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Wednesday, May 17, 2017

Dave Davies - "Dave Davies Hits" Vinyl 7" EP, Limited Edition, 2016 / 1967 (BMG)


Someone was pumping genius air into North London around 1966 or 1967 because Dave Davies and his older brother Ray Davies took that air and made incredible recordings.   I don't know if this was a marketing plan from the record label at the time, or Dave actually wanted to do solo recordings, but as far as I know these are Kinks' records.   The four songs above are written by Dave and lead vocals by him as well.  For most, these songs were placed in the Kinks' Something Else" album, but it's interesting to hear this EP out of that context or landscape. 

"Death of a Clown" is Dave's commentary on his role as a touring musician, who is consistently on the move from one world to the next.  It's a great song and a great record.  "Susannah's Still Alive" I believe is a very personal song about a child produced by Dave and his girlfriend at the time, and he was kept away by the girl's family.  Or is that an urban rock story?  Another great piece of work.  In fact, Dave Davies is probably just as brilliant as Ray, and his world fits in the Ray landscape, but just an additional voice in the narrative.  "Funny Face" has always been a fave of mine as well.  Ray is telling a story, but Dave's work is always on a personal level.  Musically he is not that far off from Ray's work.  So, it fits organically in the Kinks' world. 

I bought this EP in Tokyo at a great music shop called "Pet Sounds."   It's a neighborhood store in the Meguro area of the Metropolis.  Not a large store by any means, but hard not to purchase something from there.  


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