In all seriousness, this may be The Kinks' absolute masterpiece.
"From the dew-soaked hedge creeps a crawly caterpillar/
When the dawn begins to crack/
It's all part of my autumn almanac"...
Come on, that opening lyric is so brilliantly evocative you don't even notice the record's great acoustic guitar riffs, the angelic harmonies and Ray's to-die-for vocal.
I should add that -- courtesy of my college radio station -- I owned a promo American 45 of the above song...
...which came out during the period, approximately from 1966 till the band had an out of left field hit with "Lola," when The Kinks couldn't get arrested commercial-success-wise in the States. And I used to play it obsessively.
And yeah, I still find it the most deeply moving rock record of its era. I mean, I can't think of another single by ANY of the major artists of its time that's better. I'm serious.
So there.
6 comments:
And a song that Andy Partridge cites as "one he wishes he wrote."
I knew I liked that guy.
that song makes this list - lots of other great ones too
https://ultimateclassicrock.com/fall-songs/
I like it but it's no "I Took My Baby Home" :-)
“Autumn Almanac” is total magic. It’s structure has always fascinated me. It starts at point A and musically never circles back. The lyrics create a visual movie for me to see as I sing along.
I remember when you were always turning me on to the latest Kinks’ single starting with “Set Me Free”! We always explored the B-sides in as great depth as the A-sides. The Kinks music of that era is some of the greatest music ever.
You were my Kinks guru! I knew there was a reason I liked you.
Captain Al
yes yes yes
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