Great songs (V): Music Jukebox
The truth is that the phrase "perfect songs" seems designed to define the music of the Kinks, there is no other group in the world with such density "temazos" per square meter, and you desmintáis to challenge this assertion.
And that "Music Jukebox" and not another song? Well, here is the thing most neighborhoods. While it is true that in the sixties Ray Davies and Cia reached its own right was the category of myths in the seventies, for my taste, where the wheels of the machine operating at full capacity, to the extent that any of the songs included in one of the "Preservation Acts", "Sleepwalker," "Misfits" and "Schoolboys In Disgrace" simply frightening.
"Music Jukebox" is the fifth cut of "Sleepwalker" (1977), a record that was special for many reasons. It was the first album from The Kinks to Arista and the first to be recorded in their own studies, the mythical studies Konka. With this record, Ray Davies seemed to leave behind the conceptual albums (for relief of his brother Dave) and the entire disc breathes a refreshing aroma of Rock without complications. But with the Kinks nothing is as simple as it seems because the texts of the album will contain a good dose of irony and bad milk served by the matchless compositional talent of Mr. Davies and depth is still a conceptual thread between songs difficult to guess at a glance: somnambulism and thus the nightlife.
And focusing on "Music Jukebox", the theme spoke of the effect of music on people, specifically the impact on a girl who sits night after night in a dark bar listening to sad songs on the machine music and he believes in all I heard, that let the music lead their feelings and prefers to be alone with his songs to relate to anyone. Ray Davies returns between lines (I did in "A Rock and Roll Fantasy") to the theme of the big lie of the Rock, the big lie that supposed to believe that some songs can save your life, the big lie in his final own life.
The song starts with a few simple bongos, who joins a battery reece quickly and accurately. Enter a guitar riff, comes another sound below, other than electric guitar, bass, the voice. Every millimeter measured with a precision overwhelming. In the part of stanzas is only the voice and a Rhodes until the new chorus in which he re-enters Dave with his memorable riffs and the rest of the band, ending a memorable one with another savage Jam Dave.
It is often underestimated the ability of interpretative Ray Davies, and maybe is not the time to come here in sterile polemics, the truth is that in this song so sings sublime, always controlling the tempo of a song that has now truly frenetic, a veritable "Tour De Force" to the limit for a band that does not touch a single note out of tune. Dave Davies here again in your sauce, a rock song that comes as the ring finger and delivering a collection of riffs Demolition and totally alone. The youngest of the brothers Davies was a guitarist who was less than, but at this time reached a considerable level of excellence.
It may sound like a cliché, but we do not do songs like that.
Tags: Konka Studios, Misfits, Ray Davies, Schoolboys In Disgrace, Sleepwalker, The Kinks




I am a staunch fan of fundamentalist and the Kinks and I am glad that Luis has put on the perfect point of the great songs "Music Jukebox." I find it pathetic how to check the Kinks are undervalued. You just have to look at, for example, the bible of the Internet for music fans who is allmusic.com and see how the discs are valued for 70 of the band of brothers Davies. "Sleepwalker" is another great album within an exemplary career with very few faults. It is true that the best of the Kinks falls within the period of "Face To Face" to "Lola", but these 70 guys in north London that was taken from the manga genius of the caliber of "Muswell Hillbillies" or "Misfits" and that let loose songs. Why is that in each disc are gems for which killed the battalion that had been mediocre congratulations to the commercial and critical deserved to be the Kinks: "Celluloid Heroes," "Sitting In My Hotel", "God's Children" , "Sweet Lady Genevieve," "A Face In The Crowd," "Rock'n'Roll Fantasy", "20th Century Man" or "I'm In Disgrace" could be in the paragraph that deals "Music Jukebox." And that in the 70 because in the 80 continued to temazos the caliber of "Come Dancing", "Better Things," "Heart Of Gold," "The Video Shop" or "Now And Then." This is to mention only a few.
Let's see when he learns that people are much more than Kinks "You Really Got Me" and "Lola" and that his legacy is as important as the Beatles or the Rolling Stones. His vision was different, never been prey to the fads and, dammit, Ray Davies has written the best lyrics of popular music.
Just remember "Waterloo Sunset" or "Shangri La" to realize that.
That was precisely for this article. Highlight a time of the Kinks more unknown to the general public (70) which gave some discs and some songs simply breathtaking.
I do not ever tire of this page to claim that for me, from any point of view, is the best band in history. And point.
I agree with the claim of the Kinks. I do not dare say that this is the best band in history, but surely that is the most undervalued.