Dave Davies
A Hole in the Sock (unreleased 68 ) / Hidden Treasures ( comp. 2011 )
Tracks: 1. Susannah's Still Alive / 2. This Man He Weeps Tonight / 3. Mindless Child of Motherhood/ 4. Hold My Hand / 5. Do You Wish to Be a Man / 6. Are You Ready / 7. Creeping Jean / 8. Crying / 9. Lincoln County / 10. Mr. Shoemaker's Daughter / 11. Mr. Reporter / 12. Groovy Movies / 13. There's No Life Without Love / 14. I Am Free / 15. Death of a Clownm / 16. Love Me Till the Sun Shines / 17. Susannah's Still Alive / 18. Funny Face / 19. Lincoln County / 20. There's No Life Without Love / 21. Hold My Hand / 22. Creeping Jean / 23. This Man He Weeps Tonight / 24. Mindless Child of Motherhood / 25. Mr. Reporter / 26. Hold My Hand / 27. Good Luck Charm
Comments:
Now, at long last, all the tracks from the unreleased Dave Davies album have been officially released. The album was originally scheduled for release in 1968, prossibly to be entitled "A Hole in the Sock."
During 1967-68 Dave Davies had a couple of hits with "Death of a Clown" and "Susannah's Still Alive" and a promising solo career seemed imminent. The music behind Dave's songs, was played by his group the Kinks, and "Death of a Clown" was in fact included on the classic Kinks album "Something Else".
However, it was never to be any great or longlasting solo career for Dave Davies. Perhaps his heart when it came down to it, was not really in it, or maybe he felt better in the safe company of his friends in the Kinks, under musical direction of big brother Ray Davies. Two more singles were released in 1968-69, and ongoing recordings were done or the planned album.
Despite the fact that both the "Lincoln County" and "Hold My Hand" kept the high standards of the first singles and those of Kinks in general they were not chart successes. Interest in a Dave Davies album waned, and a couple of the already finished recordings ended up as B-sides for the Kinks. Those were "This Man He Weeps Tonight" and "Mindless Child of Motherhood" - both fine upbeat tracks, with some similarities to the guitar sound of the Byrds.
Other tracks have drip-wise been released as bonus tracks on Kinks reissues. "Groovy Movies", however, was already released in 1973 on the legendary and obscure "Great Lost Kinks Album".
Especially three numbers are interesting for collectors. Master tapes of "Do You Wish be a Man," "Are You Ready" and "Crying" were for many years thought lost. Only very bad bootleg versions were available. Now it turns out, fortunately, that all three songs have survived in good condition. In particular, two first two are fine Dave Davies songs, both of which definitely deserve an official release. "I'm Crying" is not bad either, just more ordinary and less remarkable.
No less than 27 tracks with Dave Davies in front are here compiled, and as the sound like on the recent Kinks reissues is in the top, it's a gift for fans of the Kinks from one of their best periods. Note, for example, similarities between "Hold My Hand" and "The Village Green Preservation Society".
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