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 Pete Quaife 31st December 1943 to June 23rd 2010 RIP
I have received many emails and telephone calls by very kind people wishing to donate to Pete's memorial donations.
The donations will be used firstly for Pete’s funeral costs, wake and gravestone. We are expecting a considerable amount of mourners. As Pete's partner Elisabeth will be excluded from any inheritance (not married) I think it also appropriate to donate an amount to lessen her burdens she will undergo from losing Pete - her sweetheart and loved one for many years. Elisabeth has supported Pete through many a difficult times, not the least the special care and love she gave Pete with his regular dialysis sessions 3 times a week, and the loving, nursing care during the last days of dear Pete's life. The monies over will be donated to an applicable, registered Dialysis research fund.
LATEST NEWS: June 2010 News - Ray will be playing the main stage at Glastonbury this year at 4:00 on Sunday the 27th with his band and the Crouch End Festival Chorus, it will be broadcast in part on the BBC as well as BBC6 and the web This is likely to be his last performance for quite some time with the chorus so be sure not to miss it
May 2010 News - Ray played his first show at the Sage - Gateshead last night from his first solo UK tour in four years. His touring band this time around features Bill Shanley, Ian Gibbons, Dick Nolan and Damon Wilson. The band will be performing songs from Ray's best of his solo years album 'Collected' as well as Kinks classics and some Kinks songs like 'David Watts' and 'The Hardway' that have not been played live in the UK for a long time. Ray will also be performing a very special series of two concerts in Denmark this summer with a full choir and orchestra as well as his first Paris show in many years. Work is still underway with the Arthur and Something Else deluxe editions and all the RCA/Arista cds will be made available this year in Europe for the first time not on import.
February 2010 News - After a year of diverse performances including sixty piece choirs and band gigs, Ray's new US tour will be an acoustic two piece highlighting Ray's songwriting over the last four decades. The show will feature some hidden gems, alongside new tracks from his last few solo albums, the classics and some unplayed tracks. Ray will be joined onstage with his guitarist, Bill Shanley, getting back to the basics of the song. All the US dates are here (put link) with some of them already sold out so please book as soon as possible to avoid disappointment. Most of the US dates will be supported by the band The 88.
 To give you a better idea of how the US dates will sound we will be posting some videos of Ray and Bill Shanley performing live in the studio in the Sound & Vision section over the next few days. (...update. These videos are now online - click here) These videos were taken from the two part Sky Arts 'Songbook' program Ray recorded last year. This is one of the most interesting programs about Ray around, it goes into depth about how he wrote many of his songs and features the choir on a few of the numbers.
After the US tour Ray will follow it with his largest UK tour in many years, these dates will feature the full band but no choir. Again Ray will be pulling out tracks he has not played in years. The dates will continue into Europe over the summer with some very unique shows we will have news on in a few weeks.
Look for a new feature about Ray in the upcoming Spin Magazine as well as some new links on the press section of the site.
Ray recently flew out to the States and recorded the Kinks "Better Things" with Bruce Springsteen and "Celluloid Heroes" with Bon Jovi for his new collaborations album. Last year Ray recorded tracks with Alex Chilton (Big Star) and Lucinda Williams at Konk and will be finishing these off in the coming months. We've got a long list of established and new artists from both sides of the Atlantic for the project which Ray will be recording with over the next three to five months. Universal hopes to get the album out the end of this year or beginning of next.
Most of the Kinks 70s-80s RCA and Arista back catalogue will finally see a release this and next year on Universal Europe as well as some re-releases in the States. Previously these have only been available as expensive Koch imports from the US, the new editions will feature some new mixes by Ray. We should have tracklistings in the next month for the 'Arthur' and 'Something Else' deluxe double cd editions which will feature stereo/mono versions, different mixes, singles, b-sides etc.
The US and UK tour shirts are instock at the store as well as the new version of the choral album featuring Chrissie Hynde dueting on a new Ray Davies original 'Postcard from London'. If you dont see it one day please check back the next.
