Shel Talmy
Encyclopedia
Shel Talmy is an American
record producer
, songwriter
, arranger
best known for his work in London with The Who
and The Kinks
in the 1960s, with a role in many other English bands including Cat Stevens
and Pentangle
. Talmy arranged and produced hits such as "You Really Got Me
" by The Kinks, "My Generation
" by The Who, and "Friday on My Mind
" by the Easybeats
. He also played guitar
or tambourine
on some of his productions.
, rhythm and blues
, folk music
, and country music
as well as technology. At 13 Talmy appeared regularly on the popular NBC-TV television show Quiz Kids
, a question-and-answer program out of Chicago. He told Chris Ambrose of Tokion Magazine
, "What it did for me was that I absolutely knew that this was the business I wanted to be in."
He became a recording engineer at Conway Studios in Los Angeles
for owner/engineer Phil Yeend, who trained Talmy on three-track recording equipment, and three days after starting at Conway, Talmy had his first production assignment, the record "Falling Star" by Debbie Sharon. At Conway, he worked with artists like Gary Paxton, with surf bands
like The Castells
and The Marketts
, and R&B pioneers, Rene Hall
and Bumps Blackwell.
Talmy and Yeend often experimented with production techniques. They played with separation and recording levels and built baffles and platforms covered with carpet, using them to isolate vocals and instruments. In an interview with Terri Stone in Music Producers, Talmy recalled that Yeend "would let me do whatever I wanted after our regular sessions were over, so I used to work out miking techniques for how to make drums sound better or guitars sound better .... There really weren't many precedents, so we were all doing it for the first time together. It was all totally new."
, gave him a stack of his new acetates
to take along with him and use if he could, as his "own."
Talmy joined Decca Records
as a record producer working with Decca's pop performers, such as Irish trio The Bachelors
, leading to the release of the hit single "Charmaine." In 1963 Talmy met Robert Wace, the manager of a group called The Ravens who later changed their name to The Kinks. He brought the Kinks into the studio and their third single, "You Really Got Me
," became a landmark recording.
According to Jon Savage, author of The Kinks' official biography, "What Shel Talmy and the Kinks did with this particular record was to concoct the perfect medium for expression of the adolescent white aggression that has been at the heart of white popular music. ... 'You Really Got Me' is that rare thing: a record that cuts popular music in half."
Talmy had many more hits with the group including "All Day and All of the Night
," "Tired of Waiting for You
," "Dedicated Follower of Fashion
," "Sunny Afternoon
," and "Waterloo Sunset
."
, guitarist of The Who
, liked "You Really Got Me" so much that he wrote a similar number, "I Can't Explain
," so that Talmy would produce his group. When the song was played over the telephone to Talmy, he agreed to hear the band. Now called The Who
, he signed them to his production company, got them a contract with Decca
in America and with their subsidiary Brunswick in Britain, and produced recordings modeled on their live performances.
The intentional feedback on the band's second single, "Anyway, Anyhow, Anywhere
," caused Decca executives to send back the recording, thinking that they had received a faulty pressing. Talmy and The Who created a historic recording, "My Generation," the group's third release. Entertainment Weekly
called "My Generation" the "quintessential rock single."
Talmy produced other notable singles for The Who before producing their first album, My Generation
, a collection of original songs and R&B covers. However, tensions arose between Talmy and one of the band's managers, Kit Lambert. Lambert "fired" Talmy, but Talmy sued for breach of contract and won. One of the by-products of the episode was a B-side single from The Graham Bond Organization entitled "Waltz for a Pig," an apparent reference to the departed producer.
Talmy owned the tapes to My Generation, but a re-release was held up for years because of the ongoing dispute. This prevented a proper re-release of the LP until 2002, when the dispute was finally settled in Talmy's favor. My Generation was remixed by Talmy and issued on compact disc with bonus tracks. In his book Before I Get Old, Dave Marsh commented that the records that Talmy made with The Who "are technically among the best that the group ever did, and they have a distinct, original sound."
). He produced the Roy Harper
album Come Out Fighting Ghengis Smith
in 1967. He also produced Friday on My Mind
for The Easybeats
, an Australian band that had relocated to England. Writing in the Encyclopedia of Popular Music, Colin Larkin
described the song as "one of the all-time great beat group singles of the 60s." Bowie later covered "Friday on My Mind" on his album Pin Ups
. Talmy has said that he did some of his most essential work with The Creation
. A mod/psychedelic band that often used pop-art imagery, they were well known as the creators of "Making Time
," a song that appeared on the soundtrack to Wes Anderson
's film Rushmore
(1998).
