Post by rose on Oct 30, 2007 7:30:17 GMT -5
FROM THE TELEGRAPH:
Ray Davies: Timeless tunes that warm the heart of the nation
Last Updated: 12:01am GMT 30/10/2007
David Cheal reviews Ray Davies at the Roundhouse, London NW1
"I am very proud of these songs," said Ray Davies towards the end of this bright, warm and uplifting show, one of the BBC Electric Proms. "They're part of my life, and I hope they're part of your life, too."
Impressive: The momentum never flagged
Some songwriters are bored with or even ashamed of their back catalogues, but Davies has no such qualms. As the chief creative force behind the Kinks, he was responsible for a string of classic pop tunes in the '60s and early '70s, and, judging by his mood during this one-off show, he'll be happy to keep singing them for the rest of his life.
Talkative, open-hearted and enviably nimble for a 63-year-old, he led his band on a journey through the decades: Tired of Waiting for You, Where Have All the Good Times Gone, You Really Got Me, Dedicated Follower of Fashion, Lola – these songs are part of the fabric of the nation, and Davies treated them with the respect and affection that they deserve.
Between the hits, he also confirmed that he's one of the few songwriters of his generation who can still come up with a decent tune: songs from his last solo album, Other People's Lives, and his new one, Working Man's Cafe, were for the most part affecting and memorable, though not always adhering to his high standards of lyrical acuity.
Impressive, too, was the way the momentum never flagged. When there wasn't music, there was talking; no awkward silences, no shuffling, no mumbling. A great deal of care and attention had clearly gone into this show.
advertisementThis being the final night of the Electric Proms season, which has promised – and, by all accounts delivered – a "new music experience", Davies threw in a couple of "value-added" moments.
First, Razorlight's Johnny Borrell (a fellow native of nearby Muswell Hill) joined Davies for a duet on Sunny Afternoon. Borrell did very well for a mere stripling, and the joint venture served as a reminder that the Kinks' songs continue to echo down the years, most recently in the idiomatically English music and everyday-poetic lyrics of Borrell's band, as well as Lily Allen and Jamie T.
Second, and most fabulously, the Crouch End Festival Chorus slipped on at the back of the stage towards the end of the show and added a divine dimension to Days, Waterloo Sunset and Shangri-La (performed here live, Davies said, for the first time). Lovely, lovely, lovely. As the Chorus's voices soared behind him, Ray Davies looked like a very proud man indeed.
Ray Davies: Timeless tunes that warm the heart of the nation
Last Updated: 12:01am GMT 30/10/2007
David Cheal reviews Ray Davies at the Roundhouse, London NW1
"I am very proud of these songs," said Ray Davies towards the end of this bright, warm and uplifting show, one of the BBC Electric Proms. "They're part of my life, and I hope they're part of your life, too."
Impressive: The momentum never flagged
Some songwriters are bored with or even ashamed of their back catalogues, but Davies has no such qualms. As the chief creative force behind the Kinks, he was responsible for a string of classic pop tunes in the '60s and early '70s, and, judging by his mood during this one-off show, he'll be happy to keep singing them for the rest of his life.
Talkative, open-hearted and enviably nimble for a 63-year-old, he led his band on a journey through the decades: Tired of Waiting for You, Where Have All the Good Times Gone, You Really Got Me, Dedicated Follower of Fashion, Lola – these songs are part of the fabric of the nation, and Davies treated them with the respect and affection that they deserve.
Between the hits, he also confirmed that he's one of the few songwriters of his generation who can still come up with a decent tune: songs from his last solo album, Other People's Lives, and his new one, Working Man's Cafe, were for the most part affecting and memorable, though not always adhering to his high standards of lyrical acuity.
Impressive, too, was the way the momentum never flagged. When there wasn't music, there was talking; no awkward silences, no shuffling, no mumbling. A great deal of care and attention had clearly gone into this show.
advertisementThis being the final night of the Electric Proms season, which has promised – and, by all accounts delivered – a "new music experience", Davies threw in a couple of "value-added" moments.
First, Razorlight's Johnny Borrell (a fellow native of nearby Muswell Hill) joined Davies for a duet on Sunny Afternoon. Borrell did very well for a mere stripling, and the joint venture served as a reminder that the Kinks' songs continue to echo down the years, most recently in the idiomatically English music and everyday-poetic lyrics of Borrell's band, as well as Lily Allen and Jamie T.
Second, and most fabulously, the Crouch End Festival Chorus slipped on at the back of the stage towards the end of the show and added a divine dimension to Days, Waterloo Sunset and Shangri-La (performed here live, Davies said, for the first time). Lovely, lovely, lovely. As the Chorus's voices soared behind him, Ray Davies looked like a very proud man indeed.
this perfromance made me cry. I'm such an ole'softy 
I will think positively that the BBC will get enough complaints (hint-hint) to upgrade their servers and allow us an encore performance, before they bring it all crashing to an end, on 4th November.
