Byronape wrote: 

Yeah, it's a shame that radio stations have to be concerned with making a profit. If everybody worked for free, then they could play whatever they wanted.  How cool would that be?

But Ray, I have spent my life living in a Rock and Roll Fantasy. It's great.

One of my favorite Kinks songs. 

 linden wrote: 
I'm sorry, this song is not in the same league as those moronic tunes.
Bon Jovi indeed.

What I don't understand is, how come this is the only song off of this album played on R. Paradise?
And nothing off of Sleepwalker?

A wonderful melancholy tune about being in a band.  In a similar vein along with Celluloid Hero's and Waterloo Sunset.  Ray and Dave, songwriter and rave guitarist extraordinaire.  One of the most under rated groups of the pop/rock area....but not by me.  Thanks for playing any Kinks tune. 

 PA1749 wrote: 
Agreed. This song is better than most of its kind, but it still has to keep company with big chunks of cheese like "We're an American Band," "Rock and Roll Band," and "Wanted: Dead or Alive."

 Proclivities wrote: 
When I was in high school ('95 or 96 I think) I interned at crappy local adult contemporary radio station who had the sack to claim to be eclectic.  In hindsight, having the heavier alternative/grunge/rock play late at night while the more top 40 stuff was fodder for the day laboring cube jockeys is hardly eclectic. 

Anyway, the program director had to constantly battle the ownership to keep songs at no more than a 4 hour rotation.  I found out toward the end of the internship that a big part of the reason that the ownership wanted to play songs more often is that the labels that would send "payola" based on the frequency of some songs getting played.  If an artist has a new song and it's not blowing up the charts like the label hoped, they would basically bribe the stations to play the song more often in the hopes of driving up sales.  Many a shit song has gotten WAY more playtime than it should have because of this practice. 

This practice has set the stage for today's popular music.  It's easy to write, cheap to record (thanks to electronics and a few creative producers), and doesn't require any real talent on behalf of the "performers."

It was a fascinating experience that convinced me that I did not want to go into radio as a career.  For one, the main daytime DJ had a car that was worse then mine because he got paid crap, and for two I liked music too much to have it ruined by the cigar smoke inflated empty suits at the major record labels. 

Rock and roll fantasy....not a bad choice. 

Sorry but I just don't care for bands singing songs about being in a band. It just really isn't that clever.

 The_Enemy wrote: 
I listened to CHUM FM in Toronto but when I moved to Ottawa I discovered CHOM. The whole bilingual nature of the station was amazing to me. Too bad they had to choose because, for an anglophone from southern Ontario, it was my first experience of our second language and opened the door for me to Quebecois culture/music

 RadioDoc wrote: 
It is sad that that sort of radio has all but vanished.  It seemed to have been killed (at least partially) by moguls like Kal Rudman and Mike Joseph with their mandatory playlists.

 youngers wrote: 
I agree...I love the kinks any time. thanks, RP...

This song is an example of why I pay for this station.

 westslope wrote: 
Ah, CHOM... pleasant memories.

Aside from playing complete albums, CHOM was also a bilingual station for a number of years until Quebec's Language Police, via the CRTC, forced them to choose.

I remember listening to CHOM in high school. Not the best of times but great music.

The Kinks. Two brothers who, most time, could just barely stand one another. Amazing stuff.

 tnt_thomas wrote:
Sad thing is...Bill is doing what he did in the 70's with old-school progressive radio except now, it's on the Internet.  There actually were commercial FM stations which sound like this 35 years ago. 

 musicdan wrote: 
Not really fantasy now. But if some one had told me about RP 20 yrs ago, MAN, I would have doubted it completely! Toooo gooood to be truuuue!

Who else does this song?  Did the Kinks originally perform it?

This song is like an old friend.

A kinks song I really like!

 HazzeSwede wrote: 
Sorry, it's late in the PM (really AM).....so it really does "grab" onto some gray matter and take residence.

 HazzeSwede wrote: 
It's too damn easy.....so I won't.

But...Ray?  What if I do want to live out my life in a rock 'n' roll fantasy?

 conglif wrote: 
You're right, it would have fit in nicely.  Another fine example of the wide range of Davies' styles (and influence).

 lmic wrote: 
This could be the theme song for most of us who listen to RP

 CoffeeJoe wrote: 
IT WAS, congrats! you wasted a good chance to leave a cool first post!!