In the 70's, he formed a production company called Hush with Hugh Murphy, (who later co-produced Baker Street
with Gerry Rafferty
). Artists produced under this banner included Pentangle
and String Driven Thing
. In 2003 a tribute to Talmy was aired on the radio program Little Steven's Underground Garage.
http://www.triplenine.org/.
Talmy is married and lives in the Los Angeles area. He is the brother of noted American linguist Leonard Talmy
.
He was the founder of Planet Records, a company that released music by the Creation and other English artists in the mid-1960s. He has also had several non-musical occupations.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
record producer
Record producer
A record producer is an individual working within the music industry, whose job is to oversee and manage the recording of an artist's music...
, songwriter
Songwriter
A songwriter is an individual who writes both the lyrics and music to a song. Someone who solely writes lyrics may be called a lyricist, and someone who only writes music may be called a composer...
, arranger
Arrangement
The American Federation of Musicians defines arranging as "the art of preparing and adapting an already written composition for presentation in other than its original form. An arrangement may include reharmonization, paraphrasing, and/or development of a composition, so that it fully represents...
best known for his work in London with The Who
The Who
The Who are an English rock band formed in 1964 by Roger Daltrey , Pete Townshend , John Entwistle and Keith Moon . They became known for energetic live performances which often included instrument destruction...
and The Kinks
The Kinks
The Kinks were an English rock band formed in Muswell Hill, North London, by brothers Ray and Dave Davies in 1964. Categorised in the United States as a British Invasion band, The Kinks are recognised as one of the most important and influential rock acts of the era. Their music was influenced by a...
in the 1960s, with a role in many other English bands including Cat Stevens
Cat Stevens
Yusuf Islam , commonly known by his former stage name Cat Stevens, is an English singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, educator, philanthropist, and prominent convert to Islam....
and Pentangle
Pentangle (band)
Pentangle are a British folk rock band with some folk jazz influences. The original band were active in the late 1960s and early 1970s and a later version has been active since the early 1980s...
. Talmy arranged and produced hits such as "You Really Got Me
You Really Got Me
"You Really Got Me" is a rock song written by Ray Davies and performed by his band, The Kinks. It was released on 4th August 1964 as the group's third single, and reached Number 1 on the UK singles chart the next month, remaining for two weeks...
" by The Kinks, "My Generation
My Generation
My Generation is the debut album by the English rock band The Who, released by Brunswick Records in the United Kingdom in December 1965. In the United States it was released by Decca Records as The Who Sings My Generation in April 1966, with a different cover and a slightly altered track...
" by The Who, and "Friday on My Mind
Friday on My Mind
"Friday on My Mind" is a 1966 song by Australian rock group The Easybeats. Written by band members George Young and Harry Vanda, the track became a worldwide hit, reaching #16 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart in May 1967 in the US, #1 in Australia and #6 in the UK, as well as charting in several...
" by the Easybeats
The Easybeats
The Easybeats were an Australian rock and roll band. They formed in Sydney in late 1964 and broke up at the end of 1969. They are regarded as the greatest Australian pop band of the 1960s, and were the first Australian rock and roll act to score an international pop hit with their 1966 single...
. He also played guitar
Guitar
The guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
or tambourine
Tambourine
The tambourine or marine is a musical instrument of the percussion family consisting of a frame, often of wood or plastic, with pairs of small metal jingles, called "zils". Classically the term tambourine denotes an instrument with a drumhead, though some variants may not have a head at all....
on some of his productions.
Early career
Talmy was born in Chicago, and from an early age he was interested both in music—early rockRock music
Rock music is a genre of popular music that developed during and after the 1960s, particularly in the United Kingdom and the United States. It has its roots in 1940s and 1950s rock and roll, itself heavily influenced by rhythm and blues and country music...
, rhythm and blues
Rhythm and blues
Rhythm and blues, often abbreviated to R&B, is a genre of popular African American music that originated in the 1940s. The term was originally used by record companies to describe recordings marketed predominantly to urban African Americans, at a time when "urbane, rocking, jazz based music with a...
