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.
This post is by John from https://thesoundofonehandtyping.com . John’s blog has different subjects and he will post songs that I had completely forgot about. I like talking guitars with John also…He is an internet disc jockey, lover of old TV (especially the commercials), inveterate wise guy.
I’m not a huge Kinks fan, as I told Max, but there is one song I’m familiar with that I’m rather fond of…
Back in the late 1960’s and early 1970’s, Warner Brothers Records would advertise sample albums on the inner sleeves of their albums. They were cheap as chips (maybe $2 for a double album), and had songs from albums they were trying to sell. That’s where I first heard this song, “When I Turn Off The Living Room Light.” At the time, the song was marked as “unreleased,” but it later appeared on the band’s 1973 Reprise album, The Great Lost Kinks Album. Wikipedia (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Great_Lost_Kinks_Album), which, as everyone knows, is The Blogger’s Best Friend (trademark), tells the story of that album…
On 2 July 1969, Ray Davies and manager Robert Wace delivered numerous tracks to Reprise Records’s offices. Most of them were for the Kinks’ 1969 studio album, Arthur, as well as a potential Dave Davies solo album. They delivered an extra reel of twelve songs, marked as “spare tracks” and not assigned a master tape number, indicating they were likely not planned for an immediate release. Author Doug Hinman suggests the additional songs’ delivery was likely due to a contractual obligation that the Kinks provide the label a set number of songs over a scheduled period. Ray Davies later expressed he was hesitant to deliver them because he did not feel they were up to standard and wanted to include a note explaining, “please, we’re just fulfilling our contract, just put it in a vault somewhere.”
In 1971, the Kinks’ seven-year contract with Reprise was set to expire. Disappointed with several clauses in the band’s contract, Davies opted to instead sign the band with RCA Records. The same year, Reprise rejected the Percy soundtrack album for US release, finding it lacked commercial potential in the American market. Because they did not release Percy, executives at Reprise determined that the Kinks contractually owed the label one more album.
All that said, here’s the song. I will warn you that the first line implies that Jewish women aren’t attractive. At the time, I was in high school where a significant number of my classmates were Jewish girls, many of whom were VERY attractive, so I don’t know what he was talking about… Anyway, the lyrics are in the video…
A huge Thank You to Randy from mostlymusiccovers.com for publishing all of these that him and I wrote.
We all know the great album Brothers in Arms from Dire Straits, but sometimes those brothers are “at arms” rather than in them. In this part of the mini-series Max (that’s me!), from PowerPop, talks about the “Rock ‘Em Sock ‘Em” Siblings of Noel and Liam Gallagher of the legendary band Oasis. Randy from https://mostlymusiccovers.com originally posted this post here.
The feud between the Gallagher brothers, Noel (left) and Liam (right), of the British rock band Oasis is one of the most toxic in music history.
Their volatile relationship has been marked by public spats, physical altercations, and a war of words in the media. The brothers have different personalities, with Noel often seen as the more reserved and serious musician, and Liam as the more volatile and outspoken lead singer. The Gallagher brothers are cultural icons in the UK, known as much for their music as for their childish spats.
“Wonderwall” (1995)
Noel was born on May 29, 1967, and Liam was born on September 21, 1972, in Manchester, England. The Gallagher family faced a troubled home life, with an abusive father, which led to their mother Peggy eventually leaving with her sons. Both got interested in music in their teens. Noel worked as a roadie for The Inspiral Carpets, which gave him insight to the music industry and songwriting. In Liam’s teen years he got interested and formed a band called The Rain.
In 1991, Liam’s band, The Rain, was struggling when Noel joined after returning from touring with The Inspiral Carpets. Noel agreed to join only if he could take creative control. The band was renamed Oasis, and with Noel as the principle songwriter. In 1994 Oasis released their debut album, Definitely Maybe, which became the fastest-selling debut album in the UK at the time.
“Don’t Look Back in Anger” (1995)In 1996 Liam pulled out of an MTV Unplugged performance at the last minute due to a claimed sore throat, forcing Noel to perform alone. Liam then heckles Noel from the audience. In 2000, Noel temporarily quits the band after a backstage fight with Liam but then returns. In 2009, Noel quits the band after another backstage fight with his brother. Noel cites his inability to work with Liam as the reason. Oasis was done but the fighting kept going. Their documentary Oasis: Supersonic in 2017 consists of the brothers insulting each other in separate interviews. They moved the show to Twitter in 2018 with Liam blaming Noel of blocking an Oasis reunion. Liam also accuses Noel of not being allowed to see his niece. Liam then insulted Noel’s wife…and the hits just keep coming to this day.
It’s a shame because Oasis was one of the UK’s biggest bands.
Here is my good friend Keith from https://nostalgicitalian.com/ giving a great post on Come Dancing. Keith and I have texted, emailed, and talked on the phone for a few years now. I like asking him questions about his radio DJ days and life…If you heard his voice you would understand why Keith was a DJ. He is a great guy. Go visit his site!
When my buddy Max from the PowerPop blog reached out to me and asked if I would like to take part in his “Kinks Week” feature, I naturally said yes. He told me that I should pick a specific Kinks song and write a bit about it. Easy enough, right? Well, sort of…
They band was formed in London in 1963 by Ray and Dave Davies. The were part of a sort of British R&B and Merseybeat thing that was happening there. Technically, they were part of the British Invasion here in the US, too. They certainly had plenty of hits that still get airplay today.
My introduction to the Kinks came from my dad and from listening to his oldies station. I heard All Day and All of the Night, You Really Got Me, Lola, and Tired of Waiting for You a lot growing up and when I worked in radio. But it was MTV and Casey Kasem’s American Top 40 that I heard them in a way I was unfamiliar with.
In 1983, the Kinks released their State of Confusion album. One of the tracks, Come Dancing, is undeniably an “80’s” song. It has that distinct sound of the early 80’s. When I heard that the song was the Kinks, I actually thought that maybe it was a different band. This song is so different and distant from what I’d call the “classic Kinks” sound. Not to mention that Ray’s accent is very obvious. I suppose that is why it stood out to me.
