The Kinks- David Watts & Death of a Clown (First Listen)
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- Опубліковано 11 вер 2024
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Song Link: • The Kinks - David Watt...
Song Link 2: • The Kinks - Death of a...
"Something Else By The Kinks" is a great album with songs about what Britain was like at the time. It also has one of the greatest songs ever written - "Waterloo Sunset".
shut it
The Kinks are the quintessential English act. Their influence spans the following decades (Blur, for instance). Their first single, You Really Got Me (1964) is considered by many the very first Hard Rock song. In the same style: All Day and All of the Night, Till the End of the Day, Where Have All the Good Times Gone. From 1966 the Kinks shifted towards a mellower sound, while lyrics focused on sharp, satyrical observations on the English society: Sunny Afternoon, Well Respected Man, Waterloo Sunset, and The Village Green Preservation Society (title track of what many consider the first - again - concept album).
Very accurate and well-stated!
The two greatest Kinks song (imho): Waterloo Sunset and Days. Two absolutely beautiful songs that feature Ray Davies at his finest.
Btw: The Jam did a great cover of David Watts. Really kicked butt with that.
After those two songs: All Day and All of the Night, Destroyer (a kind of take off on their own All Day and All of the Night riff), Lola, Living On A Thin Line, A Well-Respected Man... so, so many great songs...
They are the quintessential English band... focusing on all things English and not really catering to the American audience, (early on, at least) as opposed to The Beatles, and the Stones, in their writing. XTC probably followed the Kinks path more than any other group as they both blazed their trail with one foot firmly planted in their home country.
"David Watts" has often been cited as a progenitor of punkrock. The Jam did a great cover.
I didn't know it was a cover. #awkward Jam's version is fantastic.
One time where I think the cover is better than the original.
@@GeoffCB I like hearing this original, but I think you're correct. The Jam's cover is stupendous. Their album Extras has a lot of nice covers, too.
@@Roddy1965 I hadn't heard of the album, although I have "Snap" on vinyl and CD. Unfortunately, the only copy of Extras for sale on vinyl is £299.95! Not great for an avid vinyl collector!
@@GeoffCB jezez..
Death of a Clown was originally a solo single by Dave Davies who is singing. Nicky Hopkins is plucking the piano strings.The Kinks have dozens of great songs, Waterloo Sunset is one of the best songs ever.
Mix time…
@@-davidolivares Your master mix is mostly marvellous music methinks!
@@markspooner1224
Trying to do the Spooner Bar proud. :)
@@-davidolivares The words 'safe hands' come to mind :)
Love the background chorus!! So smooth
😎
Essential tracks:
"Waterloo Sunset"
"Sunny Afternoon"
"Dead End Street"
"Tired of Waiting for You"
"Days"
"Lola"
After those 6 songs, if you want more, check out these:
"Autumn Almanac"
"See My Friends"
"Set Me Free"
"Dedicated Follower of Fashion"
"Till the End of the Day"
"All Day and All of the Night"
"You Really Got Me"
what's this list? It's clearly insufficient. I'll give you a proper Kinks list:
-Face To Face
-Something Else
-Village Green
-Arthur
-Lola
-Muswell Hillbillies
Now, those are the 6 ALBUMS The Kinks released between 1966 and 1971. Everyone of these recordings are masterpieces, no fillers, no
irrelevant songs...
I want to know if there's other band in the entire rock history that have more masterpiece legendary albums than this criminally overlooked, underrated glorious band, because I don't think there's one.
And you are here making ridiculous song lists 🤦
The Kinks: Celluloid Heroes, Apeman, Tired of Waiting for You, Where Have All the Good Times Gone.
YES!!! I love The Kinks, one of my favorite British pop bands, more British than the rest. This is a good starting place, 1967. They didn't really go psychedelic though and I wish they'd have someone of George Martin's caliber as a producer.
'Love Me Till the Sun Shines' is one of the best Dave Davies ever wrote, I think 'Afternoon Tea' would have been a great single and of course 'Waterloo Sunset' is one of the best songs ever written. Rolling Stone magazine ranked it #42 of their top best 500 songs ever.
Their next 2 albums are even better, "The Kinks Are the Village Green Preservation Society" and "Arthur or the Decline and Fall of the British Empire" (my personal favorite of all their albums).
Imagine See My Friends with George Martin, Alan Parsons, Geoff Emerick, engineering and production.
Lazy Old Sun is clearly psychedelic.
Classics by The Kinks:
“All Day and All of the Night”
“Lola”
“You Really Got Me”
“Sunny Afternoon”
Too many to name!!!
