1980. Easily. Of course, 1980 isn’t just a year that is well known for awesome live albums. In fact, name me one other great live album from 1980. Yeah, that’s what I thought, you’ve got nothing. But don’t let the lack of competition diminish the achievement, it would have been one of the best live albums of any year. Does it have its drawbacks? Sure. Low Budget is probably overrepresented, but you have to expect that since that was the album they were promoting at the time. There’s some cheesy early 80s keyboards on a couple of songs, “Prince of the Punks” is the worst offender, but that’s not a great song anyway. They don’t really ruin any of the songs worth listening to or anything. You know, I really don’t know if the audiences were there to hear their old stuff or their new stuff. I suspect there were a few who couldn’t figure out why they were singing a Van Halen song, or thought they were covering The Pretenders when it had really been the other way around. Everyone seemed to know “Lola”, and that song was 10 years old. I’m sure everyone loved “20th Century Man”, even if not one in twenty knew it was off Muswell Hillbillies. I’ve wondered what band the audience was there to see – the “You Really Got Me” Kinks or the Low Budget Kinks. Either way, they were watching phenomenal show by a legendary band who had a far greater influence on rock than they get credit for. A band who had one catchy song after another, enough to keep everyone entertained till the “Banana Boat” song brought it all to a close. Yep, one hell of a catchy album. Just listen to “Superman” and try and keep it out of your head the rest of the day. Can’t be done.
I liked Men at Work, Divinyls, INXS, Hunters and Collectors, Hoodoo Gurus, Midnight Oil, Crowded House (they straddle Oz and NZ), Icehouse, I find that hard to believe. Maybe this is for everything after the 80’s? I know thst Mick owns a chunk of Konk. I always loved One for the Road. Except for what they did to 20th CenturyMan.
Then it’s very strange for Ray to speak the way he did. But if Mick owns a bit or a chunk of Konk then it sounds like Ray misspoke. Standard operating procedure for (that era of) rock bands is to all be in it together and then, as members fall off the wagon or are weeded out, put the newbies on salary (rather than the contract). Mick was in from the beginning so it makes sense to me that he was a Real Live Kink at the time of the interview.
I have no idea why Ray spoke that way about him but he was, to the best of my knowledge, not a hired hand.
Yo Yo. stereo mix, recorded May-Jun 1981 at Konk Studios, Hornsey, London There are many different people, Livin' double lives. One for the office, And one that they take home to their wives. He sits in the armchair, watching channel 4, With his brains not expected home for an hour or more. He's still drifting to and fro, like a yo-yo. His wife is in the kitchen, fixin' her old man's tea She's thinking to herself, "He's not the man that married me, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah." They used to laugh together, now he's never at home. Now she's fighting back the tears, she can't even laugh alone. She's just sitting by the telephone, like a yo-yo. You needed me when you were crying, But now you're laughing I'm the last thing on your mind. First you love me, then you don't. I'm up and down, Like a yo-yo. Yo-yo. Ah, you thought you knew me pretty well, But with people like me you never can tell. You can only guess which way I'll go. You got me sussed, but you don't know, I'm a yo-yo. Just like a yo-yo on a string. I'm a yo-yo. Little child playing with a yo-yo. Yo-yo, yo-yo. Girl you had me dangling, like a yo-yo on a string, But with you at the controls I could accomplish anything, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. You were just playing, I was a little boy, But when I grew into a man you just threw away your toy, Like a yo-yo. Yo-yo. You might be popular, but it won't last for long, So don't give up the day job, in case it all goes wrong. Look at your ego, watch it go, up and down, Like a yo-yo. Yo-yo. You needed me when you were crying, But now you're laughing I'm the last thing on your mind. First you love me, then you don't. I'm up and down, Like a yo-yo. Yo-yo. I'm a yo-yo (yo-yo). Like a yo-yo. Written by: Ray Davies Published by: Davray Music Ltd. This is an interesting song ... In verse one we have the idea, or observation, that many different people are living double lives... The rest of verse one speaks to a guy who is burnt out. Perhaps he feels like life hasn't gone his way and so why bother anymore. Perhaps he has just shut down from the monotony of his day to day life.... but either way he is shut down. He finishes work, and just vegetates, because that's all he has left. There isn't enough enthusiasm to interact. There isn't enough money to go and do something wild that's legal... He feels trapped, and his mind and enthusiasm is completely shut down due to it. He sits in his chair like a shirt on a washing line, blown by the breeze, to and fro, like a yo yo. Verse two speaks to his wife in the kitchen..... She doesn't know what to say to him. The wall is too thick, and the concrete, set. She reminisces about the guy he used to be, and how they used to laugh and have fun together ... Apparently now he is never at home .....Now I'm not sure if this is the same couple or not, but let's assume it is. So I can only assume that he is always at work, and when he gets home he isn't really there. He is just a shell of a man, in an armchair. She is too sad to actually build up a laugh for herself... she can see the erosion of her husband, and it has removed her joy..... This kind of makes me think of Alison Kraus and Union Station, Ghost In This House (which if you aren't familiar with, is a stunning song)... heartbreaking stuff. trapped by circumstances, unable to draw up anymore joy from the well. The well is dry, and now it feels like just existing until we don't anymore. She just sits by the telephone, I assume just hoping someone will call to rescue her... she can't sit with her husband, because he isn't there anymore, for all intents and purposes her husband is dead..... or perhaps undead is a better way of looking at it. Two people stuck in a situation that they don't know how to get out of .... but not willing to add to the others misery by pulling the plug.... a futile action anyhow, as it would just be an act of starting on the path again to end in the same place.... ... but then it is like the song changes, and we're in a different narrative.... we're back in Add It Up initially. You needed me while you were crying, but now you're laughing, I don't seem to exist. Then the next bit is like a different song again... This time we have Ray singing