Live at Kelvin Hall
Encyclopedia
Live at Kelvin Hall is a 1967/68 live album
by British rock
group The Kinks
. It was recorded at Kelvin Hall
in Glasgow, Scotland, in early 1967. The album was released in August 1967 in the US (as The Live Kinks), and January 1968 in the UK. Live at Kelvin Hall received mixed reviews upon release, and sold poorly.
The album was first re-released on CD in 1987.
The Kinks played two sets in the Scene '67 Theatre inside Kelvin Hall on April 1, 1967; one at 6:30 and the other at 9:30 pm, with the bands Sounds Incorporated
and The Fortunes
opening. The entire concert was recorded on a 4-track Pye Mobile Recording Unit owned by the group's label, Pye Records
. The Kinks' set was the finale of a ten-day teen music-festival, sponsored by a local discotheque club and The Daily Record
, a Glasgow newspaper.
On April 3, post-production was underway for the scheduled live album. The group also took part in sessions to "enhance" the recordings—writer Andy Miller notes that ...Kelvin Hall "is perhaps not as live as all that. Sessions were undertaken to 'sweeten' the original tapes. Close listening seems to reveal that the audience hysteria is an extended, repeating tape loop
." It is also notable that an entire fourth of the 4-track mix was devoted to the crowd's screams and yells. Doug Hinman, in his 2004 book All Day And All Of The Night, also states that "it appears that overdubs [were] made (noticeable ... on the released album's guitar solo on 'Till The End Of The Day', and the differing guitar solos between the mono and stereo mixes of 'You Really Got Me')." A press release followed on the same day, announcing that a live album was scheduled for future release.
charts, during a four week run. The album fared no better in the UK; upon release in January 1968 as Live at Kelvin Hall, it received only moderate advertising and mixed reviews. New Musical Express: "... at Glasgow The Kinks had every encouragement to give a good show and what you can hear above the audience noise is good. I don't know if I like a backing of whistles and screams." Live at Kelvin Hall failed to chart.
Side one
Side two
Live album
A live album is a recording consisting of material recorded during stage performances using remote recording techniques, commonly contrasted with a studio album...
by British rock
British rock
British rock describes a wide variety of forms of music made in the United Kingdom. Since around 1964, with the "British Invasion" of the United States spearheaded by The Beatles, British rock music has had a considerable impact on the development of American music and rock music across the...
group The Kinks
The Kinks
The Kinks were an English rock band formed in Muswell Hill, North London, by brothers Ray and Dave Davies in 1964. Categorised in the United States as a British Invasion band, The Kinks are recognised as one of the most important and influential rock acts of the era. Their music was influenced by a...
. It was recorded at Kelvin Hall
Kelvin Hall
The Kelvin Hall in Glasgow, Scotland, is a mixed-use arts and sports venue that opened as an exhibition centre in 1927. It has been a music hall, indoor arena and barrage balloon factory, and is currently home to the Kelvin Hall International Sports Arena and from 1987 to 2010, Glasgow's Museum of...
in Glasgow, Scotland, in early 1967. The album was released in August 1967 in the US (as The Live Kinks), and January 1968 in the UK. Live at Kelvin Hall received mixed reviews upon release, and sold poorly.
The album was first re-released on CD in 1987.
Recording
Sounds Incorporated
Sounds Incorporated, later known as Sounds Inc., were a British instrumental pop group who recorded extensively in the 1960s.-Career:The group formed in 1961, in Dartford, Kent, and gained a local reputation in nearby South London for the fullness of their saxophone-led instrumental sound...
and The Fortunes
The Fortunes
The Fortunes are an English harmony beat group. Formed in Birmingham, The Fortunes first came to prominence and international acclaim in 1965, when "You've Got Your Troubles" broke into the US and UK Top 10s...
opening. The entire concert was recorded on a 4-track Pye Mobile Recording Unit owned by the group's label, Pye Records
Pye Records
Pye Records was a British record label. In its first incarnation, perhaps Pye's best known artists were Lonnie Donegan , Petula Clark , The Searchers , The Kinks , Sandie Shaw and Brotherhood of Man...
. The Kinks' set was the finale of a ten-day teen music-festival, sponsored by a local discotheque club and The Daily Record
Daily Record (Scotland)
The Daily Record is a Scottish tabloid newspaper based in Glasgow. It had been the best-selling daily paper in Scotland for many years with a paid circulation in August 2011 of 307,794 . It is now outsold by its arch-rival the Scottish Sun which in September 2010 had a circulation of 339,586 in...
, a Glasgow newspaper.
On April 3, post-production was underway for the scheduled live album. The group also took part in sessions to "enhance" the recordings—writer Andy Miller notes that ...Kelvin Hall "is perhaps not as live as all that. Sessions were undertaken to 'sweeten' the original tapes. Close listening seems to reveal that the audience hysteria is an extended, repeating tape loop
Tape loop
In music, tape loops are loops of prerecorded magnetic tape used to create repetitive, rhythmic musical patterns or dense layers of sound. Contemporary composers such as Steve Reich and Karlheinz Stockhausen used tape loops to create phase patterns and rhythms...
