1. This week's NME reports that Ray has been in Konk Studio with Razorlight recording a new version of "Sunny Afternoon". It will possibly be released this summer.

Razorlight team up with The Kinks
The bands reinterpret a classic
Razorlight and Kinks legend Ray Davies have gone into the studio to re-record one of the 60s band's biggest hits.

Last week, Razolight singer Johnny Borrell and Daviesentered a London studio to put together a new version of The Kinks' Number One single 'Sunny Afternoon'.

The timing for the new version couldn't be better - it is 40 years since the song soundtracked the World Cup in England in 1966, and Razorlight wanted to have another go to coincide with this year's event.

"They wanted to do 'Sunny Afternoon' and they wanted me to sing on it and in the end I sang a lot of it and helped produce it", Davies told NME.COM. "We'll see how it works out. If we think it's tacky we won't put it out. Actually if we think it's tacky we will put it out!"

Davies and Johnny Borrell hit it off instantly, as the pair grew up in similar parts of London. He continued: "We went in (to the studio) last weekend. Johnny was great, the band were great. Johnny grew up about ten yards from where I live. It was great and we had a lot in common. I loved the new album."

"Johnny's a huge fan," a friend of Borrell explained, "and he's from Muswell Hill which is near where Ray lives. There's a rumour that Paul Weller and Beth Orton were involved in the project too - although it's unclear when it'll come out."

A spokesperson for Davies told NME.COM the single hasn't yet been scheduled, although a source close to the project said they wanted it released in the summer.

In the meantime, Razorlight were set complete their second album this week. The currently untitled record is due out in July.



2. Def Leppard covers "Waterloo Sunset" on their new album of cover songs, Yeah!.

Don't be sad...
We care, elc!


Good news!


O.K., maybe I don't care so much about this.

ha! I just posted that for the metal fans. I don't care about it either.

Yes, we totally care! What did you think of Ray's solo album? It dragged a bit for me...

I agree. It was decent, but not great. I maintain that it had many of the same flaws as the latter day Kinks records. Some good ideas, sometimes lyrics that were too direct, but one thing I realized quite clearly when I made my Kinks comp was how Ray's songs got longer and longer over time. I think Ray now doesn't think a song is finished until it hits the 4 minute mark (preferably 5) - tends to make the records drag, I think. I love when the songs are short, especially the kinds of songs Ray writes.

[/quote]
I think Ray now doesn't think a song is finished until it hits the 4 minute mark (preferably 5) - tends to make the records drag, I think. I love when the songs are short, especially the kinds of songs Ray writes.
[/quote]

I know! There's a reason why the classic Kinks' albums were full of 3-minute songs... well, a few were longer (20th Century Man, for example), but you're right, shorter = better with Ray.

Let me be the first to say that I prefer the original version.

Ray Davies has to be the best headliner for the free 4th of July show in years!
... maybe ever

Funny, I seem to recall reading in Circus magazine (maybe Creem???--back when Def Leppard was just getting big), Joe Elliott was asked something to the effect of "do you guys consider yourself metal"? I think his reply was something like "no, we're more of a light alloy". Kind of a funny line. They seemed to know all along that they didn't fit squarely into the metal category.

Now, back to the Kinks...

I have to admit, there are other bands I wish were doing this cover.

ah well, someone still loves you, Ray Davies.

That album that Ray Davies produced for the Turtles (Turtle Soup) was killer.

review of Ray's Taste show from Sun-Times:




Davies revisits Kinks hits, plugs album

July 6, 2006

BY DAVE HOEKSTRA Staff Reporter




A sunny afternoon at the Taste of Chicago was the perfect setting for Ray Davies, who returned to town Tuesday to promote "Other People's Lives," the first solo album by the former Kinks frontman.

Davies' charms as a songwriter are his abilities to observe and blend in. Mick Jagger is a jet setter. Paul McCartney is detached. Davies remains one of us. He would have been right at home carrying a beer and a turkey leg along the Taste midway on the Fourth of July.

Chicago was good to the Kinks during their 1960s and underrated 1970s glory days. A city known for its muscle and moxie took to the Kinks' power chords in hits like "Till the End of the Day" and "You Really Got Me," both of which Davies covered as guitarist Mark Johns channeled Ray's younger brother Dave. Davies also offered an impromptu songwriting lesson, beginning "You Really Got Me" with a slow Chicago blues beat -- which, as he told the crowd, was his original intention until "Dave turned up the volume and turned the Kinks into rock 'n' roll history."

