The Kinks - Album by Album (song by song)

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

  1. Steve62

    Steve62 Vinyl hunter

    Location:
    Murrumbateman
    A Little Bit of Abuse
    Ray wasn't going for the easy topics on this album. I read in Rogan's book that this song came about after the girls (plural) in the Chorus Girls stage show asked Ray to pen a song about domestic abuse. It's a really hard topic for anyone without first-hand experience but Ray deals with it pretty well. I don't like that the portrayal of violence is too obvious: I think it would have been more powerful had he alluded to the violence (for example, 'bruises' rather than 'punches'). The verse starting with "cut on the head" and ending in "tooth" is especially lacking in any subtlety. The concentration on physical violence also overlooks non-physical abuse found in controlling relationships. But those are small quibbles in a rare song shining a light on this terrible hidden scourge in society. This is a good song about an awful subject.
     
  2. Brian Kelly

    Brian Kelly 1964-73 rock's best decade

    A Little Bit Of Abuse
    I would agree with the poster who said the music was a bit plodding, but the vocals are good. Lyrically it's OK, but missing that little extra insight that Ray can often come up with.
    Fairly average and competent songs seem to be the norm on this album. I definitely thought this was better back in 1981 than it actually is.
     
  3. The late man

    The late man Forum Resident

    Location:
    France
    Average and competent is much much better than what I remembered it was, so we'll end up at the same spot, coming from opposite directions!
     
  4. Fischman

    Fischman RockMonster, ClassicalMaster, and JazzMeister

    Location:
    New Mexico
    A Little Bit Of Abuse.

    While it can be difficult to listen to, I have always considered this song a highlight. Through deliberate pacing and dark humour, it effectively expresses the confusion of that which I've never been able to understand. Why do you stay? In that sense, the song requires no additional depth or insight.... it's right on the money, if unflinchingly or even a little insensitively so.
     
  5. mark winstanley

    mark winstanley Certified dinosaur, who likes physical product Thread Starter

    2 years later we had a completely different perspective from Joan Armatrading
    I Love It When You Call Me Names

     
  6. stewedandkeefed

    stewedandkeefed Came Ashore In The Dead Of The Night

    "A Little Bit Of Abuse" - to me, the definition of an album track or deep cut. They needed to fill two sides of vinyl so they recorded enough songs to do that. "A Little Bit Of Abuse" did not make it into the Kinks show in 1981 nor afterwards as far as I can recall. So I am less familiar with it because I have 1500 CDs and Give The People What They Want is but one of them (greater familiarity with the Kinks was a huge goal of me joining this thread - it is working!). It is a decent song about an important topic but the word "plodding" showed up above and that is probably a word I would agree with to describe this song musically. But it is part of a construct - side two of the album - and it provides a different musical landscape and subject matter to balance out the side. It has the unfortunate position of having to follow a song I have a huge affection for and it is also in ballad terrain.
     
  7. mark winstanley

    mark winstanley Certified dinosaur, who likes physical product Thread Starter

    I find the "plodding" thing interesting...
    Didn't come up during the sixties, and yet many similar "plodding" tempos.... if that's what we're referencing.
     
  8. Zeki

    Zeki Forum Resident

    Previously posted by @pyrrhicvictory , Ray speaking:
    “‘I’m really proud of A Little Bit of Abuse. We’re all Otis Redding fans - especially Mick and I - and played loud, that’s a funky track. That’s the whole band’s favorite track on the album.”

    From: extracted from Modern Recording & Music magazine, February 1982.
     
  9. Zerox

    Zerox Forum Resident

    Location:
    UK
    Step with me into a surreal analogical world, where our guide addresses us:

    "Ah but in the UK at least, 'the plod' can mean the police, soooo...in the '60s you'd have them represented by the gentle 'Dixon Of Doc Green' but by the '80s we were more accustomed to 'The Sweeney' and 'The Professionals', with their fast cars and TV-friendly sweariness...so what was acceptably 'plodding' in the '60s seemed a little too sedate for the hardened '80s types. You know, those hard-nuts we called, erm, the New Romantics...duffing you up with their silk scarves and sticking a mascara pen where it was never intended to go..."

    Okay, we're back! He got a bit unnecessary with flashbacks to his nights out at the Blitz club (bet he wasn't actually allowed in, anyway), don't you think? But I just about get his main point. Just....
     
  10. Vangro

    Vangro Forum Resident

    Location:
    London
    ... so you saw the documentary on the Blitz kids and the New Romantics last night too then? A salutary reminder that almost all of them were from very working class backgrounds!
     
  11. DISKOJOE

    DISKOJOE Boredom That You Can Afford!

