This is planned as a chapter in my long-threatened book The Greatest Record Ever Made! (Volume 1). While I'm far from confident this book will ever complete a path to print, it ain't dead yet. Watch this space.
An infinite number of tracks can each be THE greatest record ever made, as long as they take turns. Today, this is THE GREATEST RECORD EVER MADE!
HOLLY GOLIGHTLY: Time Will Tell
Written by Ray Davies
Produced by Holly Golightly
From the album Truly She Is None Other, Damaged Goods Records [UK], 2003
While I was driving home one night, my iPod shuffled its way to "I Need You" by the Kinks. "I Need You" was the lesser-known third entry in the early Kinks' triumvirate of powerhouse riffs, following the big 1964 hits "You Really Got Me" and "All Day and All Of the Night." Unlike those first two, "I Need You" wasn't a hit; it was, in fact, merely the B-side of the '65 single "Set Me Free." Though more obscure than its big brudders, "I Need You" nearly equals the hypnotic ferocity of its predecessors.
But my introduction to the headbanging splendor of "I Need You" did not come via the Kinks. I first heard the song when the Flashcubes included it in their live sets in 1978. Love at first power chord!
It occurred to me that there were several Kinks songs which I discovered vicariously. Among my favorite rock 'n' roll acts, the Kinks are the only one where my initial exposure to a number of their classic songs came when somebody else covered 'em. That's certainly not true of any songs by the Ramones or the Monkees. But there are some Kinks songs first taught to me by other performers, by the Flashcubes, Lyres, Pretenders, possibly Herman’s Hermits. I would generally come to prefer the Kinks’ originals. But there were exceptions.
Holly Golightly's version of "Time Will Tell" is the most recent example. When my nephew Tim Dees co-hosted This Is Rock 'n' Roll Radio a few years back, his playlist included Holly Golightly's covers of two Ray Davies songs, "Tell Me Now So I'll Know" and "Time Will Tell," both from Holly’s 2003 album Truly She Is None Other. I wasn't immediately familiar with either song--the Kinks' version of "Time Will Tell" was an unreleased demo track at the time--but they got my attention.
"Holly Golightly" may seem as if it must be a stage name, and I guess you could say it is, but no more so than that of Paul Revere of the Raiders. Unconsciously following in the synchronized footsteps of the former Paul Revere Dick, British-born singer and guitarist Holly Golightly Smith likewise shed her surname to settle on a shorter and snazzier DBA. Dream-maker, you heartbreaker.
Armed with an abiding love of three chords and...well, if not the truth, then whatever mix of fact and falsehood she deems appealing in the moment, Holly Golightly is a garage-bred force, incorporating rock and roll, rhythm and blues, and an occasional imported twang of country and western to plan the musical menu for her own midnight snack at Tiffany's. She got her start in the early nineties with Thee Headcoatees, a distaff tangent to UK garagemeisters Thee Headcoats. She's released a ton of records, both as a frontperson and with acts like the Greenhornes and the White Stripes. Originals and covers. Holly does 'em all.
And no one outside of the Kinks themselves can sing a Kinks song like Holly Golightly can sing a Kinks song. Along with the Pretenders' "Stop Your Sobbing" and Lyres' "Love Me Till The Sun Shines," Holly Golightly's magnificent rendition of "Time Will Tell" is one of but three Kinks covers out there that I prefer to the original version. And for today, it's the only Kinks cover I'll refer to as The Greatest Record Ever Made.
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Carl's new book Gabba Gabba Hey! A Conversation With The Ramones is now available, courtesy of the good folks at Rare Bird Books. Gabba Gabba YAY!! https://rarebirdlit.com/gabba-gabba-hey-a-conversation-with-the-ramones-by-carl-cafarelli/
If it's true that one book leads to another, my next book will be The Greatest Record Ever Made! (Volume 1). Stay tuned. Your turn is coming.
This Is Rock 'n' Roll Radio with Dana & Carl airs Sunday nights from 9 to Midnight Eastern, on the air in Syracuse at SPARK! WSPJ 103.3 and 93.7 FM, streaming at SPARK stream and on the Radio Garden app as WESTCOTT RADIO. Recent shows are archived at Westcott Radio. You can read about our history here.
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