Something Else by the Kinks
Encyclopedia
Something 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 assume recording production. Many of the recordings feature the keyboard work of session player Nicky Hopkins
, and the backing vocals of Ray Davies' wife, Rasa. In 2003, the album was ranked number 288 on Rolling Stone
magazine's list of the 500 greatest albums of all time
.
-laden "Two Sisters", the lazy shuffle of "End of the Season", and the sardonic "David Watts". The album includes the hit single "Waterloo Sunset
".
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 autumn 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 in 1967 and would not appear on a Kinks LP until the next release, The Kinks Are the Village Green Preservation Society
.
The album includes three songs composed by Dave Davies
, 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 UK, in part because it competed with budget-priced compilation albums of early Kinks hits from 1964-1966. Singles-oriented Pye Records
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
", then would not have a big hit again until "Lola
" in 1970.
Something Else also sold poorly in the US upon release in January 1968, as did its predecessor, Face to Face
. These albums had strong British themes; more importantly, the group was still the subject of a US 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
.
England
England 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, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
rock
Rock and roll
Rock and roll is a genre of popular music that originated and evolved in the United States during the late 1940s and early 1950s, primarily from a combination of African American blues, country, jazz, and gospel music...
group 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...
, released in September 1967. The album marks the final involvement of American producer Shel Talmy
Shel Talmy
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...
in The Kinks' 1960s studio recordings; henceforth Ray Davies
Ray Davies
Ray Davies, CBE is an English rock musician. He is best known as lead singer and songwriter for the Kinks, which he led with his younger brother, Dave...
would assume recording production. Many of the recordings feature the keyboard work of session player Nicky Hopkins
Nicky Hopkins
Nicholas Christian "Nicky" Hopkins was an English pianist and organist.He recorded and performed on noted British and American popular music recordings of the 1960s, 1970s and 1980s as a session musician....
, and the backing vocals of Ray Davies' wife, Rasa. In 2003, the album was ranked number 288 on Rolling Stone
Rolling Stone
Rolling Stone is a US-based magazine devoted to music, liberal 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...
magazine's list of the 500 greatest albums of all time
The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time
"The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time" is the title of a 2003 special issue of American magazine Rolling Stone, and a related book published in 2005.Related news articles:...
.
Background
Songs on the album composed by Ray Davies followed his affinity for strongly English-inspired subject matter, including the harpsichordHarpsichord
A 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 Watts". The album includes the hit single "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...
".
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 autumn 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 in 1967 and would not appear on a Kinks LP until the next release, The Kinks Are the Village Green Preservation Society
The Kinks Are the Village Green Preservation Society
The Kinks Are the Village Green Preservation Society is the sixth studio album by the English rock group The Kinks, released in November 1968. It was the last album by the original quartet, as bassist Pete Quaife left the group in early 1969...
.
The album includes three songs composed by Dave Davies
Dave Davies
David Russell Gordon "Dave" Davies is an English rock musician best known for his role as lead guitarist and vocalist for 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 UK, in part because it competed with budget-priced compilation albums of early Kinks hits from 1964-1966. Singles-oriented Pye Records
Pye Records
Pye 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...
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
"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 (song)
"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 club in Soho, London....
" in 1970.
Something Else also sold poorly in the US upon release in January 1968, as did its predecessor, Face to Face
Face 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,...
. These albums had strong British themes; more importantly, the group was still the subject of a US 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
Crawdaddy!
Crawdaddy! was the first U.S. magazine of rock and roll music criticism. Created in 1966 by college student Paul Williams in response to the increasing sophistication and cultural influence of popular music, Crawdaddy! was self-described as "the first magazine to take rock and roll...
.
Track listing
Band members
- Ray DaviesRay DaviesRay Davies, CBE is an English rock musician. He is best known as lead singer and songwriter for the Kinks, which he led with his younger brother, Dave...
– lead vocalsLead vocalistThe lead vocalist is the member of a band who sings the main vocal portions of a song. They may also play one or more instruments. Lead vocalists are sometimes referred to as the frontman or frontwoman, and as such, are usually considered to be the "leader" of the groups they perform in, often the...
, rhythm guitarRhythm guitarRhythm guitar is a technique and rôle that performs a combination of two functions: to provide all or part of the rhythmic pulse in conjunction with singers or other instruments; and to provide all or part of the harmony, ie. the chords, where a chord is a group of notes played together...
, harmonicaHarmonicaThe harmonica, also called harp, French harp, blues harp, and mouth organ, is a free reed wind instrument used primarily in blues and American folk music, jazz, country, and rock and roll. It is played by blowing air into it or drawing air out by placing lips over individual holes or multiple holes... - Dave DaviesDave DaviesDavid Russell Gordon "Dave" Davies is an English rock musician best known for his role as lead guitarist and vocalist for the English rock band The Kinks....
– lead guitarLead guitarLead guitar is a guitar part which plays melody lines, instrumental fill passages, guitar solos, and occasionally, some riffs within a song structure...
, 12 string guitar, backing vocalsBacking vocalistA backing vocalist or backing singer is a singer who provides vocal harmony with the lead vocalist or other backing vocalists...
, lead vocals (on tracks 2, 8, 11, 16 and 19) - Pete QuaifePete QuaifePeter Alexander Greenlaw "Pete" Quaife was an English musician, artist and author. He was a founding member and the original bass guitarist for The Kinks, from 1963 until 1969....
– bassBass guitarThe bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
, backing vocals - Mick AvoryMick AvoryMichael Charles "Mick" 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...
– drumsDrum kitA drum kit is a collection of drums, cymbals and often other percussion instruments, such as cowbells, wood blocks, triangles, chimes, or tambourines, arranged for convenient playing by a single person ....
, percussionPercussion instrumentA percussion instrument is any object which produces a sound when hit with an implement or when it is shaken, rubbed, scraped, or otherwise acted upon in a way that sets the object into vibration...
Additional personnel
- Nicky HopkinsNicky HopkinsNicholas Christian "Nicky" Hopkins was an English pianist and organist.He recorded and performed on noted British and American popular music recordings of the 1960s, 1970s and 1980s as a session musician....
– keyboardsKeyboard instrumentA keyboard instrument is a musical instrument which is played using a musical keyboard. The most common of these is the piano. Other widely used keyboard instruments include organs of various types as well as other mechanical, electromechanical and electronic instruments...
, pianoPianoThe piano is a musical instrument played by means of a keyboard. It is one of the most popular instruments in the world. Widely used in classical and jazz music for solo performances, ensemble use, chamber music and accompaniment, the piano is also very popular as an aid to composing and rehearsal...
, organOrgan (music)The 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. The organ is a relatively old musical instrument in the Western musical tradition, dating from the time of Ctesibius of Alexandria who is credited with...
, harpsichordHarpsichordA 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