THE KINKS Part 6 – Starmakers And Sleepwalkers

How do you follow up a 2-part concept album that most fans & critics found disappointing (even if, in hindsight, they’re filled with some excellent songs and the story isn’t as convoluted as it initially seemed)? If you’re The Kinks’ principal songwriter Ray Davies you continue down that same path, taking your frustrated bandmates (Ray’s brother, guitarist Dave Davies, drummer Mick Avory, bassist John Dalton & keyboardist John Gosling) and record label (RCA Records) along for the ride. Eventually financial considerations would require that they return to more commercially viable music, but in the mid-‘70s Ray was stubbornly forcing the band in a theatrical direction. I wasn’t yet a fan, having only reached the age of 10 in 1976, but casting an eye back to that era it’s easy to see why longtime Kinks fans were not happy with the music they were recording at the time. However, after spending the majority of this past week with the four albums they released between Preservation Acts 1 & 2 and Low Budget (when their resurgence as an arena rock band began), I was pleased to find a lot of excellent music covering various styles, even if these records are occasionally spotty and far from their best work.

Soap Opera (1975) is the only true “concept album” out of the batch I’ll discuss in this post, with specific characters, narrated dialogue and a somewhat coherent story. Essentially it’s about a rock star (Starmaker) who decides he wants to switch places with an ordinary man (Norman) to learn about the mundane existence of 9-to-5 workers, hopefully providing him with songwriting material. Over the course of these 12 songs, Starmaker moves in with Norman’s wife, goes to work, has drinks at the pub with his coworkers, commutes to/from the big city, and eventually tires of this lifestyle. At some point it appears that it’s actually Norman dreaming of being a rock star, and perhaps there was no Starmaker after all. I’m not sure if this was Ray’s intention or if he lost track of the narrative, but the end result is a slightly confused (and confusing) record. It doesn’t include any essential tracks but at least half of them are very good & worth discussing. Maybe the biggest problem is the derivative nature of so many songs, like the Grease-influenced Broadway show tune vibe of “Rush Hour Blues,” the campy Music Hall of “Holiday Romance” (which only Queen could have pulled off) and the ‘50s rock ‘n’ roll shuffle of “Ducks On The Wall” (the Jerry Lee Lewis-style piano is its sole redeeming feature). I would only recommend Soap Opera to the most open-minded fans, and it should definitely be far down the list of Kinks albums if you’re just discovering their music.

Notable Tracks:

• “Everybody’s A Star (Starmaker)” – The album starts off with a cool guitar riff, reminiscent of “Do Ya” (originally by The Move and popularized by ELO). Ray’s vocals recall glam-era David Bowie, and he even half-speaks some sections. Dave rips a nice brief guitar solo at around 2:10.
• “When Work Is Over” – This one is a bit campy but I love the overall vibe, especially the backing vocals (“Go down the boozer”) and the fast syncopated groove with organ & horn blasts.
• “Have Another Drink” – An acoustic guitar-based shuffle (along with dobro &/or mandolin?). Dave delivers some nice leads and I really like the call-and-response vocals: “Is your occupation…getting to your brain?”
• “Underneath The Neon Sign” – A slower & quieter song than most of the others, featuring tasty lead guitar accents and a slight Caribbean feel (but Ray doesn’t bring back his affected “Ape Man” mock-Caribbean vocals). The lyrics convey Starmaker’s disorientation during his evening commute: “Is it just hallucination? Have I been drinking too much wine? I don’t know if it’s day or night when I’m underneath the neon sign.”
• “(A) Face In The Crowd” – A tender tune with a similar feel to their earlier classic, “Celluloid Heroes.” It’s a slow, sparse ballad with lovely piano work, sweet vocals and a steady but light drum beat.
• “You Can’t Stop The Music” – Blends elements of acoustic-leaning rock (Dave’s stinging guitar solo) and country (the rhythm as well as the twangy guitar tone). I also like those horn blasts.

 Even though it had been close to 20 years since I last played Schoolboys In Disgrace (1975), I remember liking it a lot more than their other albums from this period, and I was specifically looking forward to revisiting it after all this time to see if it held up. Disregarding that awful cover art, which had to be an embarrassment to the band and possibly even the artist, it’s loosely a concept album without actually telling a specific story, and I’m happy to report that I still think it’s an excellent record. It doesn’t hurt that the band were a well-oiled machine, with the rhythm section pulsing along and Dave ripping it up with memorable riffs & solos. Unlike its predecessor, this record has a number of killer tracks, and even the weakest ones (like the ‘50s rock ‘n’ roll pastiche of “Jack The Idiot Dunce”) are a whole lot of fun. Conceptually, Ray was being his usual nostalgic self, looking back at his school days with fondness as well as regret. A few of the songs focus on a particularly troubled schoolboy who apparently grows up to become the character “Flash” from the Preservation albums. One of the best things about Schoolboys In Disgrace is its brevity. With 10 songs clocking in at less than 37 minutes, it’s an album that welcomes repeated listening, and overall it packs quite a punch.

