Ray Davies retools the classics

What do The Kinks, Metallica and Mumford & Sons have in common? Besides the obvious fact that they are all musicians, these bands are all working on an album together. Ray Davies of The Kinks has put together a one of a kind album entitled "See My Friends." The album, out November 1^st features an eclectic selection of artists who cover classic Kinks songs. Ray Davies works with all sorts of musicians who range from the heavy metal sounds of Metallica to Bruce Springsteen and Jon Bon Jovi. Davies has looked back on his career and selected what he considers his best songs and has remastered and recreated them. 

"This project came about almost by accident," says Davies of his undertaking. It was kick-started when he recorded a version of ‘Till The End Of The Day' in the summer of 2009 with the late, great, Big Star singer Alex Chilton. After collaborating with many different artists on this album Davies has learned that he may have a different sound than some of the other artists but that is why "See My Friends" is an experimental collaborative album.  "With some tracks I had to appreciate the style of the other artists, otherwise it would have sounded unbalanced. And I wanted the album to work as an entire listening experience, but each track had a life of its own" he told seemyfriends.co.uk. 

Ray was happy to travel anywhere to get inspiration to make music. He travelled to Oslo, Norway to record with Metallica, New York for record with Bon Jovi, New Jersey for Springsteen and also completed tracks in his own home recording studio, KONK Studios in London. The track list is as follows:

Though the album won't be released until Novemeber 1^st, a sample of "You Really Got Me" is available online. The album is perhaps Davies' most unique work so far, but it has something for everyone. Whether you're a Kinks fan or want to pay tribute to some of Chilton's final work make sure to check out this album once it hits the shelves.