The Kinks - Where do you place them among their peers?

[spellbound]

"Top Of The Pops"

I've just come in at Number 25
I'm oh so happy, so glad to be alive
And everybody says it's going to get to the top
Life is so easy when your record's hot.
Go tell my mamma and my sister too
To press my trousers and polish my shoes
I might even end up a rock-and-roll god
It might turn into a steady job.
And my agent said to me: "Son, I always told you so."
Now my record's number 11 on the BBC
But number seven on the N.M.E.
Now the Melody Maker want to interview me
And ask about my politics and theories on religion.
Now my record's up to number 3
And a woman recognized me and started to scream
This all seems like a crazy dream
I've been invited to a dinner with a prominent queen
And now I've got friends that I thought I'd never have before.
It's strange how people want you when you record's high
'Cos when it drops down they just pass you by
Now my agent just called me and said it me:
"Son your record's just got to Number One." - Raymond Douglas Davies

In the late '60s through mid '70s, my favorite rock band was the Who. But if I was listening to the Kinks, they could be my favorite at the time. Both bands had the best songwriters. The Who usually could be depended on to rock a little harder, which was important to a young man. In the '70s, I got to see the Who twice and the Kinks twice. I am thankful I had those opportunities. Great shows. I liked the Rolling Stones as well, but they were party music. Townshend and Davies wrote thinking man's rock music. The Beatles may have been my favorite band in the '60s, but I was very young then. I still like them, but don't consider them along with the other bands because they didn't stay together into the '70s. They were in a class by themselves.

[Jerjo]

I'd rank then just behind the Big Three of 60s English rock but only just. Ray was just tremendous in his late 60s run. At my old job I used to press my copy of Kink Kronikles on twenty-somethings. They'd come back in about a week, shaking and asking "why didn't you tell me about this before".

[mozo-pg]

I have a friend that says they were as good as the Beatles. I'm not sure I totally agree, as the Beatles morphed into other genres like psych, and progressed a bit more, imo. But still, the Kinks were pretty good.

Here's a YT Ray Davies doc: http://youtu.be/yVYqVS_X6js

I'll check this out.

My regard for the Kinks has steadily risen as I age. Waterloo Sunset, 20th Century Man, Misfits, all of Village Green I find to be peerless songwriting. I never appreciated the insight of Ray's lyrics until I was older (I am now 52). Ray was a bit of a cranky old man by the time he was in his 20s and I think with his crankiness came some insight which showed in his song writing. Great stuff. I was lucky enough to see the Kinks in the early 80s in Toronto and Ray about a year ago also in Toronto where he sang Misfits with Ron Sexsmith. A moment of beauty.

For those who are interested all the Pye albums were released in expanded versions in the last few years and I bought them all. The 3 disc Village Green I really recommend. Today the Kinks for me are second only to the Beatles and I do love the Stones (up until It's Only Rock'n'Roll) and the Who (until Quadrophenia). I also bought the recent Kinks at the BBC and am working my way through it.

Lucky man. Ottawa misses these kinds of show - the smaller, high profile ones.

[Enid]

I used to watch them perform on "Shindig" in 65'. Being 7 years old I thought they were strange. Dave Davies Flying V , Ray Davies rotten teeth, songs which displayed a hard-edged tone on guitar, ..and their songwriting was was so different for the times..it just spun your head around. Music was not compartmentalized in those days. There were catagories and so-called labels for various styles of music that later became more complex and some was commercial..but the freedom of expression/art was present. The Kinks were bound to have a mixture of "Art Rock" ...not so much in their playing..but more so applied to Ray Davies concept albums which were quite unique when compared to bands like The Who and The Beatles.

More jabberbox- I would like to have a official release of The Great Lost Kinks Album on cd. Apparently a few tracks are missing if you compile the bonus material from the remasters. I've been on a mission to obtain this record for years. Stealing from the Kinks is a huge insult to Ray Davies. American bands would obviously steal from him instead of painting reflections of his style. Paul Revere and the Raiders, The Who....psych bands like The Bubble Puppy..and even Syd Barrett and Richard Wright with songs like "It Would Be So Nice" and "The Gnome" which were very reminiscent of the "Something Else" and "Village Green" period. David Bowie is a candidate and then the band's mass amount of hooks, chord voicings/changes are identified in commercial music within the last 4 decades. You know the Kinks influenced artists in general to write differently. Muswell Hillbillies , Arthur, Lola VS. Powerman..are all very worthwhile. It's very much like theatre and the creative aspect to it is cunning. They never fit into the "Flower Power" scene but the cover of Face To Face would give you doubts. Part of their style evolved from Ray Davies choosing not to sing about the worth of current events/trends and instead he would put more emphasis on how robotic/moronic people in society were to be trapped by those trends.

[gregory]

Stealing from the Kinks is a huge insult to Ray Davies. American bands would obviously steal from him instead of painting reflections of his style. Paul Revere and the Raiders, The Who....psych bands like The Bubble Puppy..and even Syd Barrett and Richard Wright with songs like "It Would Be So Nice" and "The Gnome

Ray Davies in his writing used the harmonies that were invented by Jean-Phillipe Rameau, and combinations of notes which are generally accepted in cabaret music, operetta and vaudeville.
Does it mean that everything he uses is his private property?

[mozo-pg]

I just like the cool story from Enid.

[Enid]

Ray Davies in his writing used the harmonies that were invented by Jean-Phillipe Rameau, and combinations of notes which are generally accepted in cabaret music, operetta and vaudeville.
Does it mean that everything he uses is his private property?

No it doesn't. Absolutely not. I am making reference to his idea of incorporating those styles in Rock music. No doubt Ray Davies has unique originality. Combining the harmonies of Jean-Phillipe Rameau with a style of Rock music was in fact very unique for the times.

[Enid]

I just like the cool story from Enid.

Thanks!