''Something Else by the Kinks'', often referred to simply as ''Something Else'', is the fifth UK studio album by
the Kinks, released in September 1967. The album continued the Kinks' trend toward an eccentric
baroque pop
Baroque pop (sometimes called baroque rock) is a fusion genre that combines rock music with particular elements of classical music. It emerged in the mid 1960s as artists pursued a majestic, orchestral sound and is identifiable for its appropria ...
and
music hall
Music hall is a type of British theatrical entertainment that was popular from the early Victorian era, beginning around 1850. It faded away after 1918 as the halls rebranded their entertainment as variety. Perceptions of a distinction in Bri ...
-influenced style defined by
Ray Davies' observational and introspective lyrics. It also marks the final involvement of American producer
Shel Talmy in the Kinks' 1960s studio recordings; henceforth Ray Davies would produce the group's recordings. Many of the songs feature the keyboard work of
Nicky Hopkins
Nicholas Christian "Nicky" Hopkins (24 February 1944 – 6 September 1994) was an English pianist and organist. Hopkins performed on many popular and enduring British and American rock music recordings from the 1960s to the 1990s, most notably ...
and the backing vocals of Davies's wife, Rasa. The album was preceded by the singles "
Waterloo Sunset
"Waterloo Sunset" is a song by British rock band the Kinks. It was released as a single in 1967, and featured on their album '' Something Else by the Kinks''. Composed and produced by Kinks frontman Ray Davies, "Waterloo Sunset" is one of the ...
", one of the group's most acclaimed songs, and the
Dave Davies solo record "
Death of a Clown
"Death of a Clown" is a song by Dave Davies, member of British rock group the Kinks, released as his debut solo single in 1967. The song was co-written with his brother Ray Davies, who contributed the 5-bar "La la la" hook; Ray's first wife, Ras ...
", both of which charted in the UK top 3.
Though it contained two major European hits and earned positive notices from the
music press
Music journalism (or music criticism) is media criticism and reporting about music topics, including popular music, classical music, and traditional music. Journalists began writing about music in the eighteenth century, providing commentary on w ...
in both the UK and US, ''Something Else'' sold poorly and became the Kinks' lowest-charting album in both countries at the time. As with the group's other albums from the period, however, it found retrospective praise and became a
cult favourite. The album was ranked No. 288 on ''
Rolling Stone
''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner, and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. It was first kno ...
'' magazine's 2003 list of
the 500 greatest albums of all time.
It was voted number 237 in
Colin Larkin
Colin Larkin (born 1949) is a British writer and entrepreneur. He founded, and was the editor-in-chief of, the ''Encyclopedia of Popular Music'', described by ''The Times'' as "the standard against which all others must be judged".
Along wit ...
's ''
All Time Top 1000 Albums
''All Time Top 1000 Albums'' is a book by Colin Larkin, creator and editor of the ''Encyclopedia of Popular Music''. The book was first published by Guinness Publishing in 1994. The list presented is the result of over 200,000 votes cast by the ...
'' 3rd Edition (2000).
Recording
Ray Davies assumed control over production after the departure of
Shel Talmy; hence ''Something Else'' marked a change in the sound and production style of the Kinks. Davies felt unsure of his skill in mixing and recording the group's records, and later commented: "I feel that I shouldn't have been allowed to produce ''Something Else''. What went into an album required someone whose approach was a little bit more mundane".
[''Something Else'' CD liner notes]
Apart from "End of the Season" (done in April 1966), the album was recorded between the autumn of 1966 and the summer of 1967, when the Kinks had cut back on touring and had begun recording and stockpiling songs for Davies's as-yet poorly defined "village green" project. The song "
Village Green" was recorded in November 1966 during the sessions for the album, but was released on a
French EP in 1967 and did not appear on a Kinks LP until the next release, ''
The Kinks Are the Village Green Preservation Society''.
Composition
Musically, ''Something Else'' features multiple different genres and stylistic influences, from the
chamber pop of "
Death of a Clown
"Death of a Clown" is a song by Dave Davies, member of British rock group the Kinks, released as his debut solo single in 1967. The song was co-written with his brother Ray Davies, who contributed the 5-bar "La la la" hook; Ray's first wife, Ras ...
" to the
bossa nova
Bossa nova () is a style of samba developed in the late 1950s and early 1960s in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. It is mainly characterized by a "different beat" that altered the harmonies with the introduction of unconventional chords and an innovativ ...
of "No Return".
With the exception of the
garage rock
Garage rock (sometimes called garage punk or 60s punk) is a raw and energetic style of rock and roll that flourished in the mid-1960s, most notably in the United States and Canada, and has experienced a series of subsequent revivals. The sty ...
