Search - Kinks :: Schoolboys in Disgrace

Hardly A Disgrace -- Great Performances, Questionable Idea

Geoff Hayes | Middlesex | 06/03/2008

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Throughout the 1960's the Kinks were basically a singles band driven by Dave Davies' pre-grunge guitar play and Ray Davies' way with words, wit and a melody line. Ray Davies would only falter when being a bit overly McCartneyesque on tunes such as "Dandy," and then, after losing his court case regarding the Doors' blatant rip-off of Kinks classic "You Really Got Me" with Doors' song "Hello, I Love You," began to borrow rock riffs himself, sometimes to the band's detriment. However, versus hop on the bandwagons of the day, the Kinks would sweat out the 1970's with a variety of "theme" albums before punk music came along--as if the movement hadn't already been initiated by the Kinks long before in 1964--and the group would rebound with "Low Budget," "Give The People What They Want" and the live "One For The Road."



Long before that period, however, we have the "Thematic" Kinks presenting their "Preservation Acts" and "Soap Opera," and this, my personal favorite from the time, if only for the quality of half the material and the energy put forth by the band. Ray Davies is at his finest with the album's original A-side line-up of "School Days," "Jack The Idiot Dunce," "Education" and "The First Time We Fall In Love." Side two presents the group with a surefire crowd pleaser in "Hard Way," with Davies' donning his schoolmaster's mask and hobbling about the stage during later performances of the song (dressing for the part having become a common Kinks' practice at the time, with this being well before the major stage productions concert-going audiences have come to expect from artists).



The Kinks would continue to make music into the 1980's, with assorted personnel changes from original 1960's bassist Pete Quaife to 1970's bassist John Dalton and keyboardist John Gosling to former Zombies' bassist Jim Rodford, eventually disbanding at the end of the decade.



Other Kinks albums of note include earlier themed works "Village Green Preservation Society" and "Arthur," as well as "Muswell Hillbillies" and "State Of Confusion," the latter a bit more dated in its production, but still providing classic Kinks words and music from a time when both seemed to matter a little bit more than they do to today's listening audience."

I'm in disgrace...for thinking this would suck

jacktheidiotdunce | Racine,WI | 07/13/2004

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This is the last concept album done by the Kinks after a long series of them in the 70s...Preservations Acts 1 & 2 and Soap Opera. I've only actually heard Preservation 1 and it's a bit confusing, while this one isn't at all. Like other reviewers have said it's actually understandable and it has a great concept we all can relate to...those school days(great opening song) of character Flash from other Kinks albums. The songs are based on Ray's and Dave's school experience. That's awesome! Standout songs to me: The opener "School Days", the hilarious "Jack the Idiot Dunce", the epic "Education", the confessional "Headmaster" and the rocking simple chords of "the Hard Way". If that sounds good to you, give this CD a try."

Not as bad as I was led to believe!

Mister Charlie | Los Angeles, CA | 12/21/2006

(3 out of 5 stars)

"2.5 stars, actually.



I've been a Kinks fan for years but for some reason have avoided most of their '70s output... word on the street was the Preservation-Soap Opera-Schoolboys period was a bit of a muddled mess with no hits to speak of.



Well, there is indeed truth to that, and certainly these albums don't measure up to some of their best, but I'm glad I checked them out, because there is good stuff here. For the tentative, though, I would recommend getting the CELLULOID HEROES best-of-the-'70s compilation reissue, it's a good place to start for those who want the muddle sorted out for them.



When you come up with material as quickly as Ray Davies was in this period, being derivative is bound to happen. "Jack the Idiot Dunce" is just kind of dumb rock, the way "Ducks on the Wall" (from Soap Opera) is, a joke song that wants to rock but is just a bit embarrassing instead. There's some genuine inspiration here, though. To me "I'm In Disgrace" is really one of the great pop-rock hits of the '70s that never was. And does anyone else hear THE BAND in "Schooldays" and "The Last Asesmbly"? Omigod, Ray channels Rick Danko like nobody's business! Where'd Ray go? Parts of "Education" sound like mid/early '70s Elton John. Not that these are bad songs, they just sound like someone other than the Kinks.



I'd rank this one above "Soap Opera" because "Soap Opera" has a bunch of dialogue mixed into the songs that becomes distracting after a listen or two. Great, it's a concept album, a story, a rock opera. Well done. Now stop yapping and start rocking."