Butlin's British Breed

I'm always interested in hearing / researching where odd musical influences come from in my favorite stuff. Lately, obsession comes in the form of the almighty Kinks. Long have I loved some of their tunes, but I guess the time was right in my brain for diving into full-on love.

I think what's especially appealing to me right now (at this time in my life) about Ray Davies's tunes, is the vaudevillian, light-hearted, talent-show-Tiny-Tim kind of thing in so many of these songs. Maybe it's that the arc of my musical listening has brought me far away from my original influences of overblown FM-radio 70s ungashtupt rock, back towards the folky, simple, stripped-down aspect of songwriting where this style comes from.

I was talking about it with Kari in the car today - the proletarian parents of these poor, lower-class, post-war British kids could only afford one vacation a year - to these summer seaside resorts like Blackpool (city) or Butlin's. Tales of these places are common in interviews and bios of famous Brit rockers. When they were kids, much of their primary musical influence came from the music played at these places - vaudevillian, showy nostalgia tunes that harken back to the 20's. Old Timey Music. And when they grew up to be budding young rockers, they gigged these places.

George Formby, the great Brit ukulele player, was a major influence on George Harrison. Queen - Seaside Rendezvous. Stones - Something Happened to Me Yesterday. Beatles - I Will. Ringo's entire Sentimental Journey album. Dire Straits - Les Boys. And, like half the Kinks' best songs. More Kinks insight later.

Yes, I said 'ungashtupt'.