The Kinks

The Kinks are a British rock group, who first gained prominence in the mid-1960's and became one of the most influential groups of British rock as well as of the "British Invasion" of America, as well as being credited as founding fathers of the heavy metal genre. The core of the group over the years has remained brothers Ray and Dave Davies. Drummer Mick Avory was also permanent member of the band during most part of the band, when they were constantly changing bassists and keyboardists.

History

Early Years (1963-1965)

Throughout their long career, the core of the Kinks remained brothers Ray (b. 21 June 1944) and Dave Davies (b. 3 February 1947), who were born and raised in Muswell Hill, London. In their teens, the musically-inclined brothers played (both together and separately) in local bands, performing English skiffle, rock & roll, and American-influenced rhythm and blues. Soon, they recruited a schoolmate of Ray's, Peter Quaife, to play with them; like the Davies brothers, Quaife played guitar, but he switched to bass guitar. By the summer of 1963, the group (then called the Ravens) playing with drummer Mickey Willet, were struggling to make it big in the exploding British pop and rock scene. Eventually, a demo tape reached Shel Talmy, an American record producer under contract to Pye Records. Talmy helped the group land a contract with Pye in 1964. Before signing to the label, the Ravens replaced drummer Willet with Mick Avory, who would be drummer for the group for the next 20 years.

Related Topics:
Ray - 21 June - 1944 - Dave Davies - 3 February - 1947 - London - Skiffle - Rock & roll - Rhythm and blues - Peter Quaife - Bass guitar - 1963 - Mickey Willet - Shel Talmy - Pye Records - 1964 - Mick Avory

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The Ravens recorded their debut single, a cover of Little Richard's "Long Tall Sally," in January 1964. Before the single was released, the group changed their name to the Kinks. "Long Tall Sally" was released in February 1964, but it failed to chart, as did their second single, "You Still Want Me". Pye Records was on the verge of dropping them; the band was made aware that the next single had to succeed. But this proved to be a monumental breakthrough: "You Really Got Me", was an instant and huge success. Written and pushed through a difficult recording process by Ray Davies, the song and its style were immensely influential, with its driving lyrics and the furious guitar sound developed by Dave Davies. Not only was the final version the blueprint for the Kinks' trademark early sound, but scores of groups used its heavy, simple power chords as a foundation. "You Really Got Me" reached number one within a month of its release; released on Reprise in the U.S., the single climbed into the Top Ten. This career-saving success established Ray Davies as the main songwriter and de facto leader of the group from this point forward. The followup single "All Day and All of the Night," was released late in 1964 and rose to number two; in America, it hit number seven. "Tired of Waiting for You," a softer ballad, was the third straight chart topper, solidifying the group's early popularity. During this time, the group produced two full-length albums and several EPs, and gained headliner status.

Related Topics:
Little Richard - January - 1964 - February - You Really Got Me - Reprise - U.S. - EP

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Based on their huge chart success and concert drawing power, in early 1965 the Kinks were in league with the Rolling Stones as the main competitors behind the Beatles as the top UK popular music acts. But at this time the group also began to exhibit the career-spanning traits that would alienate them from mainstream audiences and the music industry. These were the personal and creative tensions and internal discord of the group (particularly between the Davies brothers), a genuine rebelliousness against the expectations of popular celebrity culture, and Ray Davies' affinity for idosyncratic, unfashionable musical styles. While such behavior gained the band a reputation for being difficult and combative, these same traits would endear the Kinks to their future cult following.

Related Topics:
Rolling Stones - Beatles

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Throughout 1965, the group continued recording, performing, and touring the world at a relentless pace. At the conclusion of their summer 1965 American tour, the Kinks were banned from re-entering the United States by the American Federation of Musicians Union, after ugly conflicts with the American tour promoters over money and performance venues. For four years, the Kinks were prohibited from returning to the U.S., which not only meant that the group was deprived of the world's largest music market, but that they were effectively cut off from the musical and social upheavals of the late 60s. Consequently, Davies' rapidly growing songwriting skills relied more on English influences, such as music hall and English folk, than the rest of his British contemporaries. At this time, Davies also became embroiled in bitter legal disputes with the group's management and with his music publishing company that would drag on through the rest of the decade.

