From Ray Davies website:
V2 Records is proud to announce the upcoming release of British songwriting icon Ray Davies’ “THANKSGIVING DAY.” The five-song EP arrives in stores on November 22nd. THANKSGIVING DAY” precedes the eagerly anticipated release of the ex-Kinks great’s first-ever solo album, “OTHER PEOPLE’S LIVES,” slated to land on February 7th, 2006.
Part of a group of songs written to express Davies’ newfound desire to “discover America,” the EP’s title track is very much in keeping with the songwriter’s famously brilliant knack for subtle character studies. In addition to the EP release, the song will be available via iTunes on November 15th. All net proceeds raised by “THANKSGIVING DAY” will benefit New Orleans music education programs.
Davies explains the song’s inception: “After recording my first batch of demos for my solo album, I visited the U.S in 1999 and started writing more songs for the project. I had been invited to several Thanksgiving dinners in this time one of which was with a family in New England. What struck me was that it was more like the family Christmas I enjoyed as a child growing up in London. Thanksgiving is a time for sharing and even though they throw up their eyes as though it were a chore, family members traditionally gather for a reunion at the house of the oldest relative. In the song “Papa looks over at the small gathering” and wonders how many of the children are going to make it for the dinner. During the story, we see how one by one, they try to make it home. The Thanksgiving Day holiday was originally “a day of unity” and it occurred to me that it might be an idea for Great Britain to adopt a similar day.”
Davies will celebrate the EP’s release by performing the title track live on NBC’s Late Night with Conan O’Brien, scheduled for, not coincidentally, Thursday, November 24th – Thanksgiving Day. The following week will see Davies and his new band performing an exclusive show in New York City at The Supper Club on Monday November 28th. Tickets for this event will go on sale on Friday November 4th at Noon. The rock legend’s recent UK tour was greeted with remarkable critical acclaim. “Davies and his three man band promptly set about proving that he is a great British songsmith and that the creative juices still flow,” declared The Evening Standard’s John Aizlewood of the tour’s Royal Albert Hall stop. “The wonders are overwhelming,” wrote The Independent’s Nick Hasted. “By ‘Waterloo Sunset,’ it’s a surprise the roof is still on.”
Along with two unique mixes of the title track, “THANKSGIVING DAY” will feature a second new Davies composition, “Yours Truly, Confused N10,” originally recorded in 2002 with Jools Holland and his Rhythm & Blues Orchestra. “I actually wrote this song for my daughter’s punk band,” Davies recently told The Guardian, “and they turned it down.” Also included on the EP will be a new mix of “London Song,” a song which first saw the light of day on Davies’ 1998 “THE STORYTELLER,” as well as that album’s title track.
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