by Robert Wilkinson
The Solstice time zone featured two musical geniuses with back to back birthdays. Brian Wilson was June 20, and our next genius was born on June 21. Today we begin our dance early and give a big shout-out to a true songwriting genius of modern music, Ray Davies of the Kinks. As the Godfathers of Punk, they certainly have attitude!
For those who weren’t there, the Kinks were part of the original "British Invasion" of 1964, and are generally considered the godfathers of punk, grunge, thrash rock, and served as inspirations for countless bands, including the Who, Pretenders, Van Halen, the Stranglers, and many more. They were there at the beginning, electric and loud and in your face, and pretty much hold the title of THE first true proto-punk rockers!
Ray Davies (21 June 1944) has composed countless hits, including some monsters that have endured the test of time! "You Really Got Me," "All the Day and All the Night," "Tired of Waiting," “Stop Your Sobbin’,” "See My Friends" (said to be the first raga based song in pop music), "Dedicated Follower of Fashion," "Sunny Afternoon," "Waterloo Sunset," "Victoria," "Days," "Apeman," "Lola," "Celluloid Heroes," "(Wish I Could Fly Like) Superman," "A Rock and Roll Fantasy," "Come Dancing," and so many more I've lost count over the years. Still, I've been a BIG fan since the very beginning, and so figured you should know about this singular talent of our times.
Ray has also acted, directed and produced shows for theatre and television, a logical offshoot of his many concept albums which were theatrical in nature and produced some amazing songs. His styles range from American rock and roll and blues to British Music Hall, and he's given us many tunes influenced by vaudeville, trad jazz, ragtime, and many more styles. He's sophisticated, witty, satiric, and his sense of irony has enabled him to skewer social hypocrisies and class systems through social commentary almost never seen in pop songwriting.
So today I'll give you a few of his best, and best known, for your enjoyment. As with Brian Wilson, whose life and music we celebrated last weekend, there are just too many to give you a sense of the breadth of his genius, but enjoy what I've found, and check out the lyrics on some of them, since they're even better than the tunes, which is remarkable in itself.
We'll begin with the song that blew us all away! From 1964 on The Beat Room, very live with no lip synching, the song that kicked the doors wide open when it hit the charts in 1964! "You Really Got Me."
From 1965, another very live performance on Shindig of "You Really Got Me."
Their second major hit, "All The Day and All the Night"
Here’s their 1965 live performance as the runner up new band at the NME Poll awards, complete with a messed up sound system! "You Really Got Me” and "Tired of Waiting" (The winners of the 1965 NME award? The Beatles, of course!)
A live lip-synched performance of "Tired of Waiting"
Here’s a very early Ray Davies composition, “Stop Your Sobbin’” And here Ray’s old girlfriend Chrissie Hynde cranks it out as a hit for the Pretenders! Yes, it’s lip-synched, but whatever, since it’s still great footage from 1979. “Stop Your Sobbin’”
This just showed up! This is a great live performance from Swedish television in September 1965! For your enjoyment, a very live performance of “See My Friends,” “Set Me Free,” and “Wonder Where My Baby Is Tonight”
From that show, the Kinks doing “Set Me Free”
The original recording of the B-side of "Set Me Free," the rocker "I Need You"
Here’s the original studio release of the very electric rave up "Till the End of the Day."
Last year I had a great 16 minute 1966 video when they were at their live best on the Beat Beat Beat television show, but it’s disappeared as has their fantastic live performance of the awesome “Till the End of the Day." However, we still have “Milk Cow Blues,” Unfortunately, the closer, “You Really Got Me” with Dave doing a frenetic lead solo has also disappeared. (Set List: “A Dedicated Follower of Fashion,” “Milk Cow Blues,” [weird organ interlude], “Till the End of the Day,” “I’m A Lover Not A Fighter,” and “You Really Got Me”)
From what looks to be the same gig, "Well Respected Man"
Because I can't find any live video performances of this song from that period, for your listening pleasure I found the Rockpalast performance from 1982 of "Till the End of the Day." (The entire concert is toward the end of the tribute.)
Because this song is so awesome, here it is again in a live 1965 BBC performance of the awesome "Till the End of the Day" which we’ll follow with the studio version of "Till the End of the Day"
Moving into their "middle period" later hits, and some extraordinary social commentary, we bring you:
From 1966, the original video promo for his hit mocking the posh, "Dedicated Follower of Fashion"
From a 2007 live show, here’s Ray doing "Dedicated Follower of Fashion"
From a live 1973 show, a very short version of “Dedicated Follower of Fashion”
A Dutch TV video from 1966 of "Sunny Afternoon," while this is an obviously lip synched from TOTP from the same year of "Sunny Afternoon,"
From the album Something Else, the first big Dave Davies hit with the Kinks! Live on Beat Club, a live 1967 performance of his haunting “Death of A Clown”
Here’s the original studio version of the slightly sloshy “Death of A Clown”
A strange video from the Beat Club in 1967, the Kinks deliver another scathing, cheeky and somewhat sarcastic commentary on “Mr. Pleasant.”