At age 61, Davies has become a rather chipper Hans Christian Andersen-type character. The gap-toothed singer wandered onto the stage of the Petrillo Music Shell carrying a bottle of Stella beer and began the show with the hard driving "Low Budget." He then picked up a guitar to revisit the Kinks chestnuts "I'm Not Like Everybody Else" and "Where Have All the Good Times Gone?" He wryly wished America a happy Independence Day with the tagline, "I understand what you're going through."

Davies began the Kinks' "20th Century Man" with a funereal arrangement before the song kicked in with swirling keyboards, and he gingerly covered "Sunny Afternoon" on acoustic guitar accompanied by Johns.

Later in the show, he revisited the Kinks ballad "A Long Way From Home" as a touching recollection of growing up with his younger brother. By cutting stage chatter, Davies was able to perform much of "Other People's Lives," a project that began in May 2000 when he moved to New Orleans to write songs. The album nearly was completed in January 2004 when Davies was shot in the leg while chasing a purse snatcher in the French Quarter. Once again, he had blended into the crowd.

The best stuff from the new album was "The Tourist," spiced up by a "Mustang Sally" shuffle, and "The Getaway (Lonesome Train)," where Davies sublimely meshed folk blues with dashes of pop.

The Kinks were a superb British band (like the Faces, only with more wit) but never reached the heights of the Beatles and the Stones. But where the Kinks win out is in Ray Davies' boundless terms of endearment, which shaped the dynamics of Tuesday's show at the Taste.

dhoekstra@suntimes.com

Did you go, ElC?

I missed it.

Huh?

you deaf?
I was not in town. My life, contrary to my sombie life, does not revolve around the Kinks, Ray Davies, or even music in general. I saw him at the Vic, enjoyed it, hate the Taste, have a family and other priorities besides seeing Ray Davies.

Huffy !

Get your priorities straight !




















k

well, if Patty Griffin were the headliner, I'd have been there.

That's more like it!

Y'know, I really wanna like her, and she's got some great songs and I like her voice, but when we saw her at Park West a year-plus ago the whole thing came across as ... just, very pretentious. I don't know, maybe it was just a bad vibe that night, but she lost me a little, and her latest album is kinda crappy.



















k

well, in my world, you've done the equivalent of my failing to love Nick Drake in your world. I guess we're even.

Park West... When was that show? I saw her at the Vic 2 years ago now, I think. I can't remember the timing of her Park West show, but I must've been out of town or something because I missed it. It was probably 5 years ago, if memory serves. That Vic show, though, was absolutely transcendent.

Impossible Dream, has got plenty of flaws, but to call it crappy is just ridiculous. I've never found her pretentious though, maybe a bit geeky, sometimes too touchy feely, I suppose, but I'm pretty sure all that's genuine.

It was Spring of '05.

I don't find her pretentious, it's the music, the scene, the instrumentation, etc. She actually seems really cool. Not as cool as, say, Kathleen Edwards, but quite cool . . .




















k

Damn, I don't remember why I missed that show, but I guess it's good to hear that it might have been an off night. EDIT: It was Passover - goddam Jews leaving Egypt and all, like anybody needs 2 seders anyway.
Anyway, I never really got the appeal of Kathleen Edwards, myself; she might be cool, she just lacks the talent of a Patty Griffin, imo, but enough cocking up my Kinks thread dammit.

Don't worry, I'll fix it: Hey, anyone want to (re)post Ray Davies's recent solo album? (um, I was serious)

I'm gonna see Ray in a couple of weeks. Really excited about it.

The new Ray solo is a bit much. Some good songs, but some just okay ones dominate. The comment about songs being too long hits the nail on the head. I actually haven't listened to it in a while.

Elliott Smith did a nice cover of "Waterloo Sunset" live once upon a time.

It's a pretty straightforward cover, and I like it.

I've also recently discovered "I'm Not Like Anybody Else" and have been listening pretty repetitively.

