Soap Opera (album)
| Untitled | |
|---|---|
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| Allmusic |   [1] |
| Blender | [2] |
| Robert Christgau | C+[3] |
| Rolling Stone | (unfavourable)[4] |
Soap Opera or The Kinks Present a Soap Opera is a 1975 concept album by The Kinks. It is the thirteenth studio album by The Kinks.
Development
The material was initially developed for a Granada TV live teleplay in 1974, which was broadcast under the title Star Maker, starring Ray Davies and June Ritchie as the leads, with the Kinks providing live accompaniment. A Soap Opera adapted the same songs and plot to an audio presentation, with Ritchie in the same role. Plans for a full-scale theatrical tour were not realized, but the Kinks, with their extended mid-70s lineup, did perform the entire album on tour in 1975. Though the album was not well-received, Dave Thompson, reviewing an unofficial bootleg recording, called the live presentation "a revelation". [5]
Plot
It tells the story of a musician named Starmaker who changes places with an "ordinary man" named Norman in order to better understand life. The album is the third concept album in the band's "theatrical period". Starmaker goes to bed with Norman's wife Andrea and then goes to work the next day, getting caught in the rush hour. He works 9 to 5, then goes down to the bar for a few drinks before making his way home. He then is greeted by Andrea whom he tells is "making it all worthwhile". By this point Starmaker has lost his grip on reality, he doesn't know who he is anymore. In the end he settles down with Andrea, accepting that he is now just "a face in the crowd". The album finishes by saying that although rock stars may fade, their music lives on.
The Starmaker is a parallel exaggeration of Ray Davies, he would often use his name in the stage version on Soap Opera and perform previous top Kinks songs as examples of his work as a star to explain that he is not Norman. [5]
Tributes
In 1994 Moog Konttinen recorded a Finnish translation of the album as Saippuaooppera.[6]
Track listing
All tracks are written by Ray Davies
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Everybody's a Star (Starmaker)" | 2:57 |
| 2. | "Ordinary People" | 3:49 |
| 3. | "Rush Hour Blues" | 4:27 |
| 4. | "Nine to Five" | 1:48 |
| 5. | "When Work Is Over" | 2:06 |
| 6. | "Have Another Drink" | 2:41 |
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Underneath the Neon Sign" | 3:53 |
| 2. | "Holiday Romance" | 3:10 |
| 3. | "You Make It All Worthwhile" | 3:49 |
| 4. | "Ducks on the Wall" | 3:20 |
| 5. | "(A) Face in the Crowd" | 2:17 |
| 6. | "You Can't Stop the Music" | 3:12 |
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 13. | "Everybody's a Star (Starmaker)" (single version) | 2:54 |
| 14. | "Ordinary People" (live) | 3:44 |
| 15. | "You Make It All Worthwhile" (live) | 4:17 |
| 16. | "Underneath the Neon Sign" (live) | 4:05 |
Personnel
- Ray Davies - vocals, guitar
- Dave Davies - guitar, vocals
- John Dalton - bass
- John Gosling - keyboards
- Mick Avory - drums
- June Ritchie - vocals of "Andrea" ("Norman"'s wife)
References
- ^ Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. "The Kinks Present a Soap Opera > Review" at AllMusic. Retrieved 12 November 2011.
- ^ [1][dead link]
- ^ Christgau, Robert. "The Kinks". RobertChristgau.com. Retrieved 12 November 2011.
- ^ Mendelsohn, John (3 July 1975). "The Kinks: A Soap Opera". Rolling Stone (RS 190). Straight Arrow. ISSN 0035-791X. Archived from the original on 2 October 2007.
- ^ a b Thompson, Dave. "Norman: a Soap Opera Review>" at AllMusic. Retrieved 1 November 2014.
- ^ "Moog Konttinen - discografia / soololevyt". Perunamaa.net. Retrieved 13 June 2014.
External links
- Kinks, The – Soap Opera at Discogs (list of releases)
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