The Kinks ‎– "Lola, Percy & The Apeman Come Face To Face With The Village Green Preservation Society... Something Else" 1966-1971(rec) 1974(comp)***

As I previously explained, Golden Hour was a budget record label releasing cheap 60-minute compilations in the 70's, by bands that were either relatively unknown or -like The Kinks, at the time- outdated. They released three such compilations by The Kinks, totaling an impressive 99 tracks. Golden Hour Vol.1 contained the hits, Vol.2 the early stuff, while this double LP gathered most of the rest. The artwork and title are an awkward way to inform buyers that this comp contains a wide selection of tracks from the following albums: Face To Face (1966), Something Else By The Kinks (1967), The Kinks Are The Village Green Preservation Society (1968), Lola Versus Powerman And The Moneygoround (1970), Percy (1971) and the Apeman 1970 single. Basically you get something like 80% of the aforementioned LP's - minus, of course, the hits which are mostly included on Golden Hour Vol.1. If one already owned Vol.1, they could purchase this cheap supplement and get most of The Kinks' discography between 1966-1971, which consists of a wonderful and idiosyncratic body of work to rival any other in classic rock. Despite the absence of some hits, there's still an embarrassment of riches ranging from 1966's plain rocker "Party Line" to the classic gender-confusion story "Lola", Dave Davis' hit single "Death Of A Clown", and the lament for old England that was "The Village Green Preservation Society". And then there's Ray Davis' acute observational humor on songs like "Dandy" and "People Take Pictures Of Each Other" ("...just to prove that they really existed"). Just replace "pictures of each other" with "selfies" and you've described one of the biggest plights of our decade. At 44 tacks, it's impossible to give a detailed analysis, I'll go into the specific songs when I present the individual albums - suffice it to say that there are some real gems, and even what was considered filler at the time (which you also get here) shows at least some marks of Ray Davis' songwriting genius. So there's absolutely no faulting the contents of this collection, but there are many other reasons why I wouldn't recommend its purchase: Firstly, by removing even a few of their hits from that period, the compilation isn't representative of that phase in The Kinks' evolution. Secondly, by that time The Kinks' LPs were not mere collections of songs but concept albums each revolving around a specific idea. While some of the songs from Village Green, Lola and Percy were successful as stand-alone singles, others just don't work as well when taken out of context as it happens here. Thirdly, there are too many songs on each side; in terms of duration, it feels like you're listening to a CD. You may ask whether it is any better to have to get up every 15 minutes to change side? The answer is that there's nothing wrong with long LP's, except that your attention may start slipping away after 20-25 minutes. Some will tell you that 30 minutes of music per side is too much for a vinyl LP and that sound quality suffers greatly as a result, but I wouldn't go that far. Sure, listening to this LP is not an audiophile experience but I've heard much worse. If you're used to streaming, MP3, or just the average CD sound quality, you won't be bothered by it. Lastly -and that may seem superficial, but it can also be a dealbreaker- the packaging is ugly, and the title is just ridiculous. On the other hand...collect all 3 Golden Hour Kinks compilations, and you've got yourselves more or less their entire 60's output on vinyl for an unbeatable price. Tempting, isn't it?

***** for Lola, The Village Green Preservation Society, Love Me Till The Sun Shines, Dandy, Death Of A Clown, David Watts, People Take Pictures Of Each Other, Village Green, Apeman, Harry Rag

**** for Wonder Boy, Rainy Day In June, Party Line, Rosy Won't You Please Come Home, Wicked Annabella, Tin Soldier Man, Two Sisters, Funny Face, Moments, Sitting By The Riverside, Johnny Thunder, Picture Book, You're Looking Fine, God's Children, Afternoon Tea, The Last Of The Steam Powered Trains, House In The Country, Situation Vacant, Holiday In Waikiki, Session Man, Most Exclusive Residence For Sale, Lazy Old Sun, End Of The Season, No Return, Starstruck, The Way Love Used To Be, Big Sky

*** for Little Miss Queen Of Darkness, Dreams, Do You Remember Walter, All Of My Friends Were There, Too Much On My Mind, Animals In The Zoo, Phenomenal Cat

Doctors Of Madness ‎"Late Night Movies, All Night Brainstorms" 1975****

The Doctors Of Madness (DoM) are a bit of a riddle. I came across them while researching proto-punk bands on the internet in order to create a spotify playlist which would be both eclectic and entertaining, mixing familiar and lesser-known names. They surprised my by sounding nothing like the other bands on it, e.g. The Flamin' Groovies or New York Dolls. Indeed the DoM are just as close to prog or glam as they are to punk. Their name is another riddle: I would understand it if they were called the Mad Doctors, but what is a Doctor Of Madness? Not a psychiatrist, surely. An expert on madness - someone who has studied it up-close or who lives it every day? Wikipedia writes about (singer/main songwriter) Kid Strange's "ideas and compositions, which analysed urban culture neurosis and systems of control" as if he was some kind of blue-haired punk-prog-rock Michel Foucault. Maybe that provides an indication to their name.

