The Kinks - Last Of The Steam Powered Trains / Picture Book

[GoodbyeRubyTu3sday]

I really can't find the words to describe how much I love them

[katoklzmk]

Storytellers!! Dont know why I couldnt think of it, especially I saw Ray do the first one; lucky enough to be in the 2nd row...! The Kinks were one of the best qacts ever, I'm so glad I got to see them in '77 and '80.

[gaylehelen]

Absolute Kink Fanatic!! The best of the best. God Bless The Kinks.

[FlopandKill]

I also don't beleive there was a live audience...as there is no evidence of this which is strange

[FlopandKill]

it is not the original recorded version either. My theory is that they re-recorded for the tv show, and then synched it. But beautiful none the less.

[daahsg]

picture book makes me happy.

[8Delicious]

Mick makes drumming seem so easy.

[katoklzmk]

What a fabulous talented band; I was lucky enough to see them twice (79 and 82) and Ray solo as the first MTV Unplugged artist. Ray signed my copy of his autobiography X-Ray when he did his tour for that project; the audiece at George Washington Universit supplying harmony backing and bathing Ray with rapt symboitic adoration...

Dave's book 'Kink' is also a great read

[iamian314]

@katoklzmk  Just to be clear, it was VH1s Storytellers, not Unplugged. (I know, same thing, but if anyone wants to look it up- and they should!- it was on Storytellers.)

Thanks.

[singleh27]

@iamian314 VH-1 took Ray's idea and ran with it.

[KurtRileyOfficial]

RIP Pete Quaife.

[monkfistlust]

@KurtRileyOfficial whoa I didnt even know he died when how sad loved the Kinks

[KurtRileyOfficial]

Clever, nicking Howlin' Wolf's "Smokestack Lightning" for a song about trains. And "Picture Book" is one of their BEST obscure tracks.

[FlopandKill]

have you watched the drummer?

[MRdownfoemythang]

@FlopandKill duh, it's live.

[FlopandKill]

WOW!!! "Just Beautiful". This is not live...nor is it the original studio recording. My guess is that that they re-recorded the song for the show then synched it. God I wish bands like this were still around.

[MRdownfoemythang]

@FlopandKill This is live.

[TheKenfig]

@FlopandKill True, one can clearly hear a combination of the master from the album merged with SOME playing and live singing over the top of it. Makes it a bit hard to do as the sound is a tiny bit blured

[MRdownfoemythang]

Fucking love Dave's background vocals

[Pollywollyish]

I've seen this video several times, and love it. VGPS is such a brilliant album, and has timeless appeal. All the Kinks look and sound great, and Ray's expressiveness is beyond description...love the gap!

[MrSmog007]

Would be hard not to look cool when your singing or playing a tune like this.

[MRdownfoemythang]

How does writing some lyrics, get you a top comment for a video?

[ronalddeinartz]

What a great year.

[MrTayloroo]

The Greatest. Could there be a more English band?.....

[SasuaiKonai]

for a second there it didnt even look like ray hahaha for some reason i like this tv appearance better than the recorded version :D

[GreenhouseEffectGE]

i've watched this video a thousand times - and i'll watch it one thousand more ....

[TheJUNGLESURFER]

the  best

[fearofgordon]

This is FUCKING BLINDINGLY BRILLIANT. They all look so great with, as usual, Dave atop the cool pile embodying EFFORTLESSLY why youth can be so beautiful. His casual vigour is quite life affirming and quite moving. God save The Kinks...seriously.

[DarknessOfFuturePast]

What a gift to get to see them so young and enthusiastic! And my two favourite tracks off that album! This was a real treat to watch. And that Ray... what a snazzy dresser.

[FlopandKill]

what a magical band, sound and song. very very cool!

[lesshowerrings]

Sounds so much like Smokestack lightning.

[DoctorBohr]

Great picture quality. It's hard to believe it was 42 years; it looks like it could be 1999.

[nightmathzombieethan]

I can't believe it's taken me this long to "discover" the Kinks...i've always liked their songs, but I never really connected my various favorites with the band....now I am actually making a point of looking up their stuff and going "Oh! I LOVE this song! I didn't know they did this one!" Most of their music was just stuff I'd love when I hear it, but I never really knew who performed it. Well, I've been converted, I am officially a Kinks Fan!

[LIBERTINEPARANOIC]

why the fuck i born in 1992...i fuckin hate my generation

[DarknessOfFuturePast]

@LIBERTINEPARANOIC I don't know what part of the world you live in... but this kind of stuff was only popular in England back then. American popular music has always been rubbish, but indie music is great today. Don't be ashamed of your generation. Just be glad you're a part of it, and work hard to help make it something to be proud of!