In one interview, Ray stated that this song was an attempt to return to the “warmer” style that the group had before they became the “arena rock act.” He said, “I wanted to regain some of the warmth I thought we’d lost, doing those stadium tours. Come Dancing was an attempt to get back to roots, about my sisters’ memories of dancing in the ’50’s.”
On the surface, the song sounds fun, but the inspiration for the song and the lyrical content came from a real life tragedy and nostalgia. Davies hints a both of those things in the quote above.
As I began to research the story behind the song the word “nostalgia” came up many times. I suppose it was reinforcing that the Nostalgic Italian had chosen the right song to write about. Rolling Stone magazine called the song “delightfully nostalgic.” Another article says that the song is basically “the 1980’s nostalgia for the 1950’s” and goes on to say how Davies tapped into that nostalgia as he was inspired by his sisters as young adults going to dance halls in the 1950’s.
The real life tragedy involved Ray’s sister Rene. As a child she had rheumatic fever, which led to some heart issues. She lived in Canada with her abusive husband and would come home to London to visit with her family annually. In 1957, Rene (then 37 years old) surprised Ray with a Spanish guitar on his 13th birthday. He had been trying to get his parents to buy it for them, but to no avail. He was thrilled to receive the gift from her. His joy would be replaced with sadness later that evening, however, as his sister would have a heart attack while dancing at the Lyceum ballroom.
Ray took inspiration from his memories of his sisters dancing at the local dance halls to the music of big bands and wrote Come Dancing. The song is written from the point of view of what he called an “East End barrow boy” watching his sister going out on dates. It speaks of the nostalgia of how they are building a parking lot on the spot where the supermarket used to be. Before that it was
where the bowling alley was. Still before that, it was the spot where the local “palais” (French for Palace) dance hall used to be.
Ray said that the song was an easy song to write, because the idea had been in his head for some time. He didn’t start writing it, though, until March of 1982 while on a flight home from Japan. He had just purchased a new Casio keyboard and used it to write the song.
In his book, You Really Got Me: The Story of the Kinks, author Nick Hasted claims that the song was written in an attempt “to reach out to the Kinks’ lost British audience.” This is probably why Ray sang with his British accent despite being asked to sing it with an American one. He has been quoted as saying that he “tried to retain the Englishness” of the song.
The “Englishness” almost prevented the song from being released. Well respected record man and founder of Arista records, Clive Davis really didn’t want to released the song in the US. He didn’t think that the American public would be able to relate to the English subject matter of dance halls. It didn’t help that the song had already been released in the UK in 1982 and did not chart.
In the end, the song was released in the US in April of 1983 and was a Top 10 hit (reaching #6). The video for the song played often on MTV which also helped the radio performance. Come Dancing would go on to be the highest charting US single of their career (tying with 1965’s Tired of Waiting for you). Naturally, because it did so well in the States, it was re-released in the UK and this time it reached #12 on the British charts.
The Kinks would have one more Top 40 single in the US and that was also on the State of Confusion album. That song was Don’t Forget to Dance, which peaked at #29. So I guess it is fair to say that Come Dancing was the last big hit for the band. Ray wasn’t done with the song, though.
In 1997, he wrote a musical play with the title Come Dancing. It was set in a 1950’s dance hall and included some Kinks songs and original songs. The play opened in September of 2008, and sadly only ran through the end of October 2008. Ray appeared as the narrator in the play. The show was brought back in 2010 but quickly canceled again.
As I listen to all of the nostalgia presented in the lyrics of Come Dancing, it makes it feel like a perfect swan song for the Kinks. First of all, it has a happy feel to it that passes from the music to its listener. It is much like Walking on Sunshine, in that I cannot hear it without smiling.
Then you have a picture of life progressing. The “out with the old, in with the new” kind of thing. You reach a point in your life or career where you look back on where you’ve been nostalgically. In a sense, that is what’s happening here. Despite where we are currently, we look back at many fond and happy memories. Isn’t that really what Ray and the Kinks are doing here? I suppose that’s the way I see it anyway.
Thanks to Max for asking me to participate and and contribute to his look at one of the greatest, and often overlooked bands in history. Thank you for reading. Now let’s give it a listen …..
Come Dancing
They put a parking lot on a piece of land Where the supermarket used to stand Before that they put up a bowling alley On the site that used to be the local palais That’s where the big bands used to come and play My sister went there on a Saturday
Come dancing All her boyfriends used to come and call Why not come dancing? It’s only natural
Another Saturday, another date She would be ready but she’s always make them wait In the hallway, in anticipation He didn’t know the night would end up in frustration He’d end up blowing all his wages for the week All for a cuddle and a peck on the cheek
Come dancing That’s how they did it when I was just a kid And when they said “come dancing” My sister always did
My sister should have come in at midnight And my mum would always sit up and wait It always ended up in a big row When my sister used to get home late
Out of my window, I could see them in the moonlight Two silhouettes saying goodnight by the garden gate
The day they knocked down the palais My sister stood and cried The day they knocked down the palais Part of my childhood died, just died
Now I’m grown up and playing in a band And there’s a car park where the palais used to stand My sister’s married and she lives on an estate Her daughters go out, now it’s her turn to wait She knows they get away with things she never could But if I asked her, I wonder if she would
Come dancing Come on, sister, have yourself a ball Don’t be afraid to come dancing It’s only natural
Come dancing Just like the palais on a Saturday And all her friends would come dancing While the big bands used to play
I listen to this and it’s a fantastic escape from this world we live in. You have Winwood’s great voice with this free-flowing music. There are not too many songs you will hear me say “Hey listen to that flute!” but this is one of them. It’s not a commercial song but it’s pure Traffic.
This song was on the album John Barleycorn Must Die released in 1970. It was originally intended to be a Steve Winwood solo project after Traffic had disbanded in 1969. However, during the recording process, Winwood reunited with Jim Capaldi and Chris Wood, and the project turned into a Traffic album although they didn’t have Dave Mason.
The album was recorded at Island Studios in London. The sessions were mostly free-form and experimental, with the band members bringing their different influences. This differs from their earlier psychedelic sound to a more jazz-influenced and progressive rock style. It works well and I’ve listened to the album this week at work several times through.
The album peaked at #5 in the Billboard 200, #6 in Canada, and #11 in the UK in 1970 but the song did not chart.