💕
The kinks have some great songs they were the epitome of English swinging London of the sixties, Lola, Waterloo sunset, Dedicated follower of fashion, you really got me, Apeman the list is endless
The Kinks were initially famous for quite straight forward rockers, like _You Really Got Me_ and _All Day, and All of the Night,_ which are perhaps very much of their time, though they had a raw power to them that has seen them credited as the "inventors" of heavy metal or punk, before they existed. But Ray Davies developed into a great songwriter, and their best songs are observational vignettes or character studies from all different aspects of Engish society in the 60s. _Dedicated Follower of Fashion, Dead End Street, Sunny Afternoon, Lola,_ and _Waterloo Sunset_ are all great songs.
Something I forgot I wanted to say is that they were notable for their Englishness. At a time when most other British bands more or less self-conciously imitated American accents when they sang, Ray Davies was unusual in singing in his own accent.
@@donaldb1 - I basically second all of the above. They certainly weren't the only ones to pioneer the techniques that would influence garage rock/metal/punk etc, but they were certainly in there as progenitors - Dave Davies did a lot of tinkering with his amp, that gave it that distinct fuzzy sound on You Really Got Me/All Day and All of the Night, I believe. I'd personally rate the Kinks as somewhere in-between the Who and the Beatles in terms of their musical complexity and craftsmenship - very underrated but with a depth of quality rarely rivalled.
@@radicaladz Thanks for the detail. That's more than I could have said.
Another great song, I really like the satire of _Plastic Man._
My dad always says "greatest single of all time" when Waterloo Sunset comes on.
"Death of a Clown" is a song by Dave Davies, member of British rock group the Kinks, released as his debut solo single in 1967. The song was co-written with his brother Ray Davies. Nicky Hopkins played the distinctive introduction, using fingerpicks on the strings of a piano. The single was credited to Dave Davies but the song also appeared on the Kinks' album Something Else by the Kinks, released later in 1967. In an interview with Yahoo!, Dave Davies said that "Death of a Clown" was written about the repetitive performing schedule he and the rest of the Kinks worked through. He said, "One night I nodded off at a party and woke up and saw all these decadent people running around. I had a vision of being a circus clown. I thought, 'What are we doing?' We were going from day to day to day like performing seals. And that's where I got the idea for 'Death of a Clown.' I went back to me mum's house with the same old out-of-tune piano and I plunked out three notes, and it turned into the song."
I won't give you Kinks songs because Something Else, Village Green Preservation Society, Arthur, Lola & Muswell Hillbillies are all fantastic albums that should be listened to in full (By that I mean every song deserves a listen). The non-album tracks on The Kinks Kronikles are also worth listening to
Justin, you are awesome! You give all your energy and love to your reactions! You are so full of joy! That's why we all love you!
Ty MissAstor! I wish I had time to give more lol!
My knowledge of the Kinks is mostly through their top 40 hits. I can see where folks would say they were proto-punk. They, like many others, got ripped off when their managers messed up their finances and left them in trouble with the Taxman. Unlike the Beatles, they left us with a "Sunny Afternoon".
Sunny Afternoon is a satirical song and should be taken sarcastically
Man, I love The Kinks and when I began exploring their huge catalog, I started with this album for the same reasons as you!
You won’t hear anything more English than the Kinks, except perhaps The Bonzo Dog Doodah Band.
Now there's a rabbit hole worth exploring.
Ha. Good call!
Justin, if you liked those first two songs then continue with the next track "Two Sisters" which is beautiful and includes harpsichord !
Something Else by the Kinks is one of the very best Kinks albums.
Absolutely! And "Two Sisters" is one of those forgotten album tracks, but is truly a hidden gem. GSTK!!!
The kinks have 700 songs in their catalog - here are just a few …..picture book - I need you - artificial man - holiday romance- alcohol live - I’m only dreaming - around the dial - moments- celluloid Heroes live - still searching - to the bone - big sky - dreams - 20th century man - animal - pictures in the sand - ladies of the night - when I turn off the living room lights - attitude - wish I could fly like Superman- the hard way - apeman - scattered - I’ve got that feeling - two Sisters - the list goes on and on - GSTK!!!!
I could list for days the songs to cover . You picked a great album to start with. Kinks had phases from their start with You really got me and All Day and all of the night they spent 2 yrs being the Rock and blues British band. Their style fluctuations included a change to more Songs about British life in the 1966-70 yrs. 1970 -75 they were doing more concept album music of all genre styles. 1978 on they started building a second life with way at was called Arena rock . I once made a list of songs for someone and I realized there had to be over 40 songs I said to pick from . I won’t do that here 😆
Muswell Hillbillies is one of my favorite albums by the Kinks
If you really want a good representation of The Kinks, I would recommend "Kinks Kronikes. It has a large variety of their songs from 1966 till 1972.
