A new 13-track collection of previously unreleased recordings by The Kinks’ lead guitarist, Dave Davies, will be released in October by Red River Entertainment. Titled Decade, the album consists of songs Davies wrote and recorded during a period when he was not contributing much new material to the Kinks’ albums, 1971-79.
Listen to “Cradle to the Grave,” the first song released from Decade, by scrolling to the bottom. The track was recorded in 1973.
According to a product description of the set, due Oct. 12 from Red River Entertainment, “Years prior to the issue of Dave’s first ‘proper’ solo album, 1980’s AFL1-3603, Dave was working on the fascinating tracks that make up this new compilation. The tapes were unearthed by his sons Simon and Martin from ‘under beds, in attics, in storage,’ and properly mixed and mastered in a way that lets these songs shimmer and shine even brighter than they did at inception.”
In a press release announcing the album, Davies said, “I am so pleased that after all this time these tracks are being released to see the light of day. These songs have been silently nagging at me to be recognized all these years. At last I can proudly present this album Decade to the world. I do hope you all enjoy the music.”
Pre-order it here.
Dave Davies (Photo by Steve Hockstein, used with permission)
Further details were revealed in an article published by ABC News Radio: “Musicians who contributed to the tracks include longtime Kinks drummer Mick Avory, who appears on a song called ‘If You Are Leaving.’ Dave’s nephew, Phil Palmer, a guitarist who’s worked with Dire Straits, Eric Clapton, Roger Daltrey and many others, also is featured on a few tracks. Decade ends with a song called ‘This Precious Time,’ a demo version of which appears on the 2001 compilation Fragile under the title Long Lonely Road.’”
Davies’ latest album, recorded with his son Russ, is called Open Road and was released in March 2017.
Related: Dave and brother Ray perform together in 2015
Both Dave and his older brother Ray Davies, the Kinks’ primary songwriter and vocalist, have hinted in recent months at the possibility of a Kinks reunion, only to then shoot down the rumors. In an interview earlier this year, Ray speaking of Dave and Avory, said, “Individually they’re both up for it. There’s a whole reservoir of songs we half-did in the ’70s and ’80s, so there’s material there—we wouldn’t just go out and play the hits…The trouble is, the two remaining members, my brother Dave and Mick, never got along very well. But I’ve made that work in the studio and it’s fired me up to make them play harder, and with fire. So if I can recapture those moments…”
Related: More on the Kinks reunion talk
Decade Track Listing
1. Cradle to the Grave
2. Midnight Sun
3. Islands
4. If You Are Leaving
5. Web of Time
6. Mystic Woman
7. Give You All My Love
8. The Journey
9. Within Each Day
10. Same Old Blues
11. Mr. Moon
12. Shadows
13. This Precious Time (Long Lonely Road)
Listen to the first track on the album, “Cradle to the Grave”
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3 Comments so far
Jump into a conversationI am really looking forward to listening to the decades album. All the best dave.Many thanks for all the great music.
Thanks Dave for all the great music.
Looking forward to Dave’s album. Some of the song titles sound familiar because Dave mentioned a few in interviews and I do have This Precious Time (Long Lonely Road) on a autographed copy of the Fragile album. I more or less hope/think the album will reflect Dave’s sound evolve from folky in the early seventies to the hardrock still The Kinks adopted in the late seventies.