PETE QUAIFE OF THE KINKS - 1943 - 2010

Founding Kinks bass player Pete Quaife passed away last night. He played on the band's early, and most classic albums.  He left the band briefly in 1966 after a car accident, and was briefly replaced by John Dalton.  Then he rejoined a few months later, leaving permanently in 1969 (and being replaced by Dalton again).

Of course, when people talk about The Kinks, they mainly talk about Ray Davies, or the rivalry between Ray and Dave Davies, but there was definitely a serious chemistry to the original lineup, which also included drummer Mick Avory. All the members were important, and it wasn't the same once Quaife left, the chemistry changed. For the last few years, there have been rampant rumors that the original four would reunite, but alas, it wasn't to be. Maybe they will reunite and use John Dalton.

Quaife said that his favorite album was 1968's The Kinks Are The Village Green Preservation Society. This performance features two of the songs, "The Last Of The Steam-Powered Trains," and one of my favorites, "Picture Book" (recently used in a camera commercial, I can't remember exactly what it was for?). (This performance looks like they are performing to a backing track, but you can still see the chemistry).

RAY DAVIES DOING A DUETS ALBUM

NJ.com reports that Ray Davies' next album will be a bunch of new versions of Kinks songs done as duets.  He has a version of "Better Things" with Bruce Springsteen in the can, and also a version of "Celluloid Heroes" with Jon Bon Jovi. He's talking about recording other duets with Lucinda Williams and Metallica. It's just weird that it is coming on the heels of an album of choral versions of Kinks songs. 

*NEXT* WEEK ON OUTQ

Longtime No Expiration readers know that on Tuesday nights, I post the topic that I will be discussing the following morning on the SIRIUS XM show The Morning Jolt with Larry Flick on OutQ. Tomorrow, however I won't be on the show because Larry and co-host Keith Price are on vacation.  But next week, on December 30, we'll be back. I'll be continuing the same topic I discussed two weeks ago on December 9 - great overlooked albums of the '00s. I have a few albums in mind by Ray Davies, George Harrison and even Bruce Springsteen.  But one I will definitely cover will be Cyndi Lauper's Bring Ya To The Brink, as requested by OutQ listener and No Expiration reader Mel. I'm not that familiar with the record (I actually worked on the press campaign on her standards album, At Last, a few years earlier) so I'll have to check it out!

Then, in the first week of the new year, I'll return to the ever-popular divas topic, as there are new albums by Mary J. Blige, Alicia Keys and Shakira to discuss. In the meantime, keep an eye out for more of my "Best Of The '00s" posts. There are several more on the way.  Who are your favorite artists of the decade?

RAY DAVIES: REUNITING WITH DAVE? AND CHRISSIE???

The UK's News Of The World has a pretty cool inteview with Ray Davies who talks about, as usual, reuniting with his brother Dave Davies in The Kinks. He says that Dave is planning to return to music next year, and Ray wants to maybe do some "low-key" Kinks shows to see if they can do it. I'm not sure how one of the greatest bands of all time, who haven't played together in 14 years, could possibly do a "low-key" show, but that's what he said.

What could be more suprirsing than Ray reuniting with Dave? Ray reuniting with his ex-, Pretenders frontwoman Chrissie Hynde? He says they actually recorded a duet together, "Postcard From London," available on the special edition of his latest release, The Kinks Choral Collection (but not on iTunes anyone know where I can hear this song?).

He is also working on a stage show about The Kinks (as opposed to his one man Storyteller shows from a few years ago, where he told the story of his and his brother's lives that led up to The Kinks), and of course he talked a bit about the Kinks biopic that is being directed by Julien Temple.  He also said that he'll have a duets album out next year - and that "Bruce Springsteen has expressed an interest." Awesome! Who else would you like to hear Ray duet with? Comment away!

JULIEN TEMPLE WORKING ON KINKS FILM

Over the summer, I wrote that Ray Davies mentioned a Kinks biopic that Julien Temple is directing. Screen Daily has an interview with Temple where he discusses the film. He hasn't cast it yet, he is working with Ray on the screenplay, and he's requiring that the actors be able to play their character's instruments and sing.

RAY DAVIES (SANS CHOIR) AT THE WELLMONT 11/24/09

Unlike some of his recent shows, Ray Davies did not have a choir with him at tonight's show. Here's what he did have: "Where Have All The Good Times Gone." "Dedicated Follower Of Fashion." "Sunny Afternoon." "Waterloo Sunset." "20th Century Man." "I Need You." "Celluloid Heroes." "Come Dancing." "Apeman." Some great songs from his solo albums Other People's Lives and Working Man's Cafe: "After The Fall," "The Tourist," "Vietnam Cowboys" and "Hymn For A New Age." Yes, "You Really Got Me" and "Lola." And maybe my favorite Kinks song, "I'm Not Like Everybody Else." I'm sure I'm forgetting some songs.

