Created: 28-DEC-2001
Rock
Bottom Live
For
any one who has not been lucky enough to see Dave Davies perform live, this
CD is a good taste of how it feels to be at a show (without having to suffer
through some "interesting" opening acts!)
The blistering feedback of "I Need You" starts off the CD, this
song in its original form never really did anything for me but the way that
Dave has taken this song and made it his own has transformed it from a dated
piece to a real toe-tapper.
"Creeping Jean" gets an almost punk rock treatment, the guitar flourishes
leave the listener no doubt that Dave is a master at the guitar. His voice
has really grown stronger over the years and he uses a bluesy sneer on this
track as well as "I'm Not Like Everybody Else".
But Dave's no hard rock one trick pony, the softer songs "Strangers"
and "Too Much On My Mind" are sublimely wonderful. One of the most
touching songs on this CD is "Look Through Any Doorway" and this
version more than the one on The Kinks EP "Did Ya" really captures
how Dave throws himself heart and soul into his music.
Then there's the lounge-ish camp of "One Night With You". Dave sounds
like a cross between Elvis and Perry Como and he seems to be having just as
much fun, if not more, than the audience.
Some of the funniest bits are where Dave interacts with the audience. This
is something that really sets him aside from a lot of performers. From "The
Kiss" where some lucky fan got on stage, and from an eye witness account,
planted quite a smack on Dave. And then there's the chiding of a fan for coming
in late to the show that's included in the "Milk Cow Blues" track.
Then there's the "Psycho Lounge" piece. Pure performance art, and
one of the most humorous things I've ever heard.
One of my favorite songs, "Living on a Thin Line" has a new electrifying
keyboard intro with a Scottish feel to it on Rock Bottom. Once again Dave's
emotional commitment to the songs shows through, as his voice cracks in a
few very evocative places.
The pairing of "Money" and "David Watts" that he did in
so many of the early shows is done at such a breakneck pace it leaves you
feeling like you need to take a deep breath to recover from the heart pounding
speed.
The CD wraps up with The Kinks standard "You Really Got Me" and
like any Dave show it ends too soon, leaving the listener wanting much more.
But unlike a concert, you can just hit replay and I know you will want to!
-Leslie Ohanian