Freedom Rider
Like a hurricane around your heart
When earth and sky are torn apart
He comes gathering up the bits
While hoping that the puzzle fits
He leaves you
He leaves you
Freedom rider
With a silver star between his eyes
That open up at hidden lies
Big man crying with defeat
See people gathering in the street
You feel him
You feel good
Freedom rider
When lightning strikes you to the bone
You turn around, you’re all alone
By the time you hear that siren sound
Then your soul is in the lost and found
This is Ricky and he is my cousin I’ve known since I was a kid. I would go over to his house in the ’70s and ’80s, play baseball, ride bikes, and later on…watch MTV. He has some good posts about some well-known and rare bands. You can find him at https://freefallin.home.blog/
The title cut from their 1979 album. The song did not chart, but the album became their best-selling non-compilation album in the U.S. It was a flop in the U.K. I’m always on a low budget.
From Wikipedia
“Low Budget” was recorded in January 1979. It describes a man giving up his “expensive tastes” in order to save money. Like many of the tracks on Low Budget, it applies to the economic troubles occurring during the time that the album was released, such as strikes in Great Britain. However, AllMusic‘s Richard Gilliam claimed that the track’s theme could “easily apply to just about any modern recession”.
Although “Low Budget” refers to economic problems of the times in general, it also refers to some of Ray Davies’ own personal concerns. In the song, Davies mocks his own fear of not having money and his frugality. The song also references Davies’ vanity. The singer describes himself as once being well dressed and able to afford cigars, but now has to buy discount clothes and chew mints. He describes himself as “a cut-price person in a low-budget land.” But despite being reduced to poverty, the singer expresses pride in his hair and his teeth. Author Thomas Kitts notes that even the title, used in the refrain “I’m on a low budget” could refer to Davies keeping himself on a tight budget.
When asked which guitar performance he was most proud of, The Kinks’ guitarist Dave Davies noted “Low Budget,” as well as “You Really Got Me,” as a favorite. He said of this:
I like “Low Budget” [1979]. It’s wild. I like that kind of, almost country-style playing. It’s like a shape; I don’t even worry about what notes I play as I’m doing it. And if you catch a few open strings, you might get lucky with a weird clunk or a harmonic or something. I think all the best stuff is the stuff that happens before you’ve even realized what you’ve done. So “Low Budget” and, obviously, “You Really Got Me.”
— Dave Davies, Guitar World, 2014
Low Budget
Cheap is small and not too steep But best of all cheap is cheap Circumstance has forced my hand To be a cut price person in a low budget land Times are hard but we’ll all survive I just got to learn to economize
I’m on a low budget I’m on a low budget I’m not cheap, you understand I’m just a cut price person in a low budget land Excuse my shoes they don’t quite fit They’re a special offer and they hurt me a bit Even my trousers are giving me pain They were reduced in a sale so I shouldn’t complain They squeeze me so tight so I can’t take no more They’re size 28 but I take 34
I’m on a low budget What did you say I’m on a low budget I thought you said that
I’m on a low budget I’m a cut price person in a low budget land
I’m shopping at Woolworth and low discount stores I’m dropping my standards so that I can buy more Low budget sure keeps me on my toes I count every penny and I watch where it goes We’re all on our uppers we’re all going skint I used to smoke cigars but now I suck polo mints
I’m on a low budget What did you say Yea I’m on a low budget I thought you said that I’m on a low budget I’m a cut price person in a low budget land I’m on a low budget Low budget Low budget
Art takes time, time is money Money’s scarce and that ain’t funny Millionaires are things of the past We’re in a low budget film where nothing can last Money’s rare there’s none to be found So don’t think I’m tight if I don’t buy a round
I’m on a low budget What did you say Yes, I’m on a low budget I thought you said that I’m on a low budget I’m a cut price person in a low budget land I’m on a low budget Say it again Low budget One more time Low budget
I’ve known Music City Mike for a while and I met him through hanspostcard. I can always count on Mike commenting when I post someone not on the beaten path… guys like Garland Jefferies, The Records, Joe Ely, Robert Earl Keen, and many others. He has worked with some artists and is very knowledgeable…You can find him at https://musiccitymike.net and his YouTube site is HERE.
“Waterloo Sunset” – The Kinks
A few years back, I was a guest blogger along with some fellow music writers where we conducted a draft to pick and write about our top ten favorite songs of all time. The Kinks’ “Waterloo Sunset” would have made it high on my list had it not been for someone else drafting it ahead of me. Given the chance to pick a Kinks’ song to write about, my choice was easy.
Why? Well, the only way to say it is that this song is perfect. And it’s not just me that feels this way! I have seen countless lists where people include “Waterloo Sunset” as one of their favorite songs. And I have also seen quite a few who boldly claim it to be the best song ever written. I have no trouble seeing their point. It’s the “Over the Rainbow” of the Rock era.
Now what makes a song perfect? First off, it grabs you the first time you hear it, you follow every word, and the melody gets implanted into your brain. There also is a simplicity to it that allows you to easily sing along. Better yet, if you are a player, said simplicity makes it easy to learn and while it allows for alternative musical arrangements, it would be sacrilege to mess with its basic structure (i.e., no jamming or extended guitar solos). Importantly, there is a poignancy to its lyrical content – not life changing, but more than just a carefree love song. All these things are packed together tightly in a nice box to make it perfect.
Some other examples of modern perfect songs in my opinion are Elton John’s “Your Song,” James Taylor’s “Fire and Rain,” Gram Parson’s “Brass Buttons,” The Replacements “Achin’ to Be,” and Squeeze’s “Up the Junction.”
What happens to me with “Waterloo Sunset” is that I hear either the original version or one of its countless covers, and I start and can’t stop listening to it over and over again. My latest incident occurred with Robyn Hitchcock’s cover of the song for his forthcoming 1967 LP release of songs he loved from that year. I recently got to see Robyn perform the song live in front of a small crowd and the song filled the room with smiles and collective singing of the “sha-la-la’s.” And what do you think I started listening to as soon as I got to my car?
My favorite hearing of the song though was in 1989 while I was riding on Will Birch’s “Rock Tour of London” bus. The song played over the PA as we crossed the Waterloo Bridge over the river. Even without there being a sunset over the Thames, I became overjoyed hearing the song in this setting.