I'm probably wrong but I always interpreted "Death of a Clown' to be about Britain's loss of international power after the end of World War II.
More Kinks songs suggestions: "Waterloo Sunset", "Sunny Afternoon", "Situation Vacant", "Funny Face", "Wicked Annabella", "Big Sky", "Yes Sir, No Sir", "Days", "This Man He Weeps Tonight", "Misty Water"...
Best album is "Village Green Preservation Society" but most of the songs I mentioned are not from there - it really works best as a contiguous listen, not as a collection of separate songs
What a day. I get an e-mail from Disneyland Resort offering my job back after almost a year and a half (I'm absolutely going back), we're going to Knott's Berry Farm tomorrow to celebrate and you're playing footsie with the almighty Kinks. My favorite albums are Face To Face and Lola Versus Powerman And The Money-go-round. So many great songs across their catalogue. Looking forward to your journey with this seminal band. Ray Davies is a total genius.
Spearheaded by brothers Ray and Dave Davies, The Kinks are one of the original dubbed in America: "British Invasion" bands of 1964 after the whirlwind that was the arrival of the Beatles in Feb. of that year. Dave Davies guitar riff on their first hit "You Really Got Me" is considered by many as the birth of power chord rock and for some enthusiastic music aficionados, offers up an embryo of punk rock (which I find a tad much). It would be surprising if you've never heard it (which you should), if not their original recording, then probably Van Halen's version. The longest lasting sixties band save for the Rolling Stones, they have a number of hits, mostly in the sixties and early seventies. But its their albums that are everlasting, filled with Ray's well written lyrics about life through the eyes of an Englishman. I strongly suggest you listen to Waterloo Sunset from this same album, "Australia" from their album Arthur or "Get Back in Line" and "This Time Tomorrow" from Lola Versus Powerman & The Money-Go-Round, an album about the music biz as it was for them at the time. There is still the ballad Celluloid Heroes about Hollywood movie stars where Ray once again shows he really knows how to tell a story and elicit an emotional response from the listener. Please return to this rabbit hole sometime soon. Kinks are worthy of your time.
Luv the Kinks. Cool
Kinks 101: Ray Davies (one of rock's great songwriters) wrote and sang lead on the vast majority of The Kinks' songs; but his brother, lead guitarist Dave Davies, also wrote and sang some, including "Death of a Clown." There were of course other band members (with some personnel changes over the course of the Kinks' career from the 60s to the early 90s, throughout which they were recording and performing pretty steadily), but it's the Davies brothers' writing, singing, playing, and production that made The Kinks The Kinks.
One of The Kinks' best albums. They played "David Watts" as one of their encore numbers when I saw them in the eighties.
Echoing everyone else on here, "Waterloo Sunset" HAS to be heard. Gorgeous.
One of my favorite tunes by them is "Apeman".
Fantastic choice of band and album. From that same album is one of the greatest songs ever recorded: "Waterloo Sunset". It's worth checking out. There's a couple of other gems from that time period that are classic Kinks tracks. "Autumn Almanac" and "Mr Pleasant". If you really like The Kinks, the follow-up to SOMETHING ELSE, is THE KINKS ARE THE VILLAGE GREEN PRESERVATION SOCIETY (1968). One of the greatest albums ever made. From that, check out the title track, "Picture Book", "Big Sky", "Village Green", "Do You Remember Walter?", "Starstruck", "Animal Farm", "The Last Of The Steam Powered Trains" and the non-album single, "Days".
I would join others in recommending further exploration of The Kinks. They are ESSENTIAL and unfortunately often get overshadowed by the Stones and the Beatles. I think my favourite of theirs is Waterloo Sunset (the best song about a city ever . . . in the case, the city is London). But also would recommend Sunny Afternoon, Dedicated Follower of Fashion, and Lola amongst others . . .
Celluloid Heroes and Victoria are among my favorites. So many good songs.
Dave Davis sang death of clown. If I remember rightly the single was issued in the UK as Dave Davis and not The Kinks. I am that old. Loved the song from day 1. Was learning guitar and was so cool to be able to play such cool song with so few chords.
I'll recommend three songs from The Kinks peak period, (1969-1971).
1)VICTORIA-
A slightly sarcastic celebration of the British empire. It rocks.
2) LOLA-
A song about a man drinking and dancing with a woman(?).
In every way one of the best songs ever recorded.
