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johnnythunders
And here's my review, plus the encore

[onlyrockandroll.london]

Great review

[ I want to shout, but I can hardly speak ]

Excellent review! Dave indeed did himself and all Kinks fans truly proud.

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jiggysawdust

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crawdaddy

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jiggysawdust
I was there (on stage) last night with Ray and Dave and it was incredible.

If I rememember, you are the bass player with Daves band jiggysawdust.

Must have been a fantastic experience for every band member up on stage on that special night. ><

I'm Dave's second guitar player. I spoke with Ray quite a bit and he was very happy with the performance and loved Dave's band.

Of course. !

I have seen a few pics of the night with yourself, band members, Dave, and big fans Brigitte,Olga and George Maguire who played Dave in Sunny Afternoon. ,

Must have been such a great night and so wish I had been there.

In celebration of all things KINKS !!

[www.youtube.com]

What wouldn't I give to see this band reform and do a few shows .......

[ I want to shout, but I can hardly speak ]

Great video from way back.

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paulywaul
In celebration of all things KINKS !!

[www.youtube.com]

What wouldn't I give to see this band reform and do a few shows .......

Great video of Victoria.

Its so sad. The Kinks ALWAYS had to try fitting in. Dave could probably handle that 70s stuff pretty easily, but Ray (and the band in a way) always had to adapt to the times. They'd make these great unique albums, but they were always just a bit off. Probably why they never really became as huge and talked about as the Beatles and the Stones today. You see Ray in that video and its so NOT him, but its what he had to do at the time. Thats what you had to do to keep the audiences coming. Its sad that they were never really respected just for being what they were.

If there was ever a reason I'd like to see them reform, it would be for that. Just so they could be The Kinks. They wouldn't have to put on a show, they wouldn't have to be trying to impress. Very respectful crowds that just wand to see the guys doing what they do the way THEY want to do it. I'd just want to see them end on their terms, after having to deal with a whole career of trying to be relevant. They were smarter than the public was, and now everyone's caught up and are ready to experience them in the way I assume The Kinks always naturally wanted to be presented.

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RollingFreak

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paulywaul
In celebration of all things KINKS !!

[www.youtube.com]

What wouldn't I give to see this band reform and do a few shows .......

Great video of Victoria.

Its so sad. The Kinks ALWAYS had to try fitting in. Dave could probably handle that 70s stuff pretty easily, but Ray (and the band in a way) always had to adapt to the times. They'd make these great unique albums, but they were always just a bit off. Probably why they never really became as huge and talked about as the Beatles and the Stones today. You see Ray in that video and its so NOT him, but its what he had to do at the time. Thats what you had to do to keep the audiences coming. Its sad that they were never really respected just for being what they were.

If there was ever a reason I'd like to see them reform, it would be for that. Just so they could be The Kinks. They wouldn't have to put on a show, they wouldn't have to be trying to impress. Very respectful crowds that just wand to see the guys doing what they do the way THEY want to do it. I'd just want to see them end on their terms, after having to deal with a whole career of trying to be relevant. They were smarter than the public was, and now everyone's caught up and are ready to experience them in the way I assume The Kinks always naturally wanted to be presented.

Interesting assumption RollingFreak regarding them always having to adapt to the times and how you think they should they naturally wanted to be represented. But perhaps they wanted to adapt to the times and move forward, rather than becoming a stagnant relic. Maybe you just have an image of them on how they're supposed to be, and not giving them credit for how they wanted to be.
The Beatles always adapted to the times, even pioneering certain trends. The Stones always adapted to the times, but not always successfully (see Satanic Majesties).
It could be that the Kinks catalogue was sometimes hit or miss, and perhaps not as 'user friendly' and not as easily digestible as the Beatles and Stones.
If you have any insight or evidence regarding your assumption (like quotes from band members, etc.), it would be interesting to read.

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Rip this joint, gonna save your soul, round and round and round we go......

I do not, so I guess thats true its all assumption on my part. I think what I was getting at was mainly that late 70s tour. It was really arena, which even though Sleepwalker was an "arena" type album, the tour didn't feel genuine from them. I think they performed it well, but it felt out of character. I don't think Ray is a frontman. I don't think even he would call himself that. He's a songwriter first and foremost, and a singer/guitarist. So I think seeing him as that "frontman" type guy, the one that HAS to entertain, feels forced to me. Like, that nowadays he would never have to do that because everyone appreciates the Kinks. They didn't have to try so hard to keep people interested. People just naturally are these days, mostly due to the absence, and I think the music is more appreciated now than it once was.

