Tag: Kinks Weeks

Kinks Weeks – Kinky, Romantic, & Purple? …mojohorizon.home.blog

I’ve been visiting Cork’s site for years and it’s one of my favorite blogs to visit. I’ve read posts about Eric Clapton, Sasquatch, Frozen Pizza, Iron Maiden, movies, blues songs, and many more. Take a visit to his site at https://mojohorizon.home.blog/ it’s totally worth it. 

Made you look! This isn’t an exploration of the erotic — sorry, if you’re disappointed. It’s a comparison of recordings. The song is called “She’s Got Everything”. It’s a pretty generic title, but it’s definitely in the hidden gem category. I came to know The Romantics’ version of this song when I was a college student. (You might be more familiar with “What I Like About You” which precedes it on their self-titled release.) Both songs are in the world of three-chord-or-so garage rock. I used to hear the songs back-to-back at college parties when enough people were feeling loose enough to dance.

If I had a time machine, I’d go back and yell, “It’s a TWIN SPIN!!” in the middle of them. I can honestly say I actually saw people doing “the monkey” to this song in the late 80’s and early 90’s. The song rocks! It’s got a great feel to it. Loud, fast, raucous. What more could you want?

If I’m not mistaken, I had The Romantics album on vinyl and discovered “She’s Got Everything” was actually written and sung by The Kinks’ Ray Davies from the liner notes. It took me awhile to find it or find it in a collection I wanted. It was apparently the B side to “Days.” The original version of “She’s Got Everything” by The Kinks is worth a listen.

I’m biased towards The Romantics version, but I love The Kinks and the songwriting of Ray Davies. Naturally, Ray’s brother Dave Davies plays an aggressive-sounding lead guitar solo on the track. “Pretty ringlets in her hair” is my favorite line from this song. I don’t think I’ve ever heard the word ringlets used in song outside of this example. (I always pictured a ringlet as a ribbon or something, but it’s a style of “princess curls” a la Shirley Temple.)

I recently listened to The Kinks’ tune again and dialed in the little instrumental bit around the 1:30 mark. When I listened to it, I heard the first few seconds of Deep Purple’s “Woman from Tokyo.” Listen to the DP tune around 8 seconds into it.

Deep Purple’s song didn’t come out until 1973. Did they own a copy of the 1968 Kinks release “She’s Got Everything”? I don’t know, but it’s just what I hear. The two songs are in different keys, but both feature the same chord changes of I to V, which is a distinct feature.

Till next time, keep your Mojo on the Horizon!

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Kinks Weeks – A Rock ‘n’ Roll Fantasy …jimadamsauthordotcom.wordpress.com

I want to welcome my friend Jim to Kinks Weeks. Jim’s site is https://jimadamsauthordotcom.wordpress.com . I hope you can check it out. He has music and other subjects and…when I have a question about The Grateful Dead…Jim is the man I go to. He tackles one of my favorite Kinks songs today. He also has Song Lyric Sunday that is fun to participate in…and I have on a few occasions. Take it away Jim…

Still Have a Way to Go

Ray Davies wrote the Kinks song ‘A Rock ‘n’ Roll Fantasy’ which was released on their 1978 seventeenth studio album Misfits and the single charted #30 in the US.  The lyrics to this song are written as a one-way conversation till the very end when he finally gets a response, where a musician (let’s assume, this is Ray Davies) is talking to another member in the band and Ray is trying to convince them not to quit, but the other musician lets him know that he doesn’t want a rock ‘n’ roll lifestyle.  Ray wants the guy to hang in there, because this could just be a bump in the road and if they can get through this period, the sky is the limit.  Ray relates a story to this band member that is thinking about leaving the group about a guy (most likely, Dan the fan) that he knows who lives on his block that lives for rock and plays records all the time.  When this neighbor of his feels the world is closing in, he turns his stereo way up high in order to live the rock ‘n’ roll fantasy on the edge of reality.  Davies tells this wavering musician that he has nothing left to prove, because the King is dead, and even if the undecided musician quits the group, that he will still be playing in it, as he feels like he has just begun since there is plenty of life left in him.  While Ray was writing this song, he learned that Elvis Presley had died, which influenced the “the King is dead” lyrics.  He was in New York at the time, and when he looked out his window late at night, he saw a single light on in one of the buildings.  Davies imagined that light being the apartment of an ardent Elvis fan, which became the character Dan the Fan in the song.

The Kinks were going through a rough period around this time, with their guitarist Dave Davies wanting to quit touring, and their keyboard player (piano, organ, synthesizer) for the past 8 years John Gosling and bass player Andy Pyle leaving after only one album, both decided that Misfits would be their last album with the group.  For a long time, the Kinks were immersed in concept albums and theatrical rock operas where they stopped making hit songs, till their 1977 previous album Sleepwalker.  Davies learned his lesson and although Misfits didn’t have the punch like their earlier songs, it did feature a more rock-oriented style giving the Kinks a commercial rebirth.  The Kinks signed with Arista Records in 1977 and Misfits was the second of 6 albums recorded on this label. 

‘A Rock ‘n’ Roll Fantasy’ was the Kinks best showing on the charts since their hit with ‘Lola’ eight years previously.  

