But the segment of Mendelsohn’s liner notes devoted specifically to the out-of-print Lost's 14 songs — several of which "are neither profound humanitarian statements nor monuments of satire, but rather only sheerest whimsy" — are an intriguing and potentially irksome read for the targeted Kinks' fan, and range from sardonic subjectivity to slapdash musing. There’s nothing here in regard to specific recording information — dates, credits, and such — but if you like “what to listen for” clues for you all, you’ll learn the not terribly riveting bit of trivia, in the bouncy “Til Death Do Us Part,” that “So demanding are the charts they’ve been asked to play that the horns can be heard gasping for a second wind about three-quarters of the way through…”
Mendelsohn is also good for a segue or two in sketching out his insights about such tunes as the lovely and harpsichord-laced portrait of loneliness, “Rosemary Rose” — though “someone is treasuring a picture of you” — to the darker “Misty Water,” while going the extra vinyl to cite a relevant reference to the insidiously menacing “Wicked Arrabella” from Village Green.
A solid connect-the-dots case could also be made to link the character of Rosemary Rose, who is “not beautiful as someone would know,” to the plain Jane and her gentleman caller central to “When I Turn Out the Living Room Light.” Here, Mendelsohn notes, Davies makes us “feel like callous swine for giggling at the sorry plight of two homely lovers ... but how can we help but giggle when the person Ray’s singing to is obviously the most unsightly mutant ever coughed up by homo sapiens?” Indeed, “Living Room Light” finds Davies “near the pinnacle of his form, making us want to laugh and cry simultaneously.” Commence misery and mirth:
- Your nose may be bulbous,
Your face may be spotty,
Your skin may be wrinkled and tight.
But I don’t want to see you,
The way that you are,
So I turn off the living room light.
We don’t feel so ugly,
We don’t feel so draggy,
We don’t feel so twisted up tight.
And we don’t feel as ugly as we really are,
When we turn off the living room light.
When we turn off the living room light.
We don’t feel as ugly as we really are,
When we turn off the living room light.
Another sign that a writer is "near the pinnacle of his form" lies in the timelessness of his or her songs and the universality of their themes, broad issues being couched in the specifics and discerningly-applied craftsmanship. “Plastic Man” in the pen of another could’ve easily become a ham-fisted and outdated protest about the establishment, man. Mendelsohn gets it half right, overlooking some of the song’s satiric sideswipes, saying that this “infectious toe-tapper implies no moral judgment” — but he's beguiled more by the overt jocular spirit: “By being just unspeakably good-natured musically and pointing out lyrically that plastic folk aren’t distressed even when people stomp on their toes and pull their noses all over the landscape, it hints that being plastic might be loads of fun.”
Article comments
1 - Bill Sherman
Though I frequently disagree with Mendelsohn’s liner notes on both this and Kink Kronikles, this Kinksfan still has a big soft spot in his heart for this out-of-print “ramshackle” collection. Even though most of these tracks have since appeared as bonus tracks on CD reissues, I’d love to own a copy of this disc " saw an import version (from Holland, I think) of it once, but it inexplicably omitted the liner notes . . .
2 - Holly Hughes
I'm a pretty uncritical Kinks fan, but then so was Mendelsohn up to this point...I guess we'll never know why he turned on the band so viciously with these liner notes. This is, after all, a collection of lighter songs that Ray Davies had decided NOT to put on other albums (and I've always heard he didn't want them released on this, either), so why complain that it's not Significant Music? Personally I love the early 70s Kinks -- yes, every last track of Preservation 1 and 2, the sloppy live tracks on the second disk of Show Biz, the whole shebang. It's my favorite era of the Kinks, in fact; how can you top Muswell Hillbillies?
These liner notes are a classic example of a critic simply getting it wrong, for whatever reason. To dislike a record is one thing, but to go on for so many pages disliking it in such detail -- well, that's just creepy.
3 - Gordon Hauptfleisch
Thanks, Holly--agreed.
I happened to dig out the more sloppy, elaborate and theatrical '70s concept albums -- both Preservations, Soap (which immediately puts "Ducks on the Wall" into my head for hours--but that's a good thing). I hadn't played these in years, and even though I had loved these LPs (and the concerts at the time) I kind of expected something cringe-inducing and indulgent, but they still sounded marvelous, tuneful, and indeed sloppy, but gloriously so.
4 - Gordon Hauptfleisch
Bill--thanks for the comment. Holland must be a good place for finds--I picked up an import of Lennon's 'Two Virgins' once, plain brown wrapper and all.
As you probably know, the liner notes for GLKA come as an insert within the album. If you want me to email me I'd be glad to mail you a copy.
5 - Josh
I'm happy to say my copy of Kinks Kronicles has been ordered and should be on the doorstep on Tuesday. I've been meaning to do this for a long time and am really looking forward to taking the first steps in catching up to everyone else.
6 - Gordon Hauptfleisch
Enjoy, Josh!
7 - Bill Sherman
If you want to email me I'd be glad to mail you a copy.
That's okay. I've gotten along without it so far. :)
That Holland import included some demo-level tracks from Dave Davies' first attempt at a solo album (done in the wake of "Death of A Clown," apparently), so it's of additional interst to Kinks fans who can track it down. I used to have a copy of it in my own little hands, but I let it slip through my fingers . . .