“Waterloo Sunset” cinematically captures an endearing sentimentality. The song’s narrator recalls this beautiful sunset that makes him say “I don’t need no friends.” He also sings of two lovers, Terry and Julie, who are also so taken in that “They don’t need no friends.” Whether these are excuses for just being loners or just an analogy to how happy they feel doesn’t really matter. He and they “are in paradise.”
And while it’s not totally clear, I think that the narrator’s preference of nature over the hustle-bustle of nearby Waterloo Station comes from two perspectives – his view of the gorgeous sunset as well as seeing the two young lovers enjoy its splendor as well.
Musically, the song has an instantly recognizable and infectious opening riff. Dave Davies’ sharp staccato guitar intro leads into a precise plucking of notes that foreshadow the upcoming tune of the song’s lyrical refrain, a truly memorable melody. Lyrically, the writing is compact with nary a wasted word.
Ray Davies performed “Waterloo Sunset” at the closing ceremony of the London 2012 Olympics which was a crowning achievement for the song. Plain and simple, Sir Raymond Douglas Davies penned and produced a masterpiece that people will be listening to hundreds of years from now.
Maybe someday I will return to London and take the time to witness my own Waterloo sunset.
This entry is by Lisa from Tao-Talk. I’ve known Lisa since 2018 and the biggest George Harrison fan I’ve ever met. She is a wonderful writer with a wide knowledge of music. Lisa is a mother, grandmother, gardener, retired government worker, observer, reader, writer, cinema lover, learner, bicyclist, woman who runs with the wolves, and last but not least, a lover of music! Go visit Lisa when you can!
Stop Your Sobbing, written by Ray Davies
Released 10/2/64 on The Kinks’ debut album, “Kinks”
The first time I heard, “Stop Your Sobbing” was on a Pretenders album. As Chrissie writes her own songs for the most part, it never occurred to me that she didn’t write this one. It was only when a blogmate mentioned that Ray and Chrissie had been a couple and had a child together that I began to wonder and looked a little deeper. It has been an enjoyable journey of discovery on how the song came about, how Ray met Chrissie, and how Chrissie came to record a Kinks song.
The Kinks line-up was Ray Davies, Dave Davies, Pete Quaife, and Mick Avory.
“Stop Your Sobbing” was the next to the last song on The Kinks’ debut album, “Kinks,” released on 10/2/64. The American release of the album was missing 3 tracks: “I Took My Baby Home”, “I’m a Lover Not a Fighter” and “Revenge.” The only single released from the album was, “You Really Got Me.” Looking at the playlist, I was kind of surprised that 8 of the 14 songs were not written by Ray and one was co-written with him. The 3 omitted tracks were written by, respectively, Ray, Jay Miller, and co-written by Ray and Larry Page.
I’ve seen this pattern before, with The Beatles and The Rolling Stones (and probably many others?) in their first recordings being written often by others and then transitioning over to mostly written by the groups. Hoping to get some feedback from readers on this.
Secondhand songs shows 11 covers of the song, including 3 in 1965, 1 in 1979, 3 from 2000-2003, 1 in 2011, 1 in 2015; and the most recent is reggae-styled from May of 2023, by Rhoda Dakar.
I know how some readers like chart stats. Peak positions for the album charts in 1964-65 were:
UK Melody Maker top 10 LP = 4
UK New Musical Express best selling LP = 5
UK Record Retailer LPs chart = 3
US Billboard Top LPs = 29
US Cash Box top 100 albums = 25
US Record World 100 top LPs = 20
West German Musicmarkt LP hit parade = 7
For those who want even more deets on The Kinks, including the statistics part, Kinda Kinks has a meticulous breakdown of everywhere the song was released – AND SO MUCH MORE.
Fate Intervenes Where Human Effort Fails
Now to get to the juicy part of what hooked me on the song and motivated me to look deeper, which is what inspired Ray to write it, how Chrissie became aware of it, and how Ray and Chrissie got together and had a baby.
In Ray’s autobiography, “X-Ray,” he said the song was inspired by a tearful girlfriend:
“Her sobbing was making me feel guilty and I told her to stop…”
Most of the songs on that debut album besides the single faded into obscurity, including, “Stop Your Sobbing.” Years passed. Chrissie Hynde, born in Ohio, USA, moved to London in 1973 and began working for NME, a major music publication. She also began forming a band. In 1978, when The Pretenders decided to put a demo tape of 6 songs together, she thought of, “Stop Your Sobbing.” Nick Lowe produced the single and it was released in 1979. The single reached the lower end of the UK top 40. More importantly, it caught the attention of Ray himself. Dave Everley from LouderSound, says that Chrissie had reviewed another single of theirs, Mirror of Love, for NME (I tried to find the review and failed.) and had tried multiple times to get an interview set up with Ray, but he declined. I love this quote about his refusal, taken from Johnny Rogan’s book, _The Complete Guide to the Music of The Kinks_:
“I avoided it. “I’d heard she’d said nice things about me. I thought: ‘Oh God, when she meets the real person and sees what a conner I am.’”
Ray and Chrissie finally met in a New York club in 1980.
I found an excellent DailyMail article about Ray, his relationships with women, and a good photo and quote by him in regards to meeting Chrissie:
She couldn’t take the sudden fame that had come to her and I think she saw me as someone who had done all that rock ’n’ roll stuff and understood it,
Their relationship is reported to have lasted until 1983. Natalie, their daughter, was born in early 1983. Chrissie went on to marry Jim Kerr from the band, Simple Minds, in 1984. Reports say that Ray never met Natalie until she was an adult.