, folk music
Folk music
Folk music is an English term encompassing both traditional folk music and contemporary folk music. The term originated in the 19th century. Traditional folk music has been defined in several ways: as music transmitted by mouth, as music of the lower classes, and as music with unknown composers....
, and country music
Country music
Country music is a popular American musical style that began in the rural Southern United States in the 1920s. It takes its roots from Western cowboy and folk music...
as well as technology. At 13 Talmy appeared regularly on the popular NBC-TV television show Quiz Kids
Quiz Kids
Quiz Kids, a popular radio-TV series of the 1940s and 1950s, was created by Chicago public relations and advertising man Louis G. Cowan . Originally sponsored by Alka-Seltzer, the series was first broadcast on NBC from Chicago, June 28, 1940, airing as a summer replacement show for Alec Templeton...
, a question-and-answer program out of Chicago. He told Chris Ambrose of Tokion Magazine
Tokion
Tokion is a New York-based magazine covering art, fashion, music and film. It publishes separate US, UK, and Japanese editions. Tokion also produces the annual Creativity Now Conference, a weekend-long seminar of panel discussions with speakers from across the creative spectrum.- History :Tokion...
, "What it did for me was that I absolutely knew that this was the business I wanted to be in."
He became a recording engineer at Conway Studios in Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
for owner/engineer Phil Yeend, who trained Talmy on three-track recording equipment, and three days after starting at Conway, Talmy had his first production assignment, the record "Falling Star" by Debbie Sharon. At Conway, he worked with artists like Gary Paxton, with surf bands
Surf music
Surf music is a genre of popular music associated with surf culture, particularly as found in Orange County and other areas of Southern California. It was particularly popular between 1961 and 1965, has subsequently been revived and was highly influential on subsequent rock music...
like The Castells
The Castells
The Castells were a male vocal quartet from Santa Rosa, California best remembered for their hits "Sacred" and "So This Is Love" , both released on Era Records....
and The Marketts
The Marketts
The Marketts were an American instrumental pop group, formed in Hollywood, California. They are best known for their 1963 million-seller, "Out of Limits".-Biography:...
, and R&B pioneers, Rene Hall
René Hall
René Hall , was an American guitarist and music arranger.He was born in Morgan City, Louisiana, and first recorded as a banjo player with Joseph Robichaux in New Orleans in 1933. He then worked around the country as a member of the Ernie Fields Orchestra, before joining Earl Hines as musical arranger...
and Bumps Blackwell.
Talmy and Yeend often experimented with production techniques. They played with separation and recording levels and built baffles and platforms covered with carpet, using them to isolate vocals and instruments. In an interview with Terri Stone in Music Producers, Talmy recalled that Yeend "would let me do whatever I wanted after our regular sessions were over, so I used to work out miking techniques for how to make drums sound better or guitars sound better .... There really weren't many precedents, so we were all doing it for the first time together. It was all totally new."
British career
In 1962 Talmy went to England, and Nick (a.k.a. Nik Venet), a good friend and producer at Capitol RecordsCapitol Records
Capitol Records is a major United States based record label, formerly located in Los Angeles, but operating in New York City as part of Capitol Music Group. Its former headquarters building, the Capitol Tower, is a major landmark near the corner of Hollywood and Vine...
, gave him a stack of his new acetates
Acetate disc
An acetate disc, also known as a test acetate, dubplate , lacquer , transcription disc or instantaneous disc...
to take along with him and use if he could, as his "own."
Talmy joined Decca Records
Decca Records
Decca Records began as a British record label established in 1929 by Edward Lewis. Its U.S. label was established in late 1934; however, owing to World War II, the link with the British company was broken for several decades....
as a record producer working with Decca's pop performers, such as Irish trio The Bachelors
The Bachelors
The Bachelors are a popular music group, originating from Dublin, Ireland.-Career:The founding members of the group were Conleth Cluskey , Declan Cluskey , and John Stokes...
, leading to the release of the hit single "Charmaine." In 1963 Talmy met Robert Wace, the manager of a group called The Ravens who later changed their name to The Kinks. He brought the Kinks into the studio and their third single, "You Really Got Me
You Really Got Me
"You Really Got Me" is a rock song written by Ray Davies and performed by his band, The Kinks. It was released on 4th August 1964 as the group's third single, and reached Number 1 on the UK singles chart the next month, remaining for two weeks...
," became a landmark recording.