Maybe I'm totally wrong. You're right, I don't have quotes so it could all just be conjecture in my mind. But the reason I see it differently from the Beatles and Stones is cause they never stayed on top. The Beatles set trends, but the world followed. Its not really like the world followed after The Kinks did something like Muswwell Hillbillies. That was the Kinks being The Kinks, at least to me. That was their Britishness, that was their country sensibility, that was natural. Maybe Sgt. Peppers was natural to The Beatles, but regardless it resonated. They could keep changing, but the world was more accepting. I think people were less accepting of The Kinks. They are doing stuff like Village Green, or Lola, or Arthur, then they'd go to Muswell, then they'd do theater story shows like Schoolboys and Soap Opera. Thats them evolving, and I think those concepts were natural to them, but they didn't make an impact. So then in the 70s and 80s they kind of reluctantly became an oldies act. Not even by their own choice, it just happened with age. Whereas the Stones were still playing stadiums.

So I feel for me, by the time they got to the age where they should have been basking, they had to keep working and adapting to the times. Any of those bands that started in the mid 60s kind of burnt out by the late 70s, and the Kinks were no different. It was just that despite them being a Mt. Rushmore type band, despite them being inducted very very early in the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame's history, they never got to reap the benefits. They kept being kind of a lesser band even though they were legends. I think if they toured now, its not like it would be stadiums, but they'd get that respect that I think its fair to say they never received back in the day by most of the public. They'd be very loving concerts, as opposed to ones where they feel they need to prove they are still relevant.

I don't know. Kind of a late night rant lol.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2015-12-22 07:00 by RollingFreak.

I wasn't trying to call you out on that or anything, was just wondering what gave you that assumption and you could very well be right about all of it.

They're a great band in my mind and always will be, but again perhaps they were on a different wavelength as far as having mass appeal ala The Beatles and the Stones.
There's a lot of British bands even today who wear their 'Britishness' on their sleeves who have never quite captured the enormity of success in the U.S. as they have in their homeland - Blur comes to mind.
Not saying the Kinks weren't a huge success in the U.S., but aside from their greatest hits, alot of their music might have been a bit esoteric or eccentric for the general public here.

Whatever the case, I'd beyond thrilled to see the Kinks live, and hope this mini reunion between the brothers leads to bigger and better things.

_____________________________________________________________
Rip this joint, gonna save your soul, round and round and round we go......



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2015-12-22 07:58 by Hairball.

From the Independent:

The Kinks: Greatest rock reunion in two decades came within a whisker of being cancelled
They seek him here: Ray Davies back on stage with his brother Dave for the first time since 1996

Kinks

The greatest British rock reunion in two decades came within a whisker of being cancelled, The Independent has learned. In a surprise appearance that one fan described as “The season for miracles,” Ray and Dave Davies shared a stage for the first time since The Kinks’ final performance in June 1996.

Speculation is now rife that the band will reform for next year’s Glastonbury - 20 years after their acrimonious split.


Yet Dave Davies almost cancelled the gig after suffering from “awful flu” for days before it. He decided on the morning to go ahead with the performance at Islington Assembly Hall in north London despite his poor health, and sent his brother an email to invite him along.

“There was no big plan about it. We didn’t talk because I was feeling so awful,” Dave Davies told The Independent.

“I just emailed Ray saying: ‘Your name’s on the door, if you feel like it why don’t you jump up and sing "You Really Got Me" at the end?’”

But he learned Ray was waiting in the wings only a split-second before his brother walked on stage to a rapturous reception.

While Ray is a well-respected man of Britpop, Dave was the guitarist whose riffs are credited with changing the sound of rock music. The Kinks were as groundbreaking as the other three great British bands of the 1960s: The Beatles, The Who and the Rolling Stones. But they were dysfunctional even by the standards of Sixties pop. On-stage fights between band members took place a decade before the punk era made punch-ups mainstream.

The Kinks never achieved the same commercial success or global recognition as their contemporaries, but latterly their musical and lyrical originality has enjoyed a renaissance. Sunny Afternoon, a West End show about their early days, won four Laurence Olivier Awards including Best Musical of 2015.

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Rip this joint, gonna save your soul, round and round and round we go......

From that Independent article .......

