Something Else by the Kinks, often referred to as just
Something Else, is an album by the
EnglishEngland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west and the North Sea to the east, with the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
rockRock and roll is a genre of popular music that evolved in the United States after World War II in the late 1940s, from a combination of the rhythms of the blues, from the African American culture, and from America's country music and gospel music scenes...
group
The KinksThe Kinks are an English rock group categorised in the US as a British Invasion band. The Kinks have been cited as one of the most important and influential rock bands of the British Invasion era....
, released in September 1967. The album marks the final involvement of American producer
Shel TalmyShel Talmy is an American record producer, songwriter, arranger best known for his work in London with The Who and The Kinks in the 1960s....
in the Kinks' 1960s studio recordings; henceforth
Ray DaviesRay Davies CBE is an English rock musician, best known as lead singer and songwriter for The Kinks - one of the most prolific and long-lived British Invasion bands - which he led with his younger brother, Dave...
would assume recording production credits. Many of the recordings feature the keyboard work of session player
Nicky HopkinsNicky Hopkins Nicky Hopkins Nicky Hopkins (born Nicholas Christian Hopkins (February 24, 1944 – September 6, 1994) was an English pianist and organist.He recorded and performed on some of the most important British and American popular music recordings of the 1960s and 1970s, and is widely...
, and the backing vocals of Ray Davies' wife, Rasa.
Songs on the album composed by Ray Davies followed his affinity for strongly English-inspired subject matter, including the
harpsichordA harpsichord is a musical instrument played by means of a keyboard. It produces sound by plucking a string when a key is pressed.In the narrow sense, "harpsichord" designates only the large wing-shaped instruments in which the strings are perpendicular to the keyboard...
-laden "Two Sisters", the lazy shuffle of "End of the Season", and the sardonic "
David WattsDavid Leonard Watts is a politician in the United Kingdom. He is Labour Party member of Parliament for St Helens North.-Early life:...
".
Something Else by the Kinks, often referred to as just
Something Else, is an album by the
EnglishEngland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west and the North Sea to the east, with the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
rockRock and roll is a genre of popular music that evolved in the United States after World War II in the late 1940s, from a combination of the rhythms of the blues, from the African American culture, and from America's country music and gospel music scenes...
group
The KinksThe Kinks are an English rock group categorised in the US as a British Invasion band. The Kinks have been cited as one of the most important and influential rock bands of the British Invasion era....
, released in September 1967. The album marks the final involvement of American producer
Shel TalmyShel Talmy is an American record producer, songwriter, arranger best known for his work in London with The Who and The Kinks in the 1960s....
in the Kinks' 1960s studio recordings; henceforth
Ray DaviesRay Davies CBE is an English rock musician, best known as lead singer and songwriter for The Kinks - one of the most prolific and long-lived British Invasion bands - which he led with his younger brother, Dave...
would assume recording production credits. Many of the recordings feature the keyboard work of session player
Nicky HopkinsNicky Hopkins Nicky Hopkins Nicky Hopkins (born Nicholas Christian Hopkins (February 24, 1944 – September 6, 1994) was an English pianist and organist.He recorded and performed on some of the most important British and American popular music recordings of the 1960s and 1970s, and is widely...
, and the backing vocals of Ray Davies' wife, Rasa.
Songs on the album composed by Ray Davies followed his affinity for strongly English-inspired subject matter, including the
harpsichordA harpsichord is a musical instrument played by means of a keyboard. It produces sound by plucking a string when a key is pressed.In the narrow sense, "harpsichord" designates only the large wing-shaped instruments in which the strings are perpendicular to the keyboard...
-laden "Two Sisters", the lazy shuffle of "End of the Season", and the sardonic "
David WattsDavid Leonard Watts is a politician in the United Kingdom. He is Labour Party member of Parliament for St Helens North.-Early life:...
". The album includes the hit single "
Waterloo Sunset"Waterloo Sunset" is a song released as a single by The Kinks in 1967, and featured on their album Something Else by the Kinks. It was composed and produced by The Kinks lead singer and songwriter Ray Davies and is one of the band's best known and most acclaimed songs.The lyrics are from the...
".
With the departure of Shel Talmy, Something Else marks a change in the sound and production style of The Kinks. As mentioned earlier, Ray Davies would now assume control over production. At first, however, he felt unsure of himself and his skill in the mixing and recording of their records. He later commented:
-Ray Davies, Something Else by The Kinks CD liner notes.
