Latest news with #BritishInvasion
Spectator
a day ago
- Entertainment
- Spectator
What I saw at Ozzy's last gig
Ozzy Osbourne and Black Sabbath did something British groups had not done before. Before them, the British Invasion groups – from the Beatles, the Stones and The Who down to Herman's Hermits and Dave Dee, Dozy, Beaky, Mick and Tich – had taken American music and sold it to the British public as the American dream, as exotica. And when they exported it back to the States, the Americans – most of whom had never heard the music the groups began by copying – heard in it something fresh and exciting and joyful. Sabbath instead sold the American nightmare back to the United States, filling arenas across North America, a much bigger concert draw there than at home. They were an English version of the great curdling that happened in American popular culture at the end of the 1960s as it became apparent Vietnam was never going to end: we got the Stones releasing doves in Hyde Park, they got Meredith Hunter murdered by Hell's Angels when the Stones played Altamont. In the last year of the 60s, the Beatles were singing 'Here Comes the Sun'. In America, the Stooges were singing, 'It's 1969 OK / War across the USA.' The Stooges came from Detroit, Sabbath from Birmingham: both industrial cities, with racial tensions, and car industries whose plugs weren't that sparky any longer. Both bands reflected the nihilistic hopelessness that comes with understanding there are no prospects. In Sabbath's case, that was literally true: Osbourne had already served six weeks in prison for a disastrous robbery of a clothes shop when he was 17; the guitarist, Tony Iommi, only developed his doomy, downtuned style after losing two fingertips in a factory accident; he replaced them with melted and moulded washing up liquid bottle tops. Osbourne never seemed to lose that fatalism, which in a world of living-their-best-life stars seemed unusually truthful and endearing. How much of what we saw on The Osbournes was real and how much was shtick for the cameras, we don't know. But we do know that when he was thrown out of Sabbath in 1979, he assumed he'd be going back on the dole in Birmingham, not becoming one of the biggest hard rock stars of the 1980s. At his final gig, with Sabbath, at Villa Park on 5 July, I watched from the Doug Ellis Stand, and I've seldom seen someone so obviously overwhelmed by his reception. Even performing from a ridiculous satanic throne, his voice cracked and weak, looking in obvious discomfort, he was adored and cheered to the rafters, And while it was a tribal event – no one was there because they'd stumbled on a ticket and there were some famous people on the bill – Osbourne's position in that tribe was evident from the fact that most of the bill below him – playing for free for between 10 and 25 minutes – could headline arenas and festivals, and some of them routinely play stadiums. The closest we will come to a repeat is when either Paul McCartney or Keith Richards finally dies: only they are as beloved as Ozzy was. That love was not down to talent. Like Richards, Ozzy was loved for his frailties, and for embodying something wild that many of us slightly envy, but only from a very great distance, since we also see its effects. Like Richards, he was seen as the embodiment of a 'rock'n'roll lifestyle', though of a different sort. Richards tended more Byronic and dissolute, Ozzy just seemed like a Brummie maniac given all the drugs and all the drink in the world, which was more or less what he was. And, like Richards, he was forgiven his sins, and it is astonishing what he was forgiven for. Leave aside the pissing on the Alamo, and the dismembered bats and pigeons. In 1989, he was charged with attempted murder when he strangled his wife Sharon. She didn't press charges – he was out of his mind on drugs, and prefaced his attempt by saying, 'We've decided you've got to die' – and it was written off as, 'Well, Ozzy, eh?' And amid the lionisation – which, for his contribution to rock, is deserved – it's important to remember the other three members of Black Sabbath, who played with him the other week: Tony Iommi, Geezer Butler and Bill Ward. Ozzy became the face of heavy metal, but it was these three who provided the ballast. His legacy is inextricable from theirs.
