I dispensed with the Friday Cocktail Hour lettering this week. I think you can figure out that it’s The Kinks in a pub from the cover of Muswell Hillbillies. It’s one of my favorite albums but this week’s tune predated it. Does that qualify as lazing on a sunny afternoon?

Ray Davies wrote Sunny Afternoon in 1966. It was a hit both in the UK and US. It’s an early example of the band’s music hall style which became more prominent in the Seventies.

We begin at the beginning with The Kinks:

It’s nepo-baby time with Dean Martin and Desi Arnaz’s sons and their pal Billy:

Jimmy Buffett’s music specialized in lazing, so this week’s tune is perfect for him. Why he called an album Fruit Cakes is beyond me.

We move forward to 1999 with a cover by Stereophonics:

Tom Jones. Say no more.

Ingrid Lucia is a New Orleans based singer whose former band had a swell name, The Flying Neutrinos:

Speaking of nepo-babies, here’s a more talented one, Eliza Carthy whose parents Martin Carthy and Norma Waterson are UK folk legends.

What would the Friday Cocktail Hour be without instrumental versions of the week’s tune? This time, Pascal Comelade followed by Hank Marvin:

That’s it for this week. I propose a toast to the Davies brothers. Thanks for all the great music. It’s what Tom Jones and his publican would want. Never argue with them.