THE GREATEST SONGS OF THE 1960s THAT NO ONE HAS EVER HEARD
1,988) The Ray McVay Sound — “Kinda Kinky”
This “Kinks kash-in” (23Daves, https://left-and-to-the-back.blogspot.com/2018/11/the-ray-macvay-sound-kinda-kinky.html) is a “[j]azzy R&B, Mod, Instrumental” (Sixty Arrows, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qzVgAuG3n-M) that “sounds like a cross between a late night chat show theme and The Kinks, which is no bad thing.” (23Daves again) A “brilliant tune[, ] used on pirate radio in the 60s[] as a dj theme” (john r, https://left-and-to-the-back.blogspot.com/2018/11/the-ray-macvay-sound-kinda-kinky.html), it is “[a]bsolutely AMAZING, heavy, pounding BIG Mod sound with plenty of Hammond & guitar licks” (Northernclub/Rockito, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d7jYoEn1iPo) “radiat[ing] secondhand James Bondian bombast” (David Nuttycombe, https://washingtoncitypaper.com/article/287296/the-easy-project-20-loungecore-favourites/) — which is not a bad thing!
23Daves writes that:
This is a baffling but very sought-after single from the prolific easy listening master Ray MacVay . . . . Ray was perhaps more daring than many pseudo-James Last characters in the work he took on, attempting reggae, rock and country as well as the pop tunes that loaned themselves best to a nice and easy arrangement. . . . While the repetitive central riff on side A does owe a small debt to Ray and Dave Davies, the band don’t get a songwriting credit, and it seems that MacVay and Larry Page who does get credited [as producer and co-writer] — were just using their sound as a springboard. . . . Indeed, I’m slightly surprised nobody has dug this one up to use on a television programme at any point in the last fifty years. It’s also found some favour as a turntable hit with the mod club crowd, which has pushed up the asking price of copies over the years. So far as I’m aware, Ray Davies’ opinions on the single are unrecorded, though as it didn’t even come close to being a hit, perhaps that’s not surprising. Larry Page, however, was fascinated by the idea of The Kinks tracks being given the easy listening treatment . . . .
https://left-and-to-the-back.blogspot.com/2018/11/the-ray-macvay-sound-kinda-kinky.html
I must inform that Vernon Joynson, who is usually unerring, says that the Ray McVay Sound was a “middle-of-the-road band that was popular on the Mecca ballroom and cabaret circuit” and was “[u]nderstandably dreadful.” (The Tapestry of Delights Revisited)
The Grand Order of Water Rats tells us of Ray McVay:
Ray McVay is a celebrated British bandleader, saxophonist and arranger whose name is firmly linked with the enduring sound of big band swing. A veteran of the UK music scene since the rock’n’roll era of the 1950s, Ray first made his mark as a saxophonist and arranger, working through the dance band circuit of the 1960s and the disco years of the 1970s. His skill and musical direction led to regular appearances on radio and television, concerts at major venues, and performances for members of the Royal Family. His greatest achievement has been as conductor and leader of the Glenn Miller Orchestra UK, the only officially licensed British version of the world-famous band. Under Ray’s direction, the orchestra continues to tour extensively . . . to audiences across the United Kingdom and around the world, including Russia, Japan, Spain, Portugal, Argentina, Uruguay and the United Arab Emirates. Renowned for his dedication to authenticity and his ability to capture the unique energy of the swing era, Ray McVay has spent decades keeping the Glenn Miller sound alive for new generations of music lovers.
Pay to Play! The Off the Charts Spotify Playlist! + Brace for the Obscure 60s Rock Merchandise
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