The Essentials:

♪     “Education” – The longest song here, at more than 7 minutes, goes through various sections & moods: The dramatic intro that reminds me a bit of Cream’s “White Room,” the Randy Newman piano-and-vocal vibe (especially at “Everybody needs an education”), the bouncy, Elton John-esque rocker (with horns, piano & guitar all blasting away), the “Teacher, teach me how to read & write” portion, those R&B-inspired backing vocals, and typically great lead guitar from Dave

♪     “I’m In Disgrace” – An apparently real-life story about a student (Dave?) getting a classmate pregnant. There’s a nice quiet intro with rolling piano & sparse hand percussion before it kicks in with that phenomenal riff-heavy chorus (“I’m in disgrace…because I fell for your pretty face”).

♪     “The Hard Way” – A tight, fast-paced riff-rocker with punk energy that’s a throwback to their early hit-making days, but slicker. Sung from the perspective of the frustrated headmaster (“Well, you do it your way & I’ll do it my way and we’ll see who’s the one to survive”). There’s great interplay between the sax and two guitars in the instrumental section.

♪     “No More Looking Back” – Has a ‘70s soft rock feel with the steady rimshot rhythm & bubbling organ. Lyrically, Ray doesn’t want to look back but the pull of his adolescence is inescapable. Features some stellar twin lead guitars and Dave shreds throughout the song.

Other Notable Tracks:

• “Schooldays” – This album opener begins as a pretty piano waltz (“Just remember all the good times that you had”). Dave adds some cool guitar scratches, some country twang and those great high harmonies. Ray’s voice could be mistaken for The Grateful Dead’s Jerry Garcia, especially at “Schooldays were the happiest days of your life.”
• “The First Time We Fall In Love” – A ‘50s doo-wop homage with Ray adopting a crooner’s voice. The verses are a little too kitschy for me, but I love the high Brian Wilson-esque vocals at “First love can be such a strain…”
• “Headmaster” – Starts as a quiet confessional (“I’ve been such a naughty boy…such a little fool”) before giving way to arena rock riffs in the chorus (“I feel like an innocent victim, I feel that I just can’t win”). Along with the chugging rhythm, Dave delivers some fluid lead guitar lines. The intertwining leads are simply fantastic.
• “The Last Assembly” – This mostly melancholy tune sounds like an old gospel-drenched soul song, a la The Platters’ “The Great Pretender” or Percy Sledge’s “When A Man Loves A Woman.” I especially like the choral vocals at, “Gather ‘round, gather ‘round, everybody gather ‘round, as we stood at the last assembly all my friends came to wish me goodbye.”

As their RCA contract came to an end, The Kinks signed with Arista Records under strict orders from label boss Clive Davis to drop the concepts of recent years & record songs that were radio-friendly and marketable to an American audience. Ray even moved to New York City for several months to get a feel for the culture & musical trends. Although their full-on return to commercial success was still a couple of years away, they started laying the groundwork with their Arista debut, Sleepwalker (1977). While not quite as concise as the previous record, it’s still an easy record to digest even though many fans of their late-‘60s to early-‘70s golden era still dislike the slicker direction their music took. I, on the other hand, have no problem with this change in their sound, and I liked Sleepwalker a little more each time I played it.

The Essentials:

♪     “Life On The Road” – An emotional & powerful way to start the album, as it builds from just organ, bass & vocals into a driving, horn-infused rocker. He’s looking back at his wandering ways (“I said goodbye to my friends & my folks back home and I left for a life of my own”), secure in the knowledge that his rock & roll lifestyle is what he wants (“I’m livin’ the life that I chose…”) even though he longs for something else (“Sometimes I hate the road, but it’s the only life I know”).

♪     “Sleepwalker” – A funky groove, excellent lead guitar, Ray’s high vocals and a killer chorus (“I’m a sleepwalker, I’m a night stalker”) have always made this one of my favorite Kinks songs.

♪     “Juke Box Music” – Lots of things to love about this one: the percussive groove, Dave’s power chords & melodic solo, jangling guitars, the lilting melody in the verses & the simple, straight-ahead chorus (“It’s only juke box music…”).