According to Jon Savage, author of The Kinks' official biography, "What Shel Talmy and the Kinks did with this particular record was to concoct the perfect medium for expression of the adolescent white aggression that has been at the heart of white popular music. ... 'You Really Got Me' is that rare thing: a record that cuts popular music in half."
Talmy had many more hits with the group including "All Day and All of the Night
All Day and All of the Night
"All Day and All of the Night" is a song by the British band The Kinks from 1964. It can be found on their debut album "Kinks". It reached #2 on the UK Singles Chart and #7 on Billboards United States chart in 1965....
," "Tired of Waiting for You
Tired of Waiting for You
"Tired of Waiting for You" was a hit 1965 rock song by the English band The Kinks. It reached #1 on the UK Singles Chart and #6 in the USA. It was recorded late August 1964 at Pye Studios , London, with additional guitar overdub at IBC Studios, London on 29 December 1964. "Come On Now" was recorded...
," "Dedicated Follower of Fashion
Dedicated Follower of Fashion
"Dedicated Follower of Fashion" is a 1966 single by British band The Kinks. It lampoons the contemporary British fashion scene and mod culture in general...
," "Sunny Afternoon
Sunny Afternoon
"Sunny Afternoon" is a song by The Kinks, written by chief songwriter Ray Davies. Like its contemporary "Taxman" by The Beatles, the song references the high levels of progressive tax taken by the British Labour government of Harold Wilson. The track later featured on the Face to Face album as well...
," and "Waterloo Sunset
Waterloo Sunset
Waterloo Sunset is a song by British rock band The Kinks. It was released as a single in 1967, and featured on their album Something Else by The Kinks...
."
The Who sings My Generation
Pete TownshendPete Townshend
Peter Dennis Blandford "Pete" Townshend is an English rock guitarist, vocalist, songwriter and author, known principally as the guitarist and songwriter for the rock group The Who, as well as for his own solo career...
, guitarist of The Who
The Who
The Who are an English rock band formed in 1964 by Roger Daltrey , Pete Townshend , John Entwistle and Keith Moon . They became known for energetic live performances which often included instrument destruction...
, liked "You Really Got Me" so much that he wrote a similar number, "I Can't Explain
I Can't Explain
"I Can't Explain" is a song by the English rock band The Who, written by Pete Townshend, and produced by Shel Talmy. The song was issued as a single in December 1964 in the United States and on 15 January 1965 in the United Kingdom.-Background:...
," so that Talmy would produce his group. When the song was played over the telephone to Talmy, he agreed to hear the band. Now called The Who
The Who
The Who are an English rock band formed in 1964 by Roger Daltrey , Pete Townshend , John Entwistle and Keith Moon . They became known for energetic live performances which often included instrument destruction...
, he signed them to his production company, got them a contract with Decca
Decca Records
Decca Records began as a British record label established in 1929 by Edward Lewis. Its U.S. label was established in late 1934; however, owing to World War II, the link with the British company was broken for several decades....
in America and with their subsidiary Brunswick in Britain, and produced recordings modeled on their live performances.
The intentional feedback on the band's second single, "Anyway, Anyhow, Anywhere
Anyway, Anyhow, Anywhere
"Anyway, Anyhow, Anywhere" was a single released by The Who in 1965. It features call-and-response lyrics and some of the first ever recorded guitar feedback. The song was composed by guitarist Pete Townshend and vocalist Roger Daltrey, the only time they wrote together...
," caused Decca executives to send back the recording, thinking that they had received a faulty pressing. Talmy and The Who created a historic recording, "My Generation," the group's third release. Entertainment Weekly
Entertainment Weekly
Entertainment Weekly is an American magazine, published by the Time division of Time Warner, that covers film, television, music, broadway theatre, books and popular culture...
called "My Generation" the "quintessential rock single."
Talmy produced other notable singles for The Who before producing their first album, My Generation
My Generation
My Generation is the debut album by the English rock band The Who, released by Brunswick Records in the United Kingdom in December 1965. In the United States it was released by Decca Records as The Who Sings My Generation in April 1966, with a different cover and a slightly altered track...
, a collection of original songs and R&B covers. However, tensions arose between Talmy and one of the band's managers, Kit Lambert. Lambert "fired" Talmy, but Talmy sued for breach of contract and won. One of the by-products of the episode was a B-side single from The Graham Bond Organization entitled "Waltz for a Pig," an apparent reference to the departed producer.
