Ronnie Lane – Kuschty Rye

I first started to get into Ronnie Lane when I watched a documentary about him called The Passing Show back in 2018. I could not get Lane out of my head, and I started to listen to more and more. I found bloggers who felt the same way about him. Lane was the bass player, songwriter, and sometimes vocalist for The Small Faces and Faces.

I’m not super knowledgeable about Ronnie Lane yet, but I’m learning every day. His music grounds me and makes me appreciate music, roots music firmly planted. Lane was never about running down hits, and I’m so thankful for that. You won’t hear a disco Ronnie Lane record. Although he had a big hit in the UK with the song How Come, but he didn’t compromise; he did it fully in his style.

After leaving the Faces, he traded the big stages and rock stardom for caravans, campfires, big tents, and the open English countryside. You can hear that freedom in this song. After he left the Faces, he toured around the countryside with a caravan and a big tent and did concerts. He would record outside sometimes, and on some recordings, you can hear chickens, kids, and the wind.

This song was released in 1979 on the album See Me. This would be his last album. He was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis in 1976 but continued to tour with Eric Clapton and others, and in the early 80s migrated to Houston, Texas, for medical treatments. He would pass away in 1997.

I came across an artist named Des Horsfall, who released a tribute album to Ronnie Lane in 2011. Artists like Pete Townshend loved the album and said it was killer. This is from this website: One of Horsfall’s primary reasons for the original CD release of ‘The Good Gentleman’s Tonic’ was to encourage a new audience of music listeners to seek out the three original Slim Chance LPs. At the time, these had been out of print for many years and could only be sought at expensive prices through online resellers and auction websites.

Now all three are available.

Here is a live concert, and I have it starting at Kuschty Rye…but I would recommend spending an hour or so listening to the concert that was performed in 1980 on Rockpalast.

Kuschty Rye

Oh, where I come from
There ain’t nobody
Nobody quite like you
Who blessed my soul, is cold on Sunday
And always evades the truth

Whose lingo comes from God knows where
And he surely knows more than I
Who also knows how mocked I am
When you call me your kuschty rye

And I say hey, honey
I hold you way up too high for me
Whoa, come on baby
I put you way up too high for me

She learned me life is sweet
And God is good
And he always will provide
She taught me all I never knew
And she taught me more besides

So I say hey, come on honey
I hold you way up too high for me
Whoa, now come on baby
I put you way up too high for me

Whose lingo comes from God knows where
And he surely knows more than I
Who also knows how mocked I am
When you call me your kuschty rye

So I say hey, hey honey
I hold you way up too high for me
Whoa, now come on baby
I put you way up too high for me

…

Unknown's avatar

Author: Badfinger (Max)

Power Pop fan, Baseball, Beatles, Alternative music, old movies, and tv show fan. Also anything to do with pop culture in the 60s and 70s... I'm also a songwriter, bass and guitar player. Not the slightest bit interested in politics at all.

32 thoughts on “Ronnie Lane – Kuschty Rye”

  1. Pingback: Ronnie Lane – Kuschty Rye – MobsterTiger

  3. Bassists are often less respected than lead guitarists because the role is perceived as less glamorous and more supportive, with the bass guitar often being less visually prominent and its musical contribution sometimes being less consciously heard. Additionally, the perception of the bass being “easier” to play than the guitar, and the historical dominance of the guitar in many genres, contributes to this disparity

    Liked by 2 people

    Reply

    1. You are completely right…but when I played in bands…my influence was John Entwistle and believe me…the bass was heard. In the early sixties the bass player was reall down on the list but artists like Entwistle, McCartney, Jack Bruce and others…brought them to the forefront a little more.

      Liked by 2 people

      Reply

      1. He wasn’t as popular in the 70s as he was with The Small Faces in the 60s. He had hits with the Faces in the early seventies up until 1973 though, with Rod Stewart taking the lead. Sadly, Ronnie passed away due to MS at the age of 51.

        Liked by 1 person

    1. Thanks Dave..he could be all over the map but I always thought he was one of the most underrated artist of that generation. He would have had more vocals in his bands but when you have Marriott and Stewart…thats hard to beat.

      Liked by 2 people

      Reply

      1. will check them out……whenever I think of this group of musicians I think of them as old pros that just played…I always loved watcing those Prince’s Trust Concerts and see the band backing up the solo artists like Paul Young and Tina Turner were people like Eric Clapton, Elton John and Phil Collins….they could just play with anyone, and then they’d step forward and just rock.

        Liked by 2 people

      2. Yea I totally agree. They can back anyone…that reminded me…like The Band backing all of those artists in the Last Waltz…playing those non-Band songs like they had been playing them forever. They are like you said…old pros.

        Like

  7. Great pick, Max. The folky warm sound of “Kuschty Rye” sold me right away! I also had no idea Ronnie Lane performed on Rockpalast. That German TV music broadcast really has featured some pretty impressive bands and artists over the years. Other acts I recall off the top of my head were The Kinks, Rory Gallagher and Joe Cocker. And, of course, my beloved German-singing rock band BAP!

    Liked by 2 people

    Reply

  10. Just listened to a little over half of the album. Polished casual is a term that springs to mind. Ronnie was a talented guy in so many ways. One of the songs, “Barcelona,” sounded like the melody for “Let my love open the door,” which I’m sure Pete either gave him the OK to use or maybe Ronnie wrote it and gave it to Pete?

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

      1. Good to know where it ranks in his discography with you. I remember hearing that song they did together on “Who Came First” and could tell they were close. Thanks again for introducing that album to me ❤

        Liked by 1 person

  13. Very, very nice. I’ve checked out a lot of the things you’ve recommended, but I need to listen to some more stuff by him. He seemed like someone with such a good heart. I like your description of grounding music. It certainly is.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

Leave a comment