The Kinks - Federal Capital Paranoia Blues (2023)

DYNAMIC BROADCAST RECORDING FROM THE KINKS’ 1972 US TOUR • By the end of 1972, The Kinks were going through a serious transition. It marked the end of the group as a 1960s British Invasion pop band, to them becoming a vehicle for Ray Davies' increasingly introspective rock 'n' roll poetry and his over-the-top performances, which borrowed heavily from the vaudevillian style of stage charisma. • Still, The Kinks could be a great live act, as they proved via their show at the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, in Washington DC on 5th November 1972. Because of reasons that have never really been explained, The Kinks were unable to tour the USA from 1966 through early 1969. The band remained in its native United Kingdom for the most part; and during this time, Ray Davies became more and more entrenched in lyrical themes that were distinctly British. It was during this period that he wrote what many feel was his greatest song ever, ‘Waterloo Sunset’. Being stuck mostly in the UK, plus the on-again-off-again feud he had with his band-mate and brother, Dave, made for some very isolated times in his life. Ray used these times to write a number of concept records, most of which had some specific geographic tie-in to Great Britain. • Their show in Washington was recorded during the promotion of Everybody's In Showbiz, an ambitious double LP (and the band's second outing on RCA Records) that combined new studio tracks with live versions of some of their previous songs. In the end, the record was the band's first to do considerably better in the U.S. than in the U.K. The brilliant track concerning the faded glory of Hollywood Movie Stars of the past, ‘Celluloid Heroes,’ would take the album to gold and further establish Ray Davies as one of the most poignant songwriters of his generation. • Recorded for live FM Radio Broadcast this superb show is now available for all to hear in its entirety on this new CD release.