 December 2009 - News:
It's been a very busy last year for Ray, seeing the release of two albums "The Kinks Choral Collection" and "Ray Davies Collected"."The Kinks Choral Collection" was Ray's highest charting new album in the UK since Face to Face in 1966.  Ray is just finishing up his UK tour now which features his last shows here with the Crouch End Festival Chorus. We hope to have some audio of some of these shows up on the site soon.The new year will be seeing the release of deluxe editions of some of the Kinks best works with tons of extra tracks, included in this will be Arthur, Lola vs The Powerman and Something Else. A new movie about the Kinks by Julien Temple (Sex Pistols, Joe Strummer) is also currently in the works.
We're adding in new shirts to the merch section from the current US/UK tour and will be announcing more dates for the Spring very soon. We will also have new merchandise items early next year so please check back soon.
We will have news on Ray's new collaborations album which will feature Ray along side new and established acts which Ray has picked. So far we have a list of names we are working towards and will be breaking the news of some of these in the new year.
Last and not least, we will be seeing regular updates on the site including some older unreleased video footage
 May 2009: Now the curtain rises on Ray's debut album for Decca, The Kinks Choral Collection, on which he has hand-picked a selection of songs from his compendious repertoire and arranged them for his band and choir. And not just any old choir. Davies fans will be aware that, wherever else his career has taken him, he has always remained rooted in his native north London. Therefore the only logical choice for this Muswell Hillbilly boy's new album was the Crouch End Festival Chorus.
"With a song like Waterloo Sunset, I feel as if the people I wrote it for are singing it, and that's what's interesting," he says. "I know some of the singers in the choir, though not all, but as a group I imagine them all living in north London, and they are my subject matter as well as the people singing it. There's some sort of symmetry there." The disc was recorded locally too, with the sessions divided between Konk studios and Air Lyndhurst in not-too-distant Hampstead.
The seed of the new album was planted when Davies was asked to perform at the BBC Electric Proms at the Roundhouse in 2007, around the time of the release of ‘Working Man's Café'. He'd first met choirmaster David Temple when he conducted the 80-piece choir used in Davies' ‘Flatlands' piece (a commission from the Norwich and Norfolk Festival). He bumped into Temple again in Highgate, where he was conducting the Crouch End Chorus in a local church, and hit upon the idea of using the Chorus for his Electric Proms appearance. This worked so well that they reunited for two performances at the Hampton Court Festival last summer, and then inevitably the discussion turned to capturing Davies and choir on disc.
Davies had his own conception of how each song would work with the choir, but Temple played a vital role in shaping and interpreting his wishes.
"My first brief to David and (arranger) Steve Markwick, regarding the arranging, was ‘I don't want this to be (a) a karaoke record or (b) a singalong with backing vocals'. I wanted the arrangements to be ambitious and for the pieces to be interesting to sing, but I didn't want it to sound like Messiaen or something like that, which wouldn't lend itself to my style of music. Something David taught me very early on was that a choir sounds great when it's a choir, and there's a certain kind of ambience you have to retain. Otherwise it'll just sound like a doowop group."
The finished tracks display an ingenious palette of choral techniques, from the tricky tempo changes and contrasting parts of ‘Shangri-La' to the minimalist, Steve Reich-like "ah-ah-ah" sounds in ‘You Really Got Me'. One of the most instantly striking efforts is the acapella treatment of ‘See My Friends'. "I started ‘See My Friends' with a band, but I rearranged it after we'd finished recording it," he recalls. "In other words, I cut it up in the studio after it was recorded. It sounds brilliant! I'm really pleased with it, because it's an acapella version."
The selection of six songs from the Village Green album is testament to how highly he regards that particular album, though he admits that some of the songs are not well known.
"I think these songs fit together really well as a record," Davies says. "I couldn't re-record anything unless I could bring something new to it, and I think I certainly have."
Ray will be playing some shows in the UK this June. The first will be at the Grange Park Opera House in Hampshire on June 22nd there are just a few tickets left for this show.