It was a great show. I liked the first half more - it was just Ray accompanied by another guitar player. But the second half, with the band, was really rocking. I am sometimes ribbed by my friends for being such a huge fan of AARP-eligable artists. I don't care, these songs hold up, Ray still performs them really well. And like Bob Dylan, he still has something to say, and fans who are cool enough to let him say it. Unlike Bob, he is definitely interested in whether or not the fans are having fun; lots of the songs were singalongs, and Ray seemed to love that. It was a really "warm" night. Some of the songs, like "Waterloo Sunset" and "Celluloid Heroes," still take my breath away. Ray talked a bit about The Kinks during the show, and about his brother Dave Davies. No mentions of a reunion, but all the mentions were affectionate.

I have to admit, I haven't even heard his latest release: The Kinks Choral Collection. Kinks songs with a choir, it just sounds goofy, although people who have seen the tour with the choir have raved about it. But I thought Working Man's Cafe was a good album, and Other People's Lives was great. Somehow, the fact that he has really strong songs from those albums make his older songs even more powerful: they are part of an ongoing continuum, as opposed to museum pieces. Anyway, Ray told us he had a "confession": that he would be coming back. I'm looking forward to it!

KINKS FILM IN THE WORKS - BUT NOT A REUNION

Sorry I haven't been posting much lately. Last year, I wrote a lot about a possible Kinks reunion. In a recent interview though, Ray Davies said that he missed the band but didn't think that it would happen (mainly because of Dave Davies was the impression that I got). He did mention that Julien Temple is working on a documentary about the band though.

HEY, IT'S BEEN OVER A MONTH SINCE I WROTE ABOUT A KINKS RUMOR

The latest in the saga of The Kinks reuniting (or not) is that Ray Davies told The NME that the band is working on a new album, and he'd like to tour if they can come up with some good new songs. I think he is referring to the original version of the band: Ray, Dave Davies, Pete Quaife and Mick Avory.

Ray is going on a U.S. solo tour: I hope to catch him in NYC in December. He also is planning another solo album with a choir, and an album of collaborations.

HEY, IT'S BEEN SEVEN MONTHS SINCE I WROTE ABOUT A KINKS REUNION RUMOR

Has it really been that long? Yes, I stopped circulating Kinks reunion rumors back in February. But apparently, Ray Davies told The BBC that he's still open to a reunion. But, again, only if they could come up with at least a few new songs.

Meanwhile, Ray's new stage musical, Come Dancing, has opened in the UK. It features the title track, but the other songs are all brand new. Hopefully there will be some kind of soundtrack around that.

I would love the chance to see The Kinks one more time, if they could pull it off.

A NON-RUMOR RELATED POST ABOUT RAY DAVIES

The U.K.'s The Independent reports that Ray Davies has written a musical based on The Kinks' '80s hit "Come Dancing." That song will be the only old song in the production, the other 20 songs are brand new. This is less than a year after Ray released Working Man's Cafe. It's good to see that Ray is so prolific lately.

And it's good to see that he's doing new things.

But I have to admit: I'd love to see a Kinks reunion (if Dave Davies is in good health at least).

AND THE KINKS DRAMA CONTINUES

I've written a bit lately about rumors of a Kinks reunion.

Well, in a recent Rolling Stone story, Ray Davies kind of said that, after two solo albums, he has nothing more to say, and that he misses being part of a band. He said that he wouldn't want to tour without any new music though. Unsurprisingly, Dave Davies feels the opposite way: he might be into doing some shows, but doesn't ever want to return to the studio with Ray ever again.

But, actually, this is a good sign, in a way. Recently, Dave wrote on his website that a Kinks tour would be "like a poor remake of 'Night of the Livin Dead' " and that Ray has been doing "Karaoke Kinks shows since 1996" - a reference to Ray's "Storyteller" shows, and solo concerts. So, if Dave is at least entertaining the idea of doing shows, that's at least something.

GREAT SONGS FROM 2007 - part 2

Here's more songs I loved from 2007, not including tracks from my favorite albums of the year.

Green Day: "Working Class Hero" I was a bit disappointed with the Instant Karma John Lennon tribute that came out this year. Still, the proceeds went to Amnesty International, so at least a good cause benefited. Andyway, Green Day did a great job on "Working Class Hero," which features a short bit of Lennon's own version at the end of the song. I'll also give Green Day a shout out for their version of "The Simpsons Theme" from The Simpsons Movie.

