Customer Reviews

State of Confusion

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One thing that I greatly admire about Ray Davies - lead singer of The Kinks is that when it comes the music business, he isn't afraid to deviate from the formula. As a result of this, the Kinks became one of the most innovative bands of the Rock era. This is demonstrated on their 1983 landmark album "State of Confusion". This album would mark the peak of the comeback started by the Kinks in the late 1970s. On "State of Confusion" we would see Ray Davies integrate a combination of personal anguish (as a result of a broken marriage) and social commentary into the lyrics along with a potpourri of musical styles. The result would be an outstanding collection of tracks that stand the test of time.

There are really three phases to The Kinks. The Kinks started out in the 1960s as a "rebellious" group of rockers as part of the first British Invasion that would soon have a series of hits. I call this phase - "1960s Kinks". This phase goes from 1964-1971. "1960s Kinks" was a commercially successful period. Although this wasn't Punk Rock, many credit the style of the Kinks for becoming the strawman for the Punk Rock movement that would happen in the 1970s. It was during this period The Kinks were mysteriously banned from playing in the U.S.. The second phase is the "Rock Opera Phase" from 1972 to 1976. This was not a commercially successful phase for the Kinks. These concept/Rock Opera albums were not well received by the public, but eventually would be accepted by The Kinks fans. When the group made the switch to Arista Records, The Kinks went toward more of a Hard Rock/Rock Pop direction. This would start the third phase called "The Later Years" covering 1977 onward. There is a bunch of irony in this switch. The Kinks lost much of their popularity in the UK because this new style wasn't considered "in-step" with the UK's Punk Rock craze. However, The Kinks would suddenly become a major band in the U.S. - the very country where they were once banned from. During this time, even though The Kinks went in the Hard Rock direction, they showed that they could continue to ignore the "rulebook" for the music business by not going with the trends of that time (and basically doing things their own way).

Here is a review track by track:

"State of Confusion": The title of this song tells the story - it is someone who is in a "State of Confusion". The song has a hard-rock quality characteristic of the latter years of the Kinks. It also has an outstanding mantra quality to it. Listen to Davies integrate his own anguish when he sings "Should feel happy, should be glad. I'm alive and it can't bad."

"Definite Maybe": Jim Rodford's bass helps set the tone of this track very nicely while Mick Avory's drums are awesome throughout. This song has a new-wave quality to it. The title of this song "definite maybe" extends the theme of "State of Confusion". Great social commentary about the indecisiveness in society (and some nice humor when a computer indicates that Davies doesn't exist).

"Labour of Love": Pure commentary on marriage by Davies. Ray and Dave Davies provide some outstanding guitar in a dark Hendrix-sounding sample of "Here comes the bride."

"Come Dancing": This retro sounding song helped make this song radio-friendly for mainstream radio. This song has Ray Davies looking back to his childhood days. This song gives Ian Gibbons a chance to shine on keyboards.

"Property": This song is about breakup and divorce. No doubt a reflection of Ray Davies own personal life. This is a slow song that will grow on you.

"Don't Forget to Dance": This song shows Ray Davies with a Bryan Ferry-like crooning quality. This continues to tell more of Ray Davies personal anguish even though Davies sings this song as the one giving the "advice".

"Young Conservatives": A social commentary on the younger generation of the 1980s contrasted to the rebel days of the late 60s and early 70s.. Davies starts the song by saying "Have you heard, the revolution is over" and later says "Revolution used to be cool, now it's out of fashion". This song combines hard rock and punk elements.

"Heart of Gold": The Davies brothers shine on guitar again on this track. Davies explores the trials and tribulations of a girl growing up - yet she still has a "Heart of Gold". The bridge of "I couldn't understand your attitude..." is outstanding.

"Clichés of the World (B Movie)": This might be the album's forgotten gem. Great guitar intro to this song - and that continues throughout Davies compares those trite and overused things in life to a "B" movie.