[GreenhouseEffectGE]

'THIS' is how music 'MUST' be again !

[brian14leonard]

Too bad it's lip-syncing, but it's still fantastic!

[classiclistener01]

@candidate0 & @neilfella - ALL THREE people (momos) who clicked "dislike" on this video clip are lost likely Justin Bieber fans! :P

[classiclistener01]

EVERYTHING Ray Davies ever wrote, covered, recorded and/or BREATHED ON, was, and is, musical GOLD!!!

It's such a shame that money-grubbing producers, managers and whomever else, exploited him and the Kinks; as well as the Beatles, Rolling Stones, "KILLED" Badfinger, and, other great artists of the early days of rock-n-roll. But, their music lives on forever, and, a day, and, in the longrun - it's the music, itself, that REALLY COUNTS!!!

Great tunes like THIS stand the test of time! :)

[charfman84]

Is this Smoke Stack Lightning? sounds the same

[tsuei05]

@charfman84 Yep... Ray has always lifted bits of other tunes, no one seems to mind!

[lesshowerrings]

@charfman84 Exactly what I was thinking.

[colmas]

this is so raw

[peternincumpoop]

I truly can't believe how good these guys were. Most under-appreciated band of all time.

[shmadsta]

Dude, Pete's finger work after 6:00!

[fuzzballingbulldog]

keep her lit!!!! fucking magic, havent heard this song in years and it reminds me of being 13 again. love it!! nice one !!!!

[akovia]

Excellent! The Kinks were one of the best!

[twyman]

Mick Avory has to be one of the coolest drummers of all time - the other one who comes to mind is Bobby Elliott of the Hollies.

[gaylehelen]

@twyman The Hollies, another underated band. Thanks for mentioning them. Fond memories. Love "King Midas in Reverse" feels like my biography.

[rockingwhiterabbit]

just fantastic!!!!!! B-) So hot!!!!!

[candidate0]

What moron clicked dislike. This is genius

[neilfella]

@candidate0 probably a justin bieber fan

[twyman]

Every time I think that there are no more really cool videos to find out there, someone comes along and posts one like this! I guess I'll just have to keep being "disappointed" like this - he, he!

[TheOgri2009]

I saw them do a 25+ minute version of this live. It completely blew everyone away. The Kinks are the best live band I have ever seen, and that is saying something (I sure wish I had all the money back that I spent going to see bands, lmao!).

*a big thumbs up*

[bassbob42]

Fantastic sound and video. What a find! Oh, and a great song and a great performance!

[elbrano]

they just wanted to make songs.

[68beano]

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[MauryDann73]

This might have been the last thing Pete Quaife ever did as a Kink, because he left the band right around this time. End of an era. RIP Pete!

[msmousette]

Many thanks for sharing - much better than the studio versions, which sound a bit weak by comparison.

I love "Last of The Steam Powered Trains" but am less keen on Picture Book so I have clipped your video and posted just LOTSPT (don't think I can include and url in comments - it keeps coming up with an error).

Best wishes and many thanks again.

[beamer767]

@msmousette - These are the studio versions, they're miming along. However, it sounds like some new reverb was applied to the old mix, it might be a clearer mix than the album, too.

[msmousette]

@beamer767 Ah! Well, it is definitely better than the other studio versions so I am glad you had it and posted it. Haven't quite cracked it singing and playing on the uke but that is because I have been v lazy - good song for the uke :-)

[Frownland81]

This is such an excellent metaphor for being an antiquated relic from another era.

[rantantara]

i think it's unfair to say there are no modern artists who are as good as these guys and beatles, doors etc. there's alot more out there than the mainstream offers.

[crapple009]

Simply awesome.

[superbeavo]

R.I.P. Pete

[bunisone]

For the final bloody time people! this is DEFINITELT from 1969, just very early 1969!

[Omegaman69]

For people who've been asking about the origins of this clip it's from the 1st of Feb. 1969 and it's from the Julie Felix BBC2 TV Show "Once more with Felix". The 5th Dimension were on the same show. A truly outstanding clip thought lost for 40 years. We need a truly extensive and respectful 60's DVD of The Kinks especially now that Pete has passed. A million DVD's of pure shite adorn the shelves of music stores across the globe and no KINKS.....shameful. Long live YouTube I say.

T.

