Review. Ray Davies - See My Friends

Kinks legend Ray Davies' solo career has never quite matched up to the heights he achieved with his band mates, with whom he rose like a salmon to stardom. Hits such as 'You've Really Got Me', 'Sunny Afternoon' and 'Dedicated Follower of Fashion' continue to be played on the airwaves and be discovered by young music lovers due to their innate longevity and quality. Ray Davies has previously revisited his Kinks days in the Kinks Choral Collection in 2009, where Davies orchestrated a reworking of the Kinks' classics, but with the backing of a choir - this album was broadly well received, with many surprised by how well the Kinks' back catalogue translated into the choral scene. And so, presumably buoyed by this success, See My Friends, an album of collaborations was born. As the title suggests, each track features Davies and one of his musical pals, who each bring their own style to create a unique album.

The album opens strongly, with the Boss, Bruce Springsteen, being invited to join Davies on 'Better Things'. When I first bought the Kinks' Greatest Hits (If you've not got it already, it's well worth getting), this was one of the tracks which I hadn't heard before, but soon it became a favourite. Here, as is the trend for the rest of the album with the 'friends', Springsteen takes hold of the track and makes it his own. It takes on the identity of a Springsteen song, and works really well. In places, Davies' voice feels worn by the years, but this is a worthy tribute nonetheless. Celluloid Heroes, with Bon Jovi, in my opinion, improves upon the original. Bon Jovi brings his 80s rock feel to the fore, with Richie Sambora offers his iconic guitar riffs which weave their way through as if it were written for stadium rock rather than during the heyday of the Kinks. Days/This Time Tomorrow featuring Mumford and Sons is another excellent reworking, with Mumford and Sons' layered banjo led folk sound takes these two songs together and takes them up to a new level. The first three tracks demonstrate just how strong the Kinks' songwriting was, such that it translates seamlessly to suit the styles of these other artists, who have diverse sounds of their own.

Long Way From Home, featuring Lucinda Williams and The 88, is perfectly pleasant, but doesn't really add anything new or noteworthy to the original. The purpose of this album ought to be to update and give a new perspective on these songs, but this seems to be a bit of a meaningless cover, which might, aside from some neat harmonies, easily be performed by a pub band, as by one of our nation's most revered musicians. On a similar note, You've Really Got Me, with Metallica on board, fails to give anything other than a simple rehash of the original. There is nothing special here - this version seems to take the awe which Davies' had for the women who 'had him', and takes it in a lustful and animal context, which, for me, removes the class the song originally held. It would perhaps have worked if it had maintained a relentless pace, however I can't help but think that's missing too. On a more positive note, Lola, with Paloma Faith providing a groove in a cover which is largely faithful to the original, sounds really fresh and revives the song to no end, particularly in the chorus, 'We drank champagne and danced all night'. There is perhaps something a little incongruous having Paloma singing 'I'm not the world's most masculine man, but I know what I am, I'm glad I'm a man'. Maybe that's just part of bringing the song up to date with the modern world. Who knows. It's a thoroughly enjoyable revisit of this track regardless.

Waterloo Sunset receives a softer treatment from Davies and Jackson Browne, which loses the classic riff in favour of some light strumming. The song, despite the beautiful lyrics, does feel slightly lacking in comparison with the original. This is just slightly bland, where the vocal fails to capture the imagination, the harmonies failing to add to the scene and the guitar failing to complete the affair. I expected more from this track, so I'm a little disappointed. 'Til The End of the Day, with Alex Chilton and The 88, again lacks the precision and pace of the Kinks' original, instead slowing things down and, in doing so, loses the elements that made the song great for me in the first place. It's good, but, for me, it fails to live up to what I expected from the track. Dead End Street, with Amy MacDonald, is good fun. It takes a different tack, adding a bit of a shimmy and shine. This is evidenced in the slightly unusual bit in this track where MacDonald and Davies take a minute to have a chat, where it becomes clear that the pair are having a great time and this translates into the song. MacDonald's voice compliments Davies' well, which makes for a worthy cover.

See My Friends, with Spoon, sounds like a Snow Patrol song. It's an interesting take on the song, with the guitars dominating the vocals. It feels slightly more haunting, with some fearsome harmonies resulting in a fairly slow, but enchanting four minutes. It achieves the end to which I suggested this album should be tending - giving a new take on the classics, and this is achieved here, even if it is without knocking the listener's socks off. This is Where I Belong has an upbeat, summery feel to it, Black Francis, bringing an element of acoustic guitar pop to the fray. This is a great retrospection on an iconic band, one which removes the immediacy of the original, but replaces it with a vibe which encourages you to kick off your shoes and enjoy the sun. One of the unexpected highlights of the album for me. David Watts is superb. It embodies everything I wanted from this album. Davies provides the vocals, and The 88 (again) offer a pace and modern alternative guitar riffs and licks which take the song to a new level. After my maligning of the previous two tracks where The 88 featured, this is a spectacular turnaround.

Tired of Waiting lumbers along with Gary Lightbody transforming the track into a forgotten Snow Patrol album track, apart from the chorus, which does fulfil the potential that this collaboration had with a bit more urgency than the verse presents us with. It's not bad by any means, it's just not the song that you'll come back to this album to listen to. All Day and All of the Night/Destroyer, contains a similar heavy guitar to that of You Really Got Me. In this case, however, it is absolutely fantastic. In throwing two songs together, it is inevitable that a little of the meaning will be lost - here we seemingly want to spend all day with a girl but we're also equally concerned with paranoia; the 'self destroyer'. I love the spoken parts, where Davies shows an attitude and the rockier feel to this album really adds something incredible. Having owned this album for a few months now, this is far and away my most played, for it achieves a perfect synthesis between the old and new. As a whole, the album is slightly hit and miss, but with more of the former. The album is a nostalgia inducing affair, but does earn itself within your record collection. It may not be regarded in such high esteem as the Kinks' originals, but it is worthy, as it demonstrates the ever-lasting greatness of one of my favourite bands, despite one or two lacklustre revisits.

There is one other concern, especially since the Queen's Birthday honours list was announced yesterday, why hasn't Ray Davies been knighted?

6.0/10