The flip-side is buzzing about this week but we wanted you to hear what we're digging right now anyways. Today's SoTW is the European flip-side of The Kinks' Waterloo Sunset. It's titled Act Nice and Gentle. The song is a funky little song originating from the awkward time when the always feeling under appreciated Dave Davies was preparing for a "solo album" (but with all the Kinks playing on it). The band cut a number of Dave's songs such as Lincoln County, Susannah's Still Alive and Love Me 'Till The Shines and a host of Ray and Dave co-written songs, in pursuit of the album. The album never happened and some of the songs were released as Dave Davies singles and some as Kinks songs. Most appearing on the knock-your-socks-off album, Something Else. So, I'll dispense with the verbiage this week and just let you get to it. Click here and enjoy the Dave and Ray Davies composition, Act Nice and Gentle.
Tuesday, August 18, 2009
Song of the Week: "Act Nice and Gentle", The Kinks
The flip-side is buzzing about this week but we wanted you to hear what we're digging right now anyways. Today's SoTW is the European flip-side of The Kinks' Waterloo Sunset. It's titled Act Nice and Gentle. The song is a funky little song originating from the awkward time when the always feeling under appreciated Dave Davies was preparing for a "solo album" (but with all the Kinks playing on it). The band cut a number of Dave's songs such as Lincoln County, Susannah's Still Alive and Love Me 'Till The Shines and a host of Ray and Dave co-written songs, in pursuit of the album. The album never happened and some of the songs were released as Dave Davies singles and some as Kinks songs. Most appearing on the knock-your-socks-off album, Something Else. So, I'll dispense with the verbiage this week and just let you get to it. Click here and enjoy the Dave and Ray Davies composition, Act Nice and Gentle.
As you've indicated in the labels to this post, the Black Keys cover this. Nicely too. They focus on the lick that the second lead introduces and build around it. Not even sure if they do the bridge. Back to the Kinks. Any guesses as to who's at the helm for each of those leads. Interesting that this ended up on an EP with Waterloo Sunset, the final track on Something Else. Act Nice and Gentle is surely the direction they were heading, even skipping past Village Green with the open clean acoustic of later releases. Listening to the opening chords I'm reminded of the opening track of Muswell Hillbillies, 20th Century Man. Another track you mention, Lincoln County (love it!), fits squarely in the Something Else - Village Green period.
ReplyDeleteThat's gotta be Dave doing the leads on both of those as he was getting into Teles and western riffs around this time.
ReplyDeleteThis appears on the much suggested extended addition of Something Else.
I meant to say something about the Black Keys excellent cover of this and forgot to do so. They made it into the tags though!
i've noticed that people always think that it's "i don't need no luxuries," but it's actually "i don't need no luxuriance."
ReplyDelete"the album that never was" is what remains of all of those dave davies compositions. it's very good and sometimes (but not terribly often) great. it's paired with "the great lost kinks album" on some bootlegs.
some of what's on it that's not on the castle reissue of "something else" (that i can recall):
creeping jean (!!!)
hold my hand
i'm crying (!!)
do you wish to be a man? (!)
mr. shoemaker's daughter
are you ready, girl?
dave's vocals during this time (both lead and backing) were shit-hot, and his kinks compositions were uniformly outstanding (in my opinion, the best of these is "mindless child of motherhood").