Author:Matt Karpe, Chris Kocher
I wouldn’t personally describe Californication as a rock classic, although it is perhaps the album that revitalised the flagging career of the Red Hot Chili Peppers, the band having spent the preceding few years languishing in the doldrums while they struggled with addictions. For me, there are two stand out songs, the title track and Scar Tissue, but the rest doesn’t live up to those high standards. The author has a different opinion, and it’s one that is certainly borne out by the sales figures, but I find the vocalist’s funky rapping style and stream of consciousness lyrics a bit trying after a few songs. One thing that did surprise me is that the album is now 25 years old – I thought it was far more recent than that, a sign of getting old perhaps! Be that as it may, this short but informative book discusses in detail the writing and recording of the album, and the stories behind each song (including B sides and unreleased material), as well as looking at the subsequent world tour and the record’s lasting legacy. In summary, if you’re a fan of the band then this well researched book is certainly well worth a look.
Thank You For The Days is, as the title suggests, a book about The Kinks. However, rather than being a straightforward look at the band’s history, it’s one of those books, which seem quite prevalent of late, where fans reminiscences over the last 60 years are collected together to form the narrative. I was always a bit surprised that such a quintessentially English group were so successful in the US, but perhaps it’s their somewhat quaint evocations of old English life that touched a chord – and of course the great song writing which produced so much classic material that has withstood the test of time and still sounds great today. Among the collected memories re a few contributions from Ray and Dave Davies and Mick Avory, so if you’re a lover of this iconic band, a casual fan or merely interested in rock history you’ll find something in this book to interest and engage you.
Length of Read:Short
Might appeal to people who enjoyed…
Fans, both devoted and casual, of these artists and their music,
One thing you’ve learned
Two bands, of many, where for me a good ‘best of’ collection more than does the trick.
It’s funny, I had struggled with the early output of the Red Hot Chili Peppers, finding the amalgam of dense funk bass and staccato vocals too much for my delicate disposition, to my surprise then really rather enjoying this album and the one before it, actually a little more. (It was probably sparked by my like of Under The Bridge, from the one before that, Blood Sex etc, which struck a melodic chord with me that was absent much elsewhere across that somewhat sprawling disc. I subsequently lost interest, but, for a moment, they were regular fare chez moi.
Of course, the band, as a brand and image, was somewhat ludicrous, but they seemed in on the joke, even if drugs were the main fuel that fed them.
I think Otherside is an absolute belter of a track. Reminds me of drunken Saturday nights in the Swan in Stockwell. Which probably makes it 3 brilliant tracks in total.
A best of may suffice for you, but I would strongly recommend anyone who quite likes them to listen to The Kinks Are The Village Preservation Society (and several others)
Agreed.
The Kinks in Mono vinyl box is up there with the best and cost me about a quarter of the equivalent Fabs or Stones sets.
It’s a lovely thing