I met deKE when I published a Georgia Satellites song and fellow blogger Graham told me about him after he posted a Satellites song a little earlier. Since then he has me listening to all sorts of music. I’m forever indebted to him for the introduction to the Canadian Power Pop band Sloan. Go visit his WordPress site. and he also has a youtube channel to visit. It’s worth subscribing to the YouTube channel. He has interviewed musicians, producers, and all sorts in the know. Ok, deKE…take it away…
Thanks to Mad Max for letting me be a part of this series. I’ve been reading everyone’s posts about The Kinks and I can honestly say I know the least about them and their history. Sure I know about Ray and Dave’s onstage/offstage antics as I read about some of it back in the day when I would pick up the monthly issue of Creem magazine.
The first time I ever heard of the band name ‘The Kinks’ was via ‘Van Halen’. Believe it or not it wasn’t VHs killer version of ‘You Really Got Me’ but Dave and Eddie’s muscled up version of ‘Where Have All The Good Times Gone’.
Now you’re probably thinking “say what?!” but it’s true. I discovered VH back in April 81 but I didn’t get the VH debut with ‘You Really Got Me’ on it until 1984.(if you’re a fan of VH, see what I did there). There was so much hard rock coming out between 1980 and 1985 (my teenage years) I had a hard time keeping up. My first two VH purchases were ‘Women & Children First’ and ‘Fair Warning’ in 1981 as previously mentioned. My third VH purchase was in 1982 when they dropped the half originals/half covers release ‘Diver Down’. One of the cover tunes featured was ‘Where Have All The Good Times Gone’.
If VH wanted to kick off their latest release with a loosey jam like vibe then this was the track to do just that with. Once you hear Alex Van Halen’s drums kick in, next thing you know Eddie Van Halen and Micheal Anthony are joining the party. Ringleader/vocalist David Lee Roth pulls down a good vocal on the song.
As a young rock fan and even as the years passed by and the decades started rolling by, I liked the fact that VH could take a cover tune and make it their own! Eddie’s guitar solo on the song is what air guitar is all about.
The great thing about YouTube is I pulled up The Kinks original of this song and holy moly Van Halen definitely rocked it up but you have to consider back when Ray and Dave cooked up this track that many years later VH took that cue and partied it up and put it out for the masses to devour.
By the way I’m sure Ray and Dave are still enjoying the royalty pay cheques thanks to Halen!
Thanks Max for letting me bend the rules here…
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Nice one Deke!VH did justice to that one & it shows how influential they have been on both sides of the Atlantic for years.
Thanks Deke! Whenever I think of Van Halen I think of You Really Got Me but this is a stand out as well…
Thanks for letting me crash your Kinks party!
Thank you for doing this deke…I really appreciate it.
I was never a Van Halen fan but if they made money for the Kinks, I’m in.
Funny, that. I’ve never been much into Van Halen or that general style of music, but I recognised this track – ironically not knowing it was a Kinks song! So for sure – VH definitely owned it. Well, borrowed, at least. (And like you said, paid back Ray Davies with interest.) 🙂
I am definitely from a different generation as the only Van Halen songs that I know are Jump, Hot for Teacher and Runnin’ With the Devil.
Probably also Dancing the Night Away if I had to guess….
Doesn’t ring a bell, but I guess I grew up in the wrong era for Van Halen.
I only own VH’s first album plus a few singles (incl. South African copy’s of ‘Jump’ and ‘The Cradle Will Rock’). I do recall one of their albums was titled; ‘1984’
Yea 1984 was a huge one.
And it was (is) awesome! Despite my preference for “Alternative” music, I’ve been a fan of Van Halen since their first record. I didn’t care too much for the ‘hits’ from the 1984 album (though I give them credit for great music vids for those songs) but ‘Girl Gone Bad’ and ‘House of Pain’ are absolutely amazing! And the song ‘I’ll Wait’ has one of the most spectacular guitar solos Eddie ever recorded AND the absolute BEST snare drum tone I’ve ever heard on an album!! Fair Warning is my favorite album of theirs, but 1984 is an outstanding record, despite the inclusion of ‘Jump’.
My favorite of Van Halen is Ice Cream Man! That is the one I really like.
Well, it is guaranteed to satisfy!!
That’s the comment of the day!
A nice song. There is also a cover version by David Bowie on his album “Pinups”.
I like that version as well.
It’s a good’n. Thanks for introducing the VH version. They do a fab cover.
p.s. I’m a VH fan in the David Lee camp even though I never bought any of their albums.
Both the Kinks and Van Halen versions are new to me, but it’s a pretty good song.
VH do tough it up but the Kinks one lets the vulnerable side show through more. But both fit their eras and now both still stand up on their own- the sign of a strong song.
Of course, yet another Kinks song I hadn’t known. I only was aware of the A-side of that single, “Till the End of the Day” – great song, as is “Where Have All the Good Times Gone”!
Also, kudos to Van Halen. Their pop metal version sounds pretty good. I actually prefer it over their rendition of “You Really Got Me,” which never impressed me that much. I guess I simply love the original too much!
That’s cool you like it Christian. VH kinked out there own sound on it haha
They surely did!
Lol
deKE throws a curve ball and it’s a strike. Good one. Yes the royalties would have been good in the Kinks band account. That live cut is so good Max. Old clips of the original band with Peter Quaife. The song is a Kinks classic, another one. Both songs VH covered were perfect for them. They put their spin on them and they worked.
Thanks CB!
It is good isn’t it? I had to use that version.
Good choice. I love seeing that old(And new ) lineup.
However you came about them is cool. Nice song choice deKE!
Cool. (Guest spots are fun!)
Thanks…yea I was hoping for 10-12 but ended up with 18! A lot of Kinks fans out there.
The title is a great summary of Davies’ lyrical preoccupations. Lots of nostalgia and dismay at a changing world.