The Kinks‘ Dave Davies recently released a solo compilation called Living on a Thin Line, a musical companion to his new memoir of the same name.
The 13-track collection features previously released solo studio recordings and live performances, as well as new mixes of two of Dave’s songs created by his son Simon.
One of the new mixes is of a 1999 live version of the classic Dave-penned 1971 Kinks song “Strangers,” recorded at a concert at Wisconsin’s Marian College.
“I have always thought [that rendition] was my favorite … recorded version of [‘Strangers.’]” Davies tells ABC Audio. “So we messed around with that [recording] a bit. Simon Davies added some bits of keyboards. He added some little audio improvements … And I’m very happy with it.”
The other new mix is of “This Is the Time,” a tune that appeared on Davies’ 2007 album Fractured Mindz, the first record Dave released after suffering a debilitating stroke in 2004.
Dave explains that the song is about embracing a youthful attitude about looking toward the future.
“‘This Is the Time’ is my heartfelt optimism about what we’re capable of, and maybe where we’re going,” he says. “[M]aybe this is the time to really make things happen. You know, like they thought in the [days] … before the Vietnam War … All the youth were in uproar, and the ‘Flower Power’ thing.”
The compilation also features select songs from 1998’s Kinked; 2002’s Bug; the 2000 concert album Rock Bottom: Live from The Bottom Line; and 2018’s Decade, a collection of unreleased tracks Dave recorded during the 1970s.
The Living on a Thin Line compilation can be purchased now on CD now via Amazon. A two-LP version of the album will be released on January 13, 2023.
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