3) 20th CENTURY MAN-
A song about rejecting modern technological life and yearning for a simpler past.
Great social commentary.
Kinks were contemporaries in the 1964 British Invasion, see You Really Got Me, All Day And All Of The Night (two of the best riff rockers of all time) but also check out Sunny Afternoon and Lola. Take a deeper dive into the Kinks.
You can't go wrong with the Kinks, a band i wish i'd seen live. Should you ever get to react to The Jam, listen to their version of David Watts, class.
The Kinks. Top tier, if you have a knack for British music. This is probably the first of their critically acclaimed albums, but the following ones are even better, IMO.
Suggestions for more Kinks: "Village Green", "Picture Book", "Johnny Thunder", "Shangri-La", "Powerman". Oh, and of course "Waterloo Sunset", frequently referred to as one of the most beautiful songs from the entire 1960s!
Other bands to check out are THE PRETTY THINGS (e.g. "S.F. Sorrow" or "She's a lover") and THE MOVE ("Flowers in the Rain", "Hello Suzie") .
Evening, Justin. Dave from London, who prefers Black Coffee! Not only are The Kinks British but they are fellow Londoners, like The Who and The Small Faces. I don't normally offer recommendations, but my favourite 60s songs from them are Waterloo Sunset (The Kinks), I Can See For Miles (The Who) and Tin Soldier (The Small Faces). At the time, I only listened to top 20 singles so I came across David Watts much later when The Jam covered it, and Death of a Clown was released as a Dave Davies solo single (not sure about the details but there was a real love/hate relationship between the Davies brothers, and Dave walked out of the band several times)
Ray Davies has a great rock & roll voice, always a bit of humor and mischief in his delivery. I think of these guys as the original punk & heavy metal band, with that great english flaire. I love all of their early stuff, and they had a resurgence in the 80s and made some really great songs including, Captain America, and Celluloid Heroes... and more. I was lucky enough to see them in the 80s and my ears still ring when I think about that concert. Truly one of my favorite bands content, style, and performance a great rabbit hole to explore. They can out rock any band. Thanks for the great reactions.
Yes, a live video should be in the future!
You sound like a real aficionado. What do you think of “ Workingman’s Cafe” album ? ( I think it holds up pretty solid, but noticed it didn’t do well in the charts.)
@@tcanfield Just a music lover. I hadn't heard that one but gave it a listen. I'd say by today's standards it sounds good...solid! Very "Ray Davies".
Muswell Hillbillies and Everybody's in Showbiz are my 2 quintessential Kinks albums- middle period. When Ray matured into a songwriter.
Oklahoma USA is my favorite Kinks song out of many.
They had a bit of a renaissance in the late '70s and early '80s and recorded many great tunes. Sleepwalker, Junk Box Music, A Rock and Roll Fantasy, Catch Me Now I'm Falling, Low Budget, (Wish I Could Fly Like) Superman, Pressure, Destroyer.
Waterloo Sunset on that album! Good review even so. Enjoyable and insightful. What becomes clearer with listening to more Kinks is how good the song-writing is, how strong the lyrics are. More Kinks songs
- Dead End Street (non album/Face to Face bonus track)
- Days (non album/The Village Green Preservation Society bonus track)
I've bought several Kinks albums over the years, but Something Else is the one I revisit the most. No Return is absolutely beautiful, and Harry Rag used to even get the kids singing along in the backseat. I'll say this, the Jam does a faithful cover of David Watts, and I love Yo La Tengo's No Return, but nothing beats the originals. Hope you get around to the other tracks on this amazing record.
Dave! Watts ha. Imagine. The Jam were favourites in our house but lingering under the carpets were their influences , The Kinks and The Who. I was a rocker with an unrefined musical pallette outside of Prog but my beloved understood the Mod
Identity and Vibes .
We had a perfect record collection.
Is Tin Soldier Man on this lp? That was my favourite.
I could happily listen to your channel all day- u sum it all up- ‘melodies and warmth’ so directly and succintly.
Carry On. Stay Angry. Like Paul.
Weller that is.
Alternatively, play “Child of the Novelty” by Mahogany Rush from 1974 and One of the two lps I haven’t got- which would accomplish multitaskin of the highest order.
“Baa baa baraaa he’s a Tin Soldier Maaan”
Oh i forgot. The Quality of the mighty Van Halen is measured by the fact that they
Dug The Kinks furious pop 🥤 🥤 at least twice.
More Van Halen 4us if u compare their Kinks covers. U could play all available covers of Where have all the Good times Gone and more
Essentially
You Really Got Me and then we could nod our heads and say
Which one was our favourite.