Buzz Feed
4 days ago
- Buzz Feed
25 Things Non-Americans Love About The United States
Recently, I came across a thread from a now-deleted user on the popular Ask Reddit forum asking, "Non-Americans of Reddit, what is something about America you admire?" and the answers were so wholesome and positive, I had to share. There's so much to appreciate, and it's nice to take the time to do it! So, here are some of the best answers people had: "The Smithsonian Museums. Very cool and very fun to walk around and see. And they're free." "National Parks." "Your wildlife. Lots of beasties on that continent." "If you guys want, you can go to pretty much any climate without a passport. You have tropical, desert, oceanside, lakeside, and mountain climates." "Drinking fountains everywhere. Nearly all public toilets are free." "The amount of nature. Mountains, forests, valleys, deserts, waterfalls, etc. Where I live, we've got a few hills and there's no place anywhere in the country that is completely untouched or so far from civilization that you can't hear traffic." "Verbal communication skills. When people are interviewed on TV, they can really explain in detail what happened, and it is easily understood. It's like everyone has a communication major." "The scale and grandeur. I'm used to nature being small, but everything in America is bigger: bigger storms, bigger mountains, bigger horizons. Even the sky People in America are casually dealing with everything from alligators to bears, pitching tents on the sides of cliffs, and walking their dogs through literal wilderness; I genuinely feel like a hobbit watching Aragorn saunter through Middle Earth like it's nothing while I've never been beyond the end of Farmer Maggot's farm before. I love it." "It's so big. Like, to be real, if you wanna do a road trip that's like two weeks. Maybe more." "Cornbread." "The arts. Jazz, rhythm and blues, and the early rock and roll that inspired the British Invasion. The authors. The films." "King's Hawaiian sweet rolls." "NASA is America's best PR. Sure, they could really use triple the budget to seriously get things done, but what they do is admired globally." "Southern cuisine, from BBQ all the way to Creole type guys know how to eat down there." "Films and TV shows." "I always hear complaints about the portion sizes, which is fair, they're big. But we gotta give America credit for how socially acceptable it is to take the leftover food home. As a frugal Dutch person, this mesmerizes me, and I'm very sad this is not as acceptable here." "How madly diverse it is. Admittedly, I've only seen it on TV, but the fact that the Bronx and Texas are in the same country is mind-boggling." "I love how spread the infrastructure is across the country. Literally, massive multinational companies are headquartered in so many smaller cities. Manufacturing can occur in even more towns. Here in Australia, our population is so concentrated in our three biggest cities, it's difficult for big businesses to survive elsewhere, so they move to the big cities and perpetuate the problem. Half our population is in those three cities." "I'm from Portugal and living in the US right now. One thing that really impressed me when I got here was how green the US is, and how many trees they have." "How the national identity is so culturally mixed. It seems like if you move to France, you don't become French; you just become a foreigner. But everyone who lives in America at all is American." "Fruity pebbles." "I like how open-minded the people are and how much they seem to enjoy varied interests. I've found in my country, we tend to be pretty judgmental of anything we aren't used to seeing, and most people have basically the same hobbies." "Americans always know how to get a conversation going! 'Hey, where are you from?' and then they are genuinely interested in hearing the answer, even if perhaps they've never heard of that place. They are great at small talk, and friendly (doesn't matter if it's 'fake' sometimes, e.g., the server in a restaurant, it is still a skill to be that friendly and welcoming, in my opinion). They make people feel like a million bucks." "Some of the best roller coasters on Earth." And finally: "New York City. Hot Dogs. Your friendliness. Hollywood. Yellowstone. Baseball. Ford GT. Road trips. Coca-Cola. NASA. Southern BBQ. Burgers. Yosemite. Your infectious love of the outrageous. Jaws. Your love of English accents ;). Harrison Ford. Rock and fuckin' roll. Nike. Magic Mountain. Pamela Anderson. Red Vines. The video game and animation industries. Dr Pepper. Maine lobster rolls. Skateboarding. Ralph Lauren. The Sopranos. Jack FM. Baskin-Robbins. Car park cookouts. Wakeboarding. Ruby's Diner. Long Island (Iced Tea). Eddie Murphy. Technological innovation. Soul. Southern California. Star Wars. Ford Broncos. Key lime pie." It's kinda nice hearing all these positives, IMO. What do you think? Tell me about it in the comments!
The Irish Sun
7 days ago
- Entertainment
- The Irish Sun
The Kinks' Sir Ray Davies on alternative name for band and why he loves taunting US fans
