YOU NEED THEM

Because hardly any of you freeloaders comment on posts (ahem), I have no idea what age group passes through here. So if you are of the age that knows the Kinks, take a pass if need be. I feel it necessary from time to time to be a cheerleader for this band or that, bands that really are essential. The Kinks are one, hence this post.

With this particular band I feel I owe a debt, not to them in particular but the cheerleaders that pushed them on me. Although I knew of the Kinks bigger hits back in the day, I just happened to know the president and vice president of their U.S. fan club. (The VP was Dan McLain who would later be known as Country Dick Montana.) In 1978 they were given a four pack of tickets to a show in L.A.. Most of their friends were total Kinks fanatics and were all drooling over the possibility of getting into the show. Mindful of their responsibilities as head of the U.S. fan club, they decided to invite two people (one being me) that had not seen the Kinks before. I couldn't say no, even if I wanted to. I did get to meet Ray Davies.

So, as common as these songs are to some of you, I'm paying it forward, albeit with a shitty blog post, so some of the unknowing rugrats might pick up something.

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Listen:
The Kinks - You Really Got Me mp3 at Drummer World
The Kinks - All Day and All of the Night mp3 at Drummer World
The Kinks - I Need You mp3 at Internet Archive
The Kinks - I Gotta Move mp3 at Internet Archive
The Kinks - I'm Not Like Everybody Else mp3 at Internet Archive
The Kinks - Til the End of the Day mp3 at Wandervogel
The Kinks - A House in the Country mp3 at Internet Archive

NOTE TO SELF

About a half hour ago, I was watching The Last Man On Earth (a great show by the way), and the Kinks' "Till the End of the Day" played during a scene. Everything stopped. Reminded of its awesomesness, I needed to listen to it, and did. Again and again. So, I'll dutifully pass that reminder of its awesomeness on. Eat this, loud.

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Listen:
The Kinks - Till the End of the Day mp3 at Mosso (?)
Alternates:
The Kinks - Till the End of the Day mp3 at Johnvanhulst (?)
The Kinks - Till the End of the Day mp3 at Seeley Street

KONTROL GROUP

I can appreciated a good cover as much as anyone, and a good effort goes a long way, particularly one that deviates from the sound of the original. But there are certain songs that you just don't want to fuck with. For instance, there's a thousand Chuck Berry songs. Why would you do a cover of "Johnny B. Goode"? Likewise, with the Kinks "You Really Got Me". It just makes me want to hear the Kinks, and loud. So that's what I did after hearing some of the covers of "You Really Got Me" that were posted at Cover Me. I got all amped when I say a Toots and the Maytals cover included, but after hearing it came away wanting to hear some regular tempo Toots, a litlle less of the ska hyperness. The other covers include a Sly Stone demo, a surprisingly not bad slightly funky version by Robert Palmer, and one by 801, a Phil Manzenera/Eno joint. The only one I didn't check out was by Oingo Boingo, because I just hate that band. I know Danny Elfman has done some respectable soundtrack work, but I hate his band. Cue Kinks.

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Listen:
The Kinks - Till the End of the Day mp3 at Wandervogel Diary
The Kinks - All Day and All of the Night mp3 at Drummer World
The Kinks - You Really Got Me mp3 at Le Blog de la Grande Chose
The Kinks - I Gotta Move mp3 at 8106
Visit:
Kinks Covers at Cover Me Five covers of "You Really Got Me"

ENOUGH WITH THE K PUNS

Yeah, I'm fully aware hot shot, the Kinks seem pretty elementary, particularly the early stuff. But when was the last time you actually listened to them? The hits are so ingrained in your musical lexicon that you probably don't think you need to, right? You're wrong. Holy shit, are you wrong. Just give these a whirl again, preferably loud. The louder the better. Shit, even "I Gotta Move" is enough to make you dance like an idiot, and it's got acoustic guitar all over it.