-style "
Love Me Till the Sun Shines
"Love Me Till the Sun Shines" is a 1967 song by the British band The Kinks. Appearing on their album '' Something Else by The Kinks'', it was, unlike most of the band's songs, written by guitarist Dave Davies.
Release
It was originally released a ...
" the album was a departure from the hard-edged
rock and roll
Rock and roll (often written as rock & roll, rock 'n' roll, or rock 'n roll) is a Genre (music), genre of popular music that evolved in the United States during the late 1940s and early 1950s. It Origins of rock and roll, originated from Africa ...
of the group's earlier material, instead featuring mellower, acoustic
baroque pop
Baroque pop (sometimes called baroque rock) is a fusion genre that combines rock music with particular elements of classical music. It emerged in the mid 1960s as artists pursued a majestic, orchestral sound and is identifiable for its appropria ...
ballads,
English
music hall
Music hall is a type of British theatrical entertainment that was popular from the early Victorian era, beginning around 1850. It faded away after 1918 as the halls rebranded their entertainment as variety. Perceptions of a distinction in Bri ...
, and "tempered"
R&B.
Ray Davies's lyrics on the album deal with English-inspired subject matter, particularly the
harpsichord
A harpsichord ( it, clavicembalo; french: clavecin; german: Cembalo; es, clavecín; pt, cravo; nl, klavecimbel; pl, klawesyn) is a musical instrument played by means of a keyboard. This activates a row of levers that turn a trigger mechanism ...
-laden "
Two Sisters", the lazy shuffle "End of the Season", and the sardonic "
David Watts".
The album includes three songs composed by
Dave Davies, including the hit single "Death of a Clown".
Reception
The album sold poorly in the UK, in part because it competed with budget-priced compilation albums of early Kinks hits from 1964 to 1966; also,
Pye Records had released "
Waterloo Sunset
"Waterloo Sunset" is a song by British rock band the Kinks. It was released as a single in 1967, and featured on their album '' Something Else by the Kinks''. Composed and produced by Kinks frontman Ray Davies, "Waterloo Sunset" is one of the ...
", "Death of a Clown" and other songs before the album appeared. ''Something Else'' also sold poorly in the US upon release there in January 1968, where the group was still the subject of a US ban on live and television performances.
James Pomeroy, in a March 1968 review in ''Rolling Stone'', felt it was the best album the Kinks had made to that point, praising the "humor, cynicism, perception and irony" where he felt the band are at their best.
He picked out "David Watts" and "Waterloo Sunset" as the best tracks, and also praised the three contributions of Dave Davies.
[
In a retrospective review for ]AllMusic
AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databas ...
, Stephen Thomas Erlewine
Stephen Thomas Erlewine (; born June 18, 1973) is an American music critic and senior editor for the online music database AllMusic. He is the author of many artist biographies and record reviews for AllMusic, as well as a freelance writer, occ ...
felt that the work was characterised by "nostalgic and sentimental" songwriting, and that part of "the album's power lies in its calm music, since it provides an elegant support for Davies' character portraits and vignettes".
In 2003, ''Something Else'' was ranked No. 288 on ''Rolling Stone''s list of the 500 greatest albums of all time, No. 289 in a 2012 revised list, and later at No. 478 in the 2020 revised list.
Track listing
All tracks are written by Ray Davies, except where noted. Track lengths per AllMusic
AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databas ...
.
Side one
#" David Watts" 2:40
#"Death of a Clown
"Death of a Clown" is a song by Dave Davies, member of British rock group the Kinks, released as his debut solo single in 1967. The song was co-written with his brother Ray Davies, who contributed the 5-bar "La la la" hook; Ray's first wife, Ras ...
" (R. Davies, Dave Davies) 3:15
#" Two Sisters" 2:03
#"No Return" 2:03
#"Harry Rag" 2:19
#"Tin Soldier Man" 2:53
#"Situation Vacant" 2:43
Side two
#"Love Me Till the Sun Shines
"Love Me Till the Sun Shines" is a 1967 song by the British band The Kinks. Appearing on their album '' Something Else by The Kinks'', it was, unlike most of the band's songs, written by guitarist Dave Davies.
Release
It was originally released a ...
" (D. Davies) 3:23
#"Lazy Old Sun" 2:49
#"Afternoon Tea" 3:25
#"Funny Face" (D. Davies) 2:29
#"End of the Season" 3:00
#"Waterloo Sunset
"Waterloo Sunset" is a song by British rock band the Kinks. It was released as a single in 1967, and featured on their album '' Something Else by the Kinks''. Composed and produced by Kinks frontman Ray Davies, "Waterloo Sunset" is one of the ...