SIR Raymond Douglas Davies and the United States Of America – let's just say it's a complicated relationship. Their paths first crossed in 1964 when the British Invasion was in full swing. Advertisement 5 Sir Raymond Douglas Davies of The Kinks opens up as the band front another release Credit: Getty 5 The band on TV in 1968 Credit: Getty The Beatles lit the blue touch paper and Their heavy riff-driven hits You Really Got Me and All Day And All Of The Night rocketed into the top ten of the Billboard Hot 100. A year later, however, the wheels fell off in spectacular fashion — and they had to make a hasty 'British Retreat'. Following a turbulent US tour in the summer of '65, The Kinks were banned from performing there for four years. Advertisement READ MORE ON MUSIC Though no official reason was given by the American Federation of Musicians, there were reports of rowdy behaviour on and off stage, a physical altercation with a 'British-baiting' TV producer and an unpaid fee. Sixty years on, I've been given the chance to ask Sir Ray, 81, about The Kinks' Stateside story. He has curated the third and final part of the band's archive series, The Journey, which focuses on the late Seventies and early Eighties, when they finally cracked America. For context, Davies begins by reflecting on the impact of seismic events more than a decade earlier. Advertisement Most read in Music He says: 'I was talking to (drummer) Mick Avory the other day and we concluded that the ban in America was a result of bad management, bad luck and bad behaviour — but we were only young. 'We had dreamt of America for so long' 'Nevertheless, the four-year ban was a bit excessive. Looking back though, it allowed me the space to write songs about England and forget about breaking America. Oasis kick off first Manchester homecoming gig after 16 years away 'However, it was irksome having to watch all our peers tour the States while we were left behind.' By saying 'peers', Davies is of course referring to groups such as The Beatles, the Rolling Stones and The Who. Advertisement Did The Kinks feel bruised by missing out on the wild success enjoyed by the others? 'Of course we did,' he replies. 'We were young and looking forward to touring the country that had inspired our music and to experiencing Americana first hand. 'We had dreamt of America for so long through this vision of the movies of our childhood.' Davies adds that 'on returning back to England, the band was in financial difficulties and on the verge of breaking up — and that took a further toll on all four of us.' Advertisement As we know, he picked himself up and emerged as one of our most gifted, perceptive and literate songwriters. There was something quintessentially English about his Dedicated Follower Of Fashion and his lovers Terry and Julie, who 'as long as they gaze on Waterloo Sunset, they are in paradise'. Just consider The Village Green Preservation Society with lines like 'God save strawberry jam and all the different varieties'. In a previous interview, I remember Davies telling me that his song A Well Respected Man was about a neighbour who went to work in a bowler hat. Advertisement He said: 'While we were banned, it was our biggest hit in America and I sang it in a London accent. 'It was Dick Van Dyke London. Americans still think of us as being a bit Mary Poppins.' A British Invasion contemporary, The Who's By 1970, The Kinks' ban had been lifted and American success beckoned once more. Advertisement They returned to the US top ten with Lola, a memorable Ray Davies composition set in a Soho bar and noted for its singalong chorus and daring lyrics about the gender-fluid title character. 'Before the ban, we played venues like the Hollywood Bowl,' he tells me. 'When we eventually returned, we were booked into small clubs and college venues. 'It was like starting all over again but it felt like an opportunity to get back what had been taken away from us.' Advertisement 5 Ray in the studio Credit: ALEX LAKE alexlake@ By the mid-Seventies, The Kinks were delivering a leaner, more hard-rocking sound to their American audiences. It comes with this explanation from Davies: 'We were often playing as a support act and soundchecks were not always possible. 'So our sound became stripped down, which in a strange way made it more direct and in your face. Advertisement 'Punk brought London alive, energy returned' 'I started reproducing this sound in the studio,' he continues before stressing, 'but you can't really say songs like All Day And All Of The Night and You Really Got Me are lightweight. 'Having said that, audiences responded well to songs like Art Lover and Well Respected Man, which are not exactly heavy metal. 'On occasions I would break into vaudevillian renditions of You Are My Sunshine and the British National Anthem just to taunt the American audiences and heavy rock aficionados as if to say, 'Yeah, we are British, take it or leave it.' The first Kinks album to adopt a more 'direct' sound was Sleepwalker (1976), their first for music mogul Clive Davis' fledgling Arista Records. Advertisement It was also the first of a string of LPs that did better in the US than back in good old Blighty. Davies says: 'Clive persuaded me to stay in New York and I began work on Sleepwalker there. I eventually rented an apartment on the Upper West Side.' The title track and Sleepless Night dealt with his insomnia at the time which he likens to 'having permanent jet lag'. The band's no-nonsense approach to the music also chimed with the advent of punk and the arrival of bands like The Jam who cited The Kinks as a major influence. Advertisement Davies says: 'I feel it (punk) brought London alive and energy returned to the city — we were back on the map of music and fashion. 'A lot of great bands came out of that period and The Kinks were like contemporaries.' Although Davies started work on Sleepwalker in The Big Apple, it was recorded in London at his newly founded Konk Studios. He remembers the early days of Konk and the freedom it afforded. Advertisement 'We acquired a Neve (mixing) desk and started adapting what was an old factory in North London. 