Thank you for the Ray

There are days when I wish I was still working as a music journalist. I gave it up when I hit 35 as I thought it was a young person's game. In fact, I was wrong. But other avenues opened up and I never did get around to it again. Besides, I'd interviewed all my heroes (well, almost)...and some who weren't.

My proud boast is that I am the man who wrote in 1978 that U2 should stick to their day jobs in the hardware shop in Dublin as they were unlikely to make it. Well, Bonio got right my nose when I interviewed him and his fledgling band. Imagine calling yourself after a dog biscuit when you have a perfectly serviceable name!

But old habits die hard and I still enjoying listening critically to new bands and CDs. But there's many good tune played on an old fiddle, as we say in Ireland. I have been listening to an old fiddle today. That is if Ray Davies doesn't mind being called an old fiddle.

Today (Monday 8 November), the genius behind The Kinks releases a new record. New in the sense that the songs are old but the recordings are new and feature an impressive list. Among Ray's guests are Bruce Springsteen (Better Things); Lucinda Williams (A Long Way from Home); Amy McDonald (Dead End Street); Jackson Browne (Waterloo Sunset); and Alex Chilton, who accompanies Ray on a great version of Till the End of the Day.

These are great songs played by their creator. The guest artists give them a freshness. Davies is so underrated - or has been for the past 30 years. He seemed to enjoy a bit of a revival these past two years. This album shows he's still top of his game.

My only regret is that I never got to interview him...yet.