" 3:16
Personnel
According to band researcher Doug Hinman, except where noted:
The Kinks
* Ray Davies lead vocals, electric and acoustic guitars, keyboards
Keyboard may refer to:
Text input
* Keyboard, part of a typewriter
* Computer keyboard
** Keyboard layout, the software control of computer keyboards and their mapping
** Keyboard technology, computer keyboard hardware and firmware
Music
* Musi ...
; Mellotron
The Mellotron is an electro-mechanical musical instrument developed in Birmingham, England, in 1963. It is played by pressing its keys, each of which pushes a length of magnetic tape against a capstan, which pulls it across a playback head. A ...
; producer
* Dave Davies backing vocals, electric guitars; lead vocals
* Pete Quaife backing vocals, bass
* Mick Avory drums; tambourine
*Unidentified (played by the Kinks) handclaps
A clap is the percussive sound made by striking together two flat surfaces, as in the body parts of humans or animals. Humans clap with the palms of their hands, often quickly and repeatedly to express appreciation or approval (see applause), b ...
Additional musicians
* The Mike Cotton Sound flute
The flute is a family of classical music instrument in the woodwind group. Like all woodwinds, flutes are aerophones, meaning they make sound by vibrating a column of air. However, unlike woodwind instruments with reeds, a flute is a reedless ...
, saxophone
The saxophone (often referred to colloquially as the sax) is a type of single-reed woodwind instrument with a conical body, usually made of brass. As with all single-reed instruments, sound is produced when a reed on a mouthpiece vibrates to pr ...
and trumpet
The trumpet is a brass instrument commonly used in classical and jazz ensembles. The trumpet group ranges from the piccolo trumpet—with the highest register in the brass family—to the bass trumpet, pitched one octave below the standard ...
*Rasa Davies backing vocals
*Nicky Hopkins
Nicholas Christian "Nicky" Hopkins (24 February 1944 – 6 September 1994) was an English pianist and organist. Hopkins performed on many popular and enduring British and American rock music recordings from the 1960s to the 1990s, most notably ...
piano; harpsichord
A harpsichord ( it, clavicembalo; french: clavecin; german: Cembalo; es, clavecín; pt, cravo; nl, klavecimbel; pl, klawesyn) is a musical instrument played by means of a keyboard. This activates a row of levers that turn a trigger mechanism ...
; organ
Organ may refer to:
Biology
* Organ (biology), a part of an organism
Musical instruments
* Organ (music), a family of keyboard musical instruments characterized by sustained tone
** Electronic organ, an electronic keyboard instrument
** Hammond ...
* David Whitaker string arrangement
*Unnamed session musicians cello
The cello ( ; plural ''celli'' or ''cellos'') or violoncello ( ; ) is a Bow (music), bowed (sometimes pizzicato, plucked and occasionally col legno, hit) string instrument of the violin family. Its four strings are usually intonation (music), t ...
and viola
The viola ( , also , ) is a string instrument that is bow (music), bowed, plucked, or played with varying techniques. Slightly larger than a violin, it has a lower and deeper sound. Since the 18th century, it has been the middle or alto voice of ...
Additional production
* Shel Talmy producer
*Alan MacKenzie engineer
Engineers, as practitioners of engineering, are professionals who invent, design, analyze, build and test machines, complex systems, structures, gadgets and materials to fulfill functional objectives and requirements while considering the l ...
*Alan O'Duffy (credited as "Irish") assistant engineer
Note
*The UK edition of the LP does not list a producer while the US edition credits Shel Talmy Productions. In April 1967, after most of the album had been recorded, Davies became unsatisfied with Talmy's production. The relationship between the two dissolved, leaving Davies to produce the rest of the album alone. Dispute remains over who produced which tracks, though Hinman concludes the LP is "a mixture of Ray Davies-produced and Shel Talmy-produced recordings."
Charts
Notes
References
Sources
*
*
*
*
*
*
External links
''Something Else by The Kinks''
(Adobe Flash
Adobe Flash (formerly Macromedia Flash and FutureSplash) is a multimedia Computing platform, software platform used for production of Flash animation, animations, rich web applications, application software, desktop applications, mobile apps, mo ...
) at Radio3Net (streamed copy where licensed)
*
The Golden Age of the Kinks
- Discusses the Kinks' Most Artistically Fertile Period (1966–1972)
{{Authority control
1967 albums
The Kinks albums
Albums produced by Shel Talmy
Pye Records albums
Reprise Records albums
Albums produced by Ray Davies