Related Topics:
1965 - United States - 60s - British

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By early 1966, the relentless pressures and mayhem of the previous two years had taken a heavy toll on the group. Ray Davies suffered a nervous and physical breakdown, and spent several months recuperating and writing new songs, with a stand-in filling in for some live shows. Quaife was also forced to leave the group for much of 1966 after an automobile accident, returning by the end of the year. Some legendary onstage fights also erupted; in the most notorious incident, drummer Avory attacked and injured Dave Davies onstage with a high-hat cymbal, then fled into hiding for days to avoid arrest.

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In commercial terms, the Kinks lost the traction they'd started to get in America with their first three international hit singles, each of which reached the Billboard Top Ten. With their American ban, the group could not effectively promote its records, and their commercial market between 1966 and 1970 essentially shrank to the UK and Europe. The Kinks did not place a single in the U.S. Top 40 from the fall of 1966 to the fall of 1970. In Britain, the group had three #1 singles and another 9 Top Tens. The Kinks never topped the U.S. charts (coming closest twice #6 rankings for "Tired of Waiting for You" in 1965, and "Come Dancing" in 1983), and overall, would have just five Top Ten singles in America -- only 2 following the spring of 1965.

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"Golden Age" (1966-1971)

But as their commercial power as a singles act ebbed, Ray Davies' songwriting abilities grew tremendously, from the heavy rock of 1964-65 into a style that remains unique in pop music. The stylistic changes were first evident in late 1965, with the appearance of the singles "A Well Respected Man" and "Dedicated Follower of Fashion", and a number of tracks on the transitional album The Kink Kontroversy. These demonstrated the progression in Davies' songwriting from hard driving rock numbers towards his own unique brand of social commentary, observation, compassionate satire, and idiosyncratic character study, all with an increasingly English flavor. This new style hit its stride on the 1966 single "Sunny Afternoon", one of the biggest hits of the summer of 1966 in the U.K., reaching number one.

Related Topics:
The Kink Kontroversy - 1966 - U.K.

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"Sunny Afternoon" became the anchor and template for the group's first major artistically successful album, Face to Face, which also marked the departure from the hard-rocking phase of the Kinks' career. One of the first concept albums, Face to Face displayed Davies' now prolific and inspired songwriting skills. A collection of cutting narrative songs, many about everyday people and their small-scale dramas and failures, the album ranked as one of the best of the landmark musical year of 1966. The great social comment single "Dead End Street" was released at the time of Face to Face, and became another big U.K. hit. For the two years following the release of Face to Face, the Kinks scaled back live performances in the UK and Europe and focused on extensive studio recording, a trend they shared with the other big British groups at the time (who were similarly burned out by the breakneck 1964-1966 touring period). But the Kinks also became notorious in 1966 for cancelling or skipping appearances to which they were booked, which contributed to their declining commercial viability over the next few years. By late 1968, they were appearing in rather embarrassing venues, such as public parks, package tours for mostly teenage audiences, and cabaret clubs.

Related Topics:
Face to Face - Concept albums - 1966

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But this period also yielded their greatest, most enduring studio work. In May 1967, they returned with "Waterloo Sunset," a striking ballad that reached number two in the U.K. in the spring of 1967. Released in the autumn of 1967, the excellent songs on the album Something Else By The Kinks continued the musical progressions of Face to Face, but without the stronger thematic consistency of that album. Dave Davies also scored major chart success with "Death of a Clown", cowritten with Ray and recorded by the Kinks, but released as a Davies solo single. After this album was recorded, Ray assumed studio production responsibilities for the group from former producer Shel Talmy.

Related Topics:
May - 1967 - Waterloo Sunset - Something Else By The Kinks - Shel Talmy

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Despite the Kinks' tremendous musical growth and artistic success in the studio, their chart performance in the UK and Europe began to stagnate as the tastes of the pop world rapidly changed in late 1967 and into 1968. Something Else sold poorly (in part because it was released on the heels of a budget-priced Kinks greatest hits album), and the Kinks rushed out a new single, "Autumn Almanac," which became another big U.K. hit for the group. But "Wonderboy", an ill-considered single released in the spring of 1968, was the first release not to crack the Top Ten; its failure instigated a precipitous decline in the group's commercial popularity in the UK.