On Saturday night (27th June) Ray will be performing with the Crouch End festival Chorus and his touring band at Kenwood House, Hampstead Heath, London. Hampstead Heath has special significance to Kinks fans as it is near to the brothers boyhood home, the photo session for "Village Green Preservation Society" was taken there and the bands earliest promos were shot there. For people coming outside of London, Kenwood House is in the North of the city's biggest park, the concert is outside and followed by a fireworks display. You can bring you picnic and eat on the grass or sit in the front stalls, details can be found here soon. In the coming months we shall also have details on more shows including a European tour.
Ray is in the middle of recording his new Choral album of Kinks & solo songs with the 65 piece Crouch End Festival Chorus. He has been working on this project since mid 2007 when he first met up with the Chorus for the BBC proms and then returned for two packed shows at the Hampton Court Palace last June. Ray, his band and Chorus went into AIR studio earlier this year and he is in the final stages of recording the album for a June release on Universal. The album release will be followed by a few live shows with the Chorus which we shall be posting shortly. The album will feature fifteen tracks including Shangri-La, Days, Working Man's Cafe, See My Friends, You Really Got Me and a Village Green suite. The Chorus and band are arranged by Ray Davies and Steve Markwick under the direction of David Temple.
Just last month Ray won the What's On Stage Award by a landslide for 'Best Off West End Musical' for "Come Dancing". Ray was there to collect the award and we will soon have news about where the musical will be playing next. Ray would like to thank everybody for voting and supporting the musical.
Ray will be doing a few readings followed by a Q&A at the Laugharne Festival in Wales on Saturday April 3. The first reading with take place in the home of Dylan Thomas where Thomas composed "Under Milk Wood". The second will be in the town's castle followed by a question & answer section. Other speakers at the festival will include Topper Headon, Mick Jones of the Clash, Patti Smith, Shirly Collins as well as over thirty authors including Irvine Welsh (Trainspotting). This festival is very intimate in the sleepy seaside village so tickets will go fast for all events, more information about accomodation and tickets can be found here
 The Kinks - Picture Book box Set to be released in the UK December 8th.
This site will be taking pre-orders on the box set soon as well as running a special contest which will be exclusive to the websites and not on Amazon.
This is the first ever Kinks box set in the bands 40 year plus history. It
has been compiled with the supervision of Ray Davies and contains 138 tracks spread
across 6 CD's. There are many unreleased tracks, alternative takes and demos for the hardcore fans as well as all of the Kinks classics. It includes material never released outside of the UK and up to the bands break-up in the mid nineties.
The six cds are housed in a heavy lift lid classic style box with a 60 page booklet featuring a intro by Ray Davies as well as interviews with Ray, Dave and Mick and a full retelling of the Kinks story penned by esteemed rock critic Peter Doggett. It also contacts a full official time line and discography.
We also plan to have new merchandise for the box set including mugs and shirts so check back soon.
