The Jazz Guitar Chord Dictionary
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  1. #1

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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

  2.  

    The Jazz Guitar Chord Dictionary
     
  3. #2

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  4. #3

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  5. #4

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    Waterloo Sunset,

    Days,

    Oklahoma USA, and all of Muswell Hillbillies.

    Post-post-grad songwriting study.

  6. #5

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    The Kinks sounded like Pink Floyd before Pink Floyd did!


  7. #6

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    Quote Originally Posted by Doctor Jeff
    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.
    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"...

  8. #7

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  9. #8

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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.)


  10. #9

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    Quote Originally Posted by MarkRhodes
    The intro reminds me of Canned Heat somehow.
    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):





    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...

  11. #10

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    Quote Originally Posted by Doctor Jeff
    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.
    Yes.


  12. #11

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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

  13. #12

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    ps- my fave (rare original 50's) flying v posture...dave davies...hah




    cheers

  14. #13

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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...




  15. #14

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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.

  16. #15

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    Quote Originally Posted by cosmic gumbo
    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...



    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?

  17. #16

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    Saw 'em at the 'Shrine' in L.A. long, long ago.

  18. #17

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    Quote Originally Posted by Phil59
    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?
    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.


  19. #18

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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.

  20. #19

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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...

  21. #20

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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!