Talmy owned the tapes to My Generation, but a re-release was held up for years because of the ongoing dispute. This prevented a proper re-release of the LP until 2002, when the dispute was finally settled in Talmy's favor. My Generation was remixed by Talmy and issued on compact disc with bonus tracks. In his book Before I Get Old, Dave Marsh commented that the records that Talmy made with The Who "are technically among the best that the group ever did, and they have a distinct, original sound."
Work with other artists
Talmy continued to work with other distinguished British performers throughout the 1960s, including singer/songwriter Davy Jones (later known as David BowieDavid Bowie
David Bowie is an English musician, actor, record producer and arranger. A major figure for over four decades in the world of popular music, Bowie is widely regarded as an innovator, particularly for his work in the 1970s...
). He produced the Roy Harper
Roy Harper
Roy Harper is an English folk / rock singer-songwriter and guitarist who has been a professional musician since the mid 1960s...
album Come Out Fighting Ghengis Smith
Come Out Fighting Ghengis Smith
Come Out Fighting Ghengis Smith is English folk / rock singer-songwriter and guitarist Roy Harper's second album and was released in 1968.-History:...
in 1967. He also produced Friday on My Mind
Friday on My Mind
"Friday on My Mind" is a 1966 song by Australian rock group The Easybeats. Written by band members George Young and Harry Vanda, the track became a worldwide hit, reaching #16 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart in May 1967 in the US, #1 in Australia and #6 in the UK, as well as charting in several...
for The Easybeats
The Easybeats
The Easybeats were an Australian rock and roll band. They formed in Sydney in late 1964 and broke up at the end of 1969. They are regarded as the greatest Australian pop band of the 1960s, and were the first Australian rock and roll act to score an international pop hit with their 1966 single...
, an Australian band that had relocated to England. Writing in the Encyclopedia of Popular Music, Colin Larkin
Colin Larkin (writer)
Colin Larkin was the editor and founder of the Encyclopedia of Popular Music, described by Jools Holland as 'without question the most useful reference work on popular music' and by The Times as 'the standard against which all others must be judged’....
described the song as "one of the all-time great beat group singles of the 60s." Bowie later covered "Friday on My Mind" on his album Pin Ups
Pin Ups
- Personnel :* David Bowie – vocals, guitar, tenor and alto saxophone, harmonica, arrangements, backing vocals, Moog synthesizer* Mick Ronson – guitar, piano, vocals, arrangements* Trevor Bolder – bass* Aynsley Dunbar – drums- Additional personnel :...
. Talmy has said that he did some of his most essential work with The Creation
The Creation (band)
The Creation were an English rock band, formed in 1966. The most popular Creation song was "Painter Man", which made the Top 40 in the UK Singles Chart in late 1966, and reached #8 in the German chart in April 1967. It was later covered by Boney M in 1979, and reached the #10 position in the UK...
. A mod/psychedelic band that often used pop-art imagery, they were well known as the creators of "Making Time
Making Time
"Making Time" is The Creation's debut single, written by Kenny Pickett and Eddie Phillips .-Cover versions:It has often been covered by other bands, including Little Free Rock and Green Bullfrog....
," a song that appeared on the soundtrack to Wes Anderson
Wes Anderson
Wesley Wales Anderson is an American film director, screenwriter, actor, and producer of features, short films and commercials....
's film Rushmore
Rushmore (film)
Rushmore is a 1998 comedy-drama film directed by Wes Anderson about an eccentric teenager named Max Fischer , his friendship with rich industrialist Herman Blume , and their mutual love for elementary school teacher Rosemary Cross . The film was co-written by Anderson and Owen Wilson...
(1998).
In the 70's, he formed a production company called Hush with Hugh Murphy, (who later co-produced Baker Street
Baker Street
Baker Street is a street in the Marylebone district of the City of Westminster in London. It is named after builder William Baker, who laid the street out in the 18th century. The street is most famous for its connection to the fictional detective Sherlock Holmes, who lived at a fictional 221B...
with Gerry Rafferty
Gerry Rafferty
Gerald "Gerry" Rafferty was a Scottish singer songwriter best known for his solo hits "Baker Street", "Right Down the Line", "Days Gone Down", "Night Owl", "Get It Right Next Time", and with the band Stealers Wheel, "Stuck in the Middle with You". Rafferty was born into a working-class family in...
