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- Date Released: January 1, 1979
- Genre: Rock/Pop
- Style: British Invasion, Classic Rock
- Label: KOCH Records
Ray Davies rediscovers his sense of humor.
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We Say...
Finally reaping reward from their US touring, Low Budget was the best and most successful Kinks album for some time, even though many of its themes were long-term Ray Davies pre-occupations: the National Health Service, petrol shortages, life on the breadline. On Low Budget though, Davies rediscovered his sense of humor, the title track a semi-autobiographical take on his own legendary penny-pinching nature: "Money's rare there's none to be found/ So don't think I'm tight if I don't buy a round". The deadpan lyricism was harnessed to contemporary rock power riffs and presented with the charismatic delivery of a master showman. It was an album that recaptured some of the spontaneity of old, partly because it was largely recorded in New York rather than in Ray's own North London Konk Studios. "Pressure" was even recorded in one take, something Davies had not allowed for some time. Standout cuts included the epic "Catch Me Now I'm Falling," the minor US hit "I Wish I Could Fly Like Superman" and "Moving Pictures."
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They Say...
Low Budget doesn't have a narrative like Preservation or Soap Opera, but Ray Davies cleverly designed the album as a sly satire of the recession and oil crisis that gripped America in the late '70s -- thereby satisfying his need to be a wry social commentator while giving American audiences a hook to identify with. It was a clever move that worked; not only did Low Budget become their highest-charting American album (not counting the 1966 Greatest Hits compilation), but it was also a fine set of arena rock, one of the better mainstream hard rock albums of its time. And it certainly was of its time -- so much so that many of the concerns and production techniques have dated quite a bit in the decades since its initial release. Nevertheless, that gives the album a certain charm, since it now plays like a time capsule, a snapshot of what hard rock sounded like at the close of the '70s. Perhaps not so coincidentally, Davies' songwriting fluctuates throughout the album, since it's dictated as much by commercial as artistic concerns, but the moments when he manages to balance the two impulses -- as on the disco-fueled "(Wish I Could Fly Like) Superman," the vaudevillian "Low Budget," "A Gallon of Gas," the roaring "Attitude" (possibly their best hard rocker of the era, by the way), and "Catch Me Now I'm Falling," where Davies takes on the persona of America itself -- are irresistible. Low Budget may not have the depth of, say, Arthur or Village Green, but it's a terrifically entertaining testament to their skills as a professional rock band and Davies' savvy as a commercial songwriter. [The CD was also released with bonus tracks.]
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| 01. |  |
Attitude |
3:47 |
|
| 02. | |
Catch Me Now I'm Falling |
5:58 |
|
| 03. | |
Pressure |
2:27 |
|
| 04. | |
National Health |
4:03 |
|
| 05. | |
(Wish I Could Fly Like) Superman |
3:36 |
|
| 06. | |
Low Budget |
3:51 |
|
| 07. | |
In A Space |
3:44 |
|
| 08. | |
Little Bit Of Emotion |
4:52 |
|
| 09. | |
A Gallon Of Gas |
3:48 |
|
| 10. | |
Misery |
2:57 |
|
| 11. | |
Moving Pictures |
3:47 |
|
| 12. | |
A Gallon Of Gas (U.S. Single Extended Edit) |
3:53 |
|
| 13. | |
Catch Me Now I'm Falling (Original Extended Edit) |
6:50 |
|
| 14. | |
(Wish I Could Fly Like) Superman (Disco Mix Extended Edit) |
6:01 |
|
14 Total Tracks, 59:34 Total Length
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Credits
- The Kinks - Main Performer // Dave Davies - Guitar // Dave Davies - Harmonica // Dave Davies - Keyboards // Dave Davies - Vocals // Ray Davies - Guitar // Ray Davies - Keyboards // Ray Davies - Vocals // Ray Davies - Producer // Ray Davies - Cover Art Concept // Ray Davies - Original Concept // Ray Davies - Group Member // Mick Avory - Drums // Gary Gross - Photography // Gary Gross - Original Cover Photography // Doug Hinman - Reissue Art // Doug Hinman - Discographical Annotation // Doug Hinman - Reissue Photography // Bob Ludwig - Mastering // Nick Newell - Saxophone // Nick Newell - Group Member // Jim Rodford - Guitar (Bass) // Jim Rodford - Vocals // Jim Rodford - Group Member // John Rollo - Engineer // John Rollo - Mixing // Mycle Konopka - Compilation Engineer // Ebet Roberts - Reissue Art // Ebet Roberts - Reissue Photography // K. Lee Hammond - Reissue Art // Donn Davenport - Art Direction // Ron Kellum - Art Direction // Bill Crowley - Reissue Producer // Bill Crowley - Audio Restoration // Bill Crowley - Research // Rodney Dugan - Package Design // Albert Pinheiro - Assistant // Albert Pinheiro - Archival Tape Engineer // Cristina Battani - Reissue Art Director // Ryan Tully - Assistant // Ryan Tully - Archival Tape Engineer // Fred Schruers - Liner Notes // Shawn R. Britton - Mastering // Graham Hogg - Assistant // Graham Hogg - Archival Tape Engineer // Rob Gillis - Liner Notes // The Russell Smith Orchestra - Reissue Art // The Russell Smith Orchestra - Reissue Photography // Jason Brabazon - Discographical Annotation // Larry Greenbaum - Assistant Engineer
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