May I ask what suburb? I grew up in Lowell. Not really a suburb...just a city to drive through quickly. LOL But as you said, certain songs were played all the time, particularly Destroyer. Somehow I don't recall Better Things being played that much(but somehow I know it), especially on COZ and AAF as they were more hard rock.
I took a look at Page 1 (actually, looking to see if someone commented on how Dave Davies’ solo work was generally perceived) and saw a number of names that are still here, posting regularly.
Chosen People I’ve had the record for 30 years or so but haven’t listened to it in at least 20 years so I’m looking forward to going into this track by track to see what happens. My recollection is that I liked this album better than the first two solo Dave albums from the early 80s, so I’ll see if that opinion holds true. The events surrounding this album and this era proved to be a very tumultuous period for Dave. Hopefully other posters will fill in some of these details and I may do so myself, as I have tendency to do. His biography details much of this from the man himself. @mark winstanley note there is one non LP vinyl B-side from the “Love Gets You” single to slide into the discussion this week. It’s a cover of the R&B standard “One Night” famously covered by Elvis and others. Since it’s a cover there won’t be much in the way of lyrical analysis, more performance commentary. This recording is on YouTube so it’s available to post.
In has been really very cool how many people have stayed on board, even if they aren't in their favourite era.... it speaks volumes to how much love the band has among folks that have allowed them into their lives. I'm not even sure if I remember if/when we decided that we were covering the solo albums lol
I heard "Better Things" on WBCN. he first time was in the late summer of 1981. I remember because I heard it in a hospital waiting room waiting on a friend. I think that BCN got the import copy of the single.
None taken. What I like about the Lambchop version is how it speaks to the depth of the song by adopting an interpretation that places the protagonist in a darker place than in the Kinks version, approaching a line that Ray didn't cross, since Ray's delivery portrays him as more of a passive fellow who though significantly troubled doesn't come across as overtly dangerous. Art Lover in my opinion should be considered to be among Ray's greatest songwriting achievements - it succeeds in putting us inside the head of a very troubled, and very human protagonist. It's an unpleasant, vertiginous place to be - a witness to what comes across as a genuine inner dialogue, a maelstrom of complex emotion: desire, self-righteousness, doubt, deception, self-justification, desire, shame, guilt. It leaves us wondering, like the subject himself, who is this person, and what he is capable of in this mental state. Even the "twist" doesn't provide a resolution, it merely opens another avenue, another possible interpretation. Typically, it seems to me, songs written in the first person are directly informing the listener who they are, as if they were speaking to us directly - but the art lover isn't addressing us at all, he's having a dialogue with himself. When he says "I'm not going to snatch you from your mother", we aren't sure if this is a true statement, an attempt to convince himself of the statement's truth, or an admonishment in attempt to subdue dangerous thoughts. In the midst of this turmoil, Ray juxtaposes images of the innocent young girl on a pleasant Sunday afternoon, charging the atmosphere with danger and terrible expectation. It's a mesmerizing experience - a musical comparison that comes to mind as far as mood is the Everly Brothers' Down in the Willow Garden. As far as that unsettling sense of being "inside another mind" - it recalls to me Samuel Beckett's novel The Unnamable. It's not possible to take comments about "selling out" seriously when an album contains a song as remarkable as Art Lover!
Massive Reductions Well i won't raise a fuss or a holler and we don't have congressmen to help us with our dollars!
"Mean Disposition" has some nice guitar but Dave hasn't been able to come up with much of a song to go with the guitar. "Charity" is kind of all over the place. Dare I say that Dave could do with a collaborator who could say, "That bit's really nice but are you sure you want to use it there?" But I suppose he's spent his entire life watching his big brother doing what he wants.
What you wrote in the last paragraph? Exactly. But we as a society are so foaming at the mouth, practically trained in fact to look for the unseemly and be self-righteously satisfied by leaping to unjustified assumptions-righteous indignation is a helluva drug. Your clear-eyed assessment here is refreshing and all too rare. On this song Ray is indeed giving the people what they want if you think about it. Thank you for helping me to see another layer of the Ray Davies genius. He knew writing this song with the intent you sagely recognize would be misconstrued by most but that is what people want isn't it? Not just murder, violence, rape but both reasons to feel moral superiority and disgust at that which gives them said moral superiority. We are guilty of this. How many of us cringe at Frank and Nancy as father/daughter singing Something Stupid-an innocent song on the face of it. Our views formed partly by our corruption. Ray was giving the people what they want on all kinds of levels in this album, especially on Art Lover.
Acid Drops In the second interview we finally see proof of Dave in contact with an alien, this one in the form of Nina Blackwood...
While we're still kinda coming off GTPWTW, thought it worth posting this 1981 Ray interview in (approximate) context: EDIT: damn, it's another pesky 'watch only on the Youtube site' job. It's definitely worth that extra click though!