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Throughout 1968, Davies doggedly continued to pursue and perfect his pop songwriting style, at the same time rebelling against the heavy demands placed on him by the Kinks' management and record label to keep producing commercial hit singles. The Kinks recovered somewhat with the classic "Days," a modest U.K. hit in the summer of 1968, but the group's commercial decline was made evident by the failure of The Kinks Are the Village Green Preservation Society. Released in the late autumn of 1968, this concept album was the culmination of Davies' nostalgic tendencies. A brilliant collection of thematically-related vignettes assembled from songs written and recorded over the previous two years, the album lacked a commercial single and was sorely out of touch with the social, heavy rock, and psychedelic music popular at the time. While commercially unsuccessful, it was well-received by the new underground rock press, particularly in the U.S., where the Kinks' status as a cult group began to grow.

Related Topics:
The Kinks Are the Village Green Preservation Society - 1968 - Psychedelic

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Major changes occurred in the group in the wake of the album's release. Bassist Peter Quaife had grown tired of the group's direction and the dominant role of Ray Davies, and resigned in March 1969, being replaced by John Dalton. Dalton had temporarily replaced Quaife in 1966, and was now brought back permanently. Dave Davies recorded a stockpile of his songs with the Kinks for a solo album in this time, but he lost confidence after the failure of the followup singles to "Death of a Clown", and the intended album was never released. In 1968, Ray Davies also began composing and recording music with the group for television and film projects, fulfilling a long-standing ambition to diversify into these media; this would lay the foundation for future efforts such as Arthur, Percy, and their elaborate stage shows of the early 1970's.

Related Topics:
Peter Quaife - John Dalton

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Also in 1969, the American ban upon the Kinks was finally lifted, leaving them free to tour the U.S. for the first time in four years. They returned to the US in late 1969, but the concert scene was in the midst of a radical transition, from the teenage dominated audiences of the 1964-1967 period to the FM radio-inspired heavy rock scene of the 1970's. The Kinks' early shows after the return to the US were held in small venues (such as the Fillmore East, and local colleges and small clubs), and were highly undisciplined, as the group had to adapt to the changes. It took extensive touring in the US between 1969 and 1972 before the group developed a successful, disciplined stage act.

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Before their return to the US, the Kinks released Arthur (Or the Decline and Fall of the British Empire). Like the previous three Kinks albums, "Arthur" contained distinctly British lyrical and musical themes, having been conceived as the score for a proposed television drama. It was a modest commercial success, and was particularly well-received by music critics in America, where it was very favorably compared to the contemporary album Tommy by The Who, even lauded as superior in some prominent articles. Significantly, it marked a major return to rock music for the group, which they had largely forgone since "Sunny Afternoon" in 1966. As they were recording the follow-up to Arthur, the Kinks expanded their lineup to include keyboardist John Gosling.

Related Topics:
Arthur (Or the Decline and Fall of the British Empire) - Tommy - The Who

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The first appearance of Gosling on a Kinks record was "Lola." Featuring a harder rock foundation than their last few singles, and with the hilarious theme of a mistaken romantic encounter with a transvestite, "Lola" was a much-needed worldwide hit and a concert favourite that served to revitalize the group's commercial viability (just as "You Really Got Me" had done six years before). Released in the fall of 1970, Lola versus Powerman and the Moneygoround, Part One was their most successful record since the mid-'60s in both the U.S. and U.K., helping the group become concert favorites in the U.S. In 1971 the group released Percy, a soundtrack album to a film of the same name. It is generally regarded as a lesser Kinks effort, and the group's US label Reprise declined to release it in America, precipitating a major dispute that contrubuted to the group's departure from that label.