Of course there's no parthenogenesis in rock and roll, even though some bands make it seem so. The DoM, for example, borrow heavily from Roxy Music's experimental art rock and Cockney Rebels' decadent glam cabaret - I think Strange even sounds like a mix of their respective singers Brian Ferry and Steve Harley. But that's only one component of their sound. Then there's the long duration of some tracks and overabundance of violin which marks them as progressive rock. Violinist Urban Blitz can be both melodic and aggressive; at times he reminds me of Velvet Underground's John Cale, other times of Curved Air or String Driven Thing. And then, there are elements presaging punk: the relatively short (and, in the case of the singer, dyed blue) hair, their stage names (next to Kid Strange and Urban Blitz, we have bassist Stoner and drummer Di Lemma) and non-conformist attitude. To be fair, only two songs here justify their classification as proto-punk: opener "Waiting" and "B-Movie Bedtime" from side 2 are as loud and aggressive as anything by, say, Damned - not coincidentally, The Damned's Dave Vanian had a short stint as the DoM's co-vocalist. Punk bands (Sex Pistols, Jam, Joy Division) supported the DoM at many occasions when punk rock was still an underground phenomenon. This LP was their first. In the best prog tradition, Side 1 is a kind of song suite, with the aforementioned "Waiting" followed by 3 semi-acoustic songs ("Afterglow", "Mitzi's Cure", "I Think We're Alone") featuring theatrical vocals and lyrical violin. "The Noises Of The Evening" which closes the side, is more experimental with slow and fast passages, the violinist spiraling out of control to produce an awesome noise. "Billy Watch Out" is an art-rock piece reminiscent of Roxy Music and Pink Floyd, while Side 2 closes with a prog opus called "Mainline". In the space of its 16-minute duration, anything can -and does- happen. Like with every over-long piece, it lags at times but still has amazing moments, often provided by Blitz's electric guitar and violin. Lyric-wise the album has been described as doomy or even suffocating, the singer acknowledging William Burroughs as a key inspiration. A sample (from "Waiting") goes like this "Kentucky chicken is dripping Around my ears/ Let me down easy before my Mind disappears/ Rationalize this pageant of pigsties/ Definalise the unthinking grey skies/ I'm sitting uneasy upon my throne of fears". Happy Days! This kind of stuff might resonate with Goth fans, but DoM didn't stick around long enough to witness Goth. They turned out to be too intellectual for the thuggish punk crowd and broke up in 1978, after releasing two more albums. They became one of those cult bands fondly remembered by music critics and collectors, getting gradually re-discovered and gaining posthumous recognition thanks to the internet. A CD box set reissue of their entire catalogue appeared in 2017 to rave reviews, while they also released a new album in 2019, at which point only Strange remained of the original band. Their debut Late Night Movies, All Night Brainstorms remains their best though. Add it to your collection and get an approving nod by any rock connoisseur who comes across it.

**** for Waiting, Afterglow, The Noises Of The Evening, Billy Watch Out, B-Movie Bedtime

*** for Mitzi's Cure, I Think We're Alone, Mainlines

Be Bop Deluxe "Modern Music" 1976***

Music encyclopedias often use the (sounds pretentious, doesn't it?) term Art Rock interchangeably with Prog or Avant Garde. According to the most established definition "art rock aspires to elevate rock from entertainment to an artistic statement, opting for a more experimental and conceptual outlook on music". So the various musicologists lump everyone from The Velvets to Floyd to Radiohead, even some Beatles albums, under this category. While I couldn't give you any kind of definition, I tend to apply that label more narrowly, to music that abides to pop rock formulas while incorporating more challenging compositional and instrumental elements. Since that's also quite generic, maybe some examples would help with the categorization: Kate Bush, Roxy Music, Supertramp=>Art Rock. Genesis, Yes, King Crimson=>Prog. Can, Zappa, Eno=>Avant Garde. 

The term may be somewhat nebulous still, but it does come handy when you try to describe bands like Be Bop Deluxe: Despite the fact that Modern Music has elements of Glam, Prog and even nascent New Wave, it doesn't fit in any of these categories, so "Art Rock" will have to do. Most of the songs stick to a radio-friendly 3-4 minute duration, even though Side 2 merges a few songs together, possibly inspired by The Beatles' Abbey Road. There's an overall full sound, the band playing together with no single instrument dominating - which isn't necessarily an advantage when you have a guitarist like Bill Nelson, a rare case of a virtuoso who doesn't keep stealing the spotlight. His playing throughout is excellent, I wouldn't mind hearing more of it. The album opens with "Orphans Of Babylon", an upbeat and melodic slice of pop followed by the more theatrical, Cockney Rebel-like, "Twilight Capers". Lead single "Kiss Of Light" has a quasi-exotic beat, catchy chorus and nice guitar licks. "Bird Charmer's Destiny" is a short piano-and-vocal interlude setting the mood for a pretty ballad called "The Gold At The End Of My Rainbow". "Bring Back The Spark" is the album's first bona fide rocker with a fantastic guitar coda. Side 2 opens with a bit of radio noise and song snippets before settling into the "Modern Music" suite, a rather pessimistic piece inspired by Nelson's experiences touring the USA. Of the 6 songs comprising it, the same-titled track is easily the most memorable, while funk jazz "Dance Of The Uncle Sam Humanoids" also stands out as it gives the album an unexpected Zappa-esque flavour. The LP closes with 3 songs reminiscent of the band's glam beginnings, the Bowie-like "Down On Terminal Street", hard rocking "Forbidden Lovers" and acoustic "Make The Music Magic". When one looks at the album's components, it's difficult to find a fault: stylish cover, well-crafted songs, intelligent lyrics, excellent playing and high quality production - by John Leckie who'd go on to produce seminal Brit rock classics by Radiohead and Stone Roses (did I mention that Art Rock is considered an almost exclusively UK phenomenon?). Yet as a whole I feel it fails to ignite, being too "brainy" and low on truly memorable hooks for the pop charts, and too restrained to qualify as truly progressive/experimental.

**** for Twilight Capers, Kiss Of Light, Bring Back The Spark, Modern Music

*** for Orphans Of Babylon, The Bird Charmer's Destiny, The Gold At The End Of My Rainbow, Dancing In The Moonlight (All Alone)/Honeymoon On Mars/Lost In The Neon World/Dance Of The Uncle Sam Humanoids/Modern Music (Reprise), Forbidden Lovers, Down On Terminal Street, Make The Music Magic