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Post by 88keys on Mar 2, 2015 1:10:19 GMT
Sorry, I should have posted this earlier, but here is my CD of the Week!
It's from the legendary UK band, The Kinks, and it's their 1983 album State of Confusion.
State of Confusion Definite Maybe Labour of Love Come Dancing Property Don't Forget to Dance Young Conservatives Heart of Gold Clichés of the World (B Movie) Bernadette
Don't Forget to Dance (Extended Version) Once a Thief Long Distance Noise
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Post by jrmugz on Mar 2, 2015 2:09:11 GMT
Cool, looking very forward to checking it out. Ray Davies is a genius, and hilarious too. I'll brace myself because I always feel like I'm being made fun of by the lyrics when I hear The Kinks! Guess Ray's lyrics have been know to make everyone feel that way. Look for my review in a few days! "Come dancing, that's how they did it when i was just a kid...". Cool biz, man! Jim
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Post by Chippa on Mar 2, 2015 9:12:58 GMT
Great choice. I love me some Kinks, and this is one of their first albums I ever bought. I'll give it a listen again, then give my silly review very soon.
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Post by jefflynnenut on Mar 2, 2015 10:15:56 GMT
Man I love the kinks! Late 60's and early 70's....but the prospect of an 80's album quite frankly makes me shudder! I detest come dancing! But I ain't gonna allow this to discolour the rest of the album! Thanks for posting, prepping myself for listening! (Just my opinion) but the 80's really were a dark time for musicians of this calibre, thus proved by "The Stones, McCartney, Bowie, The Who" ect ect.....the Kinks were never a band I would have imagined I would be listening to an 80's offering/comeback album. Interesting!
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Post by queenofthehours on Mar 2, 2015 14:09:21 GMT
I love the Kinks and I'm looking forward to getting familiar with their 80s output
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Post by jrmugz on Mar 2, 2015 16:34:35 GMT
"Think Visual" was great 80s Kinks album as well. I am familiar with most of that one.
Jim
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Post by Chippa on Mar 2, 2015 19:48:27 GMT
Man I love the kinks! Late 60's and early 70's....but the prospect of an 80's album quite frankly makes me shudder! I detest come dancing! But I ain't gonna allow this to discolour the rest of the album! Thanks for posting, prepping myself for listening! (Just my opinion) but the 80's really were a dark time for musicians of this calibre, thus proved by "The Stones, McCartney, Bowie, The Who" ect ect.....the Kinks were never a band I would have imagined I would be listening to an 80's offering/comeback album. Interesting! The Kinks' "comeback" really started in 1977, when they signed with Arista. The albums "Sleepwalker", "Misfits", "Low Budget", "Give The People What They Want", "State of Confusion", and "Word of Mouth" contained some of their best work, IMO, and gave the band some of their best known radio hits such as "Juke Box Music", "A Rock n Roll Fantasy", "I Wish I Could Fly Like Superman", the epic live version of "Lola", "Destroyer", "Come Dancing", "Don't Forget To Dance", and "Do It Again". My review is coming soon.
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Post by unomusette on Mar 2, 2015 21:31:46 GMT
I remember really liking the singles I heard from around this time, such as I Wish I Could Fly Like Superman and Do It Again. Be interesting to hear a whole album, looking forward to it
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Post by jrmugz on Mar 3, 2015 4:34:32 GMT
Man I love the kinks! Late 60's and early 70's....but the prospect of an 80's album quite frankly makes me shudder! I detest come dancing! But I ain't gonna allow this to discolour the rest of the album! Thanks for posting, prepping myself for listening! (Just my opinion) but the 80's really were a dark time for musicians of this calibre, thus proved by "The Stones, McCartney, Bowie, The Who" ect ect.....the Kinks were never a band I would have imagined I would be listening to an 80's offering/comeback album. Interesting! The Kinks' "comeback" really started in 1977, when they signed with Arista. The albums "Sleepwalker", "Misfits", "Low Budget", "Give The People What They Want", "State of Confusion", and "Word of Mouth" contained some of their best work, IMO, and gave the band some of their best known radio hits such as "Juke Box Music", "A Rock n Roll Fantasy", "I Wish I Could Fly Like Superman", the epic live version of "Lola", "Destroyer", "Come Dancing", "Don't Forget To Dance", and "Do It Again". My review is coming soon. I take it one of those had Captain America Calling on it as well? I'm a big fan of that song as well as Destroyer and "Do it Again". I'm sure I'd like those others too,just gotta hear them. Come Dancing of course I know. Jim