Related Topics:
Lola - 1970 - Lola versus Powerman and the Moneygoround, Part One - Percy - Reprise

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After the group's contracts with Pye and Reprise expired in early 1971, they secured a five-album deal with RCA Records. Based on the success of "Lola", they received a million dollar advance, which they used to construct their own London studio (Konk) and gain more control from the constraints of their original 1960's management agreements. Released in late 1971, Muswell Hillbillies, the group's first album for RCA, marked a return to the nostalgia of the Kinks' late-'60s albums, only with more pronounced country and music hall influences. The album material was uniformly strong and critically praised, but it failed to be the commercial blockbuster RCA had hoped for. A few months after the release of Muswell Hillbillies, Reprise released the excellent double-album compilation The Kink Kronikles, which introduced the songs from the overlooked 1966-1970 period to American audiences. It outsold their RCA debut, and played a huge role in solidifying their cult status in the US.

Related Topics:
Pye - Reprise - 1971 - RCA Records - Muswell Hillbillies

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Failure of rock operas (1972-1975)

In 1972 the group released Everybody's in Showbiz, a double record set consisting of one album of studio tracks (most prominently the excellent ballad "Celluloid Heroes") and another of live material. It signaled the beginning of Davies' overt fascination with theatrical concept albums and elaborate stage shows that would dominate the Kink's career into 1975-1976 (and facilitated in part by the staginess of the contemporary Glam Rock trend.) The album was a commercial and critical disappointment in the U.K., although it sold better in the U.S. This pattern would continue to play out over the subsequent decade, with the Kinks' popularity and sales steadily increasing in the US, and remaining stagnant in the UK.

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In 1973, Ray Davies dove headlong into the theatrical style, composing a full-blown theatrical rock opera called Preservation, a more ambitious outgrowth of the earlier Village Green Preservation Society concept. In conjunction with this project, Davies expanded the Kink's lineup to include a horn section and female backup singers, essentially reforming the group as a theatrical troupe. But Davies also suffered serious drug and marital problems during this period which adversely affected the band. Couple with Avory and Dave's alcoholic abuse and the latter's lack of enthusiasm for the theatrical style, the band's recorded and live output remained uneven, and their popularity eroded.

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When the first installment – closer in spirit to vaudeville than to opera – appeared in late 1973, it received generally poor reviews, though its live performances fared better with the critics. Act 2 appeared in the summer of 1974; it faced a similar reception. Davies began another musical, Starmaker, for the BBC; the project eventually metamorphosed into Soap Opera, which was released in the spring of 1975. In 1976, the Kinks recorded the final theatrical work, Schoolboys in Disgrace. Compared with the previous three albums, the songs on Schoolboys were more independent from the album's concept, and they rocked harder than any of the RCA albums. From critical point of view, the theatrical concept albums now are viewed as rather self-idulgent, over-ambitious records, essentially a bridge between the next incarnation of the band.

Related Topics:
1973 - 1974 - Starmaker - 1975 - 1976

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Much of the improvement on Schoolboys was due to the bands' considerable growth as musicians: Dave Davies showed a dramatic emergence as an excellent, modern rock guitarist, and Mick Avory fleshed out his skills and become powerful and first-class drummer. At this time Ray also completely kicked his drug and alcoholic addictions, and with renewed energy started writing excellent mainstream rock songs again.

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In 1976, the Kinks signed with Arista Records. With the encouragement of Arista management, they recast themselves back into a commercial rock group, stripping down to the five-person core group and jettisoning the extra personnel from the theatrical phase. Essentially, they abandoned the experimentation of the previous decade (both brilliant and otherwise), and picked up where they had left off in late 1965. Rock in general was in a back-to basics trend at this time, spearheaded by the Punk movement and the emergence of late 1970's "supergroups" (ironically, one the biggest of these, Van Halen, achieved their breakthrough with a powerful remake of "You Really Got Me", which in turn greatly boosted The Kinks' resurgence). With Davies' renewed creativity the band consequently bounced back on the record charts.

Related Topics:
1976 - Arista Records - Punk - Van Halen

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Bouncing back to the charts (1976-1984)

Bassist John Dalton left the group near the completion of their debut Arista album; he was replaced by Andy Pyle.Sleepwalker, the Kinks' first album for Arista, became a major hit in the U.S. As the group was completing the follow-up to Sleepwalker, Pyle left the group and was replaced by the returning Dalton. Misfits, the group's second Arista album, was also a U.S. success, although its recording was somewhat marred by the ever-present internal discord. After a British tour, Dalton left the group again, along with keyboardist John Gosling; ex-Argent bassist Jim Rodford and (with a short service by Gordon Edwards) keyboardist Ian Gibbons filled the vacancies. Despite the personnel changes, the group's recording and concert success continued to grow. With their well-honed stage craft and great repertoire, they were again beginning to play the large arenas in the United States.

