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JEM Records Celebrates
Ray Davies
(Various Artists)
2023 JEM Records (CD/VINYL)
NEW – Available NOW!
CD $12.99
CD Autographed by The Grip Weeds: $17.99
Also in the series:
JEM Records Celebrates John Lennon on CD and Vinyl
JEM Records Celebrates Brian Wilson CD
JEM Records Celebrates Pete Townsend on CD and Vinyl
If “You Really Got Me” and “All Day And All Of The Night” were the only two records The Kinks ever released (in1964), we’d still be talking about them in hushed tones today. Thankfully, this lot was no two-hit wonder.
Jem Records Celebrates Ray Davies presents loving renditions of 13 jewels from the embarrassment of riches comprising the Davies catalog - some of the most enduring pop music from England, or anywhere.
There’s so much to dig, including the punk snarl and riffery of “I Need You” and the Mose Allison vibe of “I Gotta Move.” But, perhaps, the soul of Ray’s songwriting lies in his keen observation of ordinary people, places and things - like “See My Friends” (with an Indian-flavored drone that predated The Beatles’ sitar use by several months). It radiates a sense of loss and longing that became a hallmark of Ray’s musical expression.
Raymond Douglas Davies wrote in “Waterloo Sunset,” “...every day I look at the world from my window.” He took his observations and reflections and conjured ageless musical moments that helped us find our way in this mixed up, muddled-up, shook up world. Give Jem Records Celebrates Ray Davies a spin. This is where you belong. – Dennis Diken, January 2023 (Excerpt of liner notes included on album)
The Grip Weeds recorded their own unique versions of "Where Have All The Good Times Gone?" and "See My Friends" especially for this release.
Mastered by Kurt Reil at The House Of Vibes; Many of the tracks were also recorded and mixed there by Kurt Reil.
Press
"Granted, it would be impossible to begin to include even a fraction of
all the great songs he’s written over the decades, but regardless, the
bands — all chosen from within Jem’s ranks — still manage to cover quite
a bit of ground... The Midnight Callers, for example, ease out of the
cheery charm and wistful nostalgia that originally characterized “Come
Dancing,” and substitute instead the sound of a decidedly robust rocker.
The Grip Weeds do the same, infusing new energy into the formerly
doleful designs of “Where Have All the Good Times Gone.”... Still, the
real revelation comes courtesy of one of Davies’ and The Kinks’ biggest
hits, that being “Lola.” It inadvertently became a song well-suited to
the Trans movement, well before any awareness set in...
Credit this tribute for pointing to the fact that Ray Davies was indeed
well ahead of his time... in more ways than one.
American Songwriter (a national publication)
https://www.njarts.net/jem-records-will-release-ray-davies-tribute-album-feat-the-weeklings-the-grip-weeds-and-others/
Track Listing
01 - Come Dancing (from 1983’s State of Confusion) / The Midnight Callers
02 - Till The End Of The Day (from 1965’s The Kink Kontroversy) / Nick Piunti
03 - Do You Remember Walter (from 1968’s The Kinks Are the Village Green Preservation Society) / The Anderson Council
04 - Lola (from 1970’s Lola Versus Powerman and the Moneygoround, Part One) / The Weeklings
05 - See My Friends (1965 single) / The Grip Weeds
06 - I Gotta Move (1964 B-side) / Johnathan Pushkar
07 - Where Have All The Good Times Gone (from 1965’s The Kink Kontroversy) / The Grip Weeds
08 - Picture Book (from 1968’s The Kinks Are the Village Green Preservation Society) / The Airport 77s
09 - I Need You (1965 B-side) / The Cynz
10 - Village Green (from 1968’s The Kinks Are the Village Green Preservation Society) / The Gold Needles
11 - David Watts (from 1967’s Something Else) / Johnathan Pushkar
12 - This Is Where I Belong (1967 B-side)/ The Anderson Council
13 - Days (1968 single) / Lisa Mychols & Super 8