Apart from "End of the Season", the album was recorded between the fall of 1966 and the summer of 1967, when the Kinks had cut back on touring and had begun recording and stockpiling songs for Davies' as-yet poorly defined "village green" project. In fact, the song "Village Green" was recorded in November 1966 during the sessions for the album but was released on a
French EP"Mister Pleasant" is a pop song, written by Ray Davies and recorded by the musical group the Kinks in 1967. It was released as a single in the US and mainland Europe but not in the UK. It was released in the UK 6 months later as the B-side to "Autumn Almanac". At the time, all other B-sides were...
in 1967 and would not appear on a Kinks LP until the next release,
The Kinks Are The Village Green Preservation SocietyThe Kinks Are the Village Green Preservation Society is the sixth album by the English rock band The Kinks released on 22 November 1968.-Production:...
.
The album includes three songs composed by
Dave DaviesDave Davies is an English rock musician , best known for his membership with the English rock band The Kinks....
, including the hit single "Death of a Clown". Based on the unexpected success of the song, the younger Davies began exploring a solo career but follow-up singles did not meet with the same success and, by mid-1969, his solo ambitions would be set aside for a decade.
The album sold poorly in the United Kingdom, in part because it competed with budget-priced compilation albums of early Kinks hits from 1964-1966. Singles-oriented
Pye RecordsPye Records was a British record label. In its first incarnation, Pye's best known artists were Lonnie Donegan , Petula Clark , The Searchers , The Kinks , and Brotherhood of Man . The label changed its name in 1980 but was briefly reactivated in 2006.-History:The Pye Company originally sold...
released "Waterloo Sunset", "Death of A Clown", and other songs before the album itself. The Kinks would score one more big UK hit single shortly after the release of
Something Else with "
Autumn Almanac"Autumn Almanac" is a pop song, written by Ray Davies and recorded by the musical group the Kinks in 1967. 'Autumn Almanac' has since been noted for being an "absolute classic", "a finely observed slice of English custom", a "weird character study" and for its "mellow, melodic sound that was to...
", then would not have a big hit again until "
Lola"Lola" is a song written by Ray Davies and performed by The Kinks which details a romantic encounter between a young man and a transvestite he meets in a Soho club in London....
" in 1970.
Something Else also sold poorly in the United States upon release in January 1968, as did its predecessor,
Face to FaceFace to Face is an album released by The Kinks in 1966 on Pye Records in the United Kingdom and on Reprise Records in the United States. A major artistic breakthrough for Kinks' songwriter Ray Davies, the LP represents the first full flowering of Davies' use of narrative, observation, and wry...
. These albums had strong British themes; more importantly, the group was still the subject of a U.S. ban on live and television performances.
Critical opinions at the time of the album's release were very positive, especially those of the nascent underground rock press, such as the publication
Crawdaddy. In 2003, the album was ranked number 288 on
Rolling StoneRolling Stone is a United States-based magazine devoted to music, politics, and popular culture that is published every two weeks. Rolling Stone was founded in San Francisco in 1967 by Jann Wenner and music critic Ralph J. Gleason.The magazine was named after the 1948 Muddy Waters song of the same...
magazine's list of
the 500 greatest albums of all timeThe 500 Greatest Albums of All Time is the cover story of a special issue of Rolling Stone magazine published in November 2003.Related news articles: The list was based on the votes of 273 rock musicians, critics and industry figures, each of whom submitted a weighted list of 50 albums...
.
Side 1
- "David Watts" – 2:32
- "Death of a Clown
"Death of a Clown" is a song by Dave Davies, member of British rock group The Kinks, released as his debut solo single in 1967. The song is co-written with his brother Ray Davies....
" – 3:04 (Ray Davies/Dave Davies)
- "Two Sisters" – 2:01
- "No Return" – 2:03
- "Harry Rag" – 2:16
- "Tin Soldier Man" – 2:49
- "Situation Vacant" – 3:16
Side 2
- "Love Me Till the Sun Shines
"Love Me Till the Sun Shines" is a 1967 song by the British band, The Kinks.It was, unlike most of the band's songs, written by guitarist Dave Davies. It was originally released as the B-side to Dave Davies' debut single, "Death of a Clown" in August 1967...
