Piano World Home Page Forums Our Most Popular Forums Pianist Corner - Non Classical Waterloo Sunset's fine.

I have just discovered this. I am sure it might attract some criticism but as a straight take, live performance I think it is an exceptionally high standard.
However, you may have your own opinion, but don't forget, in the context of the play she is trying to get some life into the place, a bit of a, "Rebel with a cause". God Bless Her.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C9KCgphmktk

Here is a comment I chose from You Tube referring to the actress, Queenie Watts, she didn't "do" glamour, but there was one like her in every pub in Britain.
""""Jason Ivory3 years ago
This actress was under rated and not only a first class Jazz singer she was a great actress. She ran pubs with her husband, where she also sang and played piano with an eight-piece band to pull in more customers. She appeared in the 1966 film version of Alfie, singing "Goodbye, Dolly Gray" in a memorable, riotous bar-room brawl sequence. This was her last TV work and died the next year of cancer."""""""

It was good, but it wasn't the soft, pleasing song that The Kinks gave us, and I felt a lot of the playing was dissonant. I liked it, nonetheless.

noobpianist90, thanks for your response. I was impressed at her ability to turn around, she was not young, and still play accurately. I haven't been able to do that for the last 30 years, first my back is too bad, sciatica, second I don't have the pianistic ability!
Yes, it was dissonant, but that went with the story of her anger and resentment of being in a place where, as she saw it, everybody had just let go of life, and she didn't belong. This is well demonstrated by the way she starts the performance, I'm sure she was easily able to play the intro, a descending scale of Eb major, but wanted to shake up the other residents, and staff too, it seemed. She wanted to wake them all up. Plus which, as an ex-pub performer, the ability to make yourself heard over the crowd is a pre-requisite.
I really appreciate background vocals and these are very present, and quite haunting, in the original Waterloo Sunset. I have the sheet music to Waterloo Sunset and find it very difficult to get that "mood". Other Kinks songs, Sunny Afternoon, Dead End Street, are much easier to reproduce. While The Beatles were the best group, The Kinks were by far the best English group, making music that reflected English life and culture, easily eclipsing The Beatles and The Rolling Stones who had far more international appeal.(All IMO)

Yes, I quite agree with you. I am an avid listener of The Kinks, and I play a lot of their songs on the guitar. I have not really tried on the piano, apart from Apeman. Guess it's time I tried playing some Kinks on piano

However, I like the Kinks because of the melodious and soft nature of their songs, but with an anger or sarcasm underneath the obviously pleasing nature of the music. Their songs are a lot more complex than it appears on the surface.

I felt this particular rendition made obvious what is usually subtle.

I could be completely wrong and what I said might be absolute nonsense, but this is how I interpret The Kinks.

noobpianist90, No, I don't think you are wrong about The Kinks at all. In fact your assessment of their music is better then anything I could do. The anger in, for example, Sunny Afternoon is only evident once you get past the happiness you get from hearing or singing it.(Brilliant song for piano, BTW) Lola, where the subject is the victim of a con trick is another brilliant example.
Queenie Watts version is not about that. The anger is from the performer being in the condition she finds herself, fed up, far from home, deprived of personal possessions and left with an old out of tune piano with people who try to control her.
This is a punk-rock version of Waterloo Sunset played by an "old" lady, the last person you would expect it from. I really do understand it not working for other people. But I love the fire in it and was impressed enough by the performance to post it here. I think it needs to be seen here as a protest song, not the love song it is usually seen as.
I don't know if you are aware of the song, "I'm not like everybody else", but I think that is exactly what Queenie Watts is saying here, and I must say I sympathise with her. Perhaps the song isn't known well enough?

Yes, the performance was impressive. I didn't actually say it isn't working for me :P


Yes, its not as well known as their hits, but I have heard it. Hmmm. I get what you're saying.

My uncle played like that. Everything in "standard key" (G) . . . . He liked our piano; everybody did. It was loud and in tune!

You know why Waterloo Sunset works- because of Nicky Hopkins! The English pianist who played on countless records for The Beatles, The Who, The Kinks(Sunny afternoon, Mr Pleasent, Phenomenal Cat and plus he's all over the Village Green...album), The Rolling Stones, Ella Fitzgerald, Joe Cocker, The Jayhawks and hundreds amongst others...

All of that fantastic piano/keyboard playing was done by one person's hands...Nicky Hopkins!

Look him up on internet, I did....and it changed the way I thought about piano/keyboard music! I mean, that guy was so perfect on te piano ,always coming up with the right parts in the right space on the records, his playing always inspires you to put your heart into the music and be one with the instrument. Absolutely Brilliant!

Sorry for such a long post, I couldn't help but write about the unsung hero of Rock/Roll era. Very few people actually are aware, although all have been enjoying his contributions over the years

Long Live Nicky On Tape !

Yes, exactly.
Nicky is the reason why The Kinks live lacks a certain kick to it which the studio recordings have.