Today Adam Merrin from The 88 tells us how The Kinks legend Ray Davies came to appear on "They Ought To See You Now" from their brand new album "Center Of The Sun". We now turn it over to Adam for the story: When we were recording at Konk Studios with Ray Davies for his new collaboration album, we asked him if he would want to sing on one of our songs. When he said yes, I couldn't believe what I was hearing. Every time I think that Ray Davies is on our album, I am still in disbelief.
Also when we were in England, we played a show at Bush Hall in London. Our friend and talented photographer, Eric Cwiertny came along to take photos and videos of the trip. He filmed us playing, "They Ought To See You Now" with a small handheld camera, as well as some behind the scenes footage.
The video that he edited together for this song blew us away (can be seen here). It is filled with so many interesting images and effects, that you can watch this over and over and notice something new each time.
I had a great time recording this song. We rented an old Hammond B3 organ and a Leslie speaker, which is such a powerful instrument to play. It is so much more dynamic and has more range than any modern keyboard out there. Also, we had Anthony's dad come in to play tambourine on the song, which was a real treat. He's been playing on records since the 1970's, and is a great percussionist. And of course to watch Keith sing the vocals on this song, or any for that matter, is always amazing experience. I filmed him signing which Eric also incorporated into the video.
Andrew Alekel engineered and mixed this album and did a fantastic job. We really hit it off with him in the studio. The entire recording and mixing process was very easy since we were always on the same page. The song was a lot of fun to make, and I think it comes off that way when you hear it. Hope you like it!
Hearing is believing. Now that you know the story behind the song, listen for yourself and learn more about the album - right here!
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