'It was rough and ready but the sound was to our liking and we had a certain amount of control over the budget. This made a huge impact on our recordings. Before Konk, we recorded at other studios and they were strictly on the meter but now we could run into overtime.' Following Sleepwalker came Misfits in 1978 — well received, particularly in the States, but representing another difficult period for The Kinks. Davies says: 'After the success of the Sleepwalker album, the band was in disarray and two members left. Advertisement 'But myself, Dave and Mick remained committed and we brought in two new members, Jim Rodford and Ian Gibbons.' Did the band see themselves as misfits? I venture. 'As it turned out, Misfits would have been a good name instead of The Kinks,' muses Davies. 'In some ways we have always been more like outsiders — not fitting in with any style or movement.' Advertisement One of the Misfits songs, A Rock 'n' Roll Fantasy emphatically proved that Davies hadn't lost his way with neat turns of phrase. 'I was absorbed into American culture' He says 'It is quite an autobiographical song. 'The king is dead' was a deliberate reference to Elvis (who died on August 16, 1977). 'I wrote it from the apartment on the 11th floor in NYC and the last verse was a direct reference to a man I saw listening to music in the building opposite. 'The first verse is about a friend of mine . . . 'You've been sleeping in a field but you look real rested/You set out to outrage but you can't get arrested/You say your image is new but it looks well tested/You're lost without a crowd, and yet you go your own way.'' Advertisement Next, I ask Davies how living in NYC impacted on his songwriting in general. 'It was like learning another language,' he replies. 'I was being absorbed into American culture, particularly with the Low Budget album (1979) and songs like Catch Me Now I'm Falling and Attitude. But one thing that remained was my London accent as opposed to trying to sound American.' On Catch Me Now I'm Falling, Davies deftly captured the uncertain mood in America during the late Seventies. 5 The band on the roof of London's Dorchester hotel in 1976 Credit: Redferns Advertisement 'There must have been a knock-on effect from all the economic difficulties in the world,' he says. 'After the Second World War, America saved the world, but who will save America?' Low Budget also featured (Wish I Could Fly Like) Superman, released in the wake of Christopher Reeve donning the iconic blue and red outfit with yellow accents. 'Superman was a comic book hero of mine and, at the time, we had strikes all over Britain,' says Davies. Advertisement 'But the song itself is about a man waking to all this bad news and he fantasises about flying away like Superman.' After Low Budget came 1981's Give The People What They Want, including the rocking Destroyer which was like a blast from the past. It featured the riff from All Day And All Of The Night and lyrics referencing Lola. Davies says: 'It had been my idea for a long time, but had been on the back burner. Advertisement 'I counted the song in, shouted out the chords through the headphones and it was recorded almost in one take.' The album ended with the jangly, bittersweet Better Things, written by Davies about his failing marriage to second wife Yvonne. 'It's basically a break-up song about wishing the other person to have a better life,' he affirms. This brings us to the best-loved of all The Kinks' later songs, Come Dancing, from the 1983 album State Of Confusion. Advertisement It served as a heartfelt tribute to Davies' tragic sister Rene who loved to dance to big bands on a Saturday night. He tells the story behind the song: 'My first Spanish guitar was a gift from Rene. 'She died of a heart condition at the age of 31 on the day before my 13th birthday, while she was out dancing at the Lyceum Ballroom. 'My musical Come Dancing is based on family life and the events leading up to Rene's passing. Also around that time, I would buy records with my pocket money from Les Aldrich record shop in Muswell Hill which has now sadly closed down. Advertisement 'These records and memories had an impact on my writing the musical.' If the first disc of The Journey Pt 3 sheds new light on a fascinating and fruitful period for The Kinks, the second is a treasure trove of a different kind. It is a newly discovered, pristine recording of the band's Royal Albert Hall concert on July 11, 1993. This was at the dawn of Britpop and the old masters showed the young pretenders how it should be done. Advertisement The show drew on all parts of The Kinks' momentous 'journey' and included standout renditions of You Really Got Me, Sunny Afternoon and Dedicated Follower Of Fashion. Last song Days finds Davies addressing the rapturous crowd, 'Thank you for the days/Those endless days, those sacred days you gave me.' He says: 'The concert was part of a tour celebrating our 30th anniversary. It was more like a welcome home from America and it was well received. 'Our fans showed us great affection and enthusiasm which was a highlight of the tour. Advertisement 'Recently, when we were updating archives in Konk Studio, we came across the recording of that show, the last that the band performed at the Albert Hall.' Finally, I ask Davies about the whole experience of putting together The Journey Parts 1, 2 and 3. 'I would have said let the lyrics do the talking before embarking on this project,' he answers. 'But, in some ways, these recollections have given the songs more depth.' Advertisement All I can add is, 'Thank you for the Ray.' THE KINKS The Journey Part 3 ★★★★☆ 5 The Kinks – The Journey Part 3 is out now Credit: supplied
Scottish Sun
7 days ago
- Entertainment
- Scottish Sun
The Kinks' Sir Ray Davies on alternative name for band and why he loves taunting US fans
