The Kinks Thread

[MrMagpie]

Blur lyrics were vague, to my mind. Compared to the direct descriptions by The Kinks of London, poverty, seaside holidays, village greens, steam trains etc.

I agree, and it's interesting you bring this up because even though they're one of my fave bands ever, the more I think on Blur's lyrics, there are an awful lot of songs that don't really *SAY* anything, and even when Damon does, he's very obtuse and wraps the message up in layers and layers. Quite different from how Ray wrote, which was in such a simple and direct way, but he managed to say so much that was incredibly deep and profound and, dare I say, touching. He is certainly the master in that regard.

[Mallard No. 22]

Oasis lyrics could be vague as well. It seems more difficult to find memorable lyrics in Britpop songs, as opposed to 60s-70s music.

[MrMagpie]

Oasis lyrics could be vague as well. It seems more difficult to find memorable lyrics in Britpop songs, as opposed to 60s-70s music.

Well, Oasis lyrics were almost always crap. Noel could spin some great songs (drawing heavily from his inspirations, shall we say) but as a lyricist he's bottom of the barrel (with rare exception). Funny enough, the best Britpop lyrics, IMO, were Butler-era Suede, which I think are every bit as obtuse as Blur's lyrics yet they seem to say more.

[KingLouieLouie76]

While talking about Britpop era writers, how do both of you feel about Richard Ashcroft?

[MrMagpie]

Eh. He's pretty good, I'm not a huge Verve fan but I do like some of their stuff. I think, however, they're right where they deserve to be in terms of legacy and recognition...better than average but nowhere near the cream of the crop.

[Mallard No. 22]

Yes, they sort of latched onto the peak of Britpop, then went.

[MrMagpie]

There are a lot of second- and third-teir bands who had better sales and reputations simply because they were in the right place at the right time that decade.

[Mallard No. 22]

The 'right place & right time' aspect was one of the main things that killed Britpop. Otherwise, a few more of the good artists could have had longer top ten chart careers with memorable hits.

[MrMagpie]

The 'right place & right time' aspect was one of the main things that killed Britpop. Otherwise, a few more of the good artists could have had longer top ten chart careers with memorable hits.

Yep. For every band that had success during the decade simply by virtue of that luck, there are several (two of my favorites, Mansun and the Bluetones, come to mind) who were so much better than that but were unfairly lumped in with the rest of the posers and suffered because of it.

[Mallard No. 22]

Yes, they had much more to offer. I bought the records and saw them live at the time, they stood comparison to anyone else.

I thought such artists could have had sustainable careers with several years of well-remembered top ten hits.

Instead, a few Britpop artists became mainstream darlings, others were Cast ( ) aside....

[KingLouieLouie76]

Another recent reunion article: http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2 ... lking.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[MrMagpie]

It's never gonna happen!

I've been listening to that new 5CD Kinks anthology that just came out....some GREAT stuff on there. I'm loving the newly released mono and stereo mixes of some of those 60s singles and B-sides...they just crackle with energy!

[KingLouieLouie76]

It's never gonna happen!

I've been listening to that new 5CD Kinks anthology that just came out....some GREAT stuff on there. I'm loving the newly released mono and stereo mixes of some of those 60s singles and B-sides...they just crackle with energy!

Perhaps the Kinks just can record a new album with neither Dave nor Mick in the studio together at the same time...That would be a slight consolation...I guess?

I must check that anthology out! I love their deeper cuts and b-sides than most of their singles!

[KingLouieLouie76]

Excellent recent interview of the brothers! http://www.rockcellarmagazine.com/2015/ ... tENvG.dpbs" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[tom_cas1]

Record Store Day releases coming in April:

The Kinks — Kinksize Hits
The Kinks — Kinksize Sessions
The Kinks — You Really Got Me (Live)/Milk Cow Blue (Live)