The Grouchy Gaijin's Thoughts on Music and Such

I have never been a huge fan of the Kinks after listening to this record I'm not sure why. Sure I knew All Day and All Night as well as its sister song Girl I Want to Be With You as well as Lola. Somewhere back there I seem to recall a song similar to Lola/Girl /All Day that talked about a little green man in Davies' head but I couldn't place that song - lost in a fog of power chords gone by.

The other day I picked up Come Dancing and have been listening to it over and over.

Basically kids - this one is a must.

The sound is melodic and hard rocking with just a touch of anarchy thrown in. Sometimes the mood is a bit melancholy. The feeling that "an old hipster" is looking back and seems to say - we don't have much time left, so here is "the best we've got". It won't get any better and will only get worse so between the old nostalgic blasts of You Really Got Me and Lola (however tongue in cheek) there are the melodic sounds of Come Dancing a song that reflects on a childhood long gone and Walking on A Thin Line in which Davies pines that there is no England now. Somehow almost everyone of these tunes hit me square on - perhaps it is because I am deep into middle age myself or perhaps it is simply because these are really good songs.

Track 1: Come Dancing - a nice melody and a catchy groove make this sentimental song captivating.

Track 2: Low Budget - a gritty rocker - the raunchiness of the guitar is killer. This song screams CRANK IT UP

Track 3: Catch Me Now I'm Falling - a sentimental song that is an allegory for the declining power and influence of the United States in the 1970s. This was the era before Ronald Regan, the US economy was in a shambles and our prestige abroad was at an all time low thanks in large part to the ineptness of Jimmy Carter who seems to get kookier with age.

Track 4: Gallon of Gas - classic R & B hooks abound in this song relating how much gas costs - I think gas was still less that $1.00 a gallon when this was written. Nevertheless the idea that times are hard and things cost more than they used to resound in this track. Side note: under Carter interest rates hit close to 20% so inflation was a real burden to the average family.

Track 5: Superman - I don't quite get this song but I like the guitar and the rhythmic ebb and flow of the bass, drums and vocals.

Track 6: Sleepwalker - I dig the drums in this song. The intro is just so infectious. The guitar provides a nice underlay for the vocals - I'm a sleepwalker, I'm a night stalker - solo - chorus - bridge - here come the vocals again before another short solo. Classic pop/rock groove.

Track 7: Full Moon - this song is OK. I mean its not bad. I just don't like it as much as the others - it seems like this should have been a B side -SKIP.

Track 8: Misfits - OK with a name like this the expectations are high. Unfortunately, it is a balled. (At least its not a Power Balled)What's worse it reminds me of Jackson Brown. Please! I can see the fans swaying back and forth with lighters held high. Sorry guys its another SKIP.

Track 9: Rock and Roll Party - 5 minutes of Quaaludeesque mellow sounds that go on and on and on about really sad images - the description of the "guy on my block who lives for rock" does hit somewhat close to home though - ouch - a loner who does nothing but live in a self induced rock and roll fantasy haze - then "Look at me, look at you, you say we've got nothing left to prove" WE ARE OLD! Pass the ludes dude, I can still feel my toes. "Don't want to spend my life living in a rock and roll fantasy."

Track 10: Do It Again - "Now we are back where we started, here we go round again" I like this tune. I like the music. The guitar, the keyboards, the bass and drums - they all mesh nicely. The vocals are spot on - catchy and yet somewhat deep - "A new house, new car, new nose" Well OK maybe not deep, but interesting - life goes on and really doesn't change except we get older - then a nice guitar solo - another pop/rock gem.

Track 11: Better things - there is hope in all the days ahead - yeah yeah yeah- blah blah blah. If the music were better I'd have more to say - this isn't the worst song on the album.

Track 12: Lola Live - The Kinks at their best. This song created a huge controversy when it came out. My god Lola was a man! This is still a killer tune - feel the energy and emotion. The Kinks OWN the crowd when they play Lola - check it out.

Track 13: You Really Got Me Live - Killer guitar solo intro leads into the first song every kid in junior high learns how to play in his first garage band. Raw, intense, killer - is it any wonder Van Halen covered this on their debut album? You have to here the guys that wrote the song bring down the house with those three killer chords - the ones that say it all. You know what I mean.

Track 14:Good Day - it's a nice pretty song about the nice weather, big decisions that loom ahead and confusion - the headlines said that Diana is dead. For me, this is a nice song, for the British it may be more than that. Having no feelings one way or another about Princess Diana I can't say.

Track 15: Living on a Thin Line - I like the music. It is melodic and captivating. I get the idea that what we thought we knew we don't. What we were taught was a lie. Depression. What are we supposed to do? Inside we are the same as we ever were. That which we thought was there is not - does it matter? Does it ever matter? All this dialogue while some somewhat Arthurian music play on in the background. I like this song.

Track 16: Destroyer - Paranoia is a self destroyer - Lola reappears and the music to Girl I Really Want To Be With You fills in the gaps an Davies screams for relief from the mental anguish that eats away at his brain. "You get a good thing going and you blow yourself out" You got to love the ripping guitar! "SILLY BOY YOU SELF DESTROYER!"

Track 17: Don't Forget to Dance - like a dose of strong tranquilizers after a manic attack this song is soft, sweet and gently reminds us to take time to (try to) enjoy life.

Track 18: Father Christmas - the beginning is like a nice "Do They Know Its Christmas" Then in come the drums - boom - "Father Christmas Give us some money! Hand it over or we'll beat you up" Its Christmas for all the little rich boys. What a rocking in your face song for the downtrodden who aren't going to take it anymore.

5 out of 5 scowls a definite yes.