LYRICS
It is time for you to stop all of your sobbing
Yes, it’s time for you to stop all of your sobbing
There’s one thing that you gotta do
To make me still want you
Gotta stop sobbing now
Yeah, stop it, stop it
Gotta stop sobbing now
It is time for you to laugh instead of crying
Yes, it’s time for you to laugh so keep on trying
There’s one thing that you gotta do
To make me still want you
Gotta stop sobbing now
Yeah, stop it, stop it
Gotta stop sobbing now
Each little tear that falls from your eye
Makes, makes a me want
To take you in my arms
And tell you to stop all your sobbing
Yes, it’s time for you to stop all of your sobbing
Yes, it’s time for you to stop all of your sobbing
There’s one thing that you gotta do
To make me still want you
Gotta stop sobbing now
Yeah, stop it, stop it
Gotta stop sobbing now
Stop it, stop it
Graham was one of the first bloggers I followed in 2018. His site has a wealth of album reviews from the 1960s to now. I was thrilled when he agreed to this. You will find his site Aphorisitc Album Reviews here at https://albumreviews.blog/. I learn about new pop albums and some less-known names from the past from him as well. Plus, he is a fellow Big Star fan.
The Kinks maintained a long career because they were able to change with the times. They first enjoyed success with raw garage rockers like ‘You Really Got Me’ and ‘All Day and All of the Night’. Bands like The Beatles and The Beach Boys brought more diverse instrumentation and styles to rock albums in the mid-1960s. The Kinks were able to follow the trend, dialing back the intensity for their 1967 album Something Else.
Something Else features ‘Waterloo Sunset’, perhaps Ray Davies’ most acclaimed song. It’s also notable for three songs written by Dave Davies. ‘Death of a Clown’ and the rocker ‘Love Me Til The Sun Shines’ stand proudly among his brother’s best songs here. There’s an embarrassment of riches. The Kinks explore psychedelia on ‘Lazy Old Sun’ while ‘Harry Rag’ dips into English music hall. ‘David Watts’ later became a hit for The Jam.
Among all these strong tracks, one of my favourites on Something Else is ‘Two Sisters’. Musically it’s driven by harpsichord played by Stones sideman Nicky Hopkins. The simple, light string arrangement that arrives later in the song is a clever touch.
Lyrically ‘Two Sisters’ is a thinly veiled commentary of Ray Davies’ relationship with his brother. Ray Davies was a married introvert. Dave Davies was a party animal, expelled from school at 15 after getting caught having sex on London’s Hampstead Heath.
The scene is set by an evocative opening line:
Sybilla looked into her mirror
Priscilla looked into the washing machine
There’s a feeling of reconciliation by the conclusion. As Ray Davies told biographer Nick Hasted:
“Dave made up for both of us, he was the youthful, fun-loving one. ‘Two Sisters’ is quite accurate, in the sense that one had all the freedoms – one brother stays in, and the other goes out and has fun. And one resents the other for the ability to do it. But in the end, look what I’ve got…”
Ray Davies was married to Rasa between 1964 and 1973. She’s sometimes an overlooked part of The Kinks’ 1960s era. She provided backing vocals and occasionally helped with songwriting.
The Kinks have a lot of great songs, and it’s easy for gems to get lost. ‘Two Sisters’ is a highlight from one of their best records.
I’ve been visiting Stewart at Number1sblog for a few years. His blog never lets me down. Learning about #1 songs in the UK and how different the American charts can be from them. He is currently in the year 1998 but travel back to see the previous years also. He always gives you a quality take on every #1 song.
The Kinks, ‘Autumn Almanac’
Thanks, Max, for giving us the space to write about our favourite songs from Britain’s third-best band of the 1960s. And yes, the Kinks were the sixties ‘third’ British band. Forget the Who, or the Hollies. Don’t dare mention Manfred Mann or Herman’s Hermits! In bronze position, behind the Beatles and the Stones, stand Muswell Hill’s finest.
The Kinks scored twelve top ten hits, and three number ones, between 1964 and 1967, with their last big chart hit of the sixties being ‘Autumn Almanac’. And if you needed an example of why many non-Brits might not choose the Kinks as the ‘60s third-best band, then this is the perfect record.
Not many pop songs talk of sweeping leaves, of crawly caterpillars, buttered currant buns, or of rheumatic backs. Nothing very rock ‘n’ roll there. Nor is there in the middle-eight: I like my football on a Saturday, Roast beef on Sundays, All right… It’s quintessential Kinks: tongue-in-cheek vignettes of British life. Not as famous as Terry and Judy from ‘Waterloo Sunset’, the unnamed aristocrat in ‘Sunny Afternoon’, or the legendary ‘Lola’, but every bit as vital. No wonder Blur’s Damon Albarn named ‘Autumn Almanac’ as his favourite Kinks’ record, given that he spent much of the nineties trying to recreate it…
But before it all gets too cozy and twee, Ray Davies turns his attention to British ideas of respectability, and the class system. This is my street, And I’m never gonna leave it… If I live to be ninety-nine… The singer is trapped in his lower-middle class environment. Everyone he meets, seems to come from his street, and he can’t get away… No social climbing allowed.
For this to be the Kinks final Top 10 record of the decade is fitting. It’s the culmination of their move away from the garage rock of ‘You Really Got Me’, through to more traditional, folksy pop. ‘Autumn Almanac’ is at one moment crunchy guitars, the next a trombone-led, music hall singalong.
But while it’s easy to claim that the Kinks were too ‘British’ for American audiences, leading to less chart success as the sixties went on; that’s not quite the full picture. The fact that they had been banned from touring the States since 1965 thanks to their habit of attacking one another on stage was probably a much more pressing reason.
Still, maybe it was a blessing in disguise, for the touring ban coincided with a change in their sound. Their hard-rocking early hits are great, but for me the classic Kinks period starts with the hilariously catty ‘Dedicated Follower of Fashion’, through ‘Dead End Street’, and the timeless ‘Waterloo Sunset’, to this. My answer might change depending on which time of year it is, but ‘Autumn Almanac’ will always be close to the top of my ‘Best Kinks Songs’ list.
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!
We all know the great album Brothers in Arms from Dire Straits, but sometimes those brothers are “at arms” rather than in them. In this part of the mini-series Randy, from mostlymusiccovers.com, talks about the “Rock ‘Em Sock ‘Em” Siblings of the Fogerty brothers from Creedence Clearwater Revival.
“Proud Mary” written by John Fogerty was CCR’s first big hit single peaking at #2.