This would probably please no one but myself, but I added a few Glamour songs and omitted a few Ray songs. It may not flow as well because the production and sound is different on Dave's album, but I think these tunes would have slotted in nicely with The Kinks. The hardest part is deciding if I should add "Art Lover" to "7th Channel". I also get that Dave's songs change the entire vibe. 1. Around The Dial 2. Give the People What They Want 3. Too Serious 4. Predictable 5. Add It Up 6. Telepathy 7. Killers Eyes 8. Art Lover or 7th Channel 9. A Little Bit of Abuse 10. Better Things
I don’t really hear much Cure or Church, but I get the comparisons. I imagine both bands could do a cover and make it sound like an original. For the Cure, it could remind someone of their “Friday I’m in Love” style of pop song. It’s catchy, jangly, and has a sunny disposition. I’m a massive fan of both The Church and The Cure. Two of my all time favorites. The Cure were my first concert and musical obsession. The Church I have seen more than anyone. I think they are the most consistent and prolific band in history with 40 years without a dud. Plus, the amount of solo and side projects would make your head spin.
Great write up for this song. Between your analysis of the song, listening to Lambchop’s cover again, and listening to Down in the Willow Garden, I have even more appreciation for Art Lover, if that’s possible. BTW, I keep meaning to listen to Songs Our Daddy Taught Us. More than a year ago, someone recommended the podcast The History of Rock in 500 Songs by Andrew Hickey. I put off checking it out for quite a while, but checked it out briefly, and decided to listen, starting at episode 1, within the last couple of months. I’m now obsessed with it. Much more depth than a college history of rock class that I sat in on. Anyway, I just recently passed an episode on The Everly Brothers, which reminded me, again, that I need to explore their music more. I also wanted to plug Andrew’s podcast again. His voice might take a little getting used to, but I’ve really come to appreciate his dry sense of humor. Pretty much every episode so far has contained a new-to-me fascinating anecdote or analysis, like tracing Chuck Berry’s iconic opening guitar riff for Johnny B Goode to a 1918 jazz recording!
Now onto yet another Dave album. I had slightly higher hopes for this one. The album cover is interesting and @mark winstanley thought this album may be more up my alley. I hate to break the bad news, but my initial thoughts were life is too short to have to listen to this album again. I listened to it twice, and was annoyed more than anything. At least Glamour had a few songs that immediately interested me. I thought I might sit this one out, but I will listen to today's songs and see how it goes. I felt the same about Glamour and ended up loving a couple songs, so there is still hope. "Tapas"- An intriguing opening. I don't love this sort of thing, but it's one of the best songs on here, if you can even call it one. "Charity"- I'm trying to hear some positive in it, but I am struggling. I guess it would be pretty good for someone that likes this type of music, but it's not for me. "Mean Disposition"- Dave is loving a new guitar effect. This also isn't terrible. It's possible that this album is easier to take when you focus on one song. Listening through the entire album is a chore, but it might not be so bad broken down. The title makes me want to listen to the underrated Stones song by the same name. I guess I will power through this album. I did another sample listen and it has a couple songs where maybe I will not have such a mean disposition.
I think it is possibly something out of the next three songs ... side two ? .... you may be want to book an appointment with the shrink ... or call one for Dave
ha ha. I have not even looked too much into the lyrics yet. You are correct about it being one of the next three songs. I think the song is actually a true story.
Chosen People I found this on cassette, in a cut-out bin, at Sam Goody, in April of 1987. I only knew of it what little I read in the first Rogan bio. It is a daft cover, but reproduced in a smaller format (cassette) it’s less jarring; confronting it as album artwork, or even worse, that promo poster is difficult. I got my first car, a silver ‘81 Mustang, the day before, for the whopping sum of $1,800, I think, of which my dad and I split. So these were heady times and Chosen People was the first tape I listened to in that car. Though I like it, as @ARL mentions, Tapas is missing an ingredient or two, which is why this soufflé will not rise. The sped-up chanting puts in mind the lengthy masquerade ball interlude in Kubrick’s Eyes Wide Shut played at fast-forward. I do like the lead-up into Charity, for me a top-ten Dave song with or without the Kinks. This one has all the ingredients that make up a great DD track; an earnest plea to do good for the world, searing guitar-play, and a passionate vocal. Two years hence, Dave would regret that the Kinks weren’t invited to play Live Aid. This song seems tailor-made for the occasion, not that Ray would have allowed it be performed. Dave penned a couple other songs around that time which I hope we don’t overlook @mark winstanley ; Give Something Back and No More Mysteries, the former a softer-sounding relative of Charity, the latter, to my ears, a beautiful song that would possibly trouble the charts, and also in my DD top-ten. Both released on one of his Meta Media cd’s. Mean Disposition is the second half of a wonderful one-two punch (of songs proper) to start the album. Both songs showcase the true Dave guitar tone, at least to my liking. Listen to those guitars pop. Dave even takes a more measured vocal approach to get his message across. The video is not without a certain rough charm, and Dave’s offbeat humor shined through. I believe Dave had to finance this clip himself and it shows, but who cannot help but smile as Dave cedes ground to the voluminous man-child. And thanks to @ajsmith for the factoids on the bully. I would sometimes wonder (on very slow days, mind) who is he, where did he come from? The cha-cha lady too. Where are they now? ps. Set list from a DD show in ‘99 or ‘00 at The Turning Point in Piermont, NY. Note Charity over on the right, which were possible song inclusions for the night. Needless to say, it wasn’t played, and when I got that set list, I died a death.