I see kessler is still as big of an asshole as ever, battling Ronnie pup killer Reagan for king of Disdainville. I'm sure their mamas must be proud. At least when they're propped up vertical. ABneg, I see you've fallen for the-usually-somewhat-reliable Sask's diva, Gemma. Holy hell is she super-modelly hot but let's face it, she's a quarter step up from Celine Dion in the talent dept. maybe that's a bit harsh. let's just say she's coffeehouse pleasant.


And quit already with the djdee woeisme bullshit. Some people share your musical tastes, and a lot of people do not. Turn them on when you can, and move on when they don't. Nobody likes a whiner. djdee. djpee. djdee.

see you in a few months. if ever. fuck the somb. XOXXOOOXXOXXXX.O.

I know you likely won't read this, as you've apparently gone away again (regrettably), but while I understand the reaction you had here, and see how you might interpret my thread title as a woeisme, I can only retort that my reasoning had more to do with the whole idea of starting this thread in the first place.

As you might guess, I follow the careers of some of my favorite artists, and when I come across news relating to them, it's often a quandary for me whether to post about it on the SOMB. Sometimes I feel like I'm street teaming or something. In any event, I often debate with myself about whether anyone other than me even cares about certain news regarding my favorite artists, and even when I decide that a note might be worthy of the SOMB, I often don't know if it's worthy of it's own thread. As a result, in this case, I thought surely the Kinks were worthy of having a thread that I keep updating periodically with relevant news. I suppose I could have left off the note about no one else caring, but I think that was mostly inspired by ryan's quite popular bonaroo thread.

Sorry if it offended your delicate sensibilities, huh?.

As far as Gemma goes, I'm still lukewarm to her, but she's certainly not worthy of a Celine Dion comparison.

Her straight acoustic stuff, yeah, kind of. I have to re-download her album from late last year, which is a pretty nice one. It's not going to be released in North America, as it turns out.

Golden Smog cover "Stangers" on their album Another Fine Day to be released later this month.

Ray is scheduled to appear on the Tonight Show with Jay Leno next Tuesday, July 18th.

apparently the Kinks are going to rerecord "You Really Got Me" as a promo for "Desperate Housewives"

ABC Pushes Fall Season With Music Videos
The Kinks Re-Record Song for 'Desperate Housewives'
By Claire Atkinson

Published: August 23, 2006

NEW YORK (AdAge.com) -- Move over MTV. ABC is planning to shoot a series of music videos to promote its upcoming fall shows. Much as it did during the Super Bowl earlier this year, when ABC aired a doctored video of classic '80s song "Addicted to Love" by Robert Palmer, the network is commissioning special versions of songs to catch the attention of viewers.
The Kinks will redo their classic '60s hit 'You Really Got Me' to air in support of 'Desperate Housewives'.
Photo Credit: ABC

'A strong device'
"We are using music as a strong device," said Marla Provencio, co-senior VP-marketing. "A lot of storytelling will be through music and we chose pieces of music that tell a story." The first music video will promote "Lost," where the marketing challenge for ABC will be hooking viewers who haven't watched before and may feel disconnected from the show's continuous storyline.

ABC has summoned The Kinks for a redo of their classic '60s hit "You Really Got Me" to air in support of "Desperate Housewives." The Frey's "How to Save a Life" is also being used in support of "Grey's Anatomy." Other deals are still being pursued.

"It is one way to broaden out the appeal to a certain audience," added Ms. Provencio.

Still, ABC isn't abandoning traditional marketing and will continue the dirty-laundry marketing theme the network used to promote the first season of "Desperate Housewives." "We're doing print ads with a beautiful layout in a dirty laundromat," said Ms. Provencio. ABC will also plaster laundromats around the country with posters for the show.

Shows get websites
ABC is also in the process of setting up a number of show websites to promote programs like "Six Degrees" (www.youareconnected.com) and "Knights of Prosperity" (www.jointheknights.com). "The Nine," a drama about a hostage situation, will have a web presence at www.onlytheyknow.com. "The internet is the biggest buzz word in marketing," said Ms. Provencio, adding that her marketing team has been looking at ways to do things that are "organic, original and innovative."

She said that ABC is planning a large nontraditional marketing push for comedy "Ugly Betty." The effort will likely be similar to the network's 2004 promotion for "Lost" in which bottles (with messages inside) were placed on beaches, but Ms. Provencio declined to divulge the details of the "Ugly Betty" strategy.

