The Kinks reunite for album
Plus: bookies tip Zeppelin for Glasto; Sabbath 2022 show?
Ray Davies, frontman of The Kinks, is to reunite with his guitarist brother Dave and drummer Mick Avory for the first time in more than 20 years. Ray revealed to Channel 4 that the feuding siblings had sorted their differences and were “making a new Kinks album”. “I’ve got all these songs that I wrote for the band when we… not broke up, parted company, and I think it’s kind of an appropriate time to do it,” he continued. During the interview he received a call from Avory, telling him they’d meet later for a drink. When asked whether The Kinks were getting back together, Davies responded: “Officially we are… in the pub later on.”
Dave posted on Facebook: “Me and Ray have spoken about the possibility of a new album. Ray has a few songs he wants to finish. I have three or four songs I’ve written with Ray. We’ve been talking about it for some time now. [But] we haven’t discussed shows or anything else at the moment”. Time will tell on this one.
Although there would seemingly be even less chance of a Led Zeppelin reunion, bookmakers Betway have installed them
2/1 favourites to headline Glastonbury in 2019. Fleetwood Mac, who begin a North American tour in October, are 3/1, the Beach Boys 4/1, while previous headliners the Rolling Stones are an outside bet at 10-1.
Jimmy Page, Robert Plant and John Paul Jones were recently photographed together to promote the band’s first ever official illustrated book, Led Zeppelin By Led Zeppelin, published in October by Reel Art Press.
Also a part of their 50th anniversary plans is the reissue of the 1976 soundtrack to the film The Song Remains The Same, scheduled for September 7. The revised edition, remastered by Jimmy Page, will be available as two CDs, four LPs, Blu-ray and a Super Deluxe Box Set with two CDs, four LPs and three DVDs.
Meanwhile, despite Black Sabbath’s highprofile farewell to touring that ended in 2017, Ozzy Osbourne and Tony Iommi have both responded with enthusiasm to suggestions that Black Sabbath might perform at the opening ceremony of the 2022 Commonwealth Games in Birmingham.
Talking at Metal Hammer’s recent awards event The Golden Gods, where he picked up the top honour, Ozzy commented: “Yeah, that would be fantastic. I’d like to do that with Black Sabbath or on my own. We’re all Brummies, after all.”
Iommi told Birmingham Live: “I think that it would be a great thing to do to help represent Birmingham. I’m up for it! Let’s see what happens.” DL