). Artists produced under this banner included Pentangle
Pentangle
Pentangle may refer to:*another word for a pentagram, a five-pointed star drawn with five straight strokes*Pentangle , a British folk-rock band*The Pentangle, the 1968 album by the band Pentangle...
and String Driven Thing
String Driven Thing
String Driven Thing were a 1970s folk-rock band from Scotland led by husband and wife Chris Adams and Pauline Adams and featuring the electric violin of Graham Smith.-Formation:...
. In 2003 a tribute to Talmy was aired on the radio program Little Steven's Underground Garage.
Personal life
Shel Talmy is a member of Triple Nine SocietyTriple Nine Society
The Triple Nine Society , founded in 1978, is a voluntary association of individuals who have scored at or above the 99.9th percentile on specific IQ tests under supervised conditions, which generally correlates to an IQ of 149 or greater...
http://www.triplenine.org/.
Talmy is married and lives in the Los Angeles area. He is the brother of noted American linguist Leonard Talmy
Leonard Talmy
Leonard Talmy is a professor of linguistics and philosophy at the University at Buffalo in New York. He is known for his pioneering work in cognitive linguistics, more specifically, in the relationship between semantic and formal linguistic structures and the connections between semantic typologies...
.
He was the founder of Planet Records, a company that released music by the Creation and other English artists in the mid-1960s. He has also had several non-musical occupations.
Singles
- "Long Tall SallyLong Tall Sally"Long Tall Sally" is a rock and roll 12-bar blues song written by Robert "Bumps" Blackwell, Enotris Johnson and Richard Penniman , recorded by Little Richard and released March 1956 on the Specialty Records label....
" b/w "I Took My Baby Home" - "You Still Want MeYou Still Want Me"You Still Want Me" is a single by The Kinks released in 1964. It was their second record, and failed to chart upon release. This prompted Pye Records to consider dropping the fledgling group. However, the massive success of the band's next single, "You Really Got Me", ensured their tenure with...
" b/w "You Do Something To Me" - "You Really Got MeYou Really Got Me"You Really Got Me" is a rock song written by Ray Davies and performed by his band, The Kinks. It was released on 4th August 1964 as the group's third single, and reached Number 1 on the UK singles chart the next month, remaining for two weeks...
" b/w "It's Alright," PyePye RecordsPye Records was a British record label. In its first incarnation, perhaps Pye's best known artists were Lonnie Donegan , Petula Clark , The Searchers , The Kinks , Sandie Shaw and Brotherhood of Man...
(UKUnited KingdomThe United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
), RepriseReprise RecordsReprise Records is an American record label, founded in 1960 by Frank Sinatra. It is owned by Warner Music Group, and operated through Warner Bros. Records.-Beginnings:...
(U.S.United StatesThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
), 1964 - "All Day and All of the NightAll Day and All of the Night"All Day and All of the Night" is a song by the British band The Kinks from 1964. It can be found on their debut album "Kinks". It reached #2 on the UK Singles Chart and #7 on Billboards United States chart in 1965....
" b/w "I Gotta Move" - Kinksize SessionKinksize SessionKinksize Session is the first EP released by The Kinks in the UK in 1964, a month after their debut LP. The tracks were all exclusive to this release and it includes some original compositions....
– EPExtended playAn EP is a musical recording which contains more music than a single, but is too short to qualify as a full album or LP. The term EP originally referred only to specific types of vinyl records other than 78 rpm standard play records and LP records, but it is now applied to mid-length Compact... - "Tired of Waiting for YouTired of Waiting for You"Tired of Waiting for You" was a hit 1965 rock song by the English band The Kinks. It reached #1 on the UK Singles Chart and #6 in the USA. It was recorded late August 1964 at Pye Studios , London, with additional guitar overdub at IBC Studios, London on 29 December 1964. "Come On Now" was recorded...
" b/w "Come On Now" - "Ev'rybody's Gonna Be HappyEv'rybody's Gonna Be Happy"Ev'rybody's Gonna Be Happy" is a song by Ray Davies, released as a UK single by The Kinks in 1965. As the follow-up to the number-one hit "Tired of Waiting for You" , it was relatively unsuccessful, reaching number 11...
" b/w "Who'll Be The Next In Line" - "Set Me FreeSet Me Free (The Kinks song)"Set Me Free" is a song by Ray Davies, released first by The Kinks in 1965. Along with "Tired of Waiting for You", it is one of band's first attempts at a softer, more introspective sound...
