#48 The Kinks

The Kinks were part of the original British Invasion. Their name derived from their stage dress. The band wore black capes and boots on stage. It was considered “kinky.” Their third single, “You Really Got Me,” is one of the greatest guitar songs ever recorded and propelled The Kinks to superstardom.

The band stayed together into the 80s, but it was the mid-60s to early 70s that saw their best work. They experimented and pushed the boundaries. Their most famous recording from the 1970s, “Lola” was about a transvestite. The song also led to a battle with the BBC over…coca cola. The song mentions the soft drink and the BBC refused to “advertise.” The Kinks changed the lyric to “cherry cola.”

Ray Davies moved the band into the theatrical realm in the 70s and they had their last big hit in the early 80s. Throughout the band’s existence, the Davies’ brothers bickered and fought (an earlier version of the Gallaghers). The Kinks split in 1996. In late 2008, Ray Davies announced a reunion and new album.

Rock n Roll Moment: Ray and Dave Davies are legendary for their dysfunctional relationship. Their fights are stuff of legend and make the Gallagher Brothers from Oasis look downright friendly to one another.

Essential Kinks:

Face to Face (1966)
Something Else (1967)
The Kinks are the Village Green Society (1968)
Arthur (1969)
Lola versus Powerman and the Moneyground Part One (1970)
Muswell Hillbillies (1971)

The Kinks Top 10:

You Really Got Me
Lola
All Day and All of the Night
Come Dancing
Waterloo Street
Apeman
Celluloid Heroes
Supersonic Rocket Ship
Tired of Waiting For You
Set Me Free