“Other
People's Lives” is an album by Kinks' leader and chief songwriter Ray Davies
was Davies' third solo album, but his first straightforward studio release.
As he
states in his wonderful liner notes where he details the recording circumstances
for each cut, plus the album at large “Other People's Lives” is no concept
album, but there are themes that hold it together. It´s a shiny,
simmered-in-the-studio album where each song creeps on just a little longer
than necessary.
Davies
tackles mortality and, one of his favorite themes, domesticity, head-on here,
and his wit and wry critical eye remain intact. As an album, “Other People's
Lives” may occasionally lag in momentum, but song for song, this is his
strongest set of material since Low Budget, but a better comparison may be
Misfits. Like that 1978 gem, this record doesn't rock hard and has a distinct
writerly bent, as Davies presents a collection of narratives and character
sketches that play like short stories. If there's a sense of creeping mortality
here, there's also little fear (and there's no rumination over his shooting in New Orleans, either,
since all the material was written before that incident). There's humor, irony,
earned sentimentality and knowing, careful observations, all wrapped up in
meticulously crafted words and music. There are hints of the Kinks "Is There Life After Breakfast?"
lopes along like an outtake from Everybody's in Show-Biz, the absurd
"Stand Up Comic" recalls the vaudevillian hard rock of the late '70s but
there's nothing written as a conscious emulation of his past; instead, he's
returning to his strengths and finding new wrinkles within his signature style.
And if there are no flat-out knockouts here, there's not a bad song here,
either, and each tune seems stronger with repeated plays. Most of all, Ray
Davies sounds engaged as a writer and musician in a way that he hasn't in
years, and that doesn't just make for a strong comeback, but it makes listeners
realize what they've all missed since he's been away for 13 years (or perhaps
longer, given the disconnect on latter-day Kinks records). Here's hoping that “Other
People's Lives” kicks off a latter-day renaissance for the singer/songwriter,
since it's proof that while many try to emulate him, there's no substitute for
the crankiest, funniest songwriter in pop.
Promotional
singles were distributed to radio for the tracks "Things Are Gonna Change
(The Morning After)" and "Over my Head". No singles have been
commercially released.
01. "Things Are Gonna Change (The Morning After)" - 4:21
02. "After The Fall" - 4:35
03. "Next Door Neighbour" - 3:53
04. "All She Wrote" - 4:10
05. "Creatures of Little Faith" - 3:45
06. "Run Away From Time" - 3:48
07. "The Tourist" - 4:46
08. "Is There Life After Breakfast?" - 4:30
09. "The Getaway (Lonesome Train)" - 6:36
10. "Other People's Lives" - 4:52
11. "Stand Up Comic" - 4:33
12. "Over My Head" - 6:02
13. "Thanksgiving Day" (UK-only bonus track) - 5:10
Credits
Guitar, Keyboards, Vocals, Mellotron, Organ [hammond] – Ray Davis
Guitar – Steve Bolton,
Mandolin, Banjo, Guitar [Dobro] – Mark Johns
Bass – Dick Nolan, Norman Watt-Roy, David Swift
Drums – Dylan Howe, Toby Baron
Tambourine, Cymbal [Mallet Cymbal], Mixed By – Laurie Latham
Choir And Horns – Andy Scarth
New Drums And Guitars – Ben Mason
Guitar – Milton McDonald
Saxophone [Tenor] – Nick Payn, Phil Veacock
Trumpet – Matthew Winch
Vocals – Isabel Fructuoso
Choir – Crouch End Festival Chorus, David Temple, Alida Giusti, Dick Nolan, Linda McBride, Martin Davies, Martin Rex, Serge Krebs
Arranged By, Producer, Written-By – Ray Davies
Mastered By – Bob Ludwig
Mixed By – Andy Scarth, Phil Bodger, Ray Davies, Serge Krebs
Engineer(s) – Graham Dominy, Martin Rex, Adrian Hall, Laurie Latham
Notes
All tracks composed by Ray Davies
Thanksgiving Day is a hidden track, not mentioned on the cover. It is actually kicks in right after after Over My Head, also on track 12
The booklet includes notes by Ray Davies about the songs on the album.
Genre - Rock
Duration Time - 61:07
© 2006 V2 Label
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