"Bernadette": Dave Davies provides lead vocals on this track. The theme of brother Ray's personal anguish is evident as he sings "I don't want to leave you payin' all my debts; With that alimony, palimony, whatever it is you get". Almost reminds you of the Beatles' "Birthday" combined with some punk elements.

There are also four bonus tracks - all of which are outstanding. This includes an extended version of "Don't Forget to Dance". There is an unreleased track called "Once a Thief" that has a 60s beat to it - very catchy chorus. "Long Distance" and "Noise" are two songs that were released on a cassette version. "Long Distance" is a slow song that has Davies telling the story of being on the road in Australia. "Noise" combines retro-sounding rock elements with 80s hard rock elements - a terrific song.

The liner notes include lyrics to the original 10 songs and a write-up by Matt Resnicoff that tells the story of the Kinks during the "State of Confusion" period. All in all, this is an outstanding collection and truly a crown jewel in the Kinks' portfolio. Highly recommended.

Originally released in May of 1983, "State of Confusion" is a superb Kinks album. Ray Davies, like usual, wrote all of the songs on the album (including all the bonus tracks on the 1999 & 2004 Velvel Records reissues), and he's absolutely on top of his songwriting game with a seemingly endless supply of great songs up his sleeve. Also like usual, Ray produced the album himself, and did an excellent job, keeping the use of synthesizers in check, and the band sounds wonderfully inspired throughout.

The Kinks really rock it out on many of the songs. The hook-heavy title track is a dynamic rocker with excellent backing vocal harmonies. "Definite Maybe" is wonderfully cartoonish with bracing guitar chords and highly amusing lyrics about getting the runaround in daily life with no one giving a damn. "Cliches Of The World (B Movie)" is a a captivating epic about a man who feels crippled by the day-to-day routine of his life and dreams about being taken away to some utopian galaxy, featuring Ray's unforgettable raging cries of "just an illusion!". The high-energy, uptempo "Young Conversatives" is super fun with its biting and sarcastic lyrics, plus the sudden and hilarious referencing of the Kinks' own "David Watts" at 1:32 of the song. The bluesy mid-tempo rocker "Bernadette", a song left over from the "Give The People What They Want" era, puts a standard rock 'n' roll riff to excellent use, plus it offers us some more biting lyrics, and Dave's lead vocal is spirited even if it's a bit off-key. "Labour Of Love" is admittedly a little weak--the lyrics, about how couples can become their own worst enemies, are kind of thin--but it's still reasonably catchy and entertaining, with an intro that consists of Dave Davies doing an amusing take on "Here Comes The Bride" that deliberately recalls Hendrix's famous Woodstock performance of "The Star-Spangled Banner".

Of course, there's also the reflective "Come Dancing", an irresistibly catchy, music hall-tinged pop-rocker that was a big time hit for the group. "Property" is an affecting ballad about what's left behind after a long-term relationship is over--it has a real understated power to it, with tender vocals from Ray and excellent use of Vocoder. "Don't Forget To Dance" is a slow-paced, atmospheric ballad with lyrics that try to give encouragement to a lonely, ageing woman--some of the lyrics feel badly forced, but it's still a really pretty and touching song. The excellently tuneful "Heart Of Gold" is an uptempo, country-tinged pop-rocker with jangly electric guitars and curiously affectionate lyrics which, as with "Come Dancing", seem to be written about one of Ray's sisters; it's marred a tad by Dave's somewhat sloppy vocal harmonizing on the choruses, but it's a minor gripe.

As usual with a Kinks album, there is some definite borrowing going on (whether or not Ray was conscious of it is another story). This applies especially to "Don't Forget To Dance"--it sounds extremely similar to the Kinks' own "Misfits", plus it borrows that 7 note piano/ vocal melody from the Rolling Stones' "She's A Rainbow" note-for-note. "Definite Maybe" seems to largely borrow its verse melody from the Yardbirds' "Over Under Sideways Down". "David Watts" gets heavily referenced in "Young Conservatives", not just at the aforementioned 1:32, but even more so on the ending. I just can't help but point this stuff out.