." It is also notable that an entire fourth of the 4-track mix was devoted to the crowd's screams and yells. Doug Hinman, in his 2004 book All Day And All Of The Night, also states that "it appears that overdubs [were] made (noticeable ... on the released album's guitar solo on 'Till The End Of The Day', and the differing guitar solos between the mono and stereo mixes of 'You Really Got Me')." A press release followed on the same day, announcing that a live album was scheduled for future release.
Release and reception
Live at Kelvin Hall was released in the US as The Live Kinks on August 16, 1967, where it went virtually unnoticed. It stalled at number 162 in the BillboardBillboard (magazine)
Billboard is a weekly American magazine devoted to the music industry, and is one of the oldest trade magazines in the world. It maintains several internationally recognized music charts that track the most popular songs and albums in various categories on a weekly basis...
charts, during a four week run. The album fared no better in the UK; upon release in January 1968 as Live at Kelvin Hall, it received only moderate advertising and mixed reviews. New Musical Express: "... at Glasgow The Kinks had every encouragement to give a good show and what you can hear above the audience noise is good. I don't know if I like a backing of whistles and screams." Live at Kelvin Hall failed to chart.
Charts
| Year | Billboard Billboard (magazine) Billboard is a weekly American magazine devoted to the music industry, and is one of the oldest trade magazines in the world. It maintains several internationally recognized music charts that track the most popular songs and albums in various categories on a weekly basis... | Cash Box | Record Retailer Record Retailer Record Retailer was a trade newspaper for the UK record industry. It was founded in August 1959 as a monthly newspaper covering both labels and dealers. Its founding editor was Roy Parker... |
|
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1967 | #162 | #83 | #96 | |
| All charts per Hinman, p. 103 and Dave Emlen | ||||
Track listing
All songs by Ray Davies, except where notedSide one
- "Till the End of the DayTill the End of the Day"Till the End of the Day" is a song by The Kinks, written by Ray Davies and released as a single in 1965 and later on their album The Kink Kontroversy. It centres around a power chord, like many of the group's early hits, and was similarly successful, reaching no. 8 in the UK and no...
" – 3:20 - "A Well Respected ManA Well Respected Man"A Well Respected Man" is a song by the British band The Kinks, written by the group's lead singer and rhythm guitarist Ray Davies, and originally released on the U.K. EP Kwyet Kinks in September 1965 . It was released as a single in the U.S. during October of that same year and reached #13...
"* – 3:12 - "You're Lookin' Fine" – 3:28
- "Sunny AfternoonSunny Afternoon"Sunny Afternoon" is a song by The Kinks, written by chief songwriter Ray Davies. Like its contemporary "Taxman" by The Beatles, the song references the high levels of progressive tax taken by the British Labour government of Harold Wilson. The track later featured on the Face to Face album as well...
" – 4:40 - "DandyDandy (song)"Dandy" is a 1966 song from The Kinks, appearing on their Face to Face album. It was released as a single in Continental Europe only, where it charted, reaching #1 in Germany, #2 in Belgium and #3 in the Netherlands...
" – 2:06
Side two
- "I'm On An Island" – 2:53
- "Come On Now" – 3:02
- "You Really Got Me" – 2:13
- Medley – 8:53
-
-
- "Milk Cow Blues" (J. Estes)
- "Batman Theme" (N. Hefti)
- "Tired of Waiting for YouTired of Waiting for You"Tired of Waiting for You" was a hit 1965 rock song by the English band The Kinks. It reached #1 on the UK Singles Chart and #6 in the USA. It was recorded late August 1964 at Pye Studios , London, with additional guitar overdub at IBC Studios, London on 29 December 1964. "Come On Now" was recorded...
"
-
Personnel
- Ray DaviesRay DaviesRay Davies, CBE is an English rock musician. He is best known as lead singer and songwriter for the Kinks, which he led with his younger brother, Dave...
: lead vocal, acoustic guitar, electric guitar, "musical arranger" (producer) - Dave DaviesDave DaviesDavid Russell Gordon "Dave" Davies is an English rock musician best known for his role as lead guitarist and vocalist for the English rock band The Kinks....
: co-lead vocal on Medley, "Well Respected Man"; lead vocal on "You're Looking Fine", "Come On Now". Lead electric guitar - Pete QuaifePete QuaifePeter Alexander Greenlaw "Pete" Quaife was an English musician, artist and author. He was a founding member and the original bass guitarist for The Kinks, from 1963 until 1969....
: bass guitar - Mick AvoryMick AvoryMichael Charles "Mick" Avory is an English musician, best known as the longtime drummer and percussionist for the British rock band, The Kinks, joining them shortly after their formation in 1964 and remaining with them until 1984, when he left amid creative friction with guitarist Dave Davies...
: drums - Alan MacKenzie: chief engineer; Alan O'Duffy and Vic MaileVic MaileVic Maile was a British record producer. After starting his career as sound engineer with Pye mobile studios for The Animals on their song, "We Gotta Get out of This Place", Maile worked with some of the biggest names in the music industry, such as Jimi Hendrix, Led Zeppelin, Eric Clapton, The...
assistants