" b/w "I Need You" - "See My FriendsSee My Friends"See My Friends" is a song by The Kinks, written by the group's singer and guitarist, Ray Davies. Released in 1965, it reached #10 on the UK Singles Chart...
" b/w "Never Met A Girl Like You Before" - Kwyet KinksKwyet KinksKwyet Kinks is the third EP by The Kinks, released in September 1965. Unlike most of their other EPs, it contained all exclusive tracks and all were original compositions....
– EPExtended playAn EP is a musical recording which contains more music than a single, but is too short to qualify as a full album or LP. The term EP originally referred only to specific types of vinyl records other than 78 rpm standard play records and LP records, but it is now applied to mid-length Compact... - "Till the End of the DayTill the End of the Day"Till the End of the Day" is a song by The Kinks, written by Ray Davies and released as a single in 1965 and later on their album The Kink Kontroversy. It centres around a power chord, like many of the group's early hits, and was similarly successful, reaching no. 8 in the UK and no...
" b/w "Where Have All the Good Times GoneWhere Have All The Good Times Gone"Where Have All the Good Times Gone" is a song written by Ray Davies and performed with The Kinks. It was first released as the B-side to "Till the End of the Day," and was then included on their album The Kink Kontroversy in 1965 ....
" - "Dedicated Follower of FashionDedicated Follower of Fashion"Dedicated Follower of Fashion" is a 1966 single by British band The Kinks. It lampoons the contemporary British fashion scene and mod culture in general...
" b/w "Sitting' On My Sofa" - "A Well Respected ManA Well Respected Man"A Well Respected Man" is a song by the British band The Kinks, written by the group's lead singer and rhythm guitarist Ray Davies, and originally released on the U.K. EP Kwyet Kinks in September 1965 . It was released as a single in the U.S. during October of that same year and reached #13...
" b/w "Milk Cow Blues" - "Sunny AfternoonSunny Afternoon"Sunny Afternoon" is a song by The Kinks, written by chief songwriter Ray Davies. Like its contemporary "Taxman" by The Beatles, the song references the high levels of progressive tax taken by the British Labour government of Harold Wilson. The track later featured on the Face to Face album as well...
" b/w "I'm Not Like Everybody ElseI'm Not Like Everybody Else"I'm Not Like Everybody Else" is a song written by Ray Davies and first recorded by The Kinks in 1966.-History:Davies had written the song for The Animals, but it was turned down, so the Kinks released their own version with guitarist Dave Davies on lead vocals...
" - "Dead End StreetDead End Street (song)"Dead End Street" is a song by the British band The Kinks from 1966, written by main songwriter Ray Davies. Like many other songs written by Davies, it is slightly influenced by British Music Hall. It was originally released as a non-album single, but has since been included as one of several bonus...
" b/w "Big Black SmokeBig Black Smoke"Big Black Smoke" is the B-side to The Kinks' single "Dead End Street", written by Ray Davies. The song wasn't originally included on any album, but has since appeared as a track on the popular 1972 Kink Kronikles compilation and as a bonus track on the CD reissue of Face to Face.-External links:***...
" - "Waterloo SunsetWaterloo SunsetWaterloo Sunset is a song by British rock band The Kinks. It was released as a single in 1967, and featured on their album Something Else by The Kinks...
" b/w "Act Nice and Gentle"
Albums
- The KinksThe Kinks (album)Kinks is the self-titled debut album by the English rock band The Kinks, released in 1964. It was released with three tracks omitted as You Really Got Me in the United States....
, Pye, 1964, as You Really Got Me, Reprise (U.S.), 1964 - Kinks-SizeKinks-SizeKinks-Size is the second US-only album by the English band The Kinks, released in 1965. Differences in record company practice between the UK and US in the early 1960s, such as the US tending to issue shorter LPs, featuring less original material and the comparative unpopularity of EPs in the US...
, Reprise, 1965 - Kinda KinksKinda KinksAllmusic wrote that the album was uneven, but that "...what was first-rate was also highly memorable, and what wasn't also wasn't bad." They also made note of some maturing in Ray Davies's songwriting.-Side 1:# "Look for Me Baby" – 2:17...
, Pye (UK) 1965, Reprise (U.S.), 1965 - The Kink KontroversyThe Kink KontroversyThe Kink Kontroversy is the third studio album by the English band The Kinks, released in 1965. It is a transitional work, with elements of both the earlier Kinks' styles and early indications of the future direction of Ray Davies songwriting...