Related Topics:
John Gosling - Argent

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As punk rockers like the Jam and the Pretenders and heavy metal acts like Van Halen were covering Kinks songs in the late 70s, the group became more commercially successful with each release, culminating in the heavy rock and new wave sounds of Low Budget 1979, which became the group's biggest American success, peaking at number 11. Davies' wry songwiting skills hit their second commercial peak, as he crafted intellegent, polished, and commercially appealing songs like "Pressure", "A Little Bit of Emotion", "Catch Me Now I'm Falling", and the minor hit "(Wish I Could Fly Like) Superman". A live album (their third) and video, "One for the Road", followed in 1980, and its success pushed their concert drawing power to a peak between 1981 and 1983. Dave Davies also took advantage of the group's improved commercial standing to fulfill his decade-long solo ambition, releasing a series of well-recieved albums on his own.

Related Topics:
The Jam - The Pretenders - Van Halen - 70s - 1979

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The Kinks' next studio album, Give the People What They Want, appeared in late 1981; the record peaked at number 15 and went gold. For most of 1982, the group was on tour. In spring of 1983, the swing-flavoured "Come Dancing" became the group's biggest American hit since "Tired of Waiting for You," thanks to the video's repeated exposure on MTV; in the U.S., the song peaked at number six, in the U.K. it climbed to number 12. The album State of Confusion followed the release of "Come Dancing", and it was another commercial success, peaking at number 12 in the U.S. At this time Ray Davies also became romantically involved with Pretenders leader Chrissie Hynde, herself a longtime Kinks fan, resulting in the birth of a daughter.

Related Topics:
1982 - 1983 - MTV - Pretenders - Chrissie Hynde

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The Kink's second wave of popularity effectively peaked with State of Confusion in 1983, but both internal and external factors would soon begin to undermine them. An influx of new, fresh talent and styles into popular music at this time effectively muted the early 80's resurgence of many of the classic acts (including fellow UK acts such as David Bowie, the Who and even the Rolling Stones); also, the concert market for Kinks shows in the US had largely been played out by a decade of almost non-stop touring. But the internal strife in the group also reached a critical point now.

Related Topics:
David Bowie - Who - Rolling Stones

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For the second half of 1983, Ray Davies immersed himself in an ambitious solo film project, Return to Waterloo, which caused considerable tension between himself and his brother. The Kinks also reshuffled their lineup. Mick Avory's working relationship with Dave Davies had reached a breaking point, also the group's drummer for 20 years was quite tired with the incessant break-ups, changes and punch-ups within the band so with an agreement with Ray, he assumed a managment position at Konk Studios. Jim Rodford proposed his ex-Argent colleague - Bob Henrit and since Henrit also played with Dave Davies on a couple of his solo records, he was the obvious choice.

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As Ray finished production on Return to Waterloo, the band recorded and released the album, Word of Mouth in late 1984. The album was similar in tone to the last few Kinks records, but the songs lacked the heart, cleverness, and quality of the previous albums, thus it was a commercial disappointment. It was also partially due to the rhythm section of the album, whereas backed up by the talented and skilled Avory, in Word of Mouth was quite messy as ¹/³rd of the tracks were done with Mick, another with Henrit and another by drum machine. Intense squabbles over track selections for the album further strained the Davies brothers' working relationship. Following this album, the Kinks seemed to lose a creative edge that they never fully recovered, and they never again cracked the Top 40.

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Fall in popularity (1985-1996)

Word of Mouth was the last album they would record for Arista Records. In early 1986, the group signed with MCA Records in the United States, London in the UK. Think Visual, their first album for their new label, was released in late 1986. It was a mild success but there were no hit singles from the record. The following year, the Kinks released another live album, appropriately titled 'The Road', which spent a brief time on the charts. Two years later, the Kinks released their last studio record for MCA, UK Jive, which was a commercial and critical failure. After this the same year, longtime keyboardist Ian Gibbons left the group.