    Location:
    Salem, MA
    "A Little Bit of Abuse": As Avid Steve 62 pointed out, Ray probably wrote this song under the influence of the cast members of Chorus Girls. It's a good song about a difficult and unfortunately recurring subject, although that line about losing the tooth seems awkward and forced to me. I could see Otis Redding give it a go, although like his version of "Satisfaction", he would have modified it to his style and lose the bit about the tooth.

    Also, a rather perceptive analysis by Our Headmaster about how many songs on this album deal w/pain in modern life. I don't think you usually get these songs in your typical "arena rock" album. Give the People What They Want indeed. Anyway, the last song will be a glimmer of hope amongst the pain.
     
  12. DISKOJOE

    DISKOJOE Boredom That You Can Afford!

    Location:
    Salem, MA
    Avid Pyrrhicvictory, I was also into the Stones back in the day, the Brian Jones Stones, although I did have Some Girls.

    As for your 45s, the Stones are OK, J. Geils finally made it to the big time after many years only to blow up spectacularlly, "This Little Girl", a great comeback for Gary U.S. Bonds, "Athena", all right, but no substitute for "Substitute", I don't remember the Olivia Newton John song and as for "Bette Davis Eyes", why buy a copy when it was part of the atmosphere back in '81? All in all, a bit of a winning hand.
     
  13. pyrrhicvictory

    pyrrhicvictory Forum Resident

    Location:
    Manhattan
    I did mention I was twelve, no? But even then, when I liked something, I had to have a physical copy of it, and these predilections only cement after time. As for my Stones 45’s, I reckon (as someone here is fond of saying) if Ray had those songs in his back pocket, if this Kinks album sounded as good (while retaining the Kinksian lyrics) we’d be falling over ourselves trying to come up with superlatives. In short, it’d be better (Blasphemer!).
    You should give Olivia’s single a listen, it’s one in a string of pure-pop winners from her. Just don’t get lost in that sleeve while straightening the stacks, your toes might curl. That’s if they’re not curled already.
    [​IMG]
     
  14. Martyj

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

    Location:
    Maryland, USA
    "Plodding" seems harder to endure when a song's running time is closer to 4 minutes in length than 2. Those 60's tracks simply seem to reach the end before it became an issue...but if Fancy, for example, was 3:30 instead of 2:30, I think people would have complained.

    For the record, I don't have a 'plodding' issue with A Little Bit of Abuse, even at 3:45. For me, the 4:47 long Yo-Yo is the only one on GTPWTW that plods.
     
  15. Zerox

    Zerox Forum Resident

    Location:
    UK
    No, total coincidence! (I have limited points of reference, so expect to see the same attempts at wit on a regular basis, a bit like the Dave channel but with an even lower budget.)

    I did see a documentary (maybe called Blitz Kids? I could be totally wrong) on that scene a year or so ago which was pretty good. I think it may get repeated a bit. I can relate to it at least in the sense that my hair has faded to grey...
     
  16. Dr. Zoom

    Dr. Zoom Forum Resident

    Location:
    Monmouth County NJ
    Late to the party, but Give The People What They Want is one of my favorite all time albums.
    'The Kinks Do Garage Rock'. Around the Dial is just a great thrashing cut in that vein.
    Ray tackling tricky subjects in his own unique way. Art Lover, A Little Bit of Abuse, Yo-Yo. Just great. "Excuse me, is this your tooth?" Brilliant.
    And Better Things is one of the great pop/rock songs of the last 50 years.
    Always reminds me of my senior year in high school.
    (sorry if I'm not playing by the rules)
     
    Last edited: May 19, 2022
  17. donstemple

    donstemple Member of the Club

    Location:
    Maplewood, NJ
    A Little Bit of Abuse

    This was one of early favorites going through this album for the first time a few weeks ago, and it remains a favorite as I've gotten to know the other songs more. I think the "uncouth"/"tooth" couplet is not funny and rather inappropriate. The "punching bag" line is questionable, but could be justified as a way of trying to get the message across to someone... about how bad he's treating them. Other than those lines, these are direct and pretty heavy lyrics about a stressful and emotional topic (more than a little bit of emotion).

    The line that really gets me is...

    "You're always nervous and on the edge of tears... You cry alone.... but you never tell us what it's like when you get back home."

    That's really something. She's trying to put on a brave face and can barely hide the tears. But the narrator knows... It recalls another favorite line from Some Mother's Son: "Somewhere someone is crying, Someone is trying to be so brave". And then "You cry alone" recalls this line from Yo-Yo: "Now she's fighting back the tears, she can't even laugh alone"... The melody of that "You cry alone" with the backing vocals... yes, Waterloo Sunset-esque.... Rasa-esque... Beautiful.. and the melodic lift and fall of "but you never tell us what it's like when you get back home..." And THEN, we get the Davies brothers harmonies on "no one will ever know because you never show..." This is classic stuff here!