Rush: "Far Cry" No secret that I'm a huge Rush fan. I didn't love thier new album, Snakes & Arrows, but I think this song is among their best. I know that back in the '70s, they were thought of as totally un-hip because (among other reasons) drummer/lyricist Neal Peart was very influenced by the writings of Ayn Rand whose writings were very pro-individualism and were not what you could call "altruistic." But after traveling across the country (Peart has crossed the country many times on his motorcycle trips, which he's written books about) he's gotten scared by the way religion and dogma has been influencing many (mostly republican) leaders, and the direction of our country, and the direction of the world. "Far Cry" addressed that in a global way, "It's a far cry from the world we thought we'd inherit/It's a far cry from the way we thought we'd share it" (which seems to be pretty un-Rayd-ish, but maybe he grew out of that). But he also personalizes things: "One day I feel like I'm on top of the world/and the next it's falling in on me/ I can get back on, I can get back on." It resonates with me.

Dropkick Murphys: "The State Of Massachusetts" I've always kind of known about this band from going to the Warped Tour back in the day, they were always part of that scene. I think I saw them once at the Fleadh Festival as well and liked them. And I think Dicky Barrett of The Mighty Mighty Bosstones told me that they were his favorite band ever. But they really got my attention last year with "I'm Shipping Up To Boston" from soundtrack to The Departed. But this song, "The State Of Massachusetts," is great, just a classic combination of punk rock and traditional Irish music that really "works." I'm going to have to start checking out their albums based on this one.

Grace Potter & The Nocturnals: "Ah Mary" This is the first I've heard of her, I don't really know how long she's been around for. I've heard that Bonnie Raitt is a fan. I enjoyed the rest of this album: I can see her being a real "people's" artist, the way Dave Matthews or Jack Johnson is.

Wyclef Jean and Norah Jones: "Any Other Day" I kind of mentioned this one when I was writing about Norah's album Not Too Late (which this doesn't appear on). It's on Wyclef's The Carnival II, which features all different collaborations with 'Clef. I like that Wyclef can get on stage with any hip-hop act and freestyle, or get on stage with a rock band, strap on a guitar and jam, or produce hits for everyone from Whitney Houston to Santana. Norah is such a great duet partner too, isn't she? Anyway, I didn't love the whole album, but it did have some great moments, including "Sweetest Girl (Dollar Bill.)" I'm surprised to mention that song, because it features two guys who seem to be on every other hip-hop/pop single, Akon and Lil' Wayne. But what can I say, it's a great song.

Social Distortion: "Far Behind" This is one new track from Social D's Greatest Hits album. I don't think that they get enough credit, they are just super-consistent and great. Really, it's all about frontman Mike Ness, who is the only founding member left in the band. He also did some really underrated solo albums a few years back. Social D. fly under the radar these days, but still sell out almost all of their shows. They've earned the loyalty of their fans. I saw them last year, they killed it.

Ray Davies: "Morphine Song" I didn't love Ray's latest, Workingman's Cafe, as much as his last one, Other People's Lives. Still, this is a great song. I do hope that The Kinks do some shows this year, as long as they're in shape to do it. But I think Ray is better served doing solo albums, and not trying to recreate the magic of The Kinks in the studio.

I'm still not done: there are still songs by The Hives, The Arctic Monkeys, The Afghan Whigs, Mark Ronson, Q-Tip, Randy Newman, Paul McCartney and more to write about.

IT'S A SHAME ABOUT RAY (Davies' album not being released in the U.S. yet)

OK, that was a bit of a misleading headline. But it is kind of a bummer that Ray Davies has a new album out (Working Man's Cafe), and we can't get it legally in America. Apparently, in the UK, you got a free copy with this past week's copy of The Sunday Times. Prince did a similar thing over the summer to promote his string of shows at the O2 Dome, but he probably made a decent amount of money from The Times. I imagine Ray likely got a nice check as well. I have no problem with artists - especially veterans who the record labels seem not to know what to do with these days - using new avenues to get thier music to the public.

It's just frustrating to go to the iTunes store, see the album, click on it, and you get a message saying that it isn't available in your territory. Now, it isn't listed on iTunes at all. I'm sure at some point, Ray will make sure the album is available here: for now, you can hear three great songs at his myspace page.

I imagine some people in the record industry are annoyed that the legendary songwriter from The Kinks is "giving away" his music - but his last album, last year's Other People's Lives, came out on a big label, and despite being a great album, didn't make a big impact (unless you listen to Little Steven's Underground Garage - which you should).

Anyway, there's always rumors that Ray will reunite The Kinks with his brother Dave Davies, which would be cool - but I'd be just as happy to see Ray tour on his own, play his solo stuff and whatever Kinks material he feels fits his mood. (I think).