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The Kinks were inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 1990, their first year of eligibility, and all of the original members from the 1960's lineup were present. But the induction did not help revive their career. In 1991, a compilation of their MCA records, 'Lost & Found' (1986-1989), appeared, signaling that their contract with the label had expired. Later in the year, the group signed with Columbia Records and released an EP called 'Did Ya', which didn't chart. Gibbons rejoined in 1993 and The Kinks' first album for Columbia, Phobia, arrived in 1993 to fair reviews but poor sales. In 1994, the group was dropped from Columbia Records, leaving the group to release To the Bone, which consisted of effective new treatments of many of their old hits, on independent labels in the UK and the US. (The US version of the album was substantially longer than the original British edition.)

Related Topics:
1991 - MCA records - Columbia Records - 1993

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Despite a lack of commercial success with new material, the group's profile rose again in the mid 1990's. After the Hall of Fame induction, the Kinks made some moves in the 'unplugged" direction and softened their live performances, giving sensitive treatment to little-played songs from their early career (such as "Days"). Also, several of the most popular Britpop bands of the decade, including Blur, Pulp, Suede and Oasis, cited the Kinks as a major influence on their careers. Particularly Blur frontman Damon Albarn and Oasis' chief songwriter Noel Gallagher several times both have stressed that the Kinks are one of the bands that made biggest impact on their songwriting as well as their developing as artists and musicians and respective bands' careers. Ray Davies also took his role and acted as a rock "godfather", while promoting his autobiography, "X-Ray", published in early 1995 in the UK. Dave Davies responded with his "Kink", which was published in the spring of 1996.

Related Topics:
Britpop - Blur - Pulp - Suede - Oasis - Damon Albarn - Noel Gallagher

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Split and solo work (1997-present)

The Kinks performed together for the last time in late 1996. The working relationship between the Davies brothers seemed to have broken down completely in early 1997. Talk of a Kinks reunion has circulated (including an aborted reunion of the original band members in 1999), but both Ray and Dave Davies have shown tepid interest in playing together again. One of Ray's projects has included a symphony commissioned by the Norfolk and Norwich Festival, and regular touring with his own backup band. Dave also toured and released solo work since the Kinks' demise. Ray was awarded a CBE (the rank below Knighthood) by Queen Elizabeth II in 2004, for "services to music". A number of the Kinks' former supporting players, such as John Dalton, John Gosling and Mick Avory, also perform in Europe and the UK as the "Kast-Off Kinks". Ray also has been working a new album for years and it will be released in September 26, 2005. It will be called The Tourist. Tour is expected to start in October and to continue untill next summer.

Related Topics:
Norfolk and Norwich Festival - Queen Elizabeth II - September 26 - 2005

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Both Davies brothers suffered injuries in 2004. On January 4, Ray was shot in the leg while chasing thieves who had snatched the purse of his companion in the French Quarter of New Orleans. Dave suffered the more serious one in June 30 when he got a bad stroke in an elevator at the London offices of the BBC, where he had been promoting his latest solo album, 'Bug', he was hospitalised and released on August 27.

Related Topics:
January 4 - New Orleans - June 30 - Stroke - London - BBC - August 27

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Ironically, Dave's stroke has caused a reconcilliation, with Ray reportedly working closely with his younger brother to regain his guitar skills. But it seems that the two brothers are in remarkable good relationship - something considered abnormal for two decades. "I'm spending lots of time with Dave," said Ray. "I'm coaching him along as best I can to re-learn the guitar. Actually, we're getting along better than ever. As soon as he can play guitar again, then it's back to the old hatred," he added, laughing, "It's the only thing that lasts." On this Dave responded jokingly on his web-site that it sounds like him "giving songwriting lessons to Ray".

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Apparently, when Dave's stroke occurred last year, the two siblings were seriously considering a reunion to coincide with the 40th anniversary of their first number one hit "You Really Got Me". However, they still have an year in front, because of Ray's tight touring schedule behind his new album and the on-going recovery of his brother.

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