The Kinks - 1977-02-18 - Santa Monica, CA

The Kinks
1977-02-18 (late show)
Civic Auditorium, Santa Monica, CA
Broadcast recording, very good quality
mp3 @ 320 kbps

As noted previously, after leaving RCA records, and what was to be the last of their Musical Theater-type productions with Schoolboys in Disgrace, The Kinks signed with Arista Records, and were urged to go back to a stripped-down band and more of a straight-forward rock and pop sound. Whether it had anything to do with their record company, or it was just the direction Ray and the Band were moving anyway, is not clear, but from that point on the band dropped the horns and the elaborate concept musicals and went back to being a 5-piece rock band. And their next album, Sleepwalker (1977) was not only their best album in years, but I think, one of their very best albums ever. The songs were quirky and fun, and had a more direct rock and pop-rock feel, with great hooks and melodies (and at least 4 all-time 'classic' Kinks tracks, 'Jukebox Music', 'Life Goes On', 'Life on the Road', and 'Sleepwalker'). This was followed by another breakthrough album, Misfits (1978), featuring 'Misfits', 'A Rock and Roll Fantasy', and 'Live Life' among others. However, it still took awhile before the mainstream pop-rock audience would bring them back to real commercial success, as it wasn't until their next album, Low Budget (1979), with the hit single 'Superman', and much radio airplay for songs like 'Catch Me Now I'm Falling', 'Gallon of Gas', and 'Low Budget', that they once again became a superstar rock act again. This is an excellent show from the Sleepwalker tour, in very good quality. The show opens with selections from their previous 'musical theater' albums, Preservation, Soap Opera, and Schoolboys, as well as other earlier classics, and then gets into more of the songs from Sleepwalker. Thus, in addition to a wide variety of songs from throughout their career, this show features 6 songs from Sleepwalker (although the excellent 'Jukebox Music' was not played here). Anyway, hope you enjoy this show, as the rejuvenated Kinks show that they still were one of the best rock bands ever, in this beginning of their rock 'n roll comeback period.
 
Tracklist:
1. Show opening
2. One Of the Survivors
3. Sleepwalker
4. Rush Hour Blues
5. You Make It All Worthwhile
6. Ordinary People
7. Everybody's A Star(Starmaker)
8. Waterloo Sunset
9. A Well Respected Man
10. Sunny Afternoon
11. Celluloid Heroes
12. Schooldays
13. Education
14. Brother
15. Stormy Sky
16. Life Goes On
17. Full Moon
18. Lola
19. Alcohol
20. You Really Got Me/ All Day and All Of the Night
21. Life on the Road

Kinks_1977-02-18_Santa_Monica_(late)_mp3.rar