Just a Bit of Fun maybe? 🥤🥁🐸
Man! Hadn`t heard Death Of a Clown in ages. Thanks for reminding me.
Anytime!
The Village Green Preservation Society is one of my all time favourite albums. It’s as English as afternoon tea (which is another Kinks song😆)
Ray Davies is a songwriting legend. Without doubt up there with Lennon and McCartney.
Something Else, Face To Face, Village Green Preservation Society, Arthur, Lola Vs Powerman and The Muswell Hillbillies are all fantastic albums. Well worth a listen.
One of the other 1960s powerhouses in the UK alongside the Beatles, Stones, Who and Small Faces.
Their early stuff was hard hitting rhythm and blues. Do check out 1964's ‘You Really Got Me’ (number one) and ‘All Day And All Of The Night’ (number 2) which were far heavier than a lot of other pop singles at the time.
Denied a touring visa in the US though, their sound became more and more ‘English’ in its concerns, both lyrically and musically as the sixties wore on. There’s almost an English music hall feel to some of this mid to late sixties material, while the lyrics reflected not just the mod culture of the time ('Dedicated Follower Of Fashion', etc), but English pastoral themes and nostalgia (see the concept album 'The Kinks Are the Village Green Preservation Society' from 1968 as an example).
‘Waterloo Sunset’, an ode to London and young love, is one of the most loved songs in British music history. Do give it a listen. Ray Davies of the Kinks sang it at the 2012 London Olympics closing ceremony - a sign of its importance in British pop culture.
Ray was the dominant songwriter (and singer) in the band, giving brother Dave (who wrote ‘Death of a Clown’ and another classic ‘Days’) limited opportunities to showcase his talents.
The band were hugely influential on some of the new wave acts that followed 10 years later. The Jam even covered ‘David Watts’ for example.
Sadly, however much of a song writing genius Ray is (and he really is), he’s not always the easiest guy to deal with and he and Dave don’t see each other very often, although there are regular press reports and quotes from the pair about meeting up and a possible reunion.
I am so psyched, and this is a great place to begin your Kinks journey! Something Else is an inflection point (along with its predecessor Face To Face) between the raucous pop Kinks and the Kinks as a delivery vehicle for Ray Davies' nostalgic and introspective character portrayals. The whole album is great for its time, with Waterloo Sunset standing out as the drop-dead gorgeous, timeless classic track.
After this came Village Green Preservation Society, which is magnificent and features Ray's always-clever lyrics at their most poignant / least cynical. A beautiful record. Arthur usually tops critics' lists of Kinks' albums, but Lola, Muswell Hilbillies, and Sleepwalker have all at times been my favorites (along with the two aforementioned). Low Budget was their big hit with US audiences, with a heavier sound that nevertheless holds up quite well.
Hard core fans will add what they consider highlights from their other albums; these are just the ones I'm most familiar with. To this day, I can still be amazed by a Kinks song I've overlooked.
The anthology "The Kinks Kronikles" is a remarkably good slice of their 1966 - 1970 Warner Reprise period, with a number of what became bonus tracks on re-releases of those seminal albums.
Oh, and David Watts just might be gay. Ray squeezes A LOT in between the lines. I love The Kinks!
The lyrics are one of the things that make The Kinks special because they found the topics often in other issues than in the typical love song subjects. The most famous one is probably "Lola" but "Sunny Afternoon", "Dead End Street", Dedicated Follower of Fashion" , "Waterloo Sunset"or "A Well Respected Man" are other examples.
And because I like it very much when musicians do great covers I would recommend to listen to "Tired of Waiting" and then the Jazz Rock cover by The Flock - another great band of the late 60ies that deserves more attention not only because their main soloist Jerry Goodman was good enough to play the violin with The Mahavishnu Orchestra in later times.
The Kinks are one my goto bands..... Bet ya the folks would like Stranges, Powerman, This Time Tomorrow from Lola v Powerman ...........another one is Waterloo Sunset from another record......Keep it up JP
A thing I've heard somewhere is that David Watts was about a boy Dave Davies had a crush on in high school. But they couldn't just be openly "I have a crush on a boy" and they used a different name since they knew the guy still
My two Kinky (😇) suggestions: Big Sky and Days. These are really good songs, believe me! 😉
The Kinks had loads of great songs but the one you really need to react to is Waterloo Sunset, the greatest song ever written bar none. My first job when I become Prime Minister will be to make it our National Anthem.