Tom was the elder of the two brothers, he was born in 1941 (1990) and John was born in 1945, now age 78. They were born in Berkley but grew up in El Cerrito, California. Tom signed a record contract in 1959 but had little success in terms of recording a hit. John and his band would eventually provide backing to Tom and this led to the creation of the Golliwogs where John and Tom shared lead vocals. By the time Credence Clearwater Revival (CCR) had formed in 1967, John had stepped to the forefront as lead singer, guitar player, and principal songwriter.
That is Tom on the left and John on the right.
CCR would go on to what is now regarded as legendary success. Between 1968 and 1970 they released six albums, two of them charting #1. They still hold the record for having five songs reach #2 without ever having a #1 on the Billboard Hot 100.
Tom left the band early in 1971 to pursue a solo career. CCR would release just one more album Mardi Gras in 1972 but had recorded two of the songs before Tom left. There is no evidence that things got physical but they argued a lot and the tension was high.
Tom’s departure leads us further into the discussion about the feud between him and John was more than just that. As with any break-up, there are two sides to every story, and with this one, there are at least 5 sides, the most notorious falling out suffice to say is with John and their former boss at Fantasy Records, Saul Zaentz. I won’t get too much into that story today and most will be familiar with Zaentz taking control of the CCR music and also controlling the copyright and the infamous lawsuits. I discussed this in a post back in 2018.
John admittedly was so bitter he stopped playing music for almost 10 years. Some years after the nasty split up of CCR, Fogerty recorded two songs aimed squarely at Zaentz, “Zanz Kant Danz” and “Mr. Greed”. John would eventually emerge victorious over the lawsuits brought by Zaentz and his own subsequent countersuit.
For Tom’s part, he clearly sided with Zaentz. Early on Tom was named in the lawsuit against John and at one time referred to Zaentz as his “best friend”. The band, including Tom and Zaentz had their money invested and got a tip to pull out, they didn’t tell John and he lost almost everything. At the heart of the trouble was that Tom left CCR as he felt John had taken control of the band. This I think, is a fair statement. John wrote most all of the lyrics and the music. Certainly for all their big hits. He had the best and most distinctive voice, and at lead guitar was the best musician.
As a band member, Tom in all honesty could not, and did not do better. At their height, they were one of the most successful Rock bands and history has certainly born that out. An estimated 50 million in record sales in about five years is nothing to sneeze at. John as a solo artist has almost doubled that number.
“Have You Ever Seen the Rain”, words and music by John Fogerty and the last hit single before the departure of Tom from the band.
Now I am not saying John is blameless for the falling out, I am sure he might have handled things better, but his ego I think would get in the way. But there may have been little he could have done. Tom’s actions in many ways seem born of jealousy. He decided to leave CCR. I understand his reasoning, he felt he had some good songs and he wanted to sing lead on them, John felt that the band was doing just fine with the way things were, and he wasn’t wrong. Despite the success John brought to CCR, it seems after the breakup it was John that got the cold shoulder from everyone.
Once the band split a year or so later the acrimonious relationship(s) only got worse, with John at the center and Tom and the others all playing a part.
As mentioned, Tom would embark on a solo career with his first album charting at #78 which is the best he would do. I did hear Tom in an interview say that had he been able to do things over, he would not have left the band. John did contribute some guitar tracks on Tom’s Zephyr National (1974). John also attended Tom’s wedding in 1980 and a high school reunion in 1984, and at both they jammed a bit.
John released Blue Ridge Rangers (1973) which charted at #47 and then in 1975 his album John Fogerty had the hit single “Rockin’ All Over the World” that peaked at #27. The weight of the various lawsuits and his admitted bitterness over the feud with Tom and the others led him to withdraw from the business. He was actually barred from playing any CCR songs for several years.
Over the years that followed John made some attempts to reconcile, motivated more for their mother’s benefit. Tom would receive an HIV-contaminated blood transfusion after back surgery and the ensuing complications would lead to his eventual death in 1990. Truly tragic.
The brothers never did reconcile and for John’s part, he says he has forgiven Tom.
I’m very happy to have Colin Jackson from Once Upon A Time In The 70’s guest host my blog today. Colin Jackson and Paul Fitzpatrick who both run Once Upon A Time In The 70’s grew up in Bearsden, a northern suburb of Glasgow, Scotland. They were school friends from the age of five until in 1974, aged sixteen, Paul left school to starta career working with fashion and sportswear brands. Their paths would not cross again for forty-four years, during which time Colin pursued a career in Banking. Their site will take you back in time…just as well as a time machine!
THE KINKS: ‘Apeman’
Should Andy Murray have been born ten years either side of when he was, he’d have been the best tennis player of his generation. As it was, despite two Olympic gold medals and three Grand Slam titles amongst goodness knows how many other achievements, he will be forever mentioned almost as an afterthought in any conversation of the greatest players of the 2000s – possibly all time.
Damn those Federer, Nadal and Djokovic fellas!
A similar fate befell The Kinks, and Ray Davies in particular. Maybe they wouldn’t have gone down in history as the best band ever, but they certainly would have benefitted from a greater appreciation.
Damn those Lennon and McCartney and Jagger and Richards fellas!
Then again, I suppose it could be argued that without the Beatles and Stones, The Kinks wouldn’t have capitalised on The British Invasion of America.
Whatever, throughout the ‘60s and ‘70s The Kinks were always playing catch-up in the popularity stakes, despite their critical acclaim and string of hits. Sticking within those two decades, the band had nineteen Top 40 hits here in the UK, including three Number 1s. Not bad on any level.
I must confess, though, that I too am guilty of overlooking them in favour of (most definitely) The Rolling Stones and (yes, probably even) The Beatles. Which is a terrible admission to make, when I take a proper look at the prolificacy of Davies’s writing.
I’d not long turned twelve years old when this single was released. My musical bias had not yet been shaped. I just liked what I liked. I had no idea of what was ‘cool’ or otherwise. It would be a year further down the line before I decided I was a fan of The Sweet and John Kongos … but there was something about ‘Apeman’ I found so appealing.
Perhaps it was the catchy hook. Or maybe it was the (now cringeworthy) faux Caribbean accent during the short, spoken word passage. Or maybe, most likely it was, the silly video of some geezer dressed up like a gorilla and following the band around a most ‘un-jungle-like’ wet and miserable (London?) park.
