I’m Not Like Everybody Else

[callmemadam]

The Kinks: Songs of the Semi-Detached by Mark Doyle.

Here’s a book I’m thinking of buying, after reading this review in The Spectator. (I got the link from Liberal England.) I’ve always been a fan of The Kinks. As I’ve got older and the sixties have become history, I’ve been amazed that someone as young as Ray Davies was then could have such an acute sense of a working-class world that was vanishing and write so nostalgically about it. Autumn Almanac and Shangri-La are still favourite songs of mine.

Comments

[gwendraith]

I've always been a fan of The Kinks as well. Ray Davies always was the brains of the group and has endless writing talent, including his wonderful West End musical Sunny Afternoon. The book will be interesting, I'm sure.

[callmemadam]

Ray Davies was one of the best songwriters of the twentieth century IMO. It was interesting, watching his set at Glastonbury however many years ago it was, to see that the mainly young audience knew all the words to his songs.

[lethe1]

Apart from the inevitable "Waterloo Sunset", "Mr Pleasant" is a special favourite of mine. But there are many more!

[callmemadam]

Waterloo Sunset is Ray Davies' Like A Rolling Stone but as you say, there are so many more great ones. Wonderful cover of See My Friends by Richard Thompson.

Why can you embed in a post but not in a comment? That didin't work so here's the link

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0f7EdYT7_eU

The sound quality is not great on this; I have it on an album of cover versions.

[lethe1]

And at this exact moment my radio is playing "Tired of Waiting for You" :-)

Thanks for the link, I'll listen to it later.

[callmemadam]

Lucky you! I'm listening to Xander on Classic FM. Currently playing Gershwin.

[lethe1]

If anyone had ever asked me, "Which is your favourite band, the Beatles or the Stones?" I would have answered, "The Doors". And if that person had said, "OK, which is your favourite British band, the Beatles or the Stones?" I would have said, "The Kinks". (I do love the Beatles too, though!)

[callmemadam]

I've often pondered this one myself! I wouldn't want to be without any of them.

My daughter is a huge Doors fan but I never have been.

[lethe1]

I'm listening to Classics, one of my favourite programmes on Flemish Radio 1. "Sunday Morning" by the Velvet Underground is playing at the moment.