Davies leads kinky tribute

November 11, 2011 at 12:00a.m.

The notion of the tribute album is inherently odd. Started in the early ’90s, the idea from the start was to pay homage to legendary artists and bands by rerecording their hits. In essence, this is to say, “We love your work so much, we’re going to not only record it the way we want to but hopefully steal away some of your thunder.”

Hyperbole aside, it seems as though Ray Davies got it right with his latest effort “See My Friends,” which features an all-star cast — Jon Bon Jovi/Richie Sambora, Bruce Springsteen, Metallica, Mumford & Sons, Lucinda Williams, Billy Corgan (Smashing Pumpkins), Jackson Browne, Spoon, Black Francis (The Pixies), Gary Lightbody (Snow Patrol) and the late Alex Chilton (Big Star) — tackling The Kinks’ hits and gems. The secret appears to be the fact Davies produced the album himself.

“It’s a real collaboration,” said Davies, calling from Austin, Texas. “We were all in the studio together, from Mumford & Sons to Bruce Springsteen. So it has a unified spirit to it. Everybody gave 100 percent, which is very important. A lot of these records, they just phone in their performances, but I didn’t want it to be that way. Being a producer on this record proved difficult because I’m an artist as well.”

For Davies, the role of producer was multifaceted. Take for instance the track “Better Things” with Springsteen, who was given plenty of freedom but was also, surprisingly Davies said, open to suggestion. It was the same scenario with Jackson Browne on “Waterloo Sunset.” However, with new UK act Mumford & Sons, Davies said he had to “crack the whip” to keep the whole band unit functioning together on “Days/This Time Tomorrow.” As for Lucinda Williams’ take of “Long Way From Home,” the difficult part was wrapping the Americana singer’s Southern drawl around Davies’ English accented lyrics.

Even though “See My Friends” was released last year, Davies is now getting around to touring stateside, including a Saturday show at the House of Blues in Cleveland. The 67-year-old classic rocker said playing Northeast Ohio has always been special, but specifically when he thinks back to The Kinks participating in the 1995 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame benefit concert at the old Cleveland Municipal Stadium.

“I think that was the last Kinks concert in America, so I have a particular fondness of the city,” Davies said. “As the only band on the bill from [England], The Kinks represented the UK. That was one of my proudest moments, playing at that concert. As usual, The Kinks cleaned up. It’s such a great band, my brothers and the unit we had.”

Naturally when interviewing Davies, the elephant in the room is always how long until the obligatory Kinks reunion question is asked. On this particular day, it didn’t take too long to ask about the possibility of Davies and his brother Dave Davies — a relationship that defines sibling rivalry — one day sharing a stage.

“I don’t want to see him again, I hate him and everything, but if he walked through the door and picked up the guitar I’d always favor my brother,” Davies said. “It’s really as simple as that: If he walked through the door and said he wanted to do it, I’d do it with him. Of course, he’s a great player.”

He quickly added, “We just need to find a door first. It’s a room with no doors at the moment.”