" – 3:16 (Dave Davies)
- "Lazy Old Sun" – 2:48
- "Afternoon Tea" – 3:27
- "Funny Face" – 2:17 (Dave Davies)
- "End of the Season" – 2:57
- "Waterloo Sunset
"Waterloo Sunset" is a song released as a single by The Kinks in 1967, and featured on their album Something Else by the Kinks. It was composed and produced by The Kinks lead singer and songwriter Ray Davies and is one of the band's best known and most acclaimed songs.The lyrics are from the...
" – 3:15
Bonus tracks on post-1998 reissues
- "Act Nice and Gentle" – 2:39
- "Autumn Almanac
"Autumn Almanac" is a pop song, written by Ray Davies and recorded by the musical group the Kinks in 1967. 'Autumn Almanac' has since been noted for being an "absolute classic", "a finely observed slice of English custom", a "weird character study" and for its "mellow, melodic sound that was to...
" – 3:05
- "Susannah's Still Alive
"Susannah's Still Alive" is a song by the British group The Kinks. It was one of the few The Kinks songs that was written by Dave Davies, the brother of lead songwriter Ray Davies. The single was credited solely to Dave Davies despite featuring all of the Kinks...
" – 2:22 (Dave Davies)
- "Wonderboy" – 2:49
- "Polly" – 2:51
- "Lincoln County" – 3:12 (Dave Davies)
- "There Is No Life Without Love" – 2:01 (Ray Davies/Dave Davies)
- "Lazy Old Sun" (Unreleased alternate stereo take) – 2:53
Band members
- Ray Davies
Ray Davies CBE is an English rock musician, best known as lead singer and songwriter for The Kinks - one of the most prolific and long-lived British Invasion bands - which he led with his younger brother, Dave...
– lead vocals, rhythm guitarRhythm guitar is the use of a guitar to provide rhythmic chordal accompaniment for a singer or other instruments in a musical ensemble. In ensembles or "bands" playing within the acoustic, country, blues, rock or metal genres , a guitarist playing the rhythm part of a composition supports the...
, harmonicaThe harmonica is a free reed wind instrument which is played by blowing air into it or drawing air out by placing lips over individual holes or multiple holes. The pressure caused by blowing or drawing air into the reed chambers causes a reed or multiple reeds to vibrate up and down creating sound...
- Dave Davies
Dave Davies is an English rock musician , best known for his membership with the English rock band The Kinks....
– lead guitarA lead guitar is a guitar part which plays melody lines, instrumental fill passages, and guitar solos within a song structure.In rock, heavy metal, blues, jazz and fusion bands and some pop contexts as well as others, the lead guitar lines are usually supported by a second guitarist who plays...
, 12 string guitar, backing vocals, lead vocals (on tracks 2, 8, 11, 16 and 19)
- Pete Quaife
Pete Quaife is an English musician, artist and author...
– bassThe electric bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a plectrum....
, backing vocals
- Mick Avory
Michael Charles Avory is an English musician, best known as the longtime drummer and percussionist for the British rock band, The Kinks, joining them shortly after their formation in 1964 and remaining with them until 1984, when he left amid creative friction with guitarist Dave Davies...
– drumsA drum set is a collection of drums, cymbals and sometimes other percussion instruments, such as cowbells, wood blocks, triangles, chimes, or tambourines, arranged for convenient playing by a single person . The term "drum kit" first became used in the 1700s in Britain...
, percussionA percussion instrument is any object which produces a sound by being hit with an implement, shaken, rubbed, scraped, or by any other action which sets the object into vibration...
Additional personnel
- Nicky Hopkins
Nicky Hopkins Nicky Hopkins Nicky Hopkins (born Nicholas Christian Hopkins (February 24, 1944 – September 6, 1994) was an English pianist and organist.He recorded and performed on some of the most important British and American popular music recordings of the 1960s and 1970s, and is widely...
– keyboardsA keyboard instrument is any musical instrument played using a musical keyboard. The most common of these is the piano. Other widely used keyboard instruments include various types of organs as well as other mechanical, electromechanical and electronic instruments...
, pianoThe piano is a musical instrument which is played by means of a keyboard. Widely used in Western music for solo performances, ensemble use, chamber music, and accompaniment, the piano is also very popular as an aid to composing and rehearsal...
, organThe organ is a keyboard instrument of one or more divisions, each played with its own keyboard operated either with the hands or with the feet...
, harpsichordA harpsichord is a musical instrument played by means of a keyboard. It produces sound by plucking a string when a key is pressed.In the narrow sense, "harpsichord" designates only the large wing-shaped instruments in which the strings are perpendicular to the keyboard...
- Rasa Davies – backing vocals
External links