The Modern Genius Of Ray Davies - MOJO Tribute
Tracks:
1. Better Things | stereo mix, by Fountains Of Wayne, recorded 2002 | |
2. This Strange Effect | stereo mix, by Steve Wynn, recorded 1997 | |
3. Fancy | stereo mix, by Redd Kross, recorded 1993 | |
4. Who'll Be The Next In Line | stereo mix, by Mudhoney, recorded 2001 at Jupiter Studios, Seattle, Washington | |
5. You Shouldn't Be Sad | stereo mix, by The Thanes, recorded 1989 | |
6. This Is Where I Belong | stereo mix, by Bill Lloyd, recorded 1994 | |
7. A Long Way From Home | stereo mix, by The Green Pajamas, recorded 2005 | |
8. No Return | stereo mix, by Yo La Tengo, recorded 1997 | |
9. Situation Vacant | stereo mix, by Kevin Tihista, recorded 2006 | |
10. Big Sky | stereo mix, by The Blue Aeroplanes, recorded 2006 | |
11. Tell Me Now So I'll Know | stereo mix, by Holly Golightly, recorded 2002 | |
12. Waterloo Sunset | stereo mix, by Peter Bruntnell, recorded 2005 | |
13. Nothin' In The World Can Stop Me Worryin' 'Bout That Girl | stereo mix, by Mark Lanegan, recorded 2001 at 11AD Studios, Los Angeles, California | |
14. Last of the Steam-Powered Trains | stereo mix, as "Steam Train" by Ed Kuepper, recorded 1997 | |
15. See My Friends | stereo mix, by Gravenhurst, recorded 2005 |
Liner Notes:
Given away free with MOJO MARCH 2006. Not to be sold separately.
"I was a very quiet kid but I knew what I wanted to do," said Ray Davies, recalling his childhood. "I knew what I was good at. I was good at making up stories, drawing pictures and running. I could invent situations. I lived in an absolute dream world."
Born in Muswell Hill, north London, on June 21, 1944, by the mid-'60s the taciturn Davies emerged from his teenage reveries to become the most astute chronicler of Britain's move from mono-channel, post-War drudgery into the possibilities suggested by the dawn of the Rediffusion Age.
And yet, in detailing this transition, Davies continued to create his own imagined world, removing himself from his songs and, in so doing, hiding from the cruelty and uncertainty he saw in place of the colourised myth of Swinging London. It is Ray's anger at the world around him juxtaposed with a quest for hope, and married to a remarkable ear for melody that has defined the music of The Kinks for the last four decades. In that time they have been described as the originators of heavy metal, rock opera pioneers, the forerunners of skinny-tied new wave and godfathers of Britpop. In truth, The Kinks are unique, powered by a singular vision that continues to question, rail and evolve. Ray Davies' new album, Other People;s Lives, is proof of that. Meanwhile, this 15-track MOJO tribute is testament to the evergreen nature of both Ray's songs and the ongoing influence and power of The Kinks.
PHIL ALEXANDER
Editor-In-Chief, MOJO Magazin
London, England
January 2006
KindaKinks.net
E-mail Dave Emlen