Yeah you got to the Kinks... Ray Davies is a brillaint lyricist, and created the finest English pop music... and I would include the Beatles in that mix as well
God bless THE KINKS & THE JAM from Dublin Ireland 🍀🙏🍀🕴️🛵🕴️🛵🕴️🛵🕴️🛵🕴️✊🏿✊🏿A way of life ✊🏿🙏 mod 🕴️✊🏿🕴️🛵🕴️
Certainly one of the top 50 bands of all time. The Kinks started their career with their third single, now classic, 'You Really Got Me' and went on from there with a string of hits gradually morphing from a rock band to a much softer more melodic sound. Ray Davies, the lead vocalist, guitarist and composer of the vast majority of their huge catalogue, is a National Treasure in the UK largely because he instilled so much of England, good and bad, into his music. He is a quintessential Englishman. To continue your Kinks journey you'd have to start with their first hit then move on to 'Dead End Street', 'All Day And All Of The Night', 'Sunny Afternoon' and, of course, 'Waterloo Sunset'. They were massive in the 60s but never made much impression on the charts after that though they released over 70 singles.
Ray was the singer and songwriter, but his brother Dave slipped in a gem like this there sometimes. Another great one is "Mindless Child Of Motherhood", from a later album. "Death Of A Clown" reminds me of a favorite Warren Zevon song called "Something Bad Happened To A Clown". Speaking of Warren, you can't go wrong with anything from his first two albums "Warren Zevon" and "Excitable Boy". I especially love "Desperados Under The Eves" from "W. Z.".
'Mindless Child of Motherhood' is brilliant, and bizarrely was a b-side and not actually on any of their albums, except the compilation The Kink Kronikles (which is probably the greatest "Best Of" ever put out, IMO) and as a bonus track on a CD re-issue years later.
I thought it was on Arthur, but you're right it was a b side from that time. I'm used to it being in the 2cd edition I have of that album.
The kinks, are definitely a decent band, they did some lovely stuff. These guys come from just a few miles away from me in London. Ray Davies is actually a very nice guy, I have seen him a few times in a London bar!
The Kinks! "Death Of A Clown" is one of my fave Kinks songs, there is a beauty live version on "To The Bone"
"To The Bone" is one of my all time favorites!! Highly recommended!
Recommend Wild Billy's Circus Story by Bruce Springsteen...a haunting bittersweet ode to the old fashioned circus life. From a time when children dreamed of running away to join the circus. It is from the album The Wild, The Innocent, and The E-Street Shuffle, which was more jazz and progressive than his later stuff. A Dylanesque side to Springsteen before Born to Run.
A phenomenal song off what I consider hands-down his best album.
Great reaction JP... the Kinks are awesome and they change their style throughout the decades. So many great songs... l recommend Wish l could Fly Like (Superman) or Rock And Roll Fantasy
Hot diggity dog! Here's the riggedy-raggedy recommends, starting with:-
Waterloo Sunset, also off Something Else.
A Well Respected Man
I'm Not Like Everybody Else
Dedicated Follower of Fashion
Sunny Afternoon
20th Century Man
Celluloid Heroes
Destroyer
Living on a Thin Line
Basically all of The Kinks Are the Village Green Preservation Society album, but especially the title track , Last of Steam Powered Trains, Picture Book, Johnny Thunder, Big Sky, Village Green, and the b-sides/bonus tracks Days and Misty Water
Lola, Apeman, Powerman and Strangers, from Lola Versus Powerman and the Moneygoround, Part One
And finally, probably one of my favourite Kinks songs, Victoria.
Also, yeah, everyone has a David Watts, me included - going to school in a sort of snobby suburb of Brum, there was at least three or four of them.
The two main singers/songwriters/vocalists/guitarists are brothers Ray and Dave Davies - sometimes they'd switch up and sing lead on each others songs, but in this case, "Death of a Clown" was technically released as a Dave Davies solo single but packaged as part of the band's album.
A common theme of Kinks songs, especially on the Village Green and Arthur albums, is a wistful nostalgia/melancholy for the fading glory of England and Englishness, and grappling with the existential quandaries of the late 60s/early 70s culture.
Ty Adams!
No song relaxes me more than Waterloo Sunset. It is almost summertime and we need us some Waterloo Sunset.
Such a catchy chorus. Will be singing it all day long. Fa Fa Fa Fa ....
Feeling Kinky.
As usual.
The Kinks were banned in the US for some reason, and got more English oriented in writing.
Love the Englishness of it. Delightful.
I believe a couple of The Kinks got into a brawl with some stagehands at a hall they were performing at in the U.S..
The stagehands/equipment handlers were unionized and so The Kinks got banned from performing in the U.S. for several years.