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Post by Chippa on Mar 3, 2015 5:53:17 GMT
The Kinks' "comeback" really started in 1977, when they signed with Arista. The albums "Sleepwalker", "Misfits", "Low Budget", "Give The People What They Want", "State of Confusion", and "Word of Mouth" contained some of their best work, IMO, and gave the band some of their best known radio hits such as "Juke Box Music", "A Rock n Roll Fantasy", "I Wish I Could Fly Like Superman", the epic live version of "Lola", "Destroyer", "Come Dancing", "Don't Forget To Dance", and "Do It Again". My review is coming soon. I take it one of those had Captain America Calling on it as well? "Catch Me Now, I'm Falling", yep. Great song. Ok, here's my review.... State of Confusion – Love the staccato opening guitar riff, and the piercing scream that follows. A very similar song to “London Calling” by The Clash. In fact, a lot of this album, as well as some previous Kinks albums, contain several punk elements. Definite Maybe – Great bass/guitar/drum combo to open things up. A fantastic song about indecisiveness, and how it sometimes controls our lives. More punk-like elements in this song, too, along with some fun call and response vocals. Labour of Love – The heavy metal guitar version of “Here Comes The Bride” kicks this song off in style. Some very clever lyrics by Ray, here. He may have been talking about some of his previous relationships, including one that was so bad that he attempted suicide in 1973. Very catchy song. Come Dancing – As silly as this song might be, I find it insanely catchy. Love the old fashioned organ sound going on, along with the spoken word segment, going right into a killer guitar solo by Dave Davies. Also can’t help loving the horns that come in at the end. Property – Again, another song about a failed relationship. Perhaps this one was about his recent breakup with Pretenders lead singer Chrissie Hynde, with whom he had a child in 1983. Very melancholic lyrical and musical vibe, here. Don't Forget to Dance – A heartfelt ballad about not letting sadness and loneliness overwhelm you, but letting the small pleasures in life take you away, at least for a while. Ray takes what could be a maudlin and clunky sentiment in other hands, and turns it into a truly moving song. Young Conservatives – One of those social commentary songs that Ray Davies does better than almost anyone. Some very biting lyrics, especially “revolution used to be cool/but now it’s out of fashion”. In 1983, truer words were never spoken……or…sung. Heart of Gold – A bouncy, acoustic driven pop song about that person who we all know, that might have the gruff exterior, but inside they’re a softie, just like the rest of us. Love this song! Total ear candy. Clichés of the World (B Movie) – The “deepest” song on the album, IMO. Not exactly the happiest tune in the world, but sometimes things aren’t pretty, so someone has to write the brutal truth about it. I like the urgency of the music on this one, which fits the dark lyrics. Bernadette – A straight-up rocker , in the same style of some of the Kinks’ early songs. Nothing too deep, here, but hey it rocks, so who cares? Don't Forget to Dance (Extended Version) – A longer version of the original. Not much new, here, but still a great song. Once a Thief – Not a big fan of this song. Good melody, but never catches fire. Probably a good idea to leave it off the original release. Long Distance – A Dylan-like folk ballad that was left off the original album. I like this one quite a bit. Very visual imagery that Ray paints with his lyrics, which is why he is one of the greats. The only complaint I have is that it might be a tad long, but other than that, a really good song. Noise – Another fierce rocker. Maybe this was Ray’s commentary on the state of (then) top 40 radio. Maybe he was right, but damn, I wonder what he’d think if he listened to pop radio, today? Overall, this is one great album. Probably in my top three Kinks albums, ever.
