OUT OF THE BOX WITH JONATHAN CLARKE

 Kinks Reunion?  Chrissie Hynde Reunion?

When your job is to interview musicians and artists, you inevitably get the following question from friends: “Wow, you meet so many huge artists, who was really cool and who was a jerk?” My answer to that is that probably 90 percent of the artists I speak with are generally pretty cool. Now, let’s be real here – most people tend not to be jerks when the mic or camera light comes on. They’ve been trained very well over the years by their managers and publicists. There are a few in that 10 percent who shall remain nameless …  for now, anyway.
I always use Ray Davies as an example of someone who is incredibly cool and generous with his time when he comes around. I mean, I put Ray right up there with Lennon/McCartney, Jagger/Richards, Pete Townsend and Page/Plant. He is one of the original British Invasion hitmakers. And for a guy in that league to be as cool and giving of his time, not only to the guy interviewing him, but also to random interns walking around, asking them, “So what are you studying in school? Where are you from?” etc., it really is quite a pleasant surprise. Ray recently re-united with ex-wife Chrissie Hynde (they have one daughter, Natalie) to record a new holiday song,  “Postcard From London,” although it is reported that this “reunion” took place in cyberspace with emailed MP3s of recording sessions sent to separate studios and a video shot with them in separate locations.
A Rock and Roll Hall of Famer since 1990, Ray recently performed at the 25th anniversary Rock and Roll Hall of Fame concerts at Madison Square Garden, teaming up with Metallica to perform scorching versions of “You Really Got Me” and “All Day and All of the Night.” With talk of a Kinks reunion this year and the recent release of his new CD, The Kinks Choral Collection, I first asked Ray about playing with Metallica.

Ray Davies – It was good, wasn’t it? I had been busy with some projects in London and I got a phone call about a week before those concerts and was asked to do it. I figured it would be fun to do, and it was. Good bunch of guys, Metallica. They really did their homework, were real prepped and, as it turned out in that situation, a very good side band. Being at the Garden again was good, too. I had played there with The Kinks before but this was a different experience. A little louder, but actually about the same level as Dave, my brother, used to play. It just gelled. They did a good job with Lou Reed’s songs, too, that night.
It was great to see my old friend Jeff Beck. I quite liked seeing him, especially his version of “A Day in the Life.” I remember when Jeff first joined The Yardbirds; we were talking about it that night. He is such a humble guy and a really underrated guitar player.
Aretha was great. No disrespect to her, but I remember when she was thin. I did a TV show with her on the West Coast years ago, and never had I heard a voice soar that much. She was a tiny little spindle back then. And then Annie Lennox came on with Aretha.
So, a really nice show and a friendly backstage. I spoke to Bruce Springsteen, who was nice. You know, the industry, the way it is now, it was just a lot of really nice camaraderie [and] that’s the important thing.

JC – The Kinks Choral Collection is out now and this really was quite the project. You took some of the really big Kinks songs and some of your solo songs, and recorded them with a massive choir.

RD  – It was tricky to do because I didn’t want to re-record The Kinks’ songs. I think the original records are good as they are. Don’t want to touch that. But the songs were adapted to work and fit with a choir. Some sound similar to the original, but the singing on them changes the dynamics. All the work was done when we were prepping to record.
This all stemmed from doing a TV show in England two years ago with this choir, which ended up being a big success. I worked quite hard to get the arrangements started. Then I got with the choirmaster and arranger. Then I arranged the band parts after that. So, we worked out parts pretty much prior to recording, which is not always the case when just working with normal rock records. With 60-odd singers we had to always consider dynamics. It was quite a learning experience for me. The secret really was to step back. You’re never going to get the drums sounding like they did on the original “All Day and All of the Night,” but you work within the capabilities of the players you are working with, who, by the way, were all very competent.

JC – Included on the CD, among many more songs, are “You Really Got Me,” “All Day and All of the Night” and “Waterloo Sunset.” “Waterloo,” I think, really stands out.

RD – You know, that song was never a hit in America. [It was] No. 1 nearly everywhere else in the world, but not in America. A lot of Kinks music gets more popular over time. Like Village Preservation Society sold nothing here in America, but over the years it’s built this following and it’s now everybody’s favorite album that they never bought.

JC – When I listened to the CD the first time, it almost sounded like going to church with The Kinks, or The Kinks on Broadway.

RD – Well, I went to a church school as a boy and we were required to sing in the choir but we did record the choir for this album in a chapel.

JC – How is brother Dave doing?

RD – I got an email from him the other day. Apparently he is doing some very low key dates. I’ve been rehearsing with Mick Avory (Kinks drummer) and a couple of the other guys. Also Ian Gibbons, our last keyboard player with The Kinks, is on tour with me now. We recorded some new Kinks tracks, like four or five; and when Dave feels better, I will play them for him. He is on the mend and on the way back.

JC – Is there a Kinks box set coming out called Picturebook?

RD – I’m quite pleased with it, really. When it finally comes out, the book and story element, which I helped put together with a couple of journalists, is really informative. So anyone who hasn’t heard of, or doesn’t know so much about The Kinks, will get a good insight into the band. It’s a nice selection of all the Kinks songs plus some demos and re-mixes too. Very comprehensive.
 
JC – Ray, always a pleasure to see you.

RD – It’s good to be back!