21 Oct NEWS: The Kinks Musical, Sunny Afternoon, Releases First Tracks from New Cast Recording

Sunny Afternoon, the critically acclaimed new musical, which tells the story of the early life of Ray Davies and the rise to stardom of The Kinks, has released seven preview tracks from the official cast recording album, released later this month. Featuring some of The Kinks’ best-loved songs, including You Really Got Me, Waterloo Sunset and Lola, Sunny Afternoon marks the 50th Anniversary year of the band’s debut release. The Kinks exploded onto the 60s music scene with a raw, energetic new sound that rocked a nation. But how did that happen, where exactly did they come from and what happened next?

All 29 tracks on the album are performed entirely by members of the company, with John Dagleish as Ray Davies, George Maguire as Dave Davies, Ned Derrington as Pete Quaife and Adam Sopp as Mick Avory.

The tracks released today are:

Dedicated Follower Of Fashion (Vocals: John Dagleish, George Maguire and Company, Electric Guitar: Pete Friesen, 12 String Acoustic Guitar: John Dagleish, Bass: Philip Bird, Drums: Ben Caplan, Keyboards: Elliott Ware)

Sunny Afternoon (Vocals: John Dagleish and Company, Electric Guitar: George Maguire, Pete Friesen, Acoustic Guitar: John Dagleish, Bass: Ned Derrington, Drums and Percussion: Adam Sopp, Piano: Elliott Ware, Melodica: Philip Bird)

Dead End Street (Vocals: Philip Bird, Elizabeth Hill and Company, Electric Guitar: Pete Friesen, Banjo: Lillie Flynn, Bass: Ned Derrington, Drums: Adam Sopp, Washboard: John Dagleish, Piano: Elliott Ware, Trombones: Dominic Tighe, Tam Williams)

Too Much On My Mind/Tired of Waiting for You (Vocals: John Dagleish, Lillie Flynn and Company. Acoustic Guitar: Pete Friesen, Bass: Philip Bird, Keyboards: Elliott Ware)

“We used the cast members to play as a band rather than hire session musicians, which is very unusual. Everyone rose to the challenge magnificently. It was the first time they had been in the studio as a group which gave the record a feeling of vitality, energy and innocence of a band just starting out. In a way it was like making an early Kinks album” – Ray Davies

Further tracks to be released include Days, I Go To Sleep, Where Have All The Good Times Gone/All Day and All Of The Night.

The album, to be released on 27 October 2014, is available to pre-order at amazon.co.uk/Sunny-Afternoon-The-Kinks.