The greatest British rock reunion in two decades came within a whisker of being cancelled, The Independent has learned. In a surprise appearance that one fan described as “The season for miracles,” Ray and Dave Davies shared a stage for the first time since The Kinks’ final performance in June 1996.

Speculation is now rife that the band will reform for next year’s Glastonbury - 20 years after their acrimonious split.

OMG OMG OMG OMG OMG OMG .......

[ I want to shout, but I can hardly speak ]

I posted the following at my Facebook page this morning.


I've received literally hundreds of requests to tell my version of events regarding the Ray and Dave reunion so here it is:

We were told at rehearsal on Thursday (where Dave was still sick with the flu) that Dave had asked Ray to join him onstage at the show. I really didn't think it would happen and had actually forgotten about it by the following evening. During the show, "Young And Innocent Days" features Dave solo with Tom, so I leave the stage and stand in the wings. On Friday night, there was a tall man standing stage left when I got there (I couldn't see his face.) About 10 seconds later, he turned to me and it was Ray. He was very friendly and we chatted through my entire break, with him asking me how Dave was doing, how the US tour went, etc. When the song finished, I immediately told drummer Dennis Diken "Ray's here" and managed to tell bassist Tom Currier a few songs later. I waited until the very end when we were going to play "You Really Got Me" anyway to tell Dave so that it would just happen spontaneously. When he introduced Ray, the reaction was incredible, I've never seen or heard that kind of gasping and screaming ("Kinkymania"?) Dave started the riff and Ray jumped right in, it felt amazing. During Dave's solo, Ray turned to me, smiled and nodded which I interpreted as him saying "this effing rocks." After the show, we were immediately asked if Ray could join us in the band's dressing room (we said yes.) He came in a minute or two later, very friendly and extremely complimentary (telling us at least 5 times that Dave has a great band.) I got him a Grolsch (which I opened with an official TJS bottle opener) and we discussed Dave's recent tour (he seemed very impressed that I had only missed 1 show due to my kidney failure.) Even though he'd told others "no photos," he happily agreed to pose for photos with the band and then he was off. A day I'll remember all my life.

AMAZING! You truly were part of rock n' roll history! Fantastic!

Thanks for the inside scoop jiggysawdust - FANTASTIC!!!

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Rip this joint, gonna save your soul, round and round and round we go......

Great, exciting story & very well written, jiggysawdust Truly historic stuff - thanks for sharing. I love how Dave was the last to know! My favorite line:

"During Dave's solo, Ray turned to me, smiled and nodded which I interpreted as him saying "this effing rocks.""

Thanks guys, I'm glad you like it.

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jiggysawdust
I posted the following at my Facebook page this morning.


I've received literally hundreds of requests to tell my version of events regarding the Ray and Dave reunion so here it is:

We were told at rehearsal on Thursday (where Dave was still sick with the flu) that Dave had asked Ray to join him onstage at the show. I really didn't think it would happen and had actually forgotten about it by the following evening. During the show, "Young And Innocent Days" features Dave solo with Tom, so I leave the stage and stand in the wings. On Friday night, there was a tall man standing stage left when I got there (I couldn't see his face.) About 10 seconds later, he turned to me and it was Ray. He was very friendly and we chatted through my entire break, with him asking me how Dave was doing, how the US tour went, etc. When the song finished, I immediately told drummer Dennis Diken "Ray's here" and managed to tell bassist Tom Currier a few songs later. I waited until the very end when we were going to play "You Really Got Me" anyway to tell Dave so that it would just happen spontaneously. When he introduced Ray, the reaction was incredible, I've never seen or heard that kind of gasping and screaming ("Kinkymania"?) Dave started the riff and Ray jumped right in, it felt amazing. During Dave's solo, Ray turned to me, smiled and nodded which I interpreted as him saying "this effing rocks." After the show, we were immediately asked if Ray could join us in the band's dressing room (we said yes.) He came in a minute or two later, very friendly and extremely complimentary (telling us at least 5 times that Dave has a great band.) I got him a Grolsch (which I opened with an official TJS bottle opener) and we discussed Dave's recent tour (he seemed very impressed that I had only missed 1 show due to my kidney failure.) Even though he'd told others "no photos," he happily agreed to pose for photos with the band and then he was off. A day I'll remember all my life.

