The Kinks - Face to Face

Rock's greatest moments begin here!

Ah, "Face to Face." Ah, The Kinks. Where do you even begin to find the words that attempt to do justice to the music that The Kinks produced from 1966-1971? I'm more passionate about their music from this period than I am about any other, so I've just got to try.
Anyone who's reading this probably has a love of their work, therefore a good knowledge of the music; where the great stuff began and where it ended, so we all know that this is where it truly began. Ray Davies was beginning to populate his song writing world with characters who would resurface on other albums and singles (No, not by name, but you knew who they were from the lyrical content), while others did not. He has a complex mind ("No one can penetrate me, they only see what's in their own fancy") which set about creating stories that, according to John Mendelsohn in his book "The Kink Kronikles" when commenting on "Two Sisters" from the "Something Else" album: "...a five-thousand-word short story might have been too short for." There were dandies, session men, an individual who has a most exlusive country residence, and loses it and is left to be content with a sunny afternoon. In between are songs about insomnia, holidays in Waikiki and memories of love lost.
His vocals had grown to have the ability to express sympathy or disdain for his subject, and in the case of the mini song cycle if you will, he scorns the character who owns the "House in the Country," yet seems sympathetic to his plight when forced to sell out in "Most Exclusive Residence for Sale" and then fills his shoes to deliver a first-hand account in "Sunny Afternoon." (Has anyone else ever suspected that Ray Davies had this poor chap do himself in later on in "Did You See His Name?")
His lyrics were intelligent and clever:
"I'm on a party line
Wondering all the time
Who's on the other end.
Is she big
Is she small
Is she a she at all."
(Although both Davies brothers wrote the song, these are clearly Ray Davies lyrics.)
"Rosie Won't You Please Come Home?" has the singer taking the side of the mother rather than the side of the young girl:
"Rosie won't you please come home
Mama don't know where you've been
Rosie won't you please come home
Your room's clean and no one's in it."
Keep in mind that The Beatles wouldn't record "She's Leaving Home" for another year.
"Rainy Day in June" may be, next to "Wicked Annabella" one of Ray Davies' darkest songs:
"The demon stretched its wrinkled hand
And snatched a butterfly.
The elves and gnomes were hunched in fear
Too terrified to cry."
This is excellence at work! This was the beginning of an incredible 5 year stretch in which no wrong was done. If you choose to listen to all five years worth of their best work chronologically, starting here, you can do it in one afternoon, and it's soooo enjoyable!
A production note must be made concerning this disc. It's in mono. Therefore, "Little Miss Queen of Darkness" is missing the electric guitar track until the last verse. My stereo vinyl copy has the track through the entire song.
It's so difficult to adequately summarize the musical and lyrical impact of this material. If you're among the uninitiated, hopfully my feeble attempt at trying to do so will encourage you to sample The Kinks' best era for yourself. And if you do, I sincerely hope you'll enjoy it. May 23, 2008

Major Step Forward

The first great record of the Kinks golden age. From '66 thru '71, the Kinks catalogue was as good as anybodys. This record, not unlike "Rubber Soul" by the Beatles, marked the begining of a more mature and artistically satisfying period for the band. The signs of something better begining were already there on singles like "A Well Respected Man","Dedicated Follower of Fashion" and "See My Friends". Though not a concept album, the quality and variety of material here makes it seem almost thematic as Davies observations and wit begin to take hold of his songwriting and steering the band away from the more tradition rocker mold of their earlier material. Never a band to do things the easy way, this new direction led to a string of albums that are as interesting (if not more so) now as they were 40 years ago. April 12, 2008

Ray Davies Hits His Stride

This was the first album of the Kinks' new era. Ironically, it was also this album that contained their last big international hit of the '60's --"Sunny Afternoon." Although it contained a couple of their simple love songs from their earlier era, likely put there to fill out the tracks, the strength of the album is in the social commentary and personal observations of the rest of the songs.

When I bought the album in 1966, "Party Line" (a Ray & Dave composition) intrigued me. I remember party lines, but few people, at least in the US do. Dave's line "Is she big/ Is she small?/ Is she a she at all?" could just as well apply to e-mail or IM today, though. The voice asking who was there belonged to the late Frank SMyth, who wrote the liner notes. I was hooked after "Rosie Won't You Please Come Home," a song about the Davies' sister Rose who emigrated to Australia. Nicky Hopkins' harpsichord laid over the bands decending arpeggio just bounced along and Ray's slightly off-key singing captured my imagination, and I was a Kink Kultist from then on.