Track Listing:
Disc 1 -
1. Brian Matthew Introduces The Kinks
2. You Really Got Me
3. I'm A Hog For You Baby (Boll-Weevils unreleased demo)
4. I Believed You (Boll-Weevills demo)
5. Long Tall Sally
6. I Don't Need You Anymore
7. Stop Your Sobbing
8. I Gotta Move
9. Don't Ever Let Me Go (unreleased)
10. All Day And All Of The Night
11. Tired Of Waiting For You
12. Come On Now Outake (with false start)
13. There Is A New World Opening For Me (Kassner Publishing unreleased demo)
14. Everybody's Gonna Be Happy
15. Who'll Be The Next In Line
16. Time Will Tell
17. Set Me Free
18. I Need You
19. See My Friend
20. Wait Till The Summer Comes Along
21. I Go To Sleep (demo)
22. A Little Bit Of Sunlight (Kassner Publishing unreleased demo)
23. This I Know (unreleased demo)
24. A Well Respected Man
25. This Strange Effect (BBC session)
26. Milk Cow Blues
27. Ring The Bells
28. I'm On An Island
29. Till The End Of The Day
30. Where Have All The Good Times Gone
31. All Night Stand (unreleased demo)
32. And I Will Love You (unreleased)
33. Sittin' On My Sofa
Disc 2
1. Dedicated Follower Of Fashion (alternate stereo take)
2. She's Got Everything
3. Mr. Reporter (unreleased Ray vocal)
4. Sunny Afternoon
5. I'm Not Like Everybody Else
6. This Is Where I Belong
7. Rosie Won't You Please Come Home
8. Too Much On My Mind
9. Session Man
10. End Of The Season
11. Dead End Street (unreleased 1966 Shel Talmy version)
12. Village Green
13. Two Sisters
14. David Watts
15. Mr. Pleasant
16. Waterloo Sunset (mono mix)
17. Death Of A Clown
18. Lavender Hill
19. Good Luck Charm (unreleased BBC recording)
20. Autumn Almanac
21. Susannah's Still Alive
22. Animal Farm
23. Rosemary Rose
24. Berkeley Mews
25. Lincoln County
26. Picture Book
27. Days
28. Misty Water
Disc 3
1. Love Me Till The Sun Shines (BBC session)
2. The Village Green Preservation Society
3. Big Sky
4. King Kong
5. Drivin'
6. Some Mother's Son
7. Victoria
8. Shangri-La
9. Arthur
10. Got To Be Free
11. Lola Mono Single Version
12. Get Back In The Line
13. The Moneygoround
14. Strangers
15. Apeman
16. God's Children
17. The Way Love Used To Be
18. Moments
19. Muswell Hillbilly
20. Oklahoma USA
21. Twentieth Century Man
22. Here Come The People In Grey
Disc 4
1. Skin And Bone
2. Alcohol (live)
3. Celluloid Heroes
4. Sitting in My Hotel
5. Supersonic Rocket Ship
6. You Don't Know My Name
7. One Of The Survivors
8. Sitting In The Midday Sun
9. Sweet Lady Genevieve
10. Daylight
11. Mirror Of Love
12. Artificial Man
13. Preservation (US single version)
14. Slum Kids (Live)
15. Holiday Romance
16. Face In The Crowd
17. No More Looking Back
18. Sleepwalker
19. The Poseur
Disc 5
1. Sleepless Night
2. Father Christmas
3. Misfits
4. A Rock 'N Roll Fantasy
5. Little Bit Of Emotion
6. Attitude
7. Hidden Quality (unreleased)
8. A Gallon of Gas (unreleased edit)
9. Catch Me Now I'm Falling
10. Nuclear Love (unreleased)
11. Duke (unreleased)
12. Maybe I Love You (unreleased)
13. Stolen Away Your Heart (unreleased)
14. Low Budget (live)
15. Better Things
16. Destroyer
17. Yo-Yo
18. Art Lover (unreleased mix)
19. Long Distance
Disc 6
1. Heart of Gold
2. Come Dancing (unreleased demo mix)
3. State Of Confusion
4. Do It Again
5. Living On A Thin Line
6. Summer's Gone (extended mix)
7. How Are You
8. The Road
9. Million Pound Semi Detached
10. Down All The Days (To 1992)
11. The Informer
12. Phobia
13. Only A Dream
14. Drift Away
15. Scattered
16. Do You Remember Walter (To The Bone live version)
17. To The Bone (unreleased demo)
Come Dancing
 We are proud to present Ray Davies' new musical workshop production ‘Come Dancing', a
culmination of many years of development. ‘Come Dancing' follows his cast of characters
through the late-50s and centres around the local Palais, a dance hall during its heyday. The
musical has a cast of 13, plus a live band, with Ray narrating the story live, much like he did
in his Storyteller series back in the mid-90s. The show will be set to the Kinks' classic title
track ‘Come Dancing', alongside 20 new compositions by Ray. Come Dancing is directed by
Kerry Michael who has been Artistic Director at Theatre Royal since 2004.
