The Kinks - Preservation: Act 1 - Sweet Lady Genevieve

[TRCMurph]

one of my absolute favs.

[snortfork]

sigh. so lovely.

[Steakyurt]

Agreed fodsaks. Most of their weak-to-terrible albums (and this is one) have one truly great song. "Better Things" comes to mind as a much later example.

And stmax, any Kinks fan knows this song. It's in their top tier even if the production sucks. That's saying something!

Sorry for zombieing. GF wasn't away on a business trip and didn't know the song so I had to find a way to get it to her as a goodnight/apology for a fight. :)

[purdy0707]

One of my favorite Kinks songs from the early 70s.. it has a great country-swing and some very tender moments too, classic. "Smile away all your sadness, and put your trust in me"

[MrCCRFan]

yeah, great, the kinks in the 70's !!! So underrated. better than ANY other UK band !

[sedgelover]

There's a little part of this that reminds me of "Hey Bungalow Bill, what did you kill?"

[leakybean]

@sedgelover ahhh, i get that! sure this song was written before the beatle's had consumed enough drugs to pen that stonker of a tune though...

this song makes me proud to be called Genevieve.

[hamburglar57]

absolument genial unfortunatly i gave this album to a friend i regret it as i can't find it anymore

[hamburglar57]

absolument genial sadly i gave this album to a friend of mine and i regret it

[trickymutha]

"smile away all your sadness, put your trust in me"

[johnbogdanovicz]

Lovely song in the Kinks Tradition!!! Really love the Preservation Opera, underrated... but someday it will gather the attention it truly deserves.....I saw the entire Opera at Harpur College in Binghamton, N.Y. back in the mid 70's. Boy I wish someone had a video of that show...

[xIAmTheSunlightx]

Makes me love being named Genevieve.

[SouthCoastMackem]

Hardly ever played on oldies radio, this is a real beaut. Haven't heard it in years, Doesn't make it onto "Greatest Hits" compilations, and for the life of me, I don't know why. Warm and wiitty, richly nostalgic. Pure audio gold.

[ivycompton]

A gorgeous marvel. Nobody does bittersweet like Ray and the boyz. God save the Kinks!

[Profedrybicki]

Sooooooo good...I did my A-level exams to this, back in 1973. Still have the vinyl, too - same picture! Many thanks.

[1919kb]

A sweet, touching, and beautifully performed song. Thanks so much for posting it. One of my favourites by the Kinks.

[jenzeppelin]

Leave it to Ray...once again, his choice of words has moved me to tears...he is the best songwriter in the entire history of time and space.

[nacionstone58]

The most underrated band.

Pete! (L)

[toddy1968]

Love this song. Was singing it last night while washing the dishes. Wonderful lyric.

[longfoxy]

cool choise my man// i have every kinks album most on vinel//i have seen the kinks an ray davies many times over the years//even shook hands with the great ray// we may see them again if dave recovers enough from his stroke//im 62 an still gasp at the shear genius of ray,,an the power cords of dave

[Sleepwalker1977]

Makes me really happy to see Preservation getting some love! Great albums.

[istickmensa]

I love this song for its catchy tune and melody...it also helps that my name just happens to be Genevieve :)

[angeld82]

a beatiful song by the best songwriter of eternity

[lester158]

its creepy when a song has your name in it O__O

[zstardust838]

not when it's this song

[Duenderelojero]

"Oh if you come back to me Sweet Lady Genevieve,

I'm not the impetuous fool you used to know "

[cragsterama]

I think the style is very similar to Elton John's "Philadelphia Freedom," which came out about a year later, IIRC. Obviously the latter has more of a dance groove, but I think that the style probably had less to do with the song's not being a big hit than other factors. Like the Kinks being perennially left for dead as far as marketing goes.

[mtopper66]

This and "Demolition" are the highlights of the album. Not one of their best, but like someone said here, most bands would be proud to have put this out.  The BBC version of "Demolition" really cooks. As for "Genevieve", it should've been a big hit, really...it just didn't fit in with the musical climate of the time.

[mimkyodar]

Oh totally. Demolition is one of my favourites ever.

[zstardust838]

I consider this song one of Ray's greatest vocal achievements. He doesn't just sing these beautiful lyrics, he makes them come alive.

[QuiteRightlySo]

the kinks are my favourite band....this would be one of my favourite songs of theirs.