If you plan to finish this - and I hope that you do - these 60's albums are short in duration - roughly 17 - 18 minutes per side. With this album there are 7 tracks on side 1 and 6 on side 2. Why not do half the side on one reaction and then the other half. You often cover prog songs 10 - 15 - 20 minutes long and here you covered 2 Kinks songs at a combined 5.5 minutes. With The Beatles/Stones/Kinks/Who you probably should do at least a three song reaction - for sure with their early to mid 60's albums. A better flow leads to better album feel which leads to a better first listen. Your next few songs on this album should complete side 1. Those 5 songs are Two Sisters (2:01) - No Return (2:03) - Harry Rag (2:16) - Tin Soldier Man (2:49) (for HP SOS) - Situation Vacant (3:16) - Total 12:25 - practically one prog song. The Kinks are bloody rich in melody and the lyrics are often straight forward understandable and mature and will take you away on a mini pop music excursion from here to eternity. As one of your commenters has already stated - The Kinks = top tier. I concur wholeheartedly.
Death of a Clown, a favorite since childhood
Awesome you did this. Hope you do the rest of the album.
I listened to 2 hours of Concrete Blonde yesterday. A boatload of memories for me, it probably wouldn't mean much to you. Paul McCartney's band after The Beatles was pretty good.
Wings, Band on the Run
Wings, Nineteen Hundred and Eighty Five
I only know the kinks singles, and those are mostly excellent. Lola, Waterloo Sunset. Lazin' on Sunday afternoon.
The two brothers, Ray and Dave Davies had a bit of sibling rivalry, Ray wouldn't play Daves's Death of a clown at concerts. It doesn't get played much on the radio either, which is a shame, it's a great track. All the kinks stuff I've heard has been cheerful and bouncy. Yes they were contemporary with the Beatles. Started in the 60s, carried out touring long after the Beatles split.
I highly recommend the documentary of Ray Davies called “Imaginary Man”.
Man.... The Kinks are so underrated it's really really sad!! It's like they are the real life "Spinal Tap" But they have real gems from the 60's British Invasion period to the 70's Rock Era and then to the 80's Post Rock Era!! They really could change with the times in there own way!!!
Kinks 4ever!
At first 'David Watts' is a typically chirpy 60s recording but its lyrics and arrangements take it on further than that, telling you that you have invested in a record wisely - thank goodness. Nothing in that prepares you for 'Death Of A Clown' which in a different league - still a narrative with clear character-sketching, but such a different world.
[In later days the brothers Davies did not get along well a lot of the time - sibling rivalry or creative friction? I don't know enough of their history, but it was enough for Ray to want to antagonise Dave (who was living in The States) at one stage by hiring in a deputy guitarist for a few gigs in the U.K. Randomly, he pointed to a guitarist on the cover of a musicians magazine and issued instructions for him to be hired for a couple of weeks; so it was that Jakko Jakszyk could add The Kinks to his c.v. (He did not find out the truth of things until after the deed was done)]
Death of a Clown is definitely the keeper of the two. Celluloid Heroes is a great pick.
Enjoyed your reaction - I'm off to listen to "Waterloo Sunset" XD
Ray Davies is not being kind to David Watts. Ray is very sarcastic in general. The perfection of David Watts is what makes Watts a character that is artificial, a sort of fantasy of perfection. He's not a role model, but a point of resentment of which the singer cannot ever live up to.
Death of a Clown is written and performed by Dave Davies. Most are Ray songs, but the few Dave songs recorded are lovely.
The big hit off this particular album is Waterloo Sunset. It was a low chart rate in the US, but in England, it is one of the greatest hits ever and it is considered one of the most English of English songs. Ray performed Waterloo Sunset at the London Olympics Opening Ceremony.
The Kinks catalogue is varied, deep and spans decades. Kinks covers have made bigger charts than the originals in many cases (Stop you're Sobbing by the Pretenders being one). They have several Rock Operas as well as typical song albums. Songs can be light as a feather, funny, sentimental, introspectuve, sarcastic or hard rocking. Most songs take on little stories and characters.
My personal favorites
Picture Book. (Juxtaposition this with People Take Pictures.... AND they are on the same album)
Ducks on a Wall
Father Christmas
I'm Not Like Anybody Else
Big Sky
Power man
Cuppa Tea
Get Back in the Line
Nothing in this World Can Stop Me
Suggestions: 1st track on "Todd Rundgren's Utopia"; "Anesthetize" - Porcupine Tree; Beethoven's 9th symphony, 2nd movement
One of the best Kinks albums. "Waterloo Sunset" is a must listen from that album.
lola and waterloo sunset... essential listening..
The one song that encapsulates The Kinks must be The Village Green Preservation Society.