You fully vested Kink freaks might get get a kick out of the non-rocker down there, the demo for "I Go to Sleep". (Supposedly a demo, it sounds a lot like the Kinda Kinks version.) It was written for German singer Marion Maerz, and later covered by Peggy Lee, Cher, the Pretenders and just about every other female part time practitioner of smokey ballads. Fucking awesome song, simple. And beautiful. Where's my damn hankie?

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Listen:
The Kinks - Till the End of the Day mp3 at This Recording
The Kinks - All Day and All of the Night mp3 at Drummer World
The Kinks - You Really Got Me mp3 at Le Blog de la Grande Chose
The Kinks - I Gotta Move mp3 at 8106
Zzzzzzzzz: 
The Kinks - I Go to Sleep (demo) mp3 at Art Decade
Marion Maerz - I Go to Sleep mp3 at MediaFire 
Peggy Lee - I Go to Sleep (streaming) at YouTube
Video:
Marion Maerz - I Go to Sleep at YouTube  
Visit:
Marion Maerz at Ready Steady Girls

THE LAST CRUNCH

I rarely play Christmas music. I can't really see having music that I'd only play one month out of the year. If I still threw holiday bashes like the good ol' days, I might want some. Although, come to think of it, when I did have holiday parties, the music was usually something like Mudhoney, Sonic Youth, Pussy Galore...that type of stuff (which should tell you how long it's been since I actually hosted parties). But they were ramshackle events anyway. Just a bunch of the usual suspects, getting drunk, with a tree in the corner. So, I tip my hat to the hosts of holiday parties, and say, with all the sincerity that I can muster, better you than me.

Here's a few to get you through the last day. But not without a few notes about some of the songs. Listening to the Mojo Nixon cut, I just realized how much he sounds like Peter Wolf, in the early J. Geils Band. The Donnas thing is a cover of a horrible song by the Waitresses, so even this version is a little ill-conceived. The Slade song isn't their most rocking, but it's Slade, a band dear to my garish plaid heart. The Dick Dale song is uncharacteristically mellow, but nice (your Mom will dig it). It's hard to believe that the Kink's "Father Christmas" is thirty years old, I still think of it as their newer stuff. The Julian Casablanca cover of the Saturday Night Live skit is here even though he's always kinda bugged me, but I guess he has a sense of humor. Poly Styrene's making a return, because she started this whole mess the day after Thanksgiving. And, after you've sent the kids to bed, you can relax by the fireplace, and listen to William Burroughs tell the story of Danny the car wiper's Christmas. Wind down with a few from "The Hipsters Guide to Basic Holiday Jazz," while you take a bite of one of the cookies that the kids left out for Santa, just so they will believe for one more year.

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Mojo Nixon & the Toadliquors - It's Christmas Time mp3 at Good Rockin' Tonight
The Donnas - Christmas Wrapping mp3 at Good Rockin' Tonight
Slade - Merry Xmas Everybody mp3 at Jellynuts.com
The Ventures - White Christmas mp3 at My Aimz Is True
Shonen Knife - Space Christmas mp3 at Lost In Your In Box
The White Stripes - Candy Cane Children mp3 at Indie Rock Cafe
Dick Dale - Silent Night mp3 at My Aimz Is True
The Kinks - Father Christmas mp3 at Indie Rock Cafe
Julian Casablancas - I Wish It Were Christmas Today at Indie Rock Cafe
James Brown - Go Power at Christmas Time mp3 at Plain or Pan
Lee Perry w/Sandra Robinson - Merry Christmas, Happy New Year mp3 at Music Like Dirt
Poly Styrene - Black Christmas mp3 at Lost In Your In Box
William Buroughs - The Junky's Christmas mp3 at Music Like Dirt
Chet Baker - O Come All Ye Faithful mp3 at Can You See the Sunset
Dexter Gordon - The Christmas Song mp3 at Can You See the Sunset
John Coltrane - Greensleeves mp3 at Can You See the Sunset