[truethought62]

This would have been 1968, as this performance has the late Peter Alexander Greenlaw Quaife on bass (Pete claims that the "Greenlaw" was just a bit of fiction..R.I.P.)

Here, the whole band seems to be having fun--especially Pete and Dave!

[danielsimpson1]

R.I.P. Pete Quaife you was a true Bass Legend. x

[slimshine953]

I think this was more like late '68, based on their appearance... and Quaif departed the group by spring of '69.

[GentlemanTony]

I appreciate this post- not mimed. The Village Green Preservation Society-great album, and I like this version better than the one on the LP itself! It's a little rawer.

[yourtubesteak]

This is outstanding. Thanks for posting these gems.

[jamreaper]

they really are the last of the good old fasioned better artists

there r almost no good new artists

the beatles and kinks r gonna die out soon along with the rest like the who and doors and all da rest

then were gonna be stuck with modern rubbish artists just like modern trains

[valerock667]

wow you put it in a very bad way! c'mon Paul McCartney is 68, i hope he continues to live for almost 20 years lol! same thing for the Davies Daltrey Townshend & co!

[jamreaper]

yea i suppose

[slimshine953]

@jamreaper You're correct about these cats being the best... but what makes you say The Kinks, Beatles, The Who & Doors etc will die out soon? It's been two generations since they began... and their music is still with us. How soon is soon?

[jamreaper]

@slimshine953 well its just the writers have stopped writing and started dying and less and less people r listening to their music - just saying that there r no more new guys like em and it doesnt look like there is much hope for the future

[slimshine953]

@jamreaper Ok thanks... I understand what you're saying now... and sadly, you're correct.

[jamreaper]

@slimshine953 i hate it when im right :(

[slimshine953]

@jamreaper Don't fret... it's ok to be right my friend. I appreciate hearing from someone who knows what they're talking about, unlike many people on youtube! ;~}

[fevereb]

Now this is MUSIC. Beautiful. Greatness! I wish those times came back...

[disasterology777]

I don't know where im goin', or how I came!!

[thepagodas]

Picture Book.....outstanding!

[TheTrooper80]

i love that song, ive been finding it so long!

[kirkwallboy]

It really doesn't get any better than this.

[MindoverMatter22]

totally f'n agreed man

[Staffleberry]

That it does not.

[okstaa68721]

Thank you for sharing!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[mtopper66]

Oh my god, more Youtube greatness...VGPS-era Kinks, performing two cutting tracks from the album!! What's more, great sound and picture quality. I'm in heaven.

[1jimbones]

what a great era of the Kinks. I agree that VGPS is one of the most underrated albums of all time. I heard that Animal Farm was also from this show but the tapes were destroyed. what a shame.

[colbito]

@1jimbones does it matter? not plugged in...

[1jimbones]

good point but the fact remains that very little footage exists from this album that even lip synching is a treat to see.

[jenzeppelin]

this is fantastic - thanks for posting!

[saulhughes]

I think Ray Davies said he "lifted" the riff from "Smoke-stack Lightnin'"

[pietrogutta]

the riff is copied form Suzy Q-CCR

[jrrm3]

CCR covered that song anyway. Dale Hawkins wote it in 1957, 10 years before CCR covered it.

[deanna4270]

i wish i has been alive to enjoy the kinks back in there hey-day.

[stoberto06]

Cant wait to buy the album. sounds like a new one the way i said that lol

[zombieweed]

What a one two punch. Pure awesome.

[Dadchris]

Brilliant !

[DaigoMoustache]

Hahaha! I love Dave pretending to play his guitar! It must have been so boring to have to mime along to a pre-recorded backing like that.

[embran]

VGPS in my opinion is the most underrated album ever.

for me it's top20 for sure

[bartpierson]

brilliant!

[Cravatman]

This is an amazing clip - do we know where it's from?

Pete Quaife still on bass.

Thanks!

[Kramnik6]

One of my favorite songs of VGPS

[Kassandra1Kink]

A-scooby-dooby-doo))))

[scraperTSB]

I think we've found the best video on youtube! Best band in the world. Two of the best songs by the best band in the world. What more could anybody ask?

[SunnBurn]

The KinKs' "Village Green" album is an exceptional piece of musical work. It does not get the credit it deserves. Picture Book is one of my favorites. Ray Davies once again tells a story everyone can relate to, and he does it better than anyone.

[minutegongcoughs]

Essential track. 5 stars. Ta

[RhumOnFire]

amazing performance! thank you for uploading it

[babylemonade40]

how amazing!!! never seen this before xx