The legendary Ray Davies unveils his extraordinary new album paying tribute to his revered band The Kinks on, See My Friends. See My Friends features an all-star cast of collaborators, including Jon Bon Jovi/Richie Sambora, Bruce Springsteen, Metallica, Mumford & Sons, Lucinda Williams, Billy Corgan (Smashing Pumpkins), Jackson Browne, Spoon, Amy Macdonald, Black Francis (The Pixies), Gary Lightbody (Snow Patrol), Paloma Faith and the late, great Alex Chilton (Big Star). This historic collection shows Davies giving fresh treatments to each track, while affectionately acknowledging his band millions have admired for decades. See My Friends will be available in the U.S. March 2011 on Decca.
“This project came about almost by accident,” noted Davies, which was kick-started when he recorded a version of “Till The End Of The Day” in the summer of 2009, with Chilton. The idea of collaborating with a larger group of artists really gained momentum when Davies performed “You Really Got Me” and “All Day And All Of The Night,” with Metallica in New York City at the Rock And Roll Hall of Fame Anniversary party in October 2009. That same evening, Davies met Bruce Springsteen, and the idea of recording together excited both artists, fueling the project further.
Davies recorded the majority of the tracks for See My Friends at his famed Konk Studios in London, but to secure his ultimate wish-list, he traveled wherever the music took him- Olso (Metallica), New Jersey (Bruce Springsteen), New York (Bon Jovi) and Chicago (Billy Corgan). Additional musical friends featured on both the Springsteen and Bon Jovi/Sambora tracks include Paul Shaffer, Anton Fig, Sid McGinnis, Will Lee and Felicia Collins from the CBS Orchestra/The Late Show with David Letterman .
“With some tracks I had to appreciate the style of the other artists, otherwise it would have sounded unbalanced. I wanted the album to work as an entire listening experience but each track had a life of its own,” explains Ray.
Davies will return to the U.S. prior to the release of See My Friends in late November for a string of select dates with the Dessoff Chamber Choir , in support of 2009’s The Kinks Choral Collection .
Tour Dates:
11/24/10
New York, NY
Beacon Theatre
7:30PM
11/26/10
Montclair, NJ
The Wellmont Theatre
8PM
11/27/10
Philadelphia, PA
Verizon Hall
8PM
11/28/10
Boston, MA
Wilbur Theater
TBD