Scroll to read more on The Kinks' Stateside story THINK KINK The Kinks' Sir Ray Davies on alternative name for band and why he loves taunting US fans Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) SIR Raymond Douglas Davies and the United States Of America – let's just say it's a complicated relationship. Their paths first crossed in 1964 when the British Invasion was in full swing. Sign up for the Entertainment newsletter Sign up 5 Sir Raymond Douglas Davies of The Kinks opens up as the band front another release Credit: Getty 5 The band on TV in 1968 Credit: Getty The Beatles lit the blue touch paper and The Kinks, led by Ray and his brother Dave, were key players in the explosion of sound that followed. Their heavy riff-driven hits You Really Got Me and All Day And All Of The Night rocketed into the top ten of the Billboard Hot 100. A year later, however, the wheels fell off in spectacular fashion — and they had to make a hasty 'British Retreat'. Following a turbulent US tour in the summer of '65, The Kinks were banned from performing there for four years. Though no official reason was given by the American Federation of Musicians, there were reports of rowdy behaviour on and off stage, a physical altercation with a 'British-baiting' TV producer and an unpaid fee. Sixty years on, I've been given the chance to ask Sir Ray, 81, about The Kinks' Stateside story. He has curated the third and final part of the band's archive series, The Journey, which focuses on the late Seventies and early Eighties, when they finally cracked America. For context, Davies begins by reflecting on the impact of seismic events more than a decade earlier. He says: 'I was talking to (drummer) Mick Avory the other day and we concluded that the ban in America was a result of bad management, bad luck and bad behaviour — but we were only young. 'We had dreamt of America for so long' 'Nevertheless, the four-year ban was a bit excessive. Looking back though, it allowed me the space to write songs about England and forget about breaking America. Oasis kick off first Manchester homecoming gig after 16 years away 'However, it was irksome having to watch all our peers tour the States while we were left behind.' By saying 'peers', Davies is of course referring to groups such as The Beatles, the Rolling Stones and The Who. Did The Kinks feel bruised by missing out on the wild success enjoyed by the others? 'Of course we did,' he replies. 'We were young and looking forward to touring the country that had inspired our music and to experiencing Americana first hand. 'We had dreamt of America for so long through this vision of the movies of our childhood.' Davies adds that 'on returning back to England, the band was in financial difficulties and on the verge of breaking up — and that took a further toll on all four of us.' As we know, he picked himself up and emerged as one of our most gifted, perceptive and literate songwriters. There was something quintessentially English about his Dedicated Follower Of Fashion and his lovers Terry and Julie, who 'as long as they gaze on Waterloo Sunset, they are in paradise'. Just consider The Village Green Preservation Society with lines like 'God save strawberry jam and all the different varieties'. In a previous interview, I remember Davies telling me that his song A Well Respected Man was about a neighbour who went to work in a bowler hat. He said: 'While we were banned, it was our biggest hit in America and I sang it in a London accent. 'It was Dick Van Dyke London. Americans still think of us as being a bit Mary Poppins.' A British Invasion contemporary, The Who's Pete Townshend, has said Davies 'invented a new kind of poetry' and that he should have been our Poet Laureate. By 1970, The Kinks' ban had been lifted and American success beckoned once more. They returned to the US top ten with Lola, a memorable Ray Davies composition set in a Soho bar and noted for its singalong chorus and daring lyrics about the gender-fluid title character. 'Before the ban, we played venues like the Hollywood Bowl,' he tells me. 'When we eventually returned, we were booked into small clubs and college venues. 'It was like starting all over again but it felt like an opportunity to get back what had been taken away from us.' 5 Ray in the studio Credit: ALEX LAKE alexlake@ By the mid-Seventies, The Kinks were delivering a leaner, more hard-rocking sound to their American audiences. It comes with this explanation from Davies: 'We were often playing as a support act and soundchecks were not always possible. 'So our sound became stripped down, which in a strange way made it more direct and in your face. 'Punk brought London alive, energy returned' 'I started reproducing this sound in the studio,' he continues before stressing, 'but you can't really say songs like All Day And All Of The Night and You Really Got Me are lightweight. 'Having said that, audiences responded well to songs like Art Lover and Well Respected Man, which are not exactly heavy metal. 'On occasions I would break into vaudevillian renditions of You Are My Sunshine and the British National Anthem just to taunt the American audiences and heavy rock aficionados as if to say, 'Yeah, we are British, take it or leave it.' The first Kinks album to adopt a more 'direct' sound was Sleepwalker (1976), their first for music mogul Clive Davis' fledgling Arista Records. It was also the first of a string of LPs that did better in the US than back in good old Blighty. Davies says: 'Clive persuaded me to stay in New York and I began work on Sleepwalker there. I eventually rented an apartment on the Upper West Side.' The title track and Sleepless Night dealt with his insomnia at the time which he likens to 'having permanent jet lag'. The band's no-nonsense approach to the music also chimed with the advent of punk and the arrival of bands like The Jam who cited The Kinks as a major influence. Davies says: 'I feel it (punk) brought London alive and energy returned to the city — we were back on the map of music and fashion. 