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Ray Davies: Kinks Songs and More with The Dessoff Chamber Choir at the Wilbur |
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Nov 23, 2011 at 12:00 AM |
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Wed. Nov. 23 Ray Davies could take it easy, could rest on his laurels. His body of work with the Kinks ranks with any of his peers - the Who, the Stones, the Beatles. Davies and his bandmates are in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, and he’s revered by other musicians from Bruce Springsteen to Paul Weller to Noel Gallagher to Mumford & Sons. At 67, Davies is not as limber as he was in his youth, when he did jumping jacks on sta ge during Kinks concerts. In 2004, a robber in New Orleans shot him in the leg. Last year, blood clots were found in his lungs and Davies had to scrap a US tour on doctor’s orders. But in June, he curated a huge, multi-band London festival called Meltdown. He wrote a school musical, "Child’s Play," that was staged in September. He has been working on a Kinks bio-pic with director Julien Temple, and a separate Kinks musical. He has nearly completed a memoir. Davies has been penning new tunes, which he called "the simplest songs I’ve ever written – not Neanderthal, but simple emotions that are very strong." He hopes to record at the end of the year. And, right now, he is back on the road, playing the Wilbur Theatre Wednesday Nov. 23. He’s not just with his four-piece English rock band, the Other People, but also New York’s 48-member Dessoff Chamber Choir. It’s near the end of a 21-gig tour, one of eight with the Choir. Why is Davies so ambitious now? "You get the sense that you don’t have too much time to do all the things you want to do," said Davies on the phone from his North London home, before the tour started. "There’s definitely a feeling of ‘How many more times do I have to do this?’ and ‘Do I want to be there?’ But that is the nature of what I do. I’m a bit of a high achiever and I try things that are a little bit outrageous sometimes. I think it’s the fulfillment of a lot of ideas I have and ambitions I have for my music. I’ve been told I’ve got to cut back, but I’ve never been one to play it safe." In 2009, Davies released an album called "The Kinks Choral Collection," a disc where classic Kinks songs were re-arranged with London’s Crouch End Festival Chorus. The Dessoff Choir replaces Crouch End, singing "Days," "See My Friends," "Waterloo Sunset," "You Really Got Me," and "Celluloid Heroes," among others. They’ll also tackle a suite of songs from the 1968 masterpiece, "The Kinks Are The Village Green Preservations Society." "I took a lot of care doing the arrangements," Davies said, "and that’s the key thing to get right." Davies and his band, which includes former Kinks keyboardist Ian Gibbons, will be rocking out, too. But of the songs done with the chorus, Davies said, "I think they’re de-Kinkifed, if that’s a word. ‘See My Friends’ is quite magical, an a cappella version and it feels really nice to sing it. Totally different from the Kinks recording." In a nutshell, Davies added, "It’s about using the breadth of the songwriting, using the tunes to breathe rather than put in the raunchy guitar solo or whatever." Davies is not optimistic about the state of new pop music. "Before," he said, "bands would say something in their music. Now, the music is all about the glorification of angst. I can’t explain it any other way. And the standard of songwriting has really suffered because - what’s that Simon Cowell show called, ‘The X Factor’? - people write to that formula. Quirky people don’t get a foot in." During any talk with Davies, the question of a Kinks reunion comes up. Ray and younger brother, guitarist Dave Davies, have worked together forever, but have also had a strife-ridden, lifelong love/hate relationship. The Kinks broke up in 1996. There has been some optimism expressed over the past year. So, what is the current state of affairs? Might the Kinks reunite? "Not a chance," Davies said. "Dave’s very productive, but I don’t know if he’s on the same planet the rest of us are on. I think his planet is going through a weird phase in the universe. If it comes back into focus, I’ll spot him in the galaxy." Tickets were $77-$55, but the correct verb is "were." The show if offically soldout – no surprise really given Davies pedigree, fan devotion and size of venue. Which means if you wanna go, you’re going to have to venture over to Craig’s List or what of the many ticekt "resellers" who might just have the ducat you want at a few bucks more than you’d like to pay. Show starts at 7:30. (This is an expanded version of a story that ran in the Boston Herald, www.bostonherald.com on Friday.) 246 Tremont St. Boston, 617-248-9700 www.thewilburtheatre.com |
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