Published on Nov 14, 2000
The Kinks had a long run in rock music with plenty of ups and
downs. They were one of the original British Invasion bands to reap
the benefits of the Beatles’ skyrocket to fame. Like the Rolling
Stones and the Who, they had a rawer sound than the Beatles, as
proof by their early hits like “You Really Got Me.” However, it was
after their initial success that we heard what made the Kinks
distinctive: Ray Davies’ unique brand of satire in songs like “Well
Respected Man” and “Lola.”
Their seventies output was very ambitious with rock operas and
concept albums, but like many ambitious works, they did not sell
well. RCA Records eventually dropped them and Arista Records picked
them up on the condition that they come out with straight rock
records. These albums expressed Davies’ cynicism in tighter, more
rock-oriented form and their sales improved.
Their most successful album from the Arista era is 1983’s
State Of Confusion, thanks to the surprise hits of the
playfully nostalgic “Come Dancing” and the winsome ballad “Don’t
Forget To Dance.” This year, Velvel Records re-released remastered
versions of this and other Kinks CDs with bonus tracks.
But be careful:
State Of Confusion may have those light-hearted singles, but
most of the album is that of angry hard rock, very typical of the
Kinks’ Arista period. The only other song that has the same feel as
the singles is “Heart Of Gold,” a tribute to former girlfriend
Chrissie Hynde of the Pretenders. In a nice touch, the song sounds
very much like the Pretenders big hit at the time, “Back On The
Chain Gang.”
However the meat of this CD is found in songs like the title
tune, a blistering rocker about alienation that is a powerful and
very perceptive song to start out this collection. The next song,
“Definite Maybe” also rocks but is a more amusing satire on
bureaucracy, proof that Davies has not totally lost his sense of
humor.
Davies also takes a couple of swipes at marriage. “Labour Of
Love” starts off with a sizzling guitar rendition of “The Wedding
March” in a parody of Jimi Hendrix’s cover of “The Star Spangled
Banner” and is relentless in portraying a married couple from hell.
“Property” looks at divorce and the tug of war waged by couples for
the best monetary settlement.
Believe it or not, these are relatively light tunes in both
sound and subject matter compared to the last two from the original
album configuration. “Cliches Of The World (B Movie)” is a song
about the utter worthlessness of life. Whereas the song “State Of
Confusion” made some valid points, this one is way too overwrought.
“Bernadette,” a fast rocker by brother Dave Davies about a
golddigger, is very sneering and ended the album on a very sour
note.
However, the bonus tracks lighten the tone a bit. The extended
edit of “Don’t Forget To Dance” is unnecessary, but “Once A Thief”
is a gem. It sounds like The Rolling Stones covering a Motown tune.
“Long Distance” is a sweet if overlong countryish ballad, and
“Noise” is a throwaway hard rocker. I do not understand why “Once A
Thief” was left off the original album.
State Of Confusion is a welcome addition for anyone who
enjoys the Kinks music of that period. There are a core of very
good songs and a few that misfire making it a good but not great
CD. However, I wouldhesitate to recommend this CD to people who are
thinking of buying it for “Come Dancing” or “Don’t Forget To Dance”
because these two songs sound like they belong on an entirely
different CD. Better wait for a best-of collection from this
period.