THE KINKS Rock 'N Roll Fantasy NM Dutch 7" 45 SINGLE PS Holland PSYCH PROG ROCK

$

25

The Kinks:  Rock 'N Roll Fantasy b/w Artificial Light Original pressing from Holland, 7" single released on Arista, 5N 006N-61212 from 1977. Textured Sleeve. Unique Dutch only picture sleeve. Textured sleeve: EX Record: NM

"Rock & Roll Fantasy" was written by Ray Davies and is the fourth track on The Kinks 1978 release... Misfits. The song was written shortly after the death of Elvis Presley and at the time when Punk Rock was starting to influence and change the musical standard that had been present since the 60's... as we shall see.

"Rock & Roll Fantasy" centers around both an unknown neighbor and a fan known as Dan...and is a plea to the rest of the band to continue on in the face of this musical change the U.K. and the U.S. were experiencing at that time. We learn right from the very opening lines that this change will not affect The Kinks..."Hello you, hello me, hello people we used to be,isn't it strange, we never changed,we've been through it all yet we're still the same". Davies goes on to tell us that it has not been easy sticking together and the following lines most likely refer to his guitarist brother,Dave Davies,when he wanted to quit the band..."Hello me, hello you, you say you want out want to start anew, throw in your hand,break up the band, start a new life, be a new man,but for all we know, we might still have a way to go,before you go, there's something you ought to know". And what does Ray want his brother Dave to know...he lets him know about someone that lives nearby and how their music affects him.Thus the lines..."There's a guy in my block, he lives for rock, he plays records day and night,and when he feels down he puts some rock 'n' roll on, and it makes him feel all right, and when he feels the world is closing in he turns his stereo way up high"...and that is because their music allows him to escape from reality as "He just spends his life, living in a rock 'n' roll fantasy, he just spends his life living on the edge of reality". The Elvis reference in the song is found in the line..."The King is dead, rock is done". Still disgusted with the state of music, Ray reaches out to his brother once more."You might be through but I've just begun,I don't know, I feel free and I won't let go,before you go, there's something you ought to know"...This outreach and thing that Ray wants Dave to know is told through a character known as Dan the fan... "Dan is a fan and he lives for our music,it's the only thing that gets him by, he's watched us grow and he's seen our shows, he's seen us low and he's seen us high". I think the song ends with a moment of acceptance as we hear Davies say to us..."Dont' want to spend my life living in a rock 'n' roll fantasy, don't want to spend my life living on the edge of reality, don't want to waste my life hiding away anymore". It's almost like he does not want to live like the guy on his block or Dan the fan. That is to say hiding from where the new musical age is taking him. "Don't want to spend my life, living in a rock 'n' roll fantasy" is the final line of the song. Living in a fantasy or not, The Kinks have stood the test of time and were active from 1964 to 1996. Though not as popular as some of the other British Invasion bands, they are a classic act... and Ray Davies has given us some of the greatest music ever written.

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