Making the proceedings even more worthwhile are the bonus tracks. The "original extended edit" of "Don't Forget To Dance" has minor but interesting differences compared to the album version. "Once A Thief" is a snappy, bluesy rocker with an irresistibly catchy chorus. "Long Distance" (which originally appeared on the cassette version of the album, but not the vinyl) is a gorgeous, wistful ballad--it's an easy-rolling, masterfully-crafted mid-tempo story-song spiked with soaring cries of the title. The disc closes in fun fashion with "Noise"--sure the lyrics are pretty trivial, but the chorus is undeniably catchy, and there's also an Eastern-flavor that crops up which is intriguing and effective.

All in all, a superb disc from one of the most compulsively appealing (i.e. best) bands ever--this ranks as a must-have for any serious listener.

.....and I still love the band and the album 20 years later. Life is a B Rated Movie is one of the greatest rock songs of all time, and as someone else so astutely stated in their review, worth the price of the album by itself. Ray Davies' dry wit will never get old for me.

This is the perfect starting point for discovering the Kinks 1980's output. This new SACD stereo (not multi-channel) CD boasts excellent sound quality, especially on a SACD player. The Kinks as a band have never sounded better. The production is as good as it ever gets for the Kinks. Ray Davies songwriting is in top form. A couple of mediocre songs don't detract from a CD filled with top shelf Davies musings. It was a troubling period of time for Davies, personally and professionally and the songs capture that "confusion" very well. The addition of the 3 bonus songs is what elevates this Cd overall from a 4-1/2 stars to a 5 star. No better indication of Davies' confusion during this time period is trying to understand how he could have possibly left these songs off the original issue. Buy it, crank it up to 11 and enjoy a great Kinks classic!

This was the album that brought The Kinks back into the spotlight after many years of laboring in the wilderness. And rightly so. There are many great songs on this CD, including the two excellent singles "Come Dancing" and "Don't Forget to Dance," whose videos landed the band in front of a new generation on MTV. Fortunately, the band didn't compromise in order to achieve greater popularity. They just came up with one of their best albums. A vital addition to any Kinks fan's collection.

State of Confusion may have been a sorry attempt to generate happiness out of sorrow, but the music and lyric content on this record are quite remarkable givin the conditions under which they were constructed. Being an 80's child I am familiar with "Come Dancing" however I assumed it was a younger and one hit wonder type band. As I got older I was shocked to discover that it was in fact that Kinks. I feel that is what people are missing when they look at this record. It is extremely difficult to write pop music for the masses. S.O.C. held all the freshness of the old Kinks but with a new approach to writing songs. The only song you can really tell that the kinks weren't working together is State of Confusion. Infact I bought this album primaryly for that song. It seems to be a perfect early punk song, yet it represents the status of the group at that point.

It certainly cannot be argued that S.O.C. moves around quite a bit. That being the only drawback to this album, it moves from rockers to crying-in-your-beer songs. I feel the tracks that stand out on here are State of Confusion, Definate Maybe, Come Dancing, Property, Noise, Young Conservatives, Once a Thief, Long Distance, Don't Forget to Dance and Heart of Gold.
To compare this album to past works is really unfair. The Kinks have always been about progression in music, period. I think this album sees them moving. Sadly they really wouldn't progress beyong this, we just have Word of Mouth after this album. State of Confusion is for the hardcore Kinks fan and for the beginner. Buy it this album is gold!