Hello you, hello me
Hello people we used to be
Isn’t it strange, we never changed
We’ve been through it all, yet we’re still the same

And I know, it’s a miracle we still go
For all we know, we might still have a way to go

Hello me, hello you
You say you want out, want to start anew
Throw in your hand, break up the band
Start a new life, be a new man

But for all we know, we might still have a way to go
Before you go, there’s something you ought to know

There’s a guy in my block, he lives for rock
He plays records day and night

And when he feels down he puts some rock ‘n’ roll on
And it makes him feel alright

And when he feels the world is closing in
He turns his stereo way up high

He just spends his life living in a rock ‘n’ roll fantasy
He just spends his life living on the edge of reality
He just spends his life in a rock ‘n’ roll fantasy

He just spends his life living in a rock ‘n’ roll fantasy
He just spends his life living on the edge of reality
He just spends his life in a rock ‘n’ roll fantasy

He just spends his life living in a rock ‘n’ roll fantasy
Look at me, look at you
You say we’ve got nothing left to prove
The King is dead, rock is done
You might be through, but I’ve just begun

I don’t know, I feel free and I won’t let go
Before you go, there’s something you ought to know

Dan is a fan and he lives for our music
It’s the only thing that gets him by
He’s watched us grow and he’s seen all our shows
He’s seen us low and he’s seen us high

Oh, but you and me keep thinking
That the world’s just passing us by

Don’t want to spend my life living in a rock ‘n’ roll fantasy
Don’t want to spend my life living on the edge of reality
Don’t want to waste my life hiding away any more

Don’t want to spend my life living in a rock ‘n’ roll fantasy

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Kinks Weeks – Around The Dial … mostlymusiccovers.com

Randy has been writing a blog about Cover Songs, music genres, and artists since early 2018. He moved to WordPress in February of 2022 and has found a welcoming community of music enthusiasts. You can read about the origins of Rock and Roll, Blues, R&B, and Country Music. There are Cover Song and Chart statistics as well, all with a focus on the 1950s, 60s, and 70s at MostlyMusicCovers.com. He has also helped me out with blues artists and Canadian Charts in general! 

This is the opening track on the 1981 album Give the People What They Want. It was written by Ray Davies of course. It was not one of the three singles they released off the album, but it may be my favorite track. Max told me this was the opening song when he saw them on tour in ’83. I have not made sufficient effort to see them. This does not mean I am not a fan, as we can’t attend many of the performances we would like to.

As you might guess the song is focused on the radio dial and the words are quite prophetic, I think. The lyrics speak of the protagonist’s frustration in not being able to find their favorite DJ. Hence going “Around the Dial” and searching in vain. While there are slightly differing interpretations, I had not read anywhere quoting Ray himself on what he was saying when he wrote it. From what I hear in the song and things I have read, this is my take on the song.

The protagonist’s speculation involves questions. Had the DJ said or done something to upset the ‘Corporation’? The song sets the theme for the album, as the lead track, it ties in nicely with the overall message of Give the People What They Want. In other words, don’t try and silence my favorite DJ just for telling it like it is. Let us listen to what we want to listen to.

I said prophetic because this was the beginning of increased pressure on the local DJ. While this was not the first such song, it is reminiscent of Elvis Costello who warned of corporate control over what we see and hear in his song “Radio, Radio” in 1978. Ray Davies took it to the grassroots level of the listener and the radio DJ. This was before (in the US) the Telecommunications Act in 1996 which saw the buying up/combining of stations and the closure of some 1,000 operations by 1999.

Meanwhile, soon to come we had Internet, Digital, and Satellite Radio. Not to mention Podcasts and Streaming Services. This all changed the way we listen worldwide.

Yet despite all this competition music radio stations have been surprisingly resilient. Stations don’t have to store thousands of records and CDs, everything is digital, and they can access anything.  Ray asks us, “We’re going ’round the dial, (Are you listening) Around the dial”? Yes Mr. Davies we are still listening.

Around The Dial

The radios of the world are tuning in tonight
Are you on the dial? Are you tuned in right?
One of our D.J.’s is missing

Are you listening?
Are you listening to me?
Can you hear me?
Can you hear me clearly?
Around the dial

I’ve been around the dial so many times
But you’re not there
Somebody tells me that you’ve been taken off the air
Well, you were my favorite D.J.
Since I can’t remember when
You always played the best records
You never followed any trend

F.M., A.M.. Where are you?
You gotta be out there somewhere on the dial
On the dial

(Are you ready?) We’re going ’round the dial
(Are you listening?) Around the dial
(Are you tuned in?) Around the dial
(Are you searching?) Around the dial

F.M., A.M.. Where are you?
You gotta be out there somewhere on the dial
On the dial

Where did you go Mr. D.J.?
Did they take you off the air?
Was it something that you said to the corporation guys upstairs?
It wasn’t the pressure
You never sounded down
It couldn’t be the ratings
You had the best in town

Somehow I’m gonna find you, track you down
Gonna keep on searching
Around and around and ’round and ’round…

(They’re searching) Around the dial
(They’re listening) Around the dial
(Poor station) The best in town
(Poor D.J.) Who never let us down

While the critics kept on knocking you
You just kept on rocking ’round the dial
Around the dial

I’ve been searching for you on my radio
This time your station really must have gone underground
Somebody said you had a minor nervous breakdown
Was it something that you heard
Or something that you saw
That made you lose your mind
Did you lose control
Did you step out of line?
If you’re there, give us a sign

I can’t believe that you’ve been taken off the air
Think I’ll sell my radio now that you’re not there
You never gave in to fashion
You never followed any trends
All the record bums tried to hack you up
But you were honest to the end

Gonna keep my radio on
‘Til I know just what went wrong
The answer’s out there somewhere on the dial
On the dial

Can you hear me? (around the dial)
Are you listening? (around the dial)
Are you out there? (around the dial)
Can you hear me?
Around the dial

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Coming Soon… Kinks Weeks starts on August 12

On August 12, 2024, I will post two weeks of Kinks songs from different bloggers… I’m looking forward to it as we will hit many Kinks eras… 1963 – 1993.

See You Then! Also…a huge thank you to all the bloggers who agreed to do this. I really appreciate you giving your time for this. I think the readers will enjoy it.