REVIEW: Dave Davies, Unfinished Business: Dave Davies Kronikles
1963-1998
- Joann D. Ball
In 1963, Dave Davies discovered how to make his guitar scream. His innovative but dangerous experiment with amplifiers in his Muswell Hill front room produced the raw, distorted guitar crunch that continues to rock the world in some form or another. But that's only the genesis in the long and loud story of Dave Davies and the Kinks.
The 2-CD compilation Unfinished Business: Dave Davies Kronikles 1963-1998 is actually an expanded version of Unfinished Business (Solo Kronikles 1980-1997), a collection Dave compiled for his fans and sold at his live solo concerts. The new commercial retrospective is also the musical counterpart to Dave's tell-all autobiography "Kink." Both CDs and the book reflect Dave's desire to put his past in perspective and to also enter his important musical contributions onto the rock and roll historical record.
Unfinished Business: Dave Davies Kronikles 1963-1998 includes undeniable evidence of Dave's evolution as a musician, singer and songwriter. The 31-track retrospective is divided into the equally revealing Kink Kronikles and Solo Kronikles. The former begins with a demo of the Dave Davies-penned "I Believed You," recorded by his first band the Ravens and featuring older brother Ray who had recently left art school to join the quartet. Soon afterward, the band became the Kinks and produced the monumental hit "You Really Got Me" which enlisted the group in the British Invasion. While primary singer and songwriter Ray Davies has garnered much of the praise for the Kinks' success, the centrality of Dave's straightforward fretwork, charged vocals and lively spirit cannot be dismissed. Rave-ups like his songs "Beautiful Delilah" and "Long Tall Shorty" (from the debut album), and the live version of "All Day And All of The Night (from a 1979 performance), all showcase Dave's wild abandon, The Kinks' essential energy and power source.
By the late '60s, Dave and the Kinks were exploring American blues and country and infusing these styles into their sound. This "roots" approach was brilliantly captured on Dave's previously unreleased gem from 1969 "Climb Your Wall" and on "You Don't Know My Name" (from 1972's Everybody's in Showbiz). This rollicking mix of mandolin, acoustic and slide guitars appeared prominently in Rod Stewart's early solo material and can be heard even today on Lucinda Williams' current Grammy-winning record.
Rounding out the Kinks Kronikles are Dave's songs from the post-rock theater period. The single "Living On A Thin Line," from the surprise 1984 hit Word of Mouth, remains his most recognized song in America. But it is "Trust Your Heart" (from 1977's Misfits) that is more characteristic of the matured and seasoned power-chord scream featured on latter-day Kinks and solo records.
The Solo Kronikles highlight Dave's work during the last two decades. The previously unreleased title track, recorded in 1997, is a condensed version of Dave's experiences during his illustrious career. It particularly speaks to Warner Brothers Records' consistent refusals to reissue Chosen People or license tracks from his third solo album. The ever-resourceful Dave responded by recording a new unplugged version of "Love Gets You," his favorite song on that record. He also re-recorded a few of his UK Kinks singles (including 1967's "Death of a Clown") especially for this release.
Dave's solo material bears the trademark of a guitarist who has blossomed into a skilled singer, songwriter and musician. Not only did he sing, write and produce all of the songs on his debut solo album, AFL1-3603 (also affectionately called the "barcode album"), he also played all of the instruments. Songs like the stellar "Imaginations Real" and "The World is Changing Hands" on this musically and lyrically powerful record reveal Dave's humanitarian nature and address a number of social issues, ranging from inequality to world peace. In addition, two other tracks from the debut, "Body" and "World of Our Own" from the sophomore solo release Glamour, are also included. Rounding out this disc of the retrospective are live versions of three Kinks' songs, recorded in the 1997 at the Bottom Line in New York City.
Having now closed a significant chapter in his life, Dave Davies continues to make music and take new directions in his songwriting. Just prior to the release of Unfinished Business: Dave Davies Kronikles 1963-1998, Dave collaborated with his son Russell Davies under the moniker Crystal Radio and produced the uplifting CD Purusha and the Spiritual Planet (Meta Media). For this immersion in spirituality and inner peace, Dave put his guitar aside in order to explore the far reaches of electronica. Purusha and the Spiritual Planet and the first incarnation of Unfinished Business (which contains two new tracks not included on the Velvel release) are available exclusively through his website http://www.davedavies.com which also features messages to fans, tour dates and related web links.
