Kinked! Kinks Songs & Sessions 1964-1971
https://www.acerecords.co.uk/kinked-kinks-songs-sessions-1964-1971
Ray Davies’ prolific songwriting muse showcased on choice rarities from the
Kinks’ golden years – including a tune from brother
Dave, and several recordings in which the whole band participated.
One of the greatest songwriting talents the UK has ever produced, Ray Davies was tremendously prolific right from his earliest days with the Kinks. His wry take on the
British way of life was matched by uncanny melodic and commercial sensibilities, resulting in a body of work that remains unsurpassed. From ‘
You Really Got Me’ on, the Kinks’ popularity and influence around the globe has been immeasurable, as ably demonstrated by the many covers of
Davies’ songs.
“Kinked!” is an alternative celebration of the Kinks’ first decade, via the songs that “got away” when a surfeit of material was shopped by Davies’ publisher and management, both in the UK and overseas. These tunes include several signature items never officially recorded by the Kinks – ‘I
Go To Sleep’, ‘
This Strange Effect’, ‘
All Night Stand’ – or often released well in advance of the Kinks’ own versions. The range of interpreters is wide, from pop-jazz chanteuse
Peggy Lee and teen idol
Bobby Rydell to Brit-girls the
Orchids, UK mainstays the
Pretty Things, sessioneer
Nicky Hopkins, satirist
Barry Fantoni,
US garage punk avatars the
Chocolate Watchband and
R&B; veterans the
Olympics. Several cuts are previously unissued alternate versions / mixes or recent vault discoveries. “Kinked!” also gathers the known outside tracks to feature some or all of the Kinks as accompaniment, like the obscure ‘
King Of
The Whole Wide World’. And as writer, Kinks guitar slinger extraordinaire
Dave Davies contributes one track, the rare beat pounder ‘
One Fine Day.’
Growing up in
Crouch End, at the foot of
Muswell Hill, you might say an affinity with the Kinks was in the tapwater. Indeed, ‘You Really Got Me’, ‘
Lola’ and others resonated in my sub-teenaged brain long before I learned who the actual artist was. Subsequent exploration of the Kinks’ vintage catalogue proved to be a constant joy, and I managed to see them live on at least one occasion in
London in the mid-80s. I noted at the time that the audience was almost wholly comprised of
Americans, and after to moving to
California I discovered just how deep an impression my hometown heroes had made on this side of the
Atlantic.
The contents of “Kinked!” almost compiled themselves but as a long-time fan I was happy to oblige and shepherd this package to fruition.
It’s an eminently listenable programme that firmly makes the case that Ray Davies and the Kinks had talent in spades from the very start.
Track Listing:
01 This Strange Effect -
Dave Berry
02
Look For Me Baby -
Goldie & The Gingerbreads
03
I Bet You Won't
Stay -
The Cascades
04 King Of The Whole Wide World -
Leapy Lee
05 I Go To Sleep - Peggy Lee
06 All Night Stand - The
Thoughts
07 So Mystifying -
The Olympics
08 Un Jeune
Homme Bien -
Petula Clark
09 One Fine Day - Shel Naylor
10
Oh What A Day It's Going To Be - Mo &
Steve
11
Little Man In A
Little Box - Barry Fantoni
12
A House In The Country -
The Pretty Things
13 When I See
That Girl Of
Mine - Bobby Rydell
14
Nobody's Fool -
Cold Turkey
15 Act
Nice And Gentle -
Duster Bennett
16
I've Got That Feeling -
The Orchids
17
Emptiness -
The Honeycombs
18
Rosy,
Won't You Please Come Home aka
Rosie, Rosie -
Marianne Faithfull
19 I'm Not Like
Everybody Else -
The Chocolate Watchband
20 Who'll Be
The Next In
Line -
The Knack
21
Dandy -
Herman's Hermits
22
The Virgin Soldiers March - The
John Schroeder Orchestra
23
A Little Bit Of
Sunlight -
The Majority
24
Big Black Smoke - Mick &
Malcolm
25
Mister Pleasant - Nicky Hopkins & The Whistling
Piano
26 End Of the
Season -
The Ugly's