Other Notable Tracks:

• “Mr. Big Man” – A moody, midtempo intro with a layer of swirling organ grows into an arena rocker with huge power chords at, “But now we’re gonna see the vicious side of you.” Features some bitter lyrics about someone who becomes a star & shuns the people he used to know (perhaps it’s autobiographical?).
• “Stormy Sky” – A mellow & slick song about relationship troubles that’s subtly captivating. Features a strong chorus: “We’re under a stoooormy sky, watchin’ the clouds roll by.”
• “Life Goes On” – I couldn’t help but think of Christine McVie & Fleetwood Mac whenever this song came on; specifically their 1975 tune “Over My Head.” I love the subtly incessant groove and the uplifting message in the lyrics (“Life will hit you when you’re unprepared, so be grateful & take all that you can while you’re there”). A really nice way to end the album.

Special mention has to go to a single-only release recorded at the same time as Sleepwalker:

• “Prince Of The Punks” – Although it wouldn’t be released until the following year, as the B-side to a Christmas song I’ll discuss below, it has since appeared as a CD bonus track and it’s a noteworthy song if not quite a great one. At the time, punk rock was all the rage and a lot of artists from the ‘60s & early-‘70s were being treated like yesterday’s news. Instead of trying to beat the punks at their own game (which would be silly, since in many ways The Kinks invented punk in 1964), Ray wrote a straight-up rocker with horns & a bubbly bass line that features scathing lyrics describing punk rockers as mere poseurs. Musically it’s nothing special, but it’s important because it indicates Ray’s frame of mind at the time. I’m sure he had a good laugh a few years later when punk fizzled (or morphed into other genres) and The Kinks’ resurgence was in full flight.

Their sophomore album for Arista, Misfits (1978), is sonically similar to Sleepwalker but it’s not quite as strong a collection of songs. Perhaps that had something to do with the turmoil going on behind the scenes, as various band members came & went. John Dalton was replaced on bass by Andy Pyle (with Ron Lawrence on a handful of tracks), and although Mick Avory was listed in the credits, several songs were handled by other drummers. In spite of this, two new classics emerged as well as a couple of very strong songs, while the remainder are either musically strong but lyrically weak (“Hay Fever”) or simply generic (“Live Life”; “In A Foreign Land”; “Black Messiah”). Only “Permanent Waves” deserves a mention due to the hints of modern bands like Talking Heads & Dire Straits (even though the latter band’s debut wouldn’t be released for a couple of months).

The Essentials:

♪     “Misfits” – A pretty, light, melodic, midtempo tune that points ahead to their 1983 hit single, “Don’t Forget To Dance.” I like the arrangement, especially the keyboard-and-vocal-only section (“Look at all the losers…”). The lyrics could be autobiographical: “You’re a misfit, afraid of yourself so you run away & hide.”

♪     “A Rock ‘N’ Roll Fantasy” – A mini epic that’s likely about Ray & Dave which builds from quiet (“Hello you, hello me, hello people we used to be”) to midtempo rock (“There’s a guy in my block, he lives for rock…”) to an ecstatic chorus (“He just spends his life living in a rock ‘n’ roll fantasy”).

Other Notable Tracks:

• “Out Of The Wardrobe” – A humorous song about a cross-dressing “chick called Dick,” and “when he puts on that dress he looks like a princess.” In spite of the funny lyrics and obvious connection to their earlier hit single “Lola,” the characters (including Dick’s wife) are shown in a positive light, and it’s surprisingly touching & uplifting.
• “Trust Your Heart” – The first Kinks song written & sung by Dave in quite some time, and it’s a good one. Not only does he sing his ass off, from low & subdued to a high wail, but he also delivers melodic lead guitar and the arrangement is very clever.

Extra special mention has to go to the A-side of the single I mentioned earlier:

• “Father Christmas” – Without a doubt one of the all-time greatest rock & roll Christmas songs. Released in late 1977, between Sleepwalker and Misfits, this song blew me away the first time I heard it in the early-‘80s, and I still get the same thrill whenever I play it. From the jingling bells in the intro to Avory’s 16^th-note snare drum pattern; from Dave’s metallic riffing to Ray’s amusing lyrics about a department store Santa being terrorized by a band of poor kids (“We don’t want no jigsaw or Monopoly money, we only want the real McCoy”; “We want your bread so don’t make us annoyed, give all the toys to the little rich boys”); from the snarling socio-political statement of “Give my daddy a job ‘cause he needs one, he’s got lots of mouths to feed” to Ray’s droll, nearly a capella vocal inflections at “Have yourself a merry merry Christmas, have yourself a good time, but remember the kids who got nothin’ while you’re drinkin’ down your wine,” there’s not a wasted moment in this amazing song. It’s so good that you can play it in the middle of summer or anytime throughout the year and it doesn’t sound out-of-season, which isn’t the case with most holiday music.

I realize the era I covered in this post is not the most beloved portion of The Kinks’ catalog, but there’s much to enjoy here and I’m hoping other fans agree. However you feel about these albums, I’d love to hear from you. Thanks.