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Post by 88keys on Mar 4, 2015 20:26:47 GMT
Chips, that's a great review! The reason I chose this album is cause it's one of my dad's favorites. I think I had every song memorized by the time I was 13 lol. I'll just give a brief review State of Confusion .....When I first heard this song, I thought it was Green Day Favorite moment : "should feel happy. should feel glad. I'm alive, and it can't be bad." Definite Maybe ..... I think Elvis Costello could cover this song, and make it his own. Favorite moment : "Oh, I'm tired of making endless calls. (Somebody help this poor man.) Banging my head against the wall. I walk along an endless corridor, Then I knock on the door, then I realize That I've been there before." Labour of Love .....Isn't that the truth! Favorite moment : the chorus! Come Dancing ..... An old fashioned dance hall song that became a hit among the New Wave and pop music that dominated the charts in 1983. Favorite moment : "Come dancing,Just like the palais on a Saturday.And all her friends would come dancing,While the big bands used to play." Property .....I guess the Labour of Love just doesn't work out, sometimes. Favorite moment : "And all the little gifts we thought we'd throw away, The useless souvenirs bought on a holiday.We put them on a shelf, now they're collecting dust.We never needed them, but they outlasted us." Don't Forget to Dance ..... Two sad songs in a row? Thanks for that, Ray Davies! lol. I love this song, though. Favorite moment : "And when they ask me how you dance, I say that you dance real close." Young Conservatives .....Ray Davies' politics have always been vague. I guess that's what I like about him. He's an equal opportunity offender. . And I like the "fa fa fa fa's" , at the end, which harken back to their song 'David Watts'. Favorite moment : "The rebels are conforming, See the father, now the sons." Heart of Gold .....I think he wrote this song about me! LMAO. I think this tune might have been right at home on The Beatles 'Rubber Soul'. Favorite moment: "Now I see you've got a little girl of your own. Little princess certainly grown, And there's a man, he's smiling at you. He must have been the one who always knew. You had a heart of gold." Clichés of the World (B Movie) .....Lyrics-wise, this is probably the darkest song The Kinks ever did. Favorite moment: "See the sunlight over the motorway.The little man, with anger in his eyes. Stands by the window, looks at the sky..." Bernadette.....Back to their roots! Nothing fancy, here. Favorite moment : Ray's spoken word interlude. Once A Thief.....I'm not too sure about this song. I like the words, though.... Long Distance.....This song almost has a country style to it. Maybe he wrote it during the 'Muswell Hillbillies' era? Favorite moment: "Still no points for my merrymen, Except Ricard, he just scored ten!" Noise..... The Kinks do hard rock as great as any band! Favorite moment: "There oughta be a law, hey buddy, turn that radio down." The only downside of this album is the somewhat tinny sound on some of the songs. Maybe that's just the 80's technology, though.
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Post by Helmut83 on Mar 4, 2015 23:32:38 GMT
Having heard quite some '80s Kinks material, I get a sensation similar to jefflynnenut, something like "it must not be as good as the '60s-early '70s Kinks". I'm curious to give it a listen though, wether to put down or confirm that prejudice.
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Post by jrmugz on Mar 6, 2015 22:12:26 GMT
OK, here is my review of The Kinks "State of Confusion".
Like most Kinks albums, showcases Ray Davies' pop-rock versatility and gift for melodies, etc.
01. "State of Confusion" - Straightforward rocker, with lyrics refelcting everyone's broken state. 02. "Definite Maybe" - Straightforward rocker, with lyrics reflecting the frustration of life's uncertainties. Nice chorus. 03. "Labour of Love" - Starighforward rocker, with usual Kinks magic of great hooks, melody, and interesting subject. Best one so far. 04. "Come Dancing" - Pop genius, with great lyric and vocal. Love how the sister wasn't a slut, very refreshing. 05. "Property" - Decent enough pop. Seems like it might be better re-arranged as a rocker, however maybe not since it gets better with each play. 06. "Don't Forget to Dance" - Very nice arrangement and chorus to a profound lyric regarding remembering the joy of life, etc. 07. "Young Conservatives" - Any rock and roll song about my kids is fine with me. ba-doom-kshhh!!!! 08. "Heart of Gold" - Ah hah! He did it again, gives a nod to a hit song by someone else, this time "Give a Little Bit" by Supertramp. 09. "Clichés of the World (B Movie)" - Gets more intriguing with each play; a pretty good one. 10. "Bernadette" - Great rocker to close the CD. Almost a little too straightforward. Kind of a nod to "Birthday" by The Beatles, for the opening riff, which I'm sure was intentional. Kind of like their song "Monica" in being a prostitution-related song.
Bonus Tracks: 11. "Don't Forget to Dance (Extended Version)" - Very nice tune as mentioned above, certainly warrants the extended version. 12. "Once a Thief" - Nice balance of rock and pop, like the background harmonies and the chorus. Good thought about if people should be constantly crucified for one mistake. 13. "Long Distance" - Nicely arranged and very interesting story kind of song. 14. "Noise" - However one wants to describe this song, I like it. Nice Arabic ending to it.
Star Rating: 3.5 out of 5 Prime Cuts: "Labour of Love", "Come Dancing", Bottom Line: As usual for a Kinks album, never a dull moment with Ray Davies' quality songs, interesting lyrcis, captivating voice, and plethora of pop-rock hooks.
