[asok80]

He's revisiting classic Kinks songs with the help of numerous artists such as
Bruce, JBJ and Richie Sambora, Metallica etc.

Released on Nov 1 in the UK

[Ferret]

Why doesn't he make some new music instead of living off his legacy?

[Rob]

Originally Posted by Ferret

Why doesn't he make some new music instead of living off his legacy?

That's what annoys me sometimes about artists. Ray Davies is well capable as well as he's a creative genius. I wasn't into his last album, Working Man's Cafe though. I got a free copy with The Sunday Times and it's pretty much average pop music with little substance to it.

[Chica Guacamole]

I'm ashamed to say that I'm not overly familiar with his work, but I will probably check out this album- he's worked with quite a few artists that I am a big fan of, so should be interesting, at least for me.

[Rob]

Originally Posted by Chica Guacamole

I'm ashamed to say that I'm not overly familiar with his work, but I will probably check out this album- he's worked with quite a few artists that I am a big fan of, so should be interesting, at least for me.

The Kinks are well worth listening to as they have a huge wealth of good material. You'll probably find that you know quite a few of the songs, and this album might be a good place to start.

[Chica Guacamole]

Originally Posted by Rob

The Kinks are well worth listening to as they have a huge wealth of good material. You'll probably find that you know quite a few of the songs, and this album might be a good place to start.

Just had a listen to a few Kinks songs on Youtube just now- surprisingly enough I am a bit more familiar with them than I thought

[Jim Bon Jovi]

Originally Posted by Ferret

Why doesn't he make some new music instead of living off his legacy?

Maybe he doesn't want to taint that legacy?

McCartney, Clapton, The Stones, Bowie and a tonne of other big acts that were putting out great stuff in the 60s and 70s have kept plodding on and kind of become the token boxer that doesn't know when to hang up the gloves. Even Floyd get a lot of heat despite the fact that the Division Bell is a great album.

I've never heard anyone say Ray Davies should have put the guitar in its case years ago....

Plus what a legacy to live off of. If he breathes some fresh new life into these tunes of which several are the finest pop and rock music you'll find anywhere then good on him.

It might also be to do with the fact that the Kinks production was always terrible. Ray strikes me as a bit of an OCD fiend or a perfectionist and he might have wanted a chance to re-record the back catalogue for years but never found a suitable vehicle to do so.

[Jim Bon Jovi]

Originally Posted by Chica Guacamole

Just had a listen to a few Kinks songs on Youtube just now- surprisingly enough I am a bit more familiar with them than I thought

That's The Kinks for you.

You can usually pick up their essential greatest hits for a fiver or less in Asda. You should check it out. Even if you only end up with the 1 cd version, it's a great listen.

[Rob]

Originally Posted by Jim Bon Jovi

It might also be to do with the fact that the Kinks production was always terrible. Ray strikes me as a bit of an OCD fiend or a perfectionist and he might have wanted a chance to re-record the back catalogue for years but never found a suitable vehicle to do so.

That's an interesting point. Production was very poor on a lot of the early Kinks recordings, partly due to the technology (or lack of) at their disposal. You're definately right about Ray wanting to highlight that legacy. When I first listened to The Kinks I was surprissed at how many songs I knew without actually knowing about The Kinks. I guess this gives him a chance to introduce a different generation of people to his back catalogue.

[C'monFeet]

Originally Posted by Rob

That's an interesting point. Production was very poor on a lot of the early Kinks recordings, partly due to the technology (or lack of) at their disposal.

It's largely for that reason that the Kinks "To the Bone" album gets played far more than any other round here. Would STRONGLY urge any newcomer to head there first, and any fan who hasn't heard the album to look for a torrent right now (A CD copy is £25 quid or so Used or New on Amazon - deleted).

It's a 29 song "live in the Studio" set from 94. Unfussy, clear production. A real rock band, playing off each other and purely for enjoyment. You really do get the feeling of "christ, they had a lot of good songs", and almost every version is more enjoyable than the studio.