Search - Kinks :: To the Bone

GREAT CAREER SUMMATION/INTRODUCTION

IJEFF | Milwaukee, WI USA | 12/04/1999

(5 out of 5 stars)

"There are no 5 star cd's if this isn't one of them. After many listening sessions with this record, it occurred to me that this is the perfect cd for both the long-time Kinks fan (that be me) and the rock fan who though knows some of the Kinks songs, has never purchased their records and is now looking at them on CD. The sound quality is excellent which cannot be said about may Kinks releases over the years. The song selection provides a diverse historic perspective. In other words songs like "You Really Got Me" co-exist along with songs like "Days", "Celluloid Heroes", "Gallon Of Gas", etc. Thirdly, the live performances are outstanding, vocally and instrumentally. The band has never sounded tighter. This truly is a greater treasure than One for the Road which has always been one of the best live records of all time. Above all this record gives a listener a 2 disc proof that Ray Davies is the single most accomplished songwriter of the rock era. Songs such as "I'm Not Like Everybody Else" will thrill both the old fan who is familiar with this song as well as the new fan who has never heard it. Throughout there are new treatments of old songs that showcase the greatness of the songs as well as the skill of the band. The version of "All day and all of the night" just might be the best ever. In summary, old and new fans alike should enjoy this record immensely."

A slightly flawed classic

James N. Kraut | Coral Springs, FL United States | 04/25/2003

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Conventional wisdom - as well as common sense - tells us that the four heavy hitters from 60s England were the Beatles, the Stones, the Who and this band. Unfortunately for Ray Davies, (pronounced "Davis," by the way) the creative force of the group, that which expressed his genius and made him great was a quality which didn't appeal to the masses as did the genius of Lennon/McCartney, Jagger/Richards and Pete Townsend. This by no means implies that Ray was a lesser talent. The fact is, Mr. Davies was and still is at his best as a storyteller. His wit is unparalleled in rock ("Just when I wanted no one to be there, All of my friends were there, Not just my friends, but there best friends, too...") and his portraits and observations are biting without being self-servingly bitter, wry, yet very accessible and above all, brimming with empathy and pathos. He has consistently carried the torch for the unsung common man and has often displayed a sensibility more akin to a novelist than a pop songsmith. The fact that brother Dave was THE originater of the power chord - born fully formed in "You Really Got Me" - from which came all heavy metal and all forms of hard rock make him a legend, too. His distorted tone, chronicled so charmingly well on Ray's 1998 solo CD, The Storyteller, has remained a staple and defining element in the Kinks sound. I have always thought, however, that Ray Davies's best material was the smaller stuff - the material on Village Green Preservation Society, for example, which is represented by a wonderful three song set on the second disc. I'm talking about songs like "Days" - a gorgeous version of which appears with heartfelt Rickenbacker 12-string at the end of disc 2 - and even the much later "Don't Forget to Dance, which show the depth of his empathy, only reachable in midlife. I was, therefore, a bit diappointed at the string of power-rock anthems in the middle of the second disc. They work but they aren't what sets the Kinks apart. At least half of the tunes are full-blown electric band stuff. But the quieter ones are, for the most part, the best ones - my favorites, anyway. Other standouts for me are "See My Friends" and the early Dave Davies classic, "Death of a Clown" from Something Else, which follows it. One might question the inclusion of a few of the tunes because they've been released in so many other forms already - i.e., we might have done all right without new versions of "You Really Got Me" and Lola?" A few more of the esoteric songs would have been nice - "Who Will Be the Next in Line" and "Dream" come to mind immediately. All this having been said, Ray is in very fine voice, the band is tight and versatile and I'm always grateful for another opportunity to listen to the Kinks. If you are at all into their music, you'll be glad you own To the Bone. Oh - and by the way, the last two tunes, "Animal" and the title track were written, I believe, around the time of the recording of the CD. Both amply show that as of the early 90s, Ray still very much had the magic."

As good as the best.

Clifford Teapes | Elko, Nevada | 08/04/2006

(5 out of 5 stars)

"That in all the annals of the development of this "rock" music we love

and that we saw evolve during the second half of the 20th century,

never elsewhere has rock been played with greater subtlety of wit,

sensitivity of emotion, empathy of heart, cleverness of craft,

and virtuosity of touch than that has been played by the Kinks.

Here is another example of ensemble playing.

Every note is "on" and every note is played with great sensitivity.

The band is a well-oiled machine

in the way that only a few rock bands were ever able to achieve

through that blessed combination of virtuousity and longevity.

But since the beginning

the Kinks were famous for their "hooks" propelled by tight,

powerful rhythm guitar licks.

In the passing years the band accrued melodic inventiveness and excellence,

and retained unfailing wit.

The remarkable thing about this album is that it is recorded live.

The live versions are rich, resonant, and recorded with perfection.

In all instances they are on a par with the studio versions,

and even if they can't replace the original versions as your favorites

they are all the more remarkable dead-on note-for-note or better

because the Kinks were able to generate all this perfection and emotion in real time.

The album is a living testament to one of the greatest rock bands ever to mount a stage."