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The only kinks I saw were in my neck

Posted by (Eugene, OR) on

I did a search before posting this for the kinks and thus the subject line…

I am reading the novel The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry and as I was reading it I was thinking of the music to The Kinks Are the Village Green Preservation Society, which according to the always accurate Wikipedia is a "concept album lamenting the passing of old-fashioned English traditions."

There was a period where The Kinks put out a number of albums themed on English village life. The Kinks Are the Village Green Preservation Society is my favorite and got 5 stars from both me and Rolling Stone magazine. Out of a possible 4 stars. They also had Something Else, which was rife with imagery of English villages. In addition they had a songs called Willesden Green and Autumn Almanac that stand out as songs that fills me with envy to live in a time and English village most likely fictional but highly romantic.

Probably the Kinks and Monty Python did more to stoke my love of England than anything else.

This may not resonate with others, but I wonder if there is music out there that also paints that type of picture for you out there.

I probably won't visit England until sometime next year, but may learn some new music to check out while I wait!

Posted by
2775 posts

Just wanted to tell you that I loved the book....The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry...hope you are enjoying it.

Posted by
3428 posts

"English Sunset" by the Moody Blues totally captures the essence of riding an English train in the afternoon/evening. It also is a good commentary on English 'philosophy of life'. Whenever I listen to it, it immediately takes me back... riding the train back from Cardiff Wales to London ... or York to London....... wish I were there now.

Posted by
4044 posts

Joe Jackson's Down to London catches the tone of the 1980s urge to escape to the big city. We Gotta Get Out of this Place, while not naming Newcastle-upon-Tyne, captures Eric Burdon and the Animals' restlessness. And Gerry and the Pacemakers' Ferry Cross the Mercy remains an anthem for Liverpool Football Club, which can be sampled here http://ca.video.search.yahoo.com/search/video;_ylt=A0geuzQeANxSYC0AmdTrFAx.;_ylu=X3oDMTB2ODFidjJiBHNlYwNzYwRjb2xvA2FjMgR2dGlkA01TWUNBMDFfNzQ-?p=liverpool+fc+and+ferry+cross+the+mercy
None of those are new, and indeed, music about Britain tends towards the nostalgic. That patriotism, or longing for the days of Empire, can be enjoyed in the YouTube videos from the annual Proms at the Albert Hall. There are lots of them, usually light-hearted. Look for the Ukulele Orchestra of Great Britain as an example.

Posted by
5516 posts

There are so many great songs about England, but these are a few that always make me think of England.

"Cathedral" by Crosby, Stills, and Nash - I still haven't been to Winchester Cathedral (it is on the list), but I know the second I walk into the cathedral, this song will be running through my head.

"Jerusalem" - I get a picture of people singing at the proms in my head.

"Werewolves of London" by Warren Zevon - I always picture Soho in the rain :) ... pretty literal

"Portobello Belle" by Dire Straits - makes me think of the Portobello Market stalls. Also "Wild West End"

"Lady Jane" by the Rolling Stones - I picture the Tower of London

Posted by
3757 posts

"Jerusalem" Have always loved that! Good one, Laura.

"Nimrod" by Sir Edward Elgar. It's very dignified and somehow captures the grandeur of the history, palaces, and villages of England, and of London.

"Waterloo Sunset", The Kinks.

"Penny Lane"-Lennon and McCartney's nostalgic look back at the neighborhood where Lennon lived as a child in Liverpool. McCartney and Lennon would meet at Penny Lane to catch a bus into the city. They describe someone "selling poppies from a tray" and "the shelter in the middle of the roundabout", memories of what it looked like in their youth; the 1950's. It paints a picture of what it looked like and felt like back then, which is what I love about it.

Posted by
2349 posts

Mark Knopfler has too many songs about England and Scotland to count, but "Fare Thee Well, Northumberland" and one of my current faves, "Yon Two Crows" both stand out.

I'll agree with CSN's "Cathedral".

And then there's the Clash. "London Calling".

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