Thanks for sharing it 88Keys, much appreciated! Thoroughly enjoyed playing it, and helped me catch up on The Kinks some more. I'm mainly well versed in the "Village Green" and "Think Visual" albums, and have been itching to get into more of their stuff, for sure, so this as a really good one. Sounds like they really balanced themselves out good in the 80s, without getting being pulled to much into any of its musical excesses like Queen with "Hot Space" and even Bob Dylan on "Empire Burlesque" a little too much.
Jim
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Post by unomusette on Mar 7, 2015 21:33:00 GMT
State of Confusion - Love the shouty lead and backing vocals, reminds me a lot of John Otway. The lyrics are great as well, excellent opener. Definite Maybe - Strange mix on this with the vocals quite hard to make out in parts as the other elements seem to drown them out a bit. Not a stand out track for me. Labour of Love - Interesting treatment of the Wedding March to open, I get the feeling he's not a big fan of marriage. Without the lyrics it would be a pretty standard song. Come Dancing - What's not to enjoy here? Typical snappy and humourous lyrics but a great song to go with them, definitely the best so far. Property - '80's synth vibe going on here, he's still fixating on this break-up maybe to the detriment of the music. As if he had to get the words out at any cost. Don't Forget to Dance - Keyboards to the fore again, pretty chorus. Is this a message to himself to cheer up a bit? Young Conservatives - Aha! Back to shouting and raucous guitars, this is more like it. Heart of Gold - Twangy and jangly, happy clappy song with classic Kinks sound, nice one. Clichés of the World (B Movie) - Interesting idea, liking the heavy guitars. Lots going on, is that a tribute to Chrissie Hynde's singing style in the wobbly vibrato bits? Up there with Come Dancing for me as one of the good 'uns. Bernadette - Standard rocker, in the age-old tradition of giving a rock 'n roll song a girl's name. Nice bit of saxophone in it. Don't Forget to Dance (Extended Version) - hmm, the ordinary version was long enough for me, to be honest. Once a Thief - ELO-esque opening and backing vocals. Bit of a filler otherwise. Long Distance - Heh! Another Telephone Line style opening. Pleasant enough but again not outstanding. Noise - Better, and a good way to end. Lots going on again which I always enjoy. This quite a mournful album in parts, which I wasn't expecting as the Kinks are usually upbeat in my limited experience. But it's not the first time an artist has expressed a private upheaval in this way, and it does liven up nicely towards the end. Thanks for sharing
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Post by queenofthehours on Mar 8, 2015 15:52:27 GMT
1. State of Confusion – A very good opener. I like it a lot despite it being a long way from old 60s Kinks. It goes to show that Ray and the lads know how to refresh their sound to any decade. 2. Definite Maybe – Lots of noise. The Kinks do noisy pop very well but this fits very well with the early 80s New Wave style.
3. Labour of Love – Some great guitar here.
4. Come Dancing – One of my favourite Kinks songs even though it sounds nothing like their 60s hits it still has a “Kink’s aura” about it. Is anyone else reminded of ‘Rock ‘n’ Roll is King’ and/or ‘Hold on Tight’?
5. Property – My favourite so far I think – I love the intro.
6. Don't Forget to Dance – This one sounds very 80s. Ray sounds very different here. A nice song.
7. Young Conservatives – This one seems very New wave influenced. It’s nice to hear a band not afraid to try a new style. Good drumming. Reminds me a little of the Jam.
8. Heart of Gold – Sounds a little bit country to me. Some nice acoustic guitar. Reminds me of Tom Petty!
9. Clichés of the World (B Movie) – Really good guitar here, I like it a lot. Any band would wish to sound this good in their first decade never mind their third, like the Kinks. Again, reminds me of Petty.
10. Bernadette – Guitar great again. A very nice track. My second favourite on the album I think. Fast and a lot of energy.
Bonus Tracks: 11. Don't Forget to Dance (Extended Version) – Still a lovely track.
12. Once a Thief - Great track with a good beat. If it didn't say Kinks on the album I wouldn't know it was them!
13. Long Distance - Nice backing vocals here. A lovely song. too good for a bonus.
14. Noise – Another 80s sounding track. The Kinks really did sound good throught thier career.
What I noticed more about this album is how much energy it has and how modern it sounds. This isn't the Kinks continuing with their famous 60s sound, they had a dapted very well to the new 80s sound and you can't even see the joins! They might as well really be an 80s band for how authentic they sound. I was also surprised by how much this record reminds me of Tom Petty. I never put a connection between Ray and Tom until now.
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