"Session Man" is about session musicians, supposedly specifically Hopkins. "Rainy Day in June is a mood piece, the motfs of which popped up later in "Wicked Annabella." "Dandy" (covered by Herman's Hermits, of all people), "House in the Country," "Most Exclusive Residence for Sale," and "Sunny Afternoon" completed the story of the social climber started with "Well-Respected Man" and "Dedicated Follower of Fashion." "Holiday in Waikiki" is more than slightly snide and basically Ray venting about commercialism in paradise. Reminds me of the line "American tourists love to see the Village Green" from "Village Green." "Little Miss Queen of Darkness" was a forlorn figure Ray met in a discotheque, sort of Lola's ancestor. This album really established Ray as the voice of the Kinks, and they never looked back. Ray wrote "You're Looking Fine" for Dave to rave on, and Dave still does it in his live shows. That one really jumps in the "Live at the Kelvin Hall" show from 1967.

The extras do round out the Kinks' saga in this era. These songs were relased on the compilations "Kinks Kronikles: and "The Great Lost Kinks Album," but it's nice to have them here. The magnificant "I"m Not Like Everybody Else," which was "Sunny Afternoon's" B-side, and two great singles from 1967: "Dead End Street"/ "Big Black Smoke" and "Mister Pleasant"/ "This is Where I Belong." (I have these singles in my collections.) "Mr. Reporter," written by Ray and sung by Dave for his projected solo album is listed as unreleased but it had appeared on Dave's "Unfinished Business" compilation. "Little Women" is a new find.

Ray hit his stride with this one. From "Face to Face" (1966) through "Everybody's in Show Biz" (1972) they put out albums full of insightful, great bopping rock. April 17, 2007

A Great Transition

The Kinks were adequate with the hard rock n' roll, but they came into their own with Face to Face. Ray Davies combined a few Brit pop styles with his own eccentric commentary. The band is great, and they have fun developing their form until their next album, Something Else, which is, in my opinion, their absolute best. March 31, 2007

Tales of drunkeness and cruelty...

'Face to Face' is the reason I love the Kinks! This may not be their greatest album, but it is my favorite lp by the Brothers Davies and will always hold a special place in my heart. This is what England sounds like! English culture, the people, the pubs, the disenfrancised, the mods and the upper crust. I heard this record first in college and was immediately hooked though "Sunny Afternoon" was the only 'classic' that I knew of before hearing the album in total. How many songs am I in love with from this lp, one of a slew of incredible rock albums released in 1966? Well before 'Face to Face', the Kinks were a hard rocking British Invasion band that had single success but whose albums were not fully realized collections of songs. 'Kink Kontroversy' was a step in the right direction but even this very good album pales in comparison to 'Face to Face'. "Too Much on My Mind" and "Rosie" break my bleeding heart!.."Party Line" and "Dandy" pump me up on British pomposity and the lifestyles of Swinging London. "Fancy" and "Holiday in Wakiki" are awesome in their unconventionality. Ray Davies was in many ways comparable to Bob Dylan in his social observations, especially as he describes many of the characters in this pseudo concept album - which as some reviewers have commented could be the continuing saga of the "Well Respected Man" although on "Face to Face", he is fast losing his shirt ("Dandy", "House in the Country", "Most Exclusive" and of course "Sunny Afternoon"). Dave only belts out "Party Line" and "You're Looking Fine", the later could be seen as something from previous records. The remastered version includes the classic B side to "Sunny", the Dave droned "I'm Not Like Anybody Else" which is now featured in an American advertisement (IBM?), how's that for respect! "Dead End Street", "Big Black Smoke" and "Mr. Pleasant" (is he the "Dandy's" victim?) all feature on this amazing collection of Ray Davies gems. It is absolutely criminal that this record was barely released in the States and had paltry sales figures. Classic rock fans need the Kinks and "Face to Face" which began a run of music that celebrates the genius of the boys from Muswell Hill.
March 3, 2007

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