State of Confusion is yet another GREAT album by the Kinks. Musically powerful and lyrically stunning. Ray Davie's writing always examines social and political mores yet remains fresh, original, and identifiable. In the title song, a relationship based on money and convenience goes sour. It's a look at adult angst rather than acne induced confusion that so many artist's redundantly persue. On "Labour of Love", marriage is compared to a two-headed transplant. Hyperbole? Perhaps. "Come Dancing", the hit single, is a beautiful reverie of Ray and Dave's dear sister and her prediliction for dancing and teasing men. "Property" is the ultimate break-up song, especially in light of Ray's failed relationship with Chrissie Hynde. In "Young Conservatives" todays youth are questioned about their complacency and their unwillingness to foster inevitible change. Extreme satire on this one! "Cliches of the World" toys with a tongue-in-cheek style as Ray explores the possible prurient aspects of alien abduction. "Bernadette" is a Kinks paradox. Many Kinks albums end with a upbeat tune that always offers the listener hope. Sung primarily by Dave, "Bernadette" appears to be a happy-go-lucky finale. However, the tunes main character is a pathetic soul and when the song abruptly ends with Ray yelling "I think your'e sad" - you really believe him! The bonus tracks are also terrific! "Noise" is simply the greatest Kinks song never formally released, and where has "Once a Theif" been hiding all these years? No maybe's about it, this CD definately belongs in any rock fans collection!

The Kinks were already on a creative hot streak when "State Of Confusion" landed. "Give the People What They Want" had broken back on radio in a big way, and both "Low Budget" and "Misfits" had scored critically. The one place that the Arista Kinks hadn't yet Konqured was the fledgling world of music video.

"Come Dancing" obliterated that last hold-out. Both a clever video and an insanely catchy song, it shows Ray Davies' wit at its best. The follow-up single, the wistful "Don't Forget To Dance," was as romantic as "Come Dancing" was nostalgic. Those two songs were anomalies on a record that is pessimistic and unsettled on the majority of its songs.

Opening the album with a howl of pain or fear, "State Of Confusion" chronicles Ray's collapsing marriage. While cheeky, "Labour of Love" defines marriage as a "two-headed transplant" while mocking Jimi Hendrix' take on the Star Spangled Banner. "Property" dissects the mementos of a relationship with the withering couplet "we never needed them, but they've outlasted us."

Simple lifetime ennui also rears up allot. The title track rages against the everyday world of pressure, while "Definite Maybe" takes aim at petty bureaucracy. Even more viscous (and funny) is the "David Watts" inspired "Young Conservatives." The song also takes a dig at David Bowie to great effect. (Sadly, it also is dated now.) Davies' anger and frustration fuels the album, which sometimes makes the songs a bit off ("Heart Of Gold" and "Labour Of Love" seem to lack anything more than their disillusion as far as songs were concerned). As such, "State Of Confusion" is not quite as good as "Give The People What They Want," but it is superior to all the albums to follow -- and for that matter, "Sleepwalker" -- but be ready for a darker ride than the hits would lure you into expecting.

"Come Dancing" and "Don't Forget to Dance" surely won the Kinks a lot of new fans in the '80s, but I'd be willing to bet that a lot of those new fans were blindsided by the album those two singles hail from. "State of Confusion" largely continues in the vein of "Give the People What They Want": jagged, abrasive hard rock.

The stabbing guitar and blaring synth of the opening title track set the tone for the rest of the album: harsh and bleak. Between anthemic choruses, Ray Davies paints a picture of a life falling apart one step at a time. Other standout tracks include the stark ballad "Property" and the upbeat, sentimental "Heart of Gold" which almost sounds like it belongs on an entirely different record. The album climaxes with the driving "Cliches of the World," a compellingly bizarre alien abduction fantasy, before finishing out with the retro stomper "Bernadette" featuring great tag-team vocals from both Davies brothers.

A couple of unappealing tracks ("Labour of Love," "Young Conservatives") keep "SOC" from reaching the level of "GTPWTW" and "Word of Mouth," but it's still a solid '80s offering from the Kinks. Recommended.

I can't credibly speak for the Kinks' early output, but regardless, this is one great album. I have waited for a long time to find it on CD, since my cassette has basically died. This CD and "Give The People What They Want" are to me the apex of the latter stage of the Kinks' career. The title track is one of my favorite songs ever.