Thank you so much for this, fascinating of course to have the insider's comments and views/takes. I note your observation about the 'gasping & screaming' when Dave introduced Ray and on he came & y'all then launched into You Really Got Me. My friend and I were one row back from the barrier up front pretty much smack in front of your mike stand (the one Ray went to initially) - and I can freely confess to having been part of that mega-outburst of 'Kinkymania' going on, especially down front. LOTS of screaming and yelling and hugging and kissing ... all splendidly restrained and dignified for a guy and a gal in their 60's, I'm sure you can appreciate (tongue firmly in cheek) !! As the song ended, and Ray briefly shook Dave's hand and then was gone, for some reason we cast a quick look around behind us and up at the balcony. That must have been quite some view from the stage where you were, the place had gone absolutely nuts, especially up on the balcony.

That whole gig will live with me for an eternity, I thought you guys put on a fabulous show, loved the material, loved the delivery, can we please see MORE of Dave Davies and his band on this side of he Atlantic ?

Thank you, and compliments of the season to you & yours.

[ I want to shout, but I can hardly speak ]

Thank you so much jiggysawdust for such an interesting take on what happened that night ,from someone who was actually in the band.

Have a great Christmas and a Happy New Year for 2016.

Many thanks, jiggysawdust, for your insight into the on-stage/backstage side of the story, which makes for a great read. Best seasonal wishes to you

Heres a few videos that have popped up in the last few days.

[youtu.be]




[youtu.be]




[youtu.be]




[youtu.be]




[youtu.be]

[www.youtube.com]

Apart from the fact that the gig was on 18th of December (not the 19th as it states at the beginning of the video) - it's a great bit of footage. Kind of captures the excitement of the moment .... !!

This one will live with me for a long time, soooooooooooooo happy to have been witness to that.

[ I want to shout, but I can hardly speak ]

Question for jiggysawdust:

Is this something you were always hoping would happen when you took the gig? I always wonder that. Particularly cause I'm a big Guns N Roses fan, so I always wonder if they new guys always hope that someday the originals will make a guest appearance and these new guys will be on stage for it. Obviously I know why they take the gig, but I always wonder if thats in the back of their mind. Similarly, I always wonder for you if you ever think "boy, maybe I'll be there that glorious moment Ray and Dave make up". Maybe that never even crosses your mind, and as a fan thats something I think about. But always been curious about that.

Great story and thanks so much for telling it. You are a very very lucky man, as is everyone that was in that venue that night.

Rolling Freak, I haven't really thought about it much because I've just assumed that The Kinks would reunite (I've played with Dave since 2000 and The Kinks have come close to reuniting a couple of times.)
Thanks to Paulywaul and everyone for the nice replies, I was initially reluctant to post here because I thought I'd end up part of the Negativity Scene this Christmas. I'll try to post more on this thread in the future.

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jiggysawdust
Rolling Freak, I haven't really thought about it much because I've just assumed that The Kinks would reunite (I've played with Dave since 2000 and The Kinks have come close to reuniting a couple of times.)
Thanks to Paulywaul and everyone for the nice replies, I was initially reluctant to post here because I thought I'd end up part of the Negativity Scene this Christmas. I'll try to post more on this thread in the future.

Keep posting, jiggysawdust. Your first-account reviews are very enjoyable. Thanks for sharing it with us!

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jiggysawdust
Rolling Freak, I haven't really thought about it much because I've just assumed that The Kinks would reunite (I've played with Dave since 2000 and The Kinks have come close to reuniting a couple of times.)
Thanks to Paulywaul and everyone for the nice replies, I was initially reluctant to post here because I thought I'd end up part of the Negativity Scene this Christmas. I'll try to post more on this thread in the future.

I hear it and thats very interesting to learn. I've followed both of them separately and I always just thought the more time that goes by the less a reunion seems likely. Dave's stroke, Ray starting a solo career, Dave continuing his. Its nice to see its always at least been discussed over the years, although I understand why obviously its not really what you guys think about. Thanks for the answering the question though and I can't even imagine what it was like. Definitely love your posts and just as Cristiano said we are very appreciative of what you've shared with us.

Jiggysawdust ........ this review will put a smile on your and everybody else's faces:

[www.independent.co.uk]

A mere 5/5 ... thass'all !! ><

[ I want to shout, but I can hardly speak ]

Just............ all I want to say.

I´d love to see them once again...
The last time was Dec. 17th, 1993...

Thanks Paulywaul, there's been some great press for the show, including Rolling Stone, Billboard, NME, Spin, Pitchfork and many others.