My name is Genevieve. i am so happy. the lyrics for this are so nice.

[joadhenry]

God Iove this band and this song.....

[Genevievedolll]

I love this song, my name is Genevieve haha :D

[renotsecniv]

I agree with all of you.  God Bless the Kinks indeed !!!

[fodsaks]

The Kinks lesser known (Some say 'flop') albums still contain the kind of songs that most other bands would give their eye-teeth to have recorded.

[supasap]

you are so right....... does this kind of injustice exist in other areas........ it's like Pele playing for Whitley Bay FC in the 60's

[jenzeppelin]

@fodsaks Ah, but we know better. I know you agree... The so-called "flops" are the gems and where the true Kinks fans end up. Preservation is right up there with us. Every Kinks album is a treasure in a chest of pure gold. There is nothing bad, everything of theirs is precious.

[sometimeworld]

Yay! This one's on the 6 CD Anthology Picture Book. Another reason to buy it.

[DelorienAz]

I like it because a) its just a great song and b) my name is Jenevieve :)

[stmaxmusic]

controversially, this is my favourite Kinks song. this and "the way love used to be" are absolutely amazing, but they just dont get the attention they deserve. such an underrated, yet bloody amazing band .

[krutawn]

@stmaxmusic - you're not alone... I hate picking just 1 favorite Kinks song but this one grew on me fast and might just be the best... so bloody underrated indeed :)

[Anglagard1]

@stmaxmusic : The only time I saw the Kinks, Ray snuck out on stage and played this solo, as though he were getting away with something. It blew me away, as did the rest of the concert. I'm amazed at the way they can play to both their hardcore fans and a general audience at the same time. I guess having so many great songs helps.

[Anglagard1]

@stmaxmusic: I saw them for the first time in the late 90's and Ray snuck out to play this song solo. It was an amazing beginning to a wonderful concert.

[lonsumtravlr]

@stmaxmusic how's that "controversial"? both songs are fantastic. mine (at least from the Kinks' earliest stuff) is "Tell Me Now So I'll Know".

[bobgure]

@stmaxmusic Absolutely. Both of the tunes you mentioned seem to be sadly overlooked.

"The Way Love..." possibly due to only being on the fairly obscure "Lost Kinks Album"(?).

After Lennon/McCartney, Davies is without question the greatest in my opinion.

[taiwan1895]

Like a bottle of fine wine, this song just grows better with age.

[DaigoMoustache]

Ah, one of his very best songs! It is SO lovely and sad.

[villageelliott]

After a hiatus from touring the US,sometime in early 1974, the Kinks performed in the magnificent Ambassador Theater in St. Louis, Mo. After an hour of their older material, they performed Performance I & II to rave acceptance. May have been the best concert I ever saw.

[colophos]

One of the best songs from the Preservation era.

Timeless, beautiful, a classic.

God bless Ray and the Kinks...:-)

[tschiibii]

GREAT Song!! *God bless Ray Davies & the Kinks*

[oxtheravenxo]

I tried but could not comment on the wonderful lyrics of some Ray Davies classics. They seem so simple.

They look usual and that´s what makes them unusual and absolute timeless.

He did not need a yellow submarine or to travel 2000 lightyears from home, he remembered his old friend Walther and sat by the riverside.

He´s real.

[jayne0914]

Very well put. Simplicity is beauty. He didn't have to gild the lily. He knows how to write a beautiful timeless melody with a clever hook. His music will be sung and played forever.

[plonk220a]

Thanks for posting this. Memories of a great summer in '73. I was young and free.

[brilliantcolors7]

My favorite Kinks song. This was from Preservation Act 1, their most underrated album and their best album of the 1970s, in my opinion.

[Timefishblue]

my favourite song

[cloudymoor]

Ever since my old Cerwin-Vega speakers finally blew out, I've been waiting for this song to be posted. Many many thanks!!!

[kinksboss1]

a song I will never get tired of, a true gem

[ClickUserName]

BTW, thanks for posting this. I'm still waiting for Where O Where is Love, at least a non-cover version.

[msspuremusic]

It's on Preservation: Act 2. I'll post it during the next weeks.

[ClickUserName]

Virtually all Kinks albums have one great song that's a notch above all the other very good songs on them. This is the one in PA1.