I have mixed to negative feelings about tribute albums. I mean, is one of today's hottest artists going to do a better version of "You Really Got Me" or "Waterloo Sunset"? Does it make things any better that Ray Davies, in full nostalgia mode, accompanies every song? Could be worse I suppose.
I'm torn. On one hand it is really heartwarming to see the show of support for the music of the Kinks among rock royalty like Metallica and Bruce Springsteen. On the other hand, covering a classic song is a surefire way to disappoint. Having Ray Davies around raises matters considerably from this being just another tribute to the Kinks, but the generation gap is palpable when he's sharing the stage with the likes of Metallica or Billy Corgan. Although a "safe" approach, more rewarding partnerships have been forged by Carlos Santana and Tony Iommi, who team up with the next generation to perform original material. Ray certainly has done well as a solo artist since the end of the Kinks, so why not?
Thankfully for Ray there is no real "out of left field" artist (like Ke$ha or Eminem, someone along those lines) that would just cause a lot of undirected rage. For example, having the Flaming Lips play "Smoke on the Water" on a Deep Purple tribute album caused so much anguish among the fans that it drowned out any sensible commentary on the rest of the album. Additionally, Ray is mostly able to hold his own against his "friends" - I cannot say the same about what I've heard of the John Fogerty & Friends CCR tribute!
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