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Product Description
Amazon.co.uk Review
This double CD of BBC Sessions accurately mirrors the Kinks' career trajectory. Disc 1 opens with the primeval riffology and sexual suggestiveness of "You Really Got Me" and also includes high-octane versions of two other proto-garage-metal punk anthems, "All Day and All of the Night" and "Til the End of the Day". The remarkable development of Ray Davies' compositional skills is evinced by the original Brit pop classicism of "Waterloo Sunset", "Days" and "The Village Green Preservation Society". Disc 2, covering the years 1970-77, finds the Kinks undergoing a dramatic commercial and creative decline. After the daring brilliance of controversial hit, "Lola"--disappointingly absent here--Ray's muse all but deserted him. Only a truly stirring rendition of "Victoria", from a Radio 1 In Concert, hints at former glories. Elsewhere, the leaden boogie anchoring "Here Comes Yet Another Day", "Skin and Bone" and "Money Talks", verges on pub rock. Ironically, despite The Kinks continuing artistic slump, 1977's axe-heavy "Sleepwalker" found favour with Stateside rock fans and led to a reversal of fortune for the band, at least overseas. --Chris King
Product Description
TWO DISC SET OF EXCLUSIVE SESSIONS Captured over a staggering 24 sessions recorded for the bbc between 1964 and 1977, this double cd set containing 35 previously unreleased recordings is a fitting tribute to the work of Ray and Dave Davies
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
22 of 22 people found the following review helpful
Format:Audio CD
This 2CD trawls through what has survived of the 24 sessions that the Kinks recorded for the BBC between 1964 and 1977, providing an alternative view of the Kinks. Due to the time constraints and lack of overdubbing facilities, the results are probably far closer to their live sound of the times than the sound produced on their albums and singles.
On their early Pye studio recordings, session men such as Bobby Graham (drums), Jimmy Page (rhythm guitar) and Jon Lord (organ) were drafted in by Shel Talmy to flesh out the sound, but here are the band proving more than capable of cutting it live. They are augmented in the early sessions only by the occasional background vocals of Rasa, Ray Davies' girlfriend and later wife, who also sang on the records, and from 1967 to 1968 by keyboardist extraordinaire Nicky Hopkins.
Many of these have survived only thanks to the BBC Transcription Services that sent World Service programmes to broadcasters around the world in disc form for subsequent transmission, as the original British programmes for which the sessions were recorded, and the session tapes themselves, have been long lost. This means that some have the over-enthusiastic and embarrassingly attempting to be "hip" voice-overs of Brian Matthew (born 1928, and currently to be heard presenting Radio 2's Sounds Of The Sixties on a Saturday morning in a rather more muted style), as well as his fatherly chats with the band about the length of their hair.
Dave Davies is the featured vocalist on six of the songs up to 1970, all but one on disc one. One of these is his version of Spider Koerner's Good Luck Child, an otherwise unreleased adaptation.
Of particular interest on disc one are their version of Cadillac, the only recording on this set from their very first session for the BBC, and barely a month newer than the studio version on their first album (it was also a single in Germany); Ev'rybodys Gonna Be Happy, considerably changed from the then newly-learnt single version; This Strange Effect, a Ray Davies song only previously known in the hit version by Dave Berry since the Kinks never recorded it or performed it live; and The Village Green Preservation City, also reworked from the album version, but still claiming Disney's Donald Duck as a peculiarly British phenomenon.
The second disc dashes from 1970 to 1977 in just ten tracks including a lengthy excerpt from a 1974 In Concert recording, before backtracking to 1968-1969 for a couple of recordings for BBC-TV and ending with John Peel session versions of songs featured earlier in the In Concert segment of the disc. Though perhaps less essential than the first disc, it nevertheless ably demonstrates the bands' ability to reflect the times whilst remaining uniquely individual, largely due to Ray Davies' ambitious and deft songwriting abilities.
The booklet is annotated with admirably full radio session details and comprehensive notes, but some numbering errors cause confusion for the second disc, so for clarification track 1 is from Dave Lee Travis Show, broadcast 31 May 1970; 2 and 13 are from John Peel, 16 May 1972; 3 and 14 are from John Peel, 11 July 1974; 4 to 9 from In Concert, 27 July 1974; 10 for Old Grey Whistle Test/Sight And Sound In Concert, 24 December 1977; 11 for BBC-1's At The Eleventh Hour, 1968; and 12 for BBC-2's Where Was Spring, 1969.