It certainly wouldn’t have been the lyrics – not at that age. In fact, as I’ve alluded in the past, I’m still a bit of a philistine when it comes to song lyrics. However, even a very young ‘me’ was aware of the Cold War at that time, and the line about not wanting to die in a nuclear war did hit home.
Ray Davies had of course by this time already shown a great deal of social conscience and disdain for the forsaking of tradition. I’m sure others will cover these, but think of ‘Dead End Street,’ ‘Autumn Almanac’ and ‘The Village Green Preservation Society’ for starters. So, for him to display the utopian spirit of peace and freedom would have come as no surprise who already appreciated his work.
Davies had (has) a knack of making serious comment from entertaining, upbeat and melodic songs. Almost fifty-four years on from ‘Apeman’ peaking at #5 in the UK charts, sadly nothing much appears to have changed. Indeed, the words are perhaps even more pertinent today:
… So I’m no better than the animals sitting
In the cages in the zoo man
‘Cause compared to the flowers and the birds and the trees
I am an apeman
I think I’m so educated and I’m so civilized
‘Cause I’m a strict vegetarian
But with the over-population and inflation and starvation
And the crazy politicians
I don’t feel safe in this world no more
I don’t want to die in a nuclear war
I want to sail away to a distant shore and make like an apeman
I remember black velvet paintings in the 1970s. Two of the biggest subjects of those paintings were Elvis Presley and Bruce Lee and at one time I had a Bruce Lee painting. Lee was one of my non-musical and non-baseball childhood heroes. This guy was the MAN. Bruce Lee was Rambo, Rocky, and the Terminator rolled into one…but with one difference…he was real. He also had a coolness about him.
After watching his movies when I was young I also purchased some nunchucks when I was a teenager and konked my noggin enough times to realize I was no Bruce Lee. Lee was the first actor to bridge East and West. He understood how to speak to both audiences no one else ever had. Enter the Dragon was the first film co-produced in Hong Kong and Hollywood. Bruce greatly influenced the action movie genre from the 70s to now.
Bruce would run into nut cases at times. Some person idiot would call him out and want to challenge him to a fight while he would be walking down the street and Bruce would have to defend himself while teaching the person a lesson. Imagine being the dolt who saw Bruce Lee and thought it would be a good idea to fight him. A boxer who sparred with him said “Body of a lightweight with a hit stronger than a heavyweight.”
Bob Wall who appeared in some of Bruce Lee’s movies said this.
One day, while filming Enter the Dragon, an extra taunted Bruce Lee and challenged him to fight. The extra told Bruce he was just an actor, not a martial arts expert… The whole thing went won like this. This kid was good. He was no punk. He was strong and fast, and he was really trying to punch Bruce’s brains in. But Bruce just methodically took him apart.
I mean Bruce kept moving so well, this kid couldn’t touch him…Then all of a sudden, Bruce got him and rammed his ass into the wall and swept him, he proceeded to drop his knee into his opponent’s chest, locked his arm out straight, and nailed him in the face repeatedly.
This 1973 movie was Bruce Lee’s final completed film before his death. The movie contributed to martial arts’s global popularity and helped make Bruce Lee’s legacy. I also want to include John Saxon in this. I’ve always been a fan of Saxon in whatever movie he was in. He plays a character named Roper in this flick. Saxon was also a student of Bruce Lee.
The movie’s plot is about a British intelligence agent named Braithwaite to participate in a martial arts tournament organized by the mysterious and reclusive crime lord named Han. Han is suspected of being involved in illegal activities such as prostitution, and human and drug trafficking, and the tournament is a cover for these operations. Lee’s mission is to gather evidence against Han and bring down his criminal empire.
It’s a good story movie with plenty of action scenes. I’ve seen some martial arts movies that dump the story and just go for action. This one is not like that…quality writing and acting throughout the film. It influenced many of the action films that came later. The film keeps the action, drama, and some comedy flowing. It’s worth it to see Bruce Lee with his almost balletic moves.
While filming Bruce in fight scenes Bruce had to slow down his movements so the camera would catch it. His training methods were legendary and some say he was the fastest human they had ever seen.
Before this, Bruce had problems finding acting jobs after the TV series The Green Hornet. He became a private instructor to the stars such as Steve McQueen, John Saxon, and more. He moved to Hong Kong in 1971 and made three Asian movies, Fists of Fury, The Chinese Connection, and Return the Dragon.
The next movie was a joint production between Hong Kong and US production companies. The movie was Enter the Dragon and it was Bruce’s breakthrough movie. Unfortunately, Bruce Lee died six days before the film’s Hong Kong release.
Quotes:
Lee: Teacher?
Shaolin Abbott: I see your talents have gone beyond the mere physical level. Your skills are now at the point of spiritual insight. I have several questions. What is the highest technique you hope to achieve ?
Lee: To have no technique.
Shaolin Abbott: Very good. What are your thoughts when facing an opponent?
Lee: There is no opponent.
Shaolin Abbott: And why is that ?
Lee: Because the word “I” does not exist.
Shaolin Abbott: So, continue…
Lee: A good fight should be like a small play, but played seriously. A good martial artist does not become tense, but ready. Not thinking, yet not dreaming. Ready for whatever may come. When the opponent expands, I contract. When he contracts, I expand. And when there is an opportunity, I do not hit. It hits all by itself.
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar: Bruce created a jambalaya of martial arts, adding and discarding moves that were less effective. No wasted movements I took it to heart, I dedicated myself to preparation by maintaining complete focus during basketball practice and my training with Bruce. As a result, I became stronger, faster and a much more intense player. Bruce was an innovator and caused martial arts to move forward. … The skyhook is the embodiment of an efficient shot that requires minimal movement but sudden speed.
I’ve been going to Jeff’s site for years at https://eclecticmusiclover.com. He features newer music on his blog from a large range of bands. He does a lot of great work there… often getting inside information and interviews with the bands themselves. Go check Jeff out…he is a fine writer.
I’m honored to be included in Max’s series on The Kinks, and my pick is their 1966 single “Sunny Afternoon”, which ranks among my top ten favorites of their songs. I was 11 when the song came out and I remember liking it a lot, not only because of its catchy, upbeat melody but also for the lines “Save me, save me, save me from this squeeze. I gotta big fat mama trying to break me” which, being an 11-year-old, I found pretty funny. Though I didn’t fully comprehend the deeper meaning of the lyrics at the time, my guess was that the song was generally about a guy’s discontent over his current life situation.