If you research, you won't see my suggestions among the highly rated Kinks albums, but I love Preservation Act 1 and Preservation Act 2. They are concept albums, but I think these are ones which can be played by individual tracks. It's been quite a while since I listened to them, though. Those who have heard them more recently may be able to guide you better on which tracks may need to be played together.
"And we'll buy up the towns,
And we'll knock 'em all down
Build a brand new world of our own."
Yup, pure gold. You need to listen to Waterloo Sunset.
village green preservation society, plastic man, lola, sunny afternoon all good songs in fact almost any of their albums from 67 - 73
Kinks tracks...mmm....where to start?. Lola, Waterloo Sunset, Dedicated Follower of Fashion, Sunny Afternoon, Victoria and many more. But its Waterloo Sunset that's quintessentially very 'english'. I'd suggest listening to it whilst enjoying the view from Waterloo Bridge on Google Streetview (don't you just love the internet) to savour the view as its on a bend, enabling you to get a really great panorama of the London skyline.
Who was David Watts? In Ray's own words from Q Magazine:
"My brother, Dave, was in a flamboyant mood and I could see David Watts (Concert Promoter) had a crush on him. So I tried to do a deal and persuade Dave to marry David Watts cos he was connected with Rutland brewery. See, that's how stupid my brain was. (Chuckles silently) I thought if I can get Dave fixed up with this Watts guy I'll be set up for life and get all the ale I want."
But although he used the name it was really about the Head Boy of his school.
Waterloo Sunset, Misfits, Celluloid Heroes, No More Looking Back...
(sorry, the Kinks are my favorite band)
Oh, man; I totally forgot to mention Misfits in my lengthy comment. Along with the title track, their Rock And Roll Fantasy is outstanding, putting the one released a year later by Foreigner or whoever to shame.
Many videos of Kinks interviews & performances where Ray chides Dave over "Death of a Clown".
It's Ray Davies singing lead on the first song and Dave Davies singing lead on the second. Ray Davies is a great lyricist. Try 'Sunny Afternoon'.
He already listened to Sunny Afternoon on a previous channel he had with his friend Manny.
@@richardhinman3183 O.K. Thanks for that info. He asked what else he should listen to and I wasn't aware he's already done that one.
I love the Kinks, play "Waterloo Sunset" on this album, and "Lola" on Kinks Part One. The Kinks came before The Clash, and before the Ramones. The Kinks invented Punk Rock.
Waterloo Sunset is beautiful.
"David Watts" is brilliant. A heady mix of teen loserdom, class friction, homoeroticism. The whole first side of this album is great, and then side B is kind of weak - until the end, when it closes with one of the finest of all rock songs, "Waterloo Sunset". The following album, Village Green Preservation Society, is consistently great. I would also recommend a couple of non-LP singles from this era: "Autumn Almanac" and "Days".
Love Days… and the Elvis Costello cover.
ok, JPç. I'm a HUGE KINKS fan. sO... a little bit extra about Death of a Clown... it was an attempt by Dave Davies to write a "Dylanesque" (even to the point where he kind of imitates Bob Dylan's voice here and there) Dave Davies is the guitarist of the band and Ray Davies is the frontman who would sing 90 percent of the songs. All of this have being said... what was originally considered a throw away b-side seudo-dylan ripoff has aged with the years quite well. Most people today don't know of it's bad reputationand the flea line in the song is a reference to "Flea circus", which was a thing long ago...circus...clown...get it?... no problem... it's a lame line, anyways.lol.
Check out Sunny Afternoon
Prior to this album they had loads of excellent singles, you probably heard 'You Really Got Me' since it's their most famous. There was also:
All Day and All of the Night
'Till the End of the Day
Tired of Waiting for You
A Well Respected Man
Dedicated Follower of Fashion
Where Have All the Good Times Gone
Sunny Afternoon
just to name a few.
Their most beautiful song is Strangers, not Waterloo Sunset (which is also very good).
I read that Pete Townsend named Ray Davies as his hero.
You picked their best LP
Cheers.
The Mods the original and true Mods
Great band
I always wanted Death of a Clown to be about the fall of capitalism and the birth of democratic socialism after WWII in Britain, as it was written very soon after the death of Churchill.
Who lost the first election after the war by a landslide to Attlee.
Sadly I can't find anything to back this suspicion up but I do know the Kinks sang about the left side of political policies.
Listen to Spirit - Mr Skin or Space Child/When I touch You or Animal Zoo or Prelude/Nothing to Hide. OR from the albums Fresh Garbage , the title track or Taurus (pick the famous song that ripped it off)