    The other powerful part is the exasperation of "Oh, it's your secret, it's your life, who am I to criticize?"

    What a great track.
     
  18. DISKOJOE

    DISKOJOE Boredom That You Can Afford!

    Location:
    Salem, MA
    I did give that Olivia Newton John song a listen. It's good, but "Physical" sucked up so much oxygen in those days that her other songs aren't as well remembered.

    The thing that's amazing about Tattoo You is that basically it's comprised of leftovers from the 70s that the Stones managed to glue together to make a great album.
     
  19. palisantrancho

    palisantrancho Forum Resident

    There was also a lot more color added to the 60s songs. I think the plodding here comes from the loud and basic drums and the overall 80s style production. I can’t help think that this song would have been much better if they recorded it in the 60s or early 70s. Perhaps an addition of a piano or an organ would have improved it? It needs a few more bells and whistles.

    I still think this is a decent song and the second best tune on side two. It’s a warm up for “Better Things” coming tomorrow.

    I like Ray's vocals here. When he sings “He uses you just like a human punching bag” I am once again reminded of Alex Chilton. I can really hear his vocal in this song, especially on that line.
     
  20. Lightworker

    Lightworker Forum Resident

    Location:
    Deep Texas
    Ray and Alex became pals later on when both spent time together in New Orleans.
     
  21. palisantrancho

    palisantrancho Forum Resident

    Yeah. He has come up in conversation several times throughout this thread and earlier on this album.
     
  22. Brian x

    Brian x the beautiful ones are not yet born

    Location:
    Los Angeles
    A Little Bit of Abuse

    Ray's no stranger to perspective shifts, but the ones in this song are particularly subtle. As he considers the situation, he cycles through various points of view -- "us/no one," "everyone/the cynics," "I" -- as they interrogate-pity-castigate and even incredulously mock "you."

    Roughly, "we" are baffled, which is the standard reaction: "why on earth does she put up with that?"

    "Everyone/the cynics" judge, they're the superego (to pick up on @ajsmith's analysis) -- she's got no excuse for letting this continue.

    "I" has the most visceral reaction, shouting "it's not right!" until the end, when we get to: It's your secret/it's your life/who am I/to criticize?

    Those little variations of POV help elevate this from an "a*shole vs. victim" song to something deeper and more nuanced. It's not "right" to stay in an abusive relationship -- no cover-up, no lie, no excuse can justify it. But people do, and it's incomprehensible from the outside, and ultimately "I," "we," and "everyone" are just shouting our questions and criticisms out into a void. & that's when, for a moment, at the end of the song, Ray takes what I assume to be the victim's perspective: maybe he'll stay in love with you.

    Because if we are going to understand why she puts up with it, we have to understand that, to her, it's all about love. To me, the *angelic choir* at the end underlines that.

    Again this is an incredibly sad song, particularly as a follow-up to Art Lover. We ask all kinds of questions and make all kinds of judgements about peoples' behavior, when the explanation is often just that they need to feel loved. & what's so -- mature -- about both of these songs is that they give us every opportunity to interrogate and condemn before gently alluding to a path of understanding.

    Listening to Some Mother's Son last night, I thought -- this is the same Ray. His compassion, his outrage, his identification with the victim. He's a different songwriter, maybe from some perspectives a lesser songwriter, but he's the same man. & he's that rare, rare artist who can sustain such deep sensitivity over so many years.
     
    Last edited: May 19, 2022
  23. pantofis

    pantofis Senior Member

    Location:
    Berlin, Germany
    A Little Bit Of Abuse

    This sounds tired to me, and it sure makes me tired. The typical track nine near the end of an album that might as well be nothing special, because who cares at this point anyway. All I hear is some loud shouting and, booming drums and a really dodgy guitar sound. Is this the guitar sound that Ray was so proud of in the interview posted above?
     
  24. Brian x

    Brian x the beautiful ones are not yet born

    Location:
    Los Angeles
    Nuts that listening to A Little Bit of Abuse last night led me to spin Some Mother's Son & contemplate Ray's artistic path -- and I didn't catch this echo. Love these little bits of communal serendipity.
     
  25. donstemple

    donstemple Member of the Club

    Location:
    Maplewood, NJ
    There must be something to it.... These two songs might be the two heaviest subjects that have been tackled by Ray? Losing a child to war, and domestic abuse. There are levels of sympathy, empathy and imagery in both of these songs that are just devastating. The wailing in the background of that bridge on Some Mother's Son has given me chills down my spine for the past 20 years, but it can be compared to the ending backing vocals of A Little Bit of Abuse. Both songs have these lines that rise and fall... the "(rising) but you never tell us (now falling) what it's like when you get back home" and then "(rising)..some mother's son lies in a field, but in his (rising even more) mother's eyes (now falling) he looks the same... (bass notes furthering the decline into the next line...)
     

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