The Kinks - Well Respected Men

Author:

Neville Martin & Jeffrey Hudson

Publisher:

1996 Edition: Castle Communications plc, A29 Barwell Business Park, Leatherhead Road, Chessington, Surrey KT9 2NY
2001 Edition: Sanctuary Publishing Limited, Sanctuary House, 45-53 Sinclair Road, London W14 0NS, United Kingtom

Publishing Dates:

1996
2001

ISBN:

1996 Edition: ISBN 1-86074-135-5
2001 Edition: ISBN 1-86074-387-0

Misc. Stats:

1996 Edition: 5.75" x 8.25", 223 pages
2001 Edition: 5.5" x 8.5", 327 pages

Jacket notes:

1996 Edition

That quintessential English Pop group The Kinks leapt to 60s stardom with a string of superbly crafted songs reflecting the feelings of a generation. Fronted by brothers Ray and Dave Davies the band's music was at once raw and gentle, sexual and political, witty and sarcastic, joyous and depressing. Sixties swinging London was a goldmine for songsmith Ray who milked every image from Carnabecian frivolity to the dingy streets of a dowdy postwar town.

The brothers often tempestuous relationship was and still is fundamental to the character of the group, although sibling rivalry has often threatened to split the band for good. But The Kinks have continued to record, Ray has maintained his creative brilliance and an older, wiser group still fills the world's theatres. With dedicated followers including the Jam in the 70s, Van Halen in the 80s and Blur today, the music of The Kinks remains as relevant in the 90s as ever.

Acknowledgements:

The authors are indebted to the following group members and associates, past and present, who have given freely of their time to assist with this book: John Gosling, John Dalton, Andy Pyle, Ian Gibbons, Hal Carter, Malcolm Cooke, Doug Hinman, Russell Smith and the entire weight of The Kinks Fan Club. And, of course, to Ray and Dave Davies, both of whom have been interviewed by the authors over the years.

References:

As well as our tome, the authors would direct readers interested in The Kinks to the following volumes which provided essential background in Varying degrees: "X-Ray" by Ray Davies, "Kink" by Dave Davies, "The Sound and the Fury" by Johnny Rogan, "The Kinks - The Official Biography" by Jon Savage, "You Really Got Me: An Illustrated World Discography of the Kinks 1964-1993" by Doug Hinman, "Down All the Days (till 1992)" by Rob Kopp, "The Kinks - Reflections of Thirty Years of Music" by Rebecca Bailey, "The Kinks Kronikles" by John Mendelssohn. In the compilation of this book many other publications were consulted, among them Now & Then - the official Kinks Fan Club magazine, NME, Melody Maker, Guitarist, Mojo, Q, and Hit Parader, as well as many of the world's various newspapers.

For information on The Kinks Fan Club, write to PO Box 42, Bolton, Manchester BL5 3WW.

2001 Edition

The story of The Kinks is not for the faint-hearted: nervous breakdowns, resignations, punch-ups, heads used for footballs and guitars wielded as weapons, drug abuse, glasses without lenses, food fights, alien sightings, in-yer-face spitting and mental torture -- oh, and some of the most imspirational, influential and downright enjoyable music of the last five decades.

From Dave Davies's metal-inventing riffs on early hits 'You Really Got Me' and 'All Day And All Of The Night' to big brother Ray's songwriting genius on 'Waterloo Sunset', 'Lola' and 'Dedicated Follower Of Fashion', The Kinks have been one of the most creative, most volatile and longest-running bands to emerge from the '60s, ahead of even The Beatles with their inventive productions and "kinky" fashion sense, and eclipsing the Stones on musical talent. With the likes of Blur, Paul Weller, Pulp and Van Halen taking their music to new generations, and their capacity for humour, anarchy and storytelling alive and well in songs like Wheatus's 'Teenage Dirtbag', The Kinks are as relevant today as ever.

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