Theatre Royal Stratford East was specifically chosen as Ilford Palais is just a few miles away. Ray has a history with the theatre dating back to the 70s when he first started working with its then artistic director Joan Littlewood. Founded in 1884, the theatre had fallen into a dilapidated state when Littlewood came to its rescue in 1945. Re-launched as a ‘peoples' theatre' under her direction, Theatre Royal put on low-budget productions – called workshops – original plays and musicals, which were affordable to the public.
 The peoples' theatre soon became a launch pad for theatrical talent, with many workshops
transferring to West End and Broadway where they were turned into full-scale productions,
and Theatre Royal won international acclaim, with the Grande Prix du Festival award for
‘Oh What A Lovely War' in 1963. Joan Littlewood resigned in the late 70s, handing over the
450-seater theatre – now a grade II listed building - to her assistant Philip Hedley. It was
during this time that Ray was to develop and stage his musical ‘Chorus Girls' at Stratford East,
as well as contributing songs to other productions put on by the Theatre. While Theatre Royal is still seen as a peoples' theatre it has dropped the workshop tag
from its shows and developed several of its own full-scale productions over the past 10 years,
with many going on to become West End hits, including ‘Five Guys Named Mo' and most
recently ‘The Harder They Come'.
Come Dancing - story by Ray Davies. Book by Ray Davies and Paul Sirett. Music and lyrics
by Ray Davies. The show will be running from 13th Sep – 8th Nov 08
The theatre is accessible from Stratford train station which is just around the corner and is served by two tube lines as well as many trains getting you into the West End of London in under 10 minutes as well as links to the rest of the country. There is an Ibis Hotel and Holiday Inn Express just a few minutes away if you are travelling from afar). Tickets for the performances are available here or by calling 0208-534-0310
JUNE 22 2008
 Welcome to the newly launched Ray Davies website. We will be doing our best to keep you up to date with all the new shows, release information, and what Ray is up to in the coming year.
 Ray just played to two outstanding nights at the Hampton Court Palace with his band and the Crouch End Festival Chorus, we have a few exclusive t-shirts left for this event for sale in the webstore. The shows featured an electric full band set followed by a set with the band and choir. Hopefully Ray will be able to perform this again in the next year or so. In celebration of The Village Green Preservation Society's 40 anniversary Ray performed a suite with six songs from the album, beautifully arranged specifically for the choir.
Set list for Hampton Court on June 19th and 20th
1) I'm Not Like Everybody Else
2) Where Have All The Good Times Gone
3) 'Til The End Of The Day
4) After The Fall
5) Well Respected Man
6) Sunny Afternoon
7) Working Man's Cafe
8) One More Time
9) Come Dancing
10) Tired Of Waiting
11) Celluloid Heroes
12) Dedicated Follower Of Fashion (Crouch End Festival Chorus starts)
13) Shangri-La
14) Village Green
15) Picture Book
16) Big Sky
17) Do you Remember Walter
18) Johnny Thunder
19) Village Green Preservation Society
20) Waterloo Sunset
21) Victoria
22) Days
23) All Day And All Of The Night
 Ray's new album "Working Man's Café" is out now on New West in North America with the first version containing an extra four tracks
1.Angola
2. I, The Victim (from upcoming Ripper project)
3.Vietnam Cowboys (demo)
4. The Voodoo Walk (demo)
The deluxe version contains the above cd as well as an extra DVD featuring footage Ray shot shortly after 9-11 interspliced with some live tracks all in an eco friendly package. "Working Man's Cafe" is also available in the original twelve track V2 package on our site as well as heavy weight vinyl. The brand new store will also have three t-shirts designs and a ton of other cds. We will be getting a lot more product in the coming months as well as re-launching Konk Records which will feature old treasures drawn out of the Kinks and Ray Davies vaults.
Towards the end of this year and beginning of next Ray will be out on the road again supporting "Working Man's Cafe" on tour. He already has some new dates announced in Canada and the US West Coast which will feature Ray and his guitarist Bill Shanley playing together. Please check out the tour dates section for more info here.
We will also be featuring a blog by Ray which will be updated regularly so please check back soon. |