On their early Pye studio recordings, session men such as Bobby Graham (drums), Jimmy Page (rhythm guitar) and Jon Lord (organ) were drafted in by Shel Talmy to flesh out the sound, but here are the band proving more than capable of cutting it live. They are augmented in the early sessions only by the occasional background vocals of Rasa, Ray Davies' girlfriend and later wife, who also sang on the records, and from 1967 to 1968 by keyboardist extraordinaire Nicky Hopkins.
Many of these have survived only thanks to the BBC Transcription Services that sent World Service programmes to broadcasters around the world in disc form for subsequent transmission, as the original British programmes for which the sessions were recorded, and the session tapes themselves, have been long lost. This means that some have the over-enthusiastic and embarrassingly attempting to be "hip" voice-overs of Brian Matthew (born 1928, and currently to be heard presenting Radio 2's Sounds Of The Sixties on a Saturday morning in a rather more muted style), as well as his fatherly chats with the band about the length of their hair.
Dave Davies is the featured vocalist on six of the songs up to 1970, all but one on disc one. One of these is his version of Spider Koerner's Good Luck Child, an otherwise unreleased adaptation.
Of particular interest on disc one are their version of Cadillac, the only recording on this set from their very first session for the BBC, and barely a month newer than the studio version on their first album (it was also a single in Germany); Ev'rybodys Gonna Be Happy, considerably changed from the then newly-learnt single version; This Strange Effect, a Ray Davies song only previously known in the hit version by Dave Berry since the Kinks never recorded it or performed it live; and The Village Green Preservation City, also reworked from the album version, but still claiming Disney's Donald Duck as a peculiarly British phenomenon.
The second disc dashes from 1970 to 1977 in just ten tracks including a lengthy excerpt from a 1974 In Concert recording, before backtracking to 1968-1969 for a couple of recordings for BBC-TV and ending with John Peel session versions of songs featured earlier in the In Concert segment of the disc. Though perhaps less essential than the first disc, it nevertheless ably demonstrates the bands' ability to reflect the times whilst remaining uniquely individual, largely due to Ray Davies' ambitious and deft songwriting abilities.
The booklet is annotated with admirably full radio session details and comprehensive notes, but some numbering errors cause confusion for the second disc, so for clarification track 1 is from Dave Lee Travis Show, broadcast 31 May 1970; 2 and 13 are from John Peel, 16 May 1972; 3 and 14 are from John Peel, 11 July 1974; 4 to 9 from In Concert, 27 July 1974; 10 for Old Grey Whistle Test/Sight And Sound In Concert, 24 December 1977; 11 for BBC-1's At The Eleventh Hour, 1968; and 12 for BBC-2's Where Was Spring, 1969.
9 of 9 people found the following review helpful
Format:Audio CD
These fine BBC recordings demonstrate the many varied strengths of the Kinks, in and out of the recording studio. The early songs sound fresh and exciting, whilst Ray Davies' more reflective moments are equally well represented. 'See My Friend' and 'Days' are beautifully performed and very moving. The later material sounds great and hopefully will convince those that haven't yet heard them to obtain the Kinks' 70s albums. Glad to see 'Get Back in Line' here; one of Ray's lesser-known finest moments. The studio chatter is brilliant. Dave Davies sounds like he's just been let out from detention, and Ray's sardonic comments about recording songs written by his brother are an absolute treat. A must for fans, and a fine introduction to a major band.
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful
Format:Audio CD
These fine BBC recordings demonstrate the many varied strengths of the Kinks, in and out of the recording studio. The early songs sound fresh and exciting, whilst Ray Davies' more reflective moments are equally well represented. 'See My Friend' and 'Days' are beautifully performed and very moving. The later material sounds great and hopefully will convince those that haven't yet heard them to obtain the Kinks' 70s albums. Glad to see 'Get Back in Line' here; one of Ray's lesser-known finest moments. The studio chatter is brilliant. Dave Davies sounds like he's just been let out from detention, and Ray's sardonic comments about recording songs written by his brother are an absolute treat. A must for fans, and a fine introduction to a major band.
Most Recent Customer Reviews
Great stuff!
I saw the Kinks once, in 1964, and thought they were terrific.
This double cd of BBC sessions confirms that my view as an 11 year old was spot on - they really were a... Read more
This double cd of BBC sessions confirms that my view as an 11 year old was spot on - they really were a... Read more
Published 2 months ago by J. HOLMES
A BEAUTIFULLY-PACKAGED COLLECTION FROM THE FINEST 60s OUTFIT
Featuring revealing versions of some of the bands finest songs, almost all of which has been hitherto previously unavailable in the UK. Read more
Published on 14 Mar 2001
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