'A lot of great bands came out of that period and The Kinks were like contemporaries.' Although Davies started work on Sleepwalker in The Big Apple, it was recorded in London at his newly founded Konk Studios. He remembers the early days of Konk and the freedom it afforded. 'We acquired a Neve (mixing) desk and started adapting what was an old factory in North London. 'It was rough and ready but the sound was to our liking and we had a certain amount of control over the budget. This made a huge impact on our recordings. Before Konk, we recorded at other studios and they were strictly on the meter but now we could run into overtime.' Following Sleepwalker came Misfits in 1978 — well received, particularly in the States, but representing another difficult period for The Kinks. Davies says: 'After the success of the Sleepwalker album, the band was in disarray and two members left. 'But myself, Dave and Mick remained committed and we brought in two new members, Jim Rodford and Ian Gibbons.' Did the band see themselves as misfits? I venture. 'As it turned out, Misfits would have been a good name instead of The Kinks,' muses Davies. 'In some ways we have always been more like outsiders — not fitting in with any style or movement.' One of the Misfits songs, A Rock 'n' Roll Fantasy emphatically proved that Davies hadn't lost his way with neat turns of phrase. 'I was absorbed into American culture' He says 'It is quite an autobiographical song. 'The king is dead' was a deliberate reference to Elvis (who died on August 16, 1977). 'I wrote it from the apartment on the 11th floor in NYC and the last verse was a direct reference to a man I saw listening to music in the building opposite. 'The first verse is about a friend of mine . . . 'You've been sleeping in a field but you look real rested/You set out to outrage but you can't get arrested/You say your image is new but it looks well tested/You're lost without a crowd, and yet you go your own way.'' Next, I ask Davies how living in NYC impacted on his songwriting in general. 'It was like learning another language,' he replies. 'I was being absorbed into American culture, particularly with the Low Budget album (1979) and songs like Catch Me Now I'm Falling and Attitude. But one thing that remained was my London accent as opposed to trying to sound American.' On Catch Me Now I'm Falling, Davies deftly captured the uncertain mood in America during the late Seventies. 5 The band on the roof of London's Dorchester hotel in 1976 Credit: Redferns 'There must have been a knock-on effect from all the economic difficulties in the world,' he says. 'After the Second World War, America saved the world, but who will save America?' Low Budget also featured (Wish I Could Fly Like) Superman, released in the wake of Christopher Reeve donning the iconic blue and red outfit with yellow accents. 'Superman was a comic book hero of mine and, at the time, we had strikes all over Britain,' says Davies. 'But the song itself is about a man waking to all this bad news and he fantasises about flying away like Superman.' After Low Budget came 1981's Give The People What They Want, including the rocking Destroyer which was like a blast from the past. It featured the riff from All Day And All Of The Night and lyrics referencing Lola. Davies says: 'It had been my idea for a long time, but had been on the back burner. 'I counted the song in, shouted out the chords through the headphones and it was recorded almost in one take.' The album ended with the jangly, bittersweet Better Things, written by Davies about his failing marriage to second wife Yvonne. 'It's basically a break-up song about wishing the other person to have a better life,' he affirms. This brings us to the best-loved of all The Kinks' later songs, Come Dancing, from the 1983 album State Of Confusion. It served as a heartfelt tribute to Davies' tragic sister Rene who loved to dance to big bands on a Saturday night. He tells the story behind the song: 'My first Spanish guitar was a gift from Rene. 'She died of a heart condition at the age of 31 on the day before my 13th birthday, while she was out dancing at the Lyceum Ballroom. 'My musical Come Dancing is based on family life and the events leading up to Rene's passing. Also around that time, I would buy records with my pocket money from Les Aldrich record shop in Muswell Hill which has now sadly closed down. 'These records and memories had an impact on my writing the musical.' If the first disc of The Journey Pt 3 sheds new light on a fascinating and fruitful period for The Kinks, the second is a treasure trove of a different kind. It is a newly discovered, pristine recording of the band's Royal Albert Hall concert on July 11, 1993. This was at the dawn of Britpop and the old masters showed the young pretenders how it should be done. The show drew on all parts of The Kinks' momentous 'journey' and included standout renditions of You Really Got Me, Sunny Afternoon and Dedicated Follower Of Fashion. Last song Days finds Davies addressing the rapturous crowd, 'Thank you for the days/Those endless days, those sacred days you gave me.' He says: 'The concert was part of a tour celebrating our 30th anniversary. It was more like a welcome home from America and it was well received. 'Our fans showed us great affection and enthusiasm which was a highlight of the tour. 'Recently, when we were updating archives in Konk Studio, we came across the recording of that show, the last that the band performed at the Albert Hall.' Finally, I ask Davies about the whole experience of putting together The Journey Parts 1, 2 and 3. 'I would have said let the lyrics do the talking before embarking on this project,' he answers. 'But, in some ways, these recollections have given the songs more depth.' All I can add is, 'Thank you for the Ray.' THE KINKS The Journey Part 3 ★★★★☆
