Well, there it is at last (in Europe that is, July 14 in Canada, according to amazon.ca, some places say August, others say September...). A nugget that should satisfy the thirst for more Kinky stuff of any rabid Kink fan, at least for a while, until they (we?) start begging for a reunion tour again.
The idea sprouts from a 2007 collaboration with the Crouch End Choir for The BBC's Electric Proms (I have no idea what the hell that is really, but I've seen some clips on YouTube and it was pretty cool), so the next logical step was an album. The selection is predictably mainly the biggest hits the Kinks have had, and almost all songs that are almost universally recognized as Ray's best work. Yet, I can't help but wonder is some of the more obscure songs might have been better suited for the choral treatment.
The choir is great, Ray is great (in particular on Johnny Thunder, I thought), but as enthused as I originally was with the idea, it works only half the time. Why? Well, mainly because, I think, these guys (that is, the combination of Ray, David Temple the conductor and Steve Marwick who did the arrangement) aren't Carl Orff yet. Some of the arrangements could afford to go a little more crazy and they sound a little too... "church choiry" for my tastes. The music arrangements, though, are quite nice and offer here and there tiny surprises that are quite pleasant to the ear, like the addition of accordion on some songs and a bit more of acoustic guitar.
Songs like Celluloid Heroes, Shangri-La, Waterloo Sunset, even Victoria absolutely work, but we're talking about such strong songs that they would probably sound great even if someone recorded them armpit farting. Days, which I love to death, is a bit of a drag. All The Day And All Of The Night and You Really Got Me, the bigger rockers, I'm afraid don't work, even if they probably have the most inventive arrangements. I suspect they don't sound that great most likely simply because they are fine examples of garage rock, a style that just does not adapt itself too well to the choir medium.
I was pleased to see Working Man's Café make the cut, and it's fair enough. The Village Green Medley and The Village Green Preservation Society are a beautiful versions that any fan of that particular Kink album should have and that actually sound pretty good with the choir. Do You Remember Walter and Johnny Thunder are great and I thought showed Ray on top of his form, like most of the second half of the record.
Interestingly, I've seen some people commenting that See My Friend did not work at all, but I personally thought it might just be one of the best bit of the album. Yes, there is that church choir feel, but in a really good way. I'd actually be very curious to hear that song without the lead vocals and perhaps even inside a church. Beautiful melancholic song to start with, but the choir added a cool extra "humpf".
Overall, well, it's not the best album of the year, but it is also not as terrible an album as I've seen some people suggest. I found it is a quite a very interesting piece, and despite the weaker elements here and there, it overall creates a pleasant listening experience... assuming you like choirs. Like any Kinks album, it will offer some splendid moments.
