Ray Davies: Not Like Everybody Else (Paperback)

~ Thomas Kitts (Author)
Key Phrases: celluloid heroes, larry page, preservation act, Village Green, Century Man, Waterloo Sunset (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Review

Thomas Kitts has done a great job...[his] book is highly recommended for Kinks and Ray Davies Fans, and everybody else! --New York Waste

Product Description

In Ray Davies: Not Like Everybody Else, Tom Kitts presents a critical biography of Davies, his music and his times. Based on interviews with his closest associates as well as thorough study of the recordings themselves, Kitts creates the most thorough picture of Davies' work to date. He places the work in the context of the British Invasion and growth of the rock in the '60s and'70s, affirming Davies' role as a key innovator whose groundbreaking techniques often predated more famous examples by years. Throughout, Kitts balances a fan's appreciation with a critical eye to place Davies and his work in proper perspective.

For fans of rock music and the music of the Kinks, Ray Davies: Not Like Everybody Else will be a must purchase. It will finally place this legendary innovator in the pantheon of the great rock artists of the past half-century.

Product Details

• Paperback: 320 pages
• Publisher: Routledge; 1 edition (November 28, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 041597769X
• ISBN-13: 978-0415977692
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 6 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #559,200 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

20 of 21 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Long-Needed Perspective of a Difficult Genius, December 24, 2007

By	Paul Carpenter "Paul C." (Sacramento, CA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Kitt does a wonderful job of evaluating Davies' fascinating life and brilliant career, which is not an easy task. As Kitt illustrates in the book, Davies has for decades been a notoriously maddening and mercurial figure to the world and to himself, with his ongoing personal quest for self-understanding being the engine fueling his amazing musical legacy. Although his body of work has always stood for itself, Kitt's synthesis of Davies' personal life and a smart analysis of his songs transcends many of the limitations found in previous works, and finally provides a satisfying and comprehensive (to 2007) perspective of this amazing career. Highly recommended for fans of Davies and the Kinks.

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars 4 stars for just being able to put it in one book!, January 8, 2008

By	George Griggs "GMG" (New York) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Amazon Verified Purchase

When a big DOG gets up and dances: people applaud...not because the dog dances well, but because he can get up and dance at all!

Like the "dancing dog", I'm not applauding the book because it was so well written, (it's better than fair)I applaud it because someone was able to do it at all!

At the moment it's the only book of it's kind. So, until something better comes along shedding light on the way Ray writes songs; and shares the specifics of Ray's private life (warts and all), NOT LIKE EVERYBODY ELSE is the only game in town. I give the author much credit for the extensive research. Writting this book must have been a daunting, frustrating task for many reasons, including the mecurial behavior, egotistical whims and attitudes of Ray. This book does contain lots of good, little known, stories-insights into every Ray Davies project: records, musicals, films, etc.. This, for me, made the best reading: ESPECIALLY insights into Ray's musical composition/lyric writing techniques, satirical or otherwise.

There is an analysis, and quotes from R. Davies, of how the original inspiration for "Village Green" LP came from "Under Milk Wood" (the Dylan Thomas radio play). It even contains a sort of "draft" of the proposed song/scene line-up, and which different character(s) would have sung each song, if "ARTHUR" had been made into the musical cartoon. Bravo! That is the stuff I love to read about. Mr. Kitts did an intelligent job analzing each record, film ("Return To Waterloo) and "rock musical"(e.g Soap Opera)
It wasn't the most exciting read, but the fact that it has finally been done is AWESOME!
Thank you and Congrats Mr. Kitts. You have gone where few people dare to go.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Admirable job of expounding on the Kinks/Ray Davies!!, August 16, 2008

By	Kinks4ever "elsbeth1234" (SF Bay Area) - See all my reviews

I absolutely recommend this book to Kinks/Ray Davies fans. Prof. Kitts does a creditable job of putting together a superb book of a difficult subject. This is the most detailed, up-to-date book on the Kinks that I've seen and I felt right at home having Prof. Kitts expound on the many details behind the scenes. There are still gaps to this history, and probably will always be, but that's irrelevant. The bottom line is that it parched my deep curiosity about the brilliant Davies and the Kinks.