In outdoor, ABC is planning a subway campaign in New York City for "Six Degrees," a show about how people are connected without realizing it. The subway ads will read: "The person that sat next to you could be your next boss."

/\
I'm not really sure that this is good news.

"top of the world" has to be one of my favorite songs

Wow have these guys become whores. Well, if a few hundred thousand 18-24 year-olds are exposed to the Kinks as a result, it's not all embarrassing ...




















k

I admit I haven't seen much DHw, but this doesn't seem like a great fit. Perhaps a song by PULP. I mean, wouldn't this be stretching the definition of "girl" in the song's opening line? It seems that the whole appeal of these women is AS WOMEN not girls.

True. But the kids will laugh and go "yeah, the Kodak song!" whenever they hear "Picture Book" being used as some band's walk-in music.

I like when bands let their music be used in other ways. It's always fun to hear Kinks songs on commercials. I've never understood why "selling out" is bad. Just about every artist of note is hoping to make money thru their music. Now, I'm not sure about the DHW thing - saw about 10 minutes of one episode and it was such dreck I couldn't stomach it.

turns out the initial report of the Kinks rerecording YRGM for the promo was erroneous, it seems. The promo used a cover of the song. Not sure who did it. Maybe they aren't as whorry as you thought, kessler.

for the record, I like whores. usually unfairly maligned.

The Kinks Unofficial Box Set Volume I - I Need You
threw this up elsewhere, but figured it more properly belonged here. sometime I might throw up the other volumes.

whats all on this?
i got the pye box set a few months ago wonder if i need to download this

Kinks Volume I (I Need You)
1. I Need You
2. Come On Now
3. Who’ll Be the Next In Line
4. Something Better Beginning
5. You Really Got Me
6. See My Friends
7. Set Me Free
8. A Well Respected Man
9. Tired of Waiting For You
10. I Go To Sleep
11. Rosey Won’t You Please Come Home
12. Too Much On My Mind
13. Fancy
14. David Watts
15. Death of a Clown
16. So Long
17. I’ll Remember
18. You’re Lookin’ Fine
19. Sunny Afternoon
20. Two Sisters
21. Little Miss Queen of Darkness
22. Dandy
23. Session Man
24. Harry Rag
25. Lazy Old Sun
26. You Shouldn’t Be Sad
27. No Return
28. Situation Vacant
29. Afternoon Tea
30. Waterloo Sunset

thanks.
some damn fine songs on there

30 of them

I really love the Kinks. I've seen them a few times starting with a Haloween performance ( I think at the Auditorium theatre ) with Steely Dan as opening act. I think this was right after "Everyboody's in Show Biz" was released. I saw their theatrical concerts during the Preservation ( Act 1 & 2 ) era, they really tried to make it like a night at the theatre. Ray is such a charming, funny performer, and Dave is an incredible guitarist. Last I heard about Dave ( after his stroke ); he was able to play guitar, but he couldn't play & sing at the same time.
I don't get the time to listen to music as much as I used to; a wife & 2 kids takes up alot of time, and I hadn't listened to the Kinks for a while; my friend copied "To the Bone" for me, and it was like I never left -- what a great album; this was their last album release. I can't find some of my old Kinks records, but I've still got lots of Kinks. I don't know why but the Kinks song that keeps popping into my memory is "I'm in Disgrace" from the album "Schoolboys in Disgrace" --- those power chords are so amazing. Lets hope Dave makes a full recovery, and the Kinks can be reunited; it would be nice if the "exquisite" John Gosling could rejoin on keyborards, and Mick Avery returned on drums.
Speaking of Dave, his song "Strangers" is one of the most beautiful songs ever. He didn't write nearly as prolifically as Ray, but he came up with some gems. My friends & I would laugh sometimes at Dave's singing when it went totally out of control and you could barely understand him as he screamed out the words. Great stuff!! And, who else but Ray would ever write about the Village Green?

good post

Kinks - The Arista Years 7 albums - $44.79


Kinks - The RCA Years - 6 albums - $38.49

Re-up of Volume I of the Kinks Box (I Need You)
will try and put the rest up as I get time.