, Pye (UK) 1965, Reprise (U.S.), 1966 - KinkdomKinkdomKinkdom is a US only album by the English band The Kinks, released in 1965. As with the Kinks-Size album, it is made up mainly of songs not released on an equivalent UK LP...
, Reprise (U.S.) 1965 - Face to FaceFace to Face (The Kinks album)Face to Face, released in 1966 on Pye Records in the United Kingdom and on Reprise Records in the United States, is the fourth UK studio album by The Kinks. A major artistic breakthrough for Kinks' songwriter Ray Davies, the LP represents the first full flowering of Davies' use of narrative,...
, Pye (UK) 1966, Reprise (U.S.) 1966 - Come Out Fighting Ghengis SmithCome Out Fighting Ghengis SmithCome Out Fighting Ghengis Smith is English folk / rock singer-songwriter and guitarist Roy Harper's second album and was released in 1968.-History:...
by Roy HarperRoy HarperRoy Harper is an English folk / rock singer-songwriter and guitarist who has been a professional musician since the mid 1960s...
CBS 1967 - Something Else by The KinksSomething Else by the KinksSomething Else by The Kinks, often referred to as just Something Else, is the fifth UK studio album by English rock group The Kinks, released in September 1967. The album marks the final involvement of American producer Shel Talmy in The Kinks' 1960s studio recordings; henceforth Ray Davies would...
, Pye (UK) 1967, Reprise (U.S.) 1968
Singles
- "I Can't ExplainI Can't Explain"I Can't Explain" is a song by the English rock band The Who, written by Pete Townshend, and produced by Shel Talmy. The song was issued as a single in December 1964 in the United States and on 15 January 1965 in the United Kingdom.-Background:...
" b/w "Bald Headed WomanBald Headed Woman"Bald Headed Woman" is a song written by Shel Talmy and released by The Kinks on their eponymous debut album in 1964 and The Who in 1965 as the b-side of I Can't Explain. It is claimed that Jimmy Page, as a session guitarist, played lead guitar on "Bald Headed Woman" on both The Kinks and The Who...
," BrunswickBrunswick RecordsBrunswick Records is a United States based record label. The label is currently distributed by E1 Entertainment.-From 1916:Records under the "Brunswick" label were first produced by the Brunswick-Balke-Collender Company...
(UK), DeccaDecca RecordsDecca Records began as a British record label established in 1929 by Edward Lewis. Its U.S. label was established in late 1934; however, owing to World War II, the link with the British company was broken for several decades....
(U.S.), 1965 - "Anyway, Anyhow, AnywhereAnyway, Anyhow, Anywhere"Anyway, Anyhow, Anywhere" was a single released by The Who in 1965. It features call-and-response lyrics and some of the first ever recorded guitar feedback. The song was composed by guitarist Pete Townshend and vocalist Roger Daltrey, the only time they wrote together...
" b/w "Daddy Rolling Stone," Brunswick (UK), 1965, Decca (U.S.), 1965 - "My Generation" b/w "Shout and ShimmyShout and Shimmy"Shout and Shimmy" is an R&B song written by James Brown, and recorded by him and The Famous Flames. It rose to #16 on the R&B chart and #61 on the Billboard Hot 100....
," Brunswick (UK), 1965, Decca (U.S.), 1965 - "A Legal MatterA Legal Matter"A Legal Matter" is a song written by Pete Townshend and recorded by The Who for their debut album My Generation. It was recorded on 12 October 1965 at IBC Studios, and released as the B-Side to "The Kids Are Alright"...
" b/w "Instant Party" - "The Kids Are AlrightThe Kids Are Alright (song)"The Kids Are Alright" is a song written by Pete Townshend of The Who. It appears as the seventh track on the group's first album, My Generation . It was not released as a single until more than six months after it first appeared on the LP, first in the United States, and in the UK the following...
" b/w "A Legal MatterA Legal Matter"A Legal Matter" is a song written by Pete Townshend and recorded by The Who for their debut album My Generation. It was recorded on 12 October 1965 at IBC Studios, and released as the B-Side to "The Kids Are Alright"...
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Selected writings
- Whadda We Do Now, Butch?, Pan Books Ltd., 1978
- Hunter Killer, Pan Books Ltd., 1981
- The Web, Dell, 1981