about having tricked someone into feeling they knew him, and now they are at a loss... This starts off as a heartbreaking picture of the way life wears down the lower- middle, and working class.... been there, done that, might even be there now.... but then we have this change of direction, and it is almost like the yo yo'ing is a bi-polar descriptor or something like that. Then we have a scenario where the girl is pulling the strings and he is absolutely controlled by her. just an emotional puppet. Then we're back in Add It Up territory, with the idea that things currently going well for someone may well go bad, and their ego and emotions are up and down like a yo yo. This song is almost like it is about someone with schizophrenia, or borderline personality disorder..... It is really hard to pin down where Ray went with this. Initially, I love the lyrics, it paints a very sad and true picture of how a lot of people's lives go, once they have been enslaved by the corporate world.... The bronze handcuffs are just as secure as the golden handcuffs, there just isn't a payoff high enough to feel rewarded by them... but then we go on this bizarre journey that seems to change personalities with each section until the last.... and I don't dislike it, I just can't follow the line here... Perhaps it represents the muddled nonsense that comes out of our mouths when we aren't in the right head... or when we're arguing...... So lyric-heads, I need your input. Musically though.... I love this. Again we have that raw jagged sound, but we have this beautiful despair in Ray's vocal... that sounds awful, but I recognise that tone and sound, and it instantly reaches me. Interestingly, musically the opening verses are perfectly matched to the music. We enter into "You needed me when you were crying" with the burst of power guitar, and again the mood suits the lyrics. This style goes along for the ride until the "Like a little child playing with a yo yo" and then we slide back into the melancholy arpeggios. Then we surge again with the "You might be popular" line, and we blast our way to the end of the song. I love those first two verses, and I wish Ray had stayed on that track, instead of where he went... not just because I lose the line of thought, but because sorrow over those circumstances is more relatable for me than the use and abuse of the second half of the song.... But the thing I think that sells me on this song is the passionate delivery. I can feel every word Ray sings in this song, whichever character he happens to be in at any given point of the song, and although the music is fairly simple, it is really well arranged, and it engages me, as it rises and falls..... like a yo yo .... the dynamics work really well, and the melancholy melodic set up works for me too. The more gentle arpeggio sections are the relative minor leading the way, and the powerhouse sections have the major leading the way, and in both instances they engage me and keep me in the song. I think the execution, more than the writing, actually engages me in this song, and either way, it is a song I love hearing.
I'm not keen on Yo Yo - as Mark mentions, the lyric is ambiguous and the chorus is too pub-rock for my tastes.
"Yo Yo" One of the more nondescript songs on the album for me. I like the flanged guitar tone at the start, and the song starts well, but I feel it gets a bit stodgy and bogged down towards the middle. And of course the lyrics are all over the place - it's difficult to know whether it's meant to be the same people throughout the song, or who is doing wrong to who. This song did confuse me when I first heard it (probably 1986/7) in that it's a song from 1981 which references Channel 4, which didn't start in the UK until November 1982. Then I realised he's probably referring to a US channel. It's a reasonable track, but I don't find it particularly involving.
I know Ray was going for a rawer sound on this album but this is one of the times were it doesn't do the song any favours. This sounds a bit like a glorified demo to me, Ray's vocals are a bit rough here and there and, of course, it has that exact same drum sound that everything else on the album has. The generic Sweet Jane-like chord change in the chorus doesn't help matters.
Man, those drums are loud. At the end of the bridge, somewhere, they’re really, really LOUD. Is it a problem ? No idea. As usual, @Mark has covered most grounds in his post. Some lines are remarkable. “With his brains not expected home for an hour or more.”, that’s pretty strong and 100% Ray. But yeah, with many changes, it’s like the song’s found its metaphor but not its focus or its theme. It starts observational, kitchen sink like, a Two Sisters type of song. But then it kind of drifts and becomes centered around Ray’s bipolar condition (even if the word didn’t exist yet). It’s rather unclear. Similarly, the song's more or less a melodic ballad but the performance’s purposefully ragged and almost… uptight. But it's not a rocker either, nor a mid-tempo pop track, it’s raw and (once more) demo-like, a very weird song that's still being tentatively fleshed out as it goes. What’s with the girl’s almost spoken backing vocals? What does it mean ? How many times the song's point of view changes ? Yet some of the build ups and even angry frustrated (/shouty) Ray singing still get to me. It really sounds like he's a bit clueless, dangling and unbalanced, which is an achievement in itself given the song's words. And yes, myself too, as I listen to this, I’m like a yo-yo, first I like it, then I don’t and/or back again, or/and the other way around … But I doubt it was Ray’s intentions this time. He’s good at meta but not that good. Nobody could be that good at it, right? Right ?????
Yo-yo I love that song, for all the reasons people have given so far for both liking and not liking it. It's a case of the performance giving the song all the meaning that it needs. The atmosphere reminds me of the Rolling Stones' Family, from Metamorphosis, one of my favorite Stones songs (and album side). Of course Family's got consistent lyrics, but then again this is all English so I can just go on pretending it's meaning something deep. I must admit I'm a little troubled by the half-Sweet Jane riff. And I regret that the song didn't get a proper ending instead of this unimaginative fade-out. But then if they couldn't find anything better than what they did live maybe it's for the best. The best is to think of it as a kind of psychedelic movie collage around the theme of impermanence. It's basic and inconsistent but it feels great.
My friend brought this back for me when he went to London. In those days, Face to Face was completely unavailable, so this was a godsend. I still play it on occasion. Side 3 is killer