The Sun
7 days ago
- Entertainment
- The Sun
The Kinks' Sir Ray Davies on alternative name for band and why he loves taunting US fans
SIR Raymond Douglas Davies and the United States Of America – let's just say it's a complicated relationship. Their paths first crossed in 1964 when the British Invasion was in full swing. 5 5 The Beatles lit the blue touch paper and The Kinks, led by Ray and his brother Dave, were key players in the explosion of sound that followed. Their heavy riff-driven hits You Really Got Me and All Day And All Of The Night rocketed into the top ten of the Billboard Hot 100. A year later, however, the wheels fell off in spectacular fashion — and they had to make a hasty 'British Retreat'. Following a turbulent US tour in the summer of '65, The Kinks were banned from performing there for four years. Though no official reason was given by the American Federation of Musicians, there were reports of rowdy behaviour on and off stage, a physical altercation with a 'British-baiting' TV producer and an unpaid fee. Sixty years on, I've been given the chance to ask Sir Ray, 81, about The Kinks' Stateside story. He has curated the third and final part of the band's archive series, The Journey, which focuses on the late Seventies and early Eighties, when they finally cracked America. For context, Davies begins by reflecting on the impact of seismic events more than a decade earlier. He says: 'I was talking to (drummer) Mick Avory the other day and we concluded that the ban in America was a result of bad management, bad luck and bad behaviour — but we were only young. 'We had dreamt of America for so long' 'Nevertheless, the four-year ban was a bit excessive. Looking back though, it allowed me the space to write songs about England and forget about breaking America. 'However, it was irksome having to watch all our peers tour the States while we were left behind.' By saying 'peers', Davies is of course referring to groups such as The Beatles, the Rolling Stones and The Who. Did The Kinks feel bruised by missing out on the wild success enjoyed by the others? 'Of course we did,' he replies. 'We were young and looking forward to touring the country that had inspired our music and to experiencing Americana first hand. 'We had dreamt of America for so long through this vision of the movies of our childhood.' Davies adds that 'on returning back to England, the band was in financial difficulties and on the verge of breaking up — and that took a further toll on all four of us.' As we know, he picked himself up and emerged as one of our most gifted, perceptive and literate songwriters. There was something quintessentially English about his Dedicated Follower Of Fashion and his lovers Terry and Julie, who 'as long as they gaze on Waterloo Sunset, they are in paradise'. Just consider The Village Green Preservation Society with lines like 'God save strawberry jam and all the different varieties'. In a previous interview, I remember Davies telling me that his song A Well Respected Man was about a neighbour who went to work in a bowler hat. He said: 'While we were banned, it was our biggest hit in America and I sang it in a London accent. 'It was Dick Van Dyke London. Americans still think of us as being a bit Mary Poppins.' A British Invasion contemporary, The Who's Pete Townshend, has said Davies 'invented a new kind of poetry' and that he should have been our Poet Laureate. By 1970, The Kinks' ban had been lifted and American success beckoned once more. They returned to the US top ten with Lola, a memorable Ray Davies composition set in a Soho bar and noted for its singalong chorus and daring lyrics about the gender-fluid title character. 'Before the ban, we played venues like the Hollywood Bowl,' he tells me. 'When we eventually returned, we were booked into small clubs and college venues. 'It was like starting all over again but it felt like an opportunity to get back what had been taken away from us.' 5 By the mid-Seventies, The Kinks were delivering a leaner, more hard-rocking sound to their American audiences. It comes with this explanation from Davies: 'We were often playing as a support act and soundchecks were not always possible. 'So our sound became stripped down, which in a strange way made it more direct and in your face. 'Punk brought London alive, energy returned' 'I started reproducing this sound in the studio,' he continues before stressing, 'but you can't really say songs like All Day And All Of The Night and You Really Got Me are lightweight. 'Having said that, audiences responded well to songs like Art Lover and Well Respected Man, which are not exactly heavy metal. 'On occasions I would break into vaudevillian renditions of You Are My Sunshine and the British National Anthem just to taunt the American audiences and heavy rock aficionados as if to say, 'Yeah, we are British, take it or leave it.' The first Kinks album to adopt a more 'direct' sound was Sleepwalker (1976), their first for music mogul Clive Davis' fledgling Arista Records. It was also the first of a string of LPs that did better in the US than back in good old Blighty. Davies says: 'Clive persuaded me to stay in New York and I began work on Sleepwalker there. I eventually rented an apartment on the Upper West Side.' The title track and Sleepless Night dealt with his insomnia at the time which he likens to 'having permanent jet lag'. The band's no-nonsense approach to the music also chimed with the advent of punk and the arrival of bands like The Jam who cited The Kinks as a major influence. Davies says: 'I feel it (punk) brought London alive and energy returned to the city — we were back on the map of music and fashion. 