You may have heard of this group, The Kinks. They released a record or two in their day. And then some. In fact, they continued to release good quality records well past that of many of their contemporaries who began to buckle under the pressure of touring, taxes, unscrupulous managers and the unbearable heaviness of the impending 1970s.
Mindless Child of Motherhood appeared as the Flip-Side of the certifiable hit Lola in these United States of America on Reprise Records in July of 1970. In the band's native UK, the Dave Davies composition was billed as The Kinks Featuring Dave Davies and was released on Pye Records as the Flip-Side to Drivin' which was released during the Summer of 1969.
The terribly under appreciated little brother puts forth a wonderful vocal performance and I could make a strong argument that this song is better than the A-Side of the UK release. Mindless Child Of Motherhood feels exceptionally personal. And as such, often feels like we are seeing too much into the life of the singer. The listener a muted observer to the painful tragedy unfolding in front of them.
Until next time, we'll see you On The Flip-Side!
Wow. Not familiar with this one. Powerful singing over a string of emotive melodies. I'm not even sure what the lyrics are, but I'd like to.
ReplyDeletepretty rare to lay a new one on the likes of you. I thusly consider this post a success.
DeleteThe key lyric here, Jack, is...
ReplyDelete"I know that it's not fair
To bare a bastard son
But why do you hide there?
When we could have shared a love?"