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I've been on a bit of a Kinks binge recently. They were always part of the soundtrack to my life, both the early years and the late-70's/80's, when they were very popular in the US.
I have come to value their songwriting and musicianship more and more.
Ray Davies is an excellent songsmith whose acute observations of everyday life and society ring true much more than many of his contemporaries. And Dave Davies is a criminally underrated guitarist...his chops improved astronomically in the 70's to the point he was right up there with any slinger of his day. He had a real crunch to his sound especially in the 70's/80's that was just awesome. They definitely bridged the British invasion years and punk/New Wave, and IMO they were much more relevant later in their career than the Beatles and Stones.
Anyway, here's the lyrics for Come Dancing. Has anyone ever written a more concise, witty observation on the time they grew up in?
They put a parking lot on a piece of land
When the supermarket used to stand
Before that they put up a bowling alley
On the site that used to be the local pally
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 him 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 a midnight
And my mom 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 can see them in the moonlight
Two silhouettes saying goodnight by the garden gate
The day they knocked down the pally
My sister stood and cried
The day they knocked down the pally
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 pally 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 pally on a Saturday
And all her friends will come dancing
Where the big bands used to play
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10-02-2018 10:22 AM
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Waterloo Sunset,
Days,
Oklahoma USA, and all of Muswell Hillbillies.
Post-post-grad songwriting study.
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The Kinks sounded like Pink Floyd before Pink Floyd did!
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When I saw the title of this thread, "Come Dancing" was the song that started playing in my head! Not "Lola" or "You Really Got Me" (-both of which are classics in their own right.) I also really liked "Sunny Afternoon"...
Originally Posted by Doctor Jeff
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The intro reminds me of Canned Heat somehow.
Loved the way The Fall did this later. (A very straight cover, for them, but by this time I have heard it more than the original.)
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That little lick on the guitar is similar to "Going Up The Country" which itself is a rip-off of Henry Thomas' "Bulldoze Blues" (1928): Originally Posted by MarkRhodes
Btw: huge Kinks fan here myself! Do yourself a favour and learn to play some Kinks songs - they work well and are a lot of fun just with an acoustic...
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Yes. Originally Posted by Doctor Jeff
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apparently there are reliable reports of a kinks reunion...brothers ray and dave have been estranged for decades...be nice if they could pull it off...
btw, there's a great film about ray davies...directed by julien temple...imaginary man...highly recommended viewing on many levels...thoroughly engaging
utube has it in sections...here's first
cheers
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ps- my fave (rare original 50's) flying v posture...dave davies...hah
cheers
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I'm a big fan, they have an incredible body of work spanning decades, and as great a singer songwriter as Ray Davies was, the band created something bigger than the sum of it's parts. Gigged many a Kinks tune through the years.
A couple strong tunes from their second coming...
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They were just an awesome band in the late 70's and early 80's, especially compared to their fellow British Invasion artists. I wish I had seen 'em...
A tune like Low Budget--my favorite--just explodes with energy and raunch--making a political point without being absurdly didactic, and with extreme wit.
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 a size twenty eight, but I take thirty four!
I'm on a low budget!
What did you say?
Yeah, I'm on a low budget!
I thought you said that.
And the Low Budget album cover is absolutely iconic. Might have to frame it and put it on the wall of the man cave.
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I also am/was a big fan, from the very beginning to Victoria, Lola and beyond. But I must ask the big unsettled question, at least for me. Who really played the solos on You Really Got Me and All of the Day and All of the Night? Dave Davies supposedly did. But he never did anything like that again. He was not a guitar whiz. Rumors said Jimmy Page did those solos, yet "everybody" says no. What do you think? Originally Posted by cosmic gumbo
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Saw 'em at the 'Shrine' in L.A. long, long ago.
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If you see the Low Budget live video before your post, you can see Dave D is an accomplished rock guitarist, and this live performance (not lip-synced) of All of the Day and All of the Night from Shindig has him pulling off the solo. Yes, Jimmy Page was a studio fixture in those days and may have played some 12 string on a Kinks tune, but Dave has always been an inventive and solid guitarist and only got better and better over time, IMO. Originally Posted by Phil59
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Dave Davies has a lot of early Jimmy Page in him, also reminds one of Malcolm Young. He must have spent countless hours between the mid-60's and late 70's honing his skills. Look at the wear marks on the back of his guitar...
That live album was a great nod to both classic rock and punk. Not too many groups made the transition from the 60's to the 80's with their skills and reputations intact.
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Perhaps their greatest song, also very late in the career... simply a great song
Everybody's a dreamer... Everybody's a star!!
I also loved the story that Dave Davies would slice his speakers with razor blades as
his way to create distortion... no pedals back then...
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Had a bunch of albums by The Kinks back in the late 60s.
Some of my favorite songs were Who'll Be The Next In Line, Set Me Free, and Sunny Afternoon.
A unique band for sure!
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