'A lot of great bands came out of that period and The Kinks were like contemporaries.' Although Davies started work on Sleepwalker in The Big Apple, it was recorded in London at his newly founded Konk Studios. He remembers the early days of Konk and the freedom it afforded. 'We acquired a Neve (mixing) desk and started adapting what was an old factory in North London. 'It was rough and ready but the sound was to our liking and we had a certain amount of control over the budget. This made a huge impact on our recordings. Before Konk, we recorded at other studios and they were strictly on the meter but now we could run into overtime.' Following Sleepwalker came Misfits in 1978 — well received, particularly in the States, but representing another difficult period for The Kinks. Davies says: 'After the success of the Sleepwalker album, the band was in disarray and two members left. 'But myself, Dave and Mick remained committed and we brought in two new members, Jim Rodford and Ian Gibbons.' Did the band see themselves as misfits? I venture. 'As it turned out, Misfits would have been a good name instead of The Kinks,' muses Davies. 'In some ways we have always been more like outsiders — not fitting in with any style or movement.' One of the Misfits songs, A Rock 'n' Roll Fantasy emphatically proved that Davies hadn't lost his way with neat turns of phrase. 'I was absorbed into American culture' He says 'It is quite an autobiographical song. 'The king is dead' was a deliberate reference to Elvis (who died on August 16, 1977). 'I wrote it from the apartment on the 11th floor in NYC and the last verse was a direct reference to a man I saw listening to music in the building opposite. 'The first verse is about a friend of mine . . . 'You've been sleeping in a field but you look real rested/You set out to outrage but you can't get arrested/You say your image is new but it looks well tested/You're lost without a crowd, and yet you go your own way.'' Next, I ask Davies how living in NYC impacted on his songwriting in general. 'It was like learning another language,' he replies. 'I was being absorbed into American culture, particularly with the Low Budget album (1979) and songs like Catch Me Now I'm Falling and Attitude. But one thing that remained was my London accent as opposed to trying to sound American.' On Catch Me Now I'm Falling, Davies deftly captured the uncertain mood in America during the late Seventies. 5 'There must have been a knock-on effect from all the economic difficulties in the world,' he says. 'After the Second World War, America saved the world, but who will save America?' Low Budget also featured (Wish I Could Fly Like) Superman, released in the wake of Christopher Reeve donning the iconic blue and red outfit with yellow accents. 'Superman was a comic book hero of mine and, at the time, we had strikes all over Britain,' says Davies. 'But the song itself is about a man waking to all this bad news and he fantasises about flying away like Superman.' After Low Budget came 1981's Give The People What They Want, including the rocking Destroyer which was like a blast from the past. It featured the riff from All Day And All Of The Night and lyrics referencing Lola. Davies says: 'It had been my idea for a long time, but had been on the back burner. 'I counted the song in, shouted out the chords through the headphones and it was recorded almost in one take.' The album ended with the jangly, bittersweet Better Things, written by Davies about his failing marriage to second wife Yvonne. 'It's basically a break-up song about wishing the other person to have a better life,' he affirms. This brings us to the best-loved of all The Kinks' later songs, Come Dancing, from the 1983 album State Of Confusion. It served as a heartfelt tribute to Davies' tragic sister Rene who loved to dance to big bands on a Saturday night. He tells the story behind the song: 'My first Spanish guitar was a gift from Rene. 'She died of a heart condition at the age of 31 on the day before my 13th birthday, while she was out dancing at the Lyceum Ballroom. 'My musical Come Dancing is based on family life and the events leading up to Rene's passing. Also around that time, I would buy records with my pocket money from Les Aldrich record shop in Muswell Hill which has now sadly closed down. 'These records and memories had an impact on my writing the musical.' If the first disc of The Journey Pt 3 sheds new light on a fascinating and fruitful period for The Kinks, the second is a treasure trove of a different kind. It is a newly discovered, pristine recording of the band's Royal Albert Hall concert on July 11, 1993. This was at the dawn of Britpop and the old masters showed the young pretenders how it should be done. The show drew on all parts of The Kinks' momentous 'journey' and included standout renditions of You Really Got Me, Sunny Afternoon and Dedicated Follower Of Fashion. Last song Days finds Davies addressing the rapturous crowd, 'Thank you for the days/Those endless days, those sacred days you gave me.' He says: 'The concert was part of a tour celebrating our 30th anniversary. It was more like a welcome home from America and it was well received. 'Our fans showed us great affection and enthusiasm which was a highlight of the tour. 'Recently, when we were updating archives in Konk Studio, we came across the recording of that show, the last that the band performed at the Albert Hall.' Finally, I ask Davies about the whole experience of putting together The Journey Parts 1, 2 and 3. 'I would have said let the lyrics do the talking before embarking on this project,' he answers. 'But, in some ways, these recollections have given the songs more depth.' All I can add is, 'Thank you for the Ray.' THE KINKS The Journey Part 3 ★★★★☆
