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Dave Davies Rippin Up New York City: Live at the City Winery Review by Gary Hill This live album from Dave Davies kind of features what you’d expect. I mean, it’s all cool no-frills rock. You get Davies solo pieces and songs he originally recorded with The Kinks. If you’ve ever heard Dave Davies, you’ll also expect the voice. He’s not a pretty singer, but rather a rocker with unpolished edges. Fans of Davies should find that this live set is exactly what they expect and want. This review is available in book format (hardcover and paperback) in Music Street Journal: 2015 Volume 6 at lulu.com/strangesound.

Track by Track Review

Intro This is literally just a short rather noisy rocking introduction. It’s less than a minute in length.

Rippin' up Time Here we get a screaming hot rocker. The vocals aren’t really my thing, but they are what you expect from Davies. The guitar soloing and general jamming are great, though.

I'm Not Like Everybody Else There is a punk rock edge to this screaming hot tune. The guitar soloing really sells it.

I Need You Here’s another punky hard rocker with a lot of Kinks texture to it. It’s a strong cut overall.

Creepin' Jean This is less punky. It’s fuzz laden and classy. It has some great slide guitar on it. It’s one of the most effective pieces here, as far as I’m concerned.

Suzannah’s Still Alive Not a huge change, this is one that definitely is more tied to the old school Kinks sound.

See My Friend Although this is definitely related to the rest, this piece is very much a psychedelic rocker. It’s melodic and trippy. It’s also one of the best cuts here.

Strangers A mellower number, this has some psychedelia in the mix, too. I like this one, but not as much as the previous piece.

Flowers in the Rain A piano based ballad, this is great stuff.

Front Room Another rocker, this is one that’s more like The Kinks, too. It’s harder rocking, but not as furious as the first few songs here were.

King of Karaoke This is one of the standouts. It’s a melodic rocker. It’s not the screaming hot kind of thing, but it’s not a ballad, either. It’s very tasty, too. This has a lot of classic rock quotes and name checks, too.

Death of a Clown A bouncy 60s styled rocker, this is another classy piece. It’s very British. There’s an audience singalong.

Livin' on a Thin Line Here we get another classic rocker.

Where Have All the Good Times Gone I’ve always liked this song. It’s a solid rocker and this live take works quite well.

All Day and All of the Night It might be an obvious choice, but this was always one of my favorite Kinks songs. This live take definitely does it justice. This thing really screams.

You Really Got Me I guess it’s not possible to not like this song. That said, I prefer the previous one. This rendition is solid., though.

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