Written by Kinks frontman Ray Davies while he was at home suffering from a bad cold, “Sunny Afternoon” was inspired by the high levels of progressive tax imposed by the British Labour government of Harold Wilson (a subject also covered by the Beatles in their song “Taxman”), as well as a host of difficult issues he was facing at the time. Despite the Kinks’ immense success, group tensions, lawsuits, an unrealistic workload and unsupportive management was making them miserable. Davies was also dealing with new fatherhood, and had even left the band for a while.
In writing the song, Davis composed the melody first, then created an alter ego to express his feelings. He later recalled: “The only way I could interpret how I felt was through a dusty, fallen aristocrat who had come from old money as opposed to the wealth I had created for myself.” In order to prevent the listener from sympathizing with the song’s protagonist, a spoiled aristocrat bemoaning the loss of his vast unearned wealth, Davies said, “I turned him into a scoundrel who fought with his girlfriend after a night of drunkenness and cruelty.” (Songfacts)
Regarding those lyrics I loved as a kid, Davies explained in a 2016 interview with Q magazine: “My mother was quite large. But that also alludes to the government, the British Empire, trying to break people.”
Davies was still suffering from his cold on the day he recorded the song on May 13, 1966, and now that I know this, his nasal congestion is apparent in his vocals, which nevertheless still sound great to me. He recalled to Q magazine: “I did it in one take and when I heard it back I said, ‘No, let me do it properly,’ but the session was out of time. So that was the vocal. I heard it again the other day. I was 22 but I sound like someone about 40 who’s been through the mill. I really hang on some of the notes. A joyous song, though, even if it’s suppressed joy. I had real fun writing that.” Backing vocals were sung by Dave Davies, Kinks bassist Pete Quaife, and Ray Davies’ then wife Rasa.
With its strong music hall vibe (a type of British theatrical entertainment similar to American vaudeville that was popular from the early Victorian era through World War I, characterized by a mix of popular songs, comedy and specialty acts), “Sunny Afternoon” was a continuation of the stylistic departure from the band’s earlier hard-driving, power chord songs like “You Really Got Me” and “All Day and All of the Night” that began with 1965’s “A Well Respected Man”. Besides Davies’ wonderful vocals, I love Pete Quaife’s jaunty bass riff, session musician Nicky Hopkins’ spirited piano, and the charming little musical touches like the harmonica, tambourine and lively percussion heard throughout the track.
Released as a single on June 3, 1966, “Sunny Afternoon” went to #1 on the UK Singles Chart that July, where it spent three weeks. The song also reached #1 in Ireland, Canada, the Netherlands and Norway, and peaked at #14 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart in the U.S. It was later included on their fourth album Face to Face, released in October 1966, as well as becoming the title track for their 1967 compilation album.
The promotional video produced for the single featured the band performing in a cold, snowy environment, in sharp contrast to the lyrics about enjoying a sunny afternoon.
Christian and I share a lot of the same musical tastes. It’s odd because neither one of us grew up with The Beatles in real-time or that great 60s generation. We both grew up in the 80s but share a lot of the same likes. He has a very cool informative site that is a must if you are a music fan. He goes over older music and newer music much more than I do. Go see him at https://christiansmusicmusings.wordpress.com/
A Kinks Song I Dig: Living on a Thin Line
When Max, who writes the great PowerPop blog, came knocking to see whether I’d like to participate in a song series dedicated to The Kinks I replied, ‘sure!’ After all, next to The Beatles, The Rolling Stones and The Who, they are my favorite ‘60s band.
I also knew right away what my pick would be, which may seem a bit strange. After all, the British group has many great songs. As an ‘80s song, it’s also not the most obvious choice, especially considering I tend to favor the band’s ‘60s output over what they released in subsequent decades: Living on a Thin Line.
One distinct feature of Living on a Thin Line is that it was written by Kinks lead guitarist and backing vocalist Dave Davies instead of his older brother Ray Davies who penned most of the group’s songs. The track first appeared in November 1984 on the Kinks’ 21st studio album Word of Mouth. Two months later, it was also released separately as a 12-inch promotional radio single in the U.S., backed by Ray Davies track Sold Me Out.
Living on a Thin Line, one of two songs Dave wrote for the album, was a reflection on the Kinks’ long and difficult career, as well as his disdain for politicians, he noted in his 1997 biography Kink. Another influence was what he viewed as the deterioration of English identity in the 20th century and a sense of nostalgia for the old days.
In a July 2022 interview with UK paper The Independent, conducted in the wake of Dave’s memoir that’s also titled Living On a Thin Line, he gave a more narrow explanation of the song. “Living on a Thin Line is about us,” he said, meaning The Kinks. For context, the story notes at the time he wrote it, Dave had started to worry The Kinks had become Ray’s backing band and, quoting the article, poured his feelings about how their relationship had become an uneasy tightrope into lyrics ostensibly about the decline of England.
Here’s a live version of the song, which apparently was captured in 1984 during the Word of Mouth Tour in Frankfurt, Germany. Setlist.fmdocuments a concert The Kinks played at the city’s Festhalle on November 23, 1984. Damn, I wish I would have been there!
Living on a Thin Line has received praise from critics as one of the best songs written by Dave Davies who also penned some other Kinks songs, most notably the great Death of a Clown. “In ‘Living on a Thin Line’ – a dark variation on Ray’s own death-of-England’s-glory songs – brooding, goose-stepping chords and moping Pink Floyd synths underscore the desperate effectiveness of Dave’s nervous croon,” opined Rolling Stone’s David Fricke. Even Robert Christgau had something nice to say about the song, calling it the second-best on the Word of Mouth album after Come Dancing.
Living on a Thin Line also gained some exposure on TV. It was featured three times in a 2001 episode of The Sopranos titled University. According to Wikipedia, producer Terence Winter said it was the series’ most asked-about song. Living on the Thin Line was also used during the credits in the finale of HBO series Vice Principals.
Sources: Wikipedia; The Independent; Setlist.fm; YouTube
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