Here’s a 1968 Beat Club “performance video” of Dave’s follow-up hit to “Death of A Clown,” the rocking “Susannah’s Still Alive”
From the Face to Face album, here’s the original studio audio-only version of another tune written by Dave, “Party Line”
From 1967 at Kelvin Hall in Glasgow, an audio-only 35 minutes of frenetic Kinks in Koncert! The Kinks Live at Kelvin Hall - 1967 (Set list "Till the End of the Day," "A Well Respected Man," "You're Lookin' Fine," "Sunny Afternoon," "Dandy," "I'm On An Island," "Come On Now," "You Really Got Me," “Medley –"Milk Cow Blues," "Batman Theme," and "Tired of Waiting for You")
From the 1967 album Something Else, a great live 1968 BBC audio of the beautiful "Waterloo Sunset"
From 1968 on Top Of The Pops, a great performance of “Wonderboy”
Live at the Beat Club in 1969, another rousing live performance of another of Ray’s scathing looks at society with "Plastic Man."
From 1969, the Kinks live on TV doing “Last of the Steam Powered Trains” and “Picture Book”
An incredibly beautiful love song! For your enjoyment on Pop Goes the Sixties from 1969, the poignant "Days"
From November 1969 at the Fillmore West, the Kinks cranking out a great audio-only 53 minute set! The Kinks Live At the Fillmore West – 1970
Live on Top of the Pops in 1970, the Kinks' gender-bending mega-hit, "Lola"
Live at Carnegie Hall in 1972, a very rocking audio version of “Muswell Hillbillies” and "You’re Looking Fine”
Last year I had their 20 minute performance at the Beat Club in 1972 on one clip but it’s disappeared, as have all but one of the individual clips. For your enjoyment, “Muswell Hillbillies” (Set list: “Lola,” “Holiday,” “Alcohol,” “Skin and Bones,” “Muswell Hillbillies,” “You Really Got Me,” and “All the Day and All of the Night”)
It’s back. This is a great 29 minute performance by the Kinks on a 1972 tv program At the Rainbow at the Rainbow Theater in London. It’s a mix of great performances and interviews and a great show. For your enjoyment, The Kinks Live in Concert at the Rainbow Theater - 1972 (Set list: “Victoria,” “Acute Schizophrenia Paranoia Blues," “Dedicated Follower of Fashion,” “Lola,” “Holiday,” “Good Golly Miss Molly,” “You Really Got Me,” “All the Day and All the Night,” “Waterloo Sunset,” and “Village Green Preservation Society.”)
From November 1972, a great hour and 8 audio concert! The Kinks Live in Concert at the University of Virginia - 1972
From BBC television, here’s 30 minutes of the Kinks! The Kinks Live in Concert – 1973.
From that live show in London, we have four classics! We begin with Ray doing his N’awlins best grooving to the great tongue in cheeky "Acute Schizophrenia Paranoia Blues," which we follow with the lazy daisy "Holiday." We turn the corner with the title track of their album “Village Green Preservation Society” and close with the beautiful "Waterloo Sunset."
Live in London in 1974, a rocking live version of the infinitely danceable "Skin and Bones”
At the Beacon Theater in 1975, we have another performance of “Alcohol” and a great live performance of "Sunny Afternoon."
Here’s a great find! From Christmas 1977 at the Rainbow, here are the Kinks live performing a great Christmas show!
The Kinks Christmas Concert, part 1
The Kinks Christmas Concert, part 2
The Kinks Christmas Concert part 3 (includes Sunny Afternoon, Waterloo Sunset, All Day and All of the Night.)
The Kinks Christmas Concert part 4
The Kinks Christmas Concert part 5 (Celluloid Heroes)
The Kinks Christmas Concert part 6 (Get Back in Line and The Hard Way)
The Kinks Christmas Concert part 7 (Lola, Alcohol)
The Kinks Christmas Concert part 8 (Skin and Bones and of course, Father Christmas for the encore!)
From an undefined time, Ray at his theatrical best “takin’ us to church” doing the unique torch/drinking song, "Alcohol"
At the Beacon Theater in 1975, we have another performance of “Alcohol” and a great live performance of "Sunny Afternoon."
We close the middle era with a live performance from 2007 of a song never done live before then, Ray's haunting comment on a not-so-comfortable middle class life, "Shangri-La"
From the sublime to the absurd! Ray's wry take on the human condition! "Apeman"
A few from the late 70s and into the 80s!
From 1977 on The Old Grey Whistle Test television show, 43 minutes of pure gold! The Kinks Live at the Old Grey Whistle Test – 1977
(Set list: “Sleepwalker,” “Life goes on,” “Stormy sky,” “Celluloid heroes,” “Muswell Hillbillies,” “Full moon,” “Life on the road,” “Juke box music,” “You really got me” and “All day and all of the night”) This year their performance of “Well Respected Man” and “Death of a Clown” from that 1977 OGWT are gone.
Live on The Mike Douglas Show in 1977, the Kinks perform "Sleepwalker" and "Celluloid Heroes"
A performance from when he had hair! I think this is the 1977 Christmas show above. "Celluloid Heroes"
From the video One for the Road, a song from Arthur Or the Decline and Fall of the British Empire. For your enjoyment, an incredible rocking version of “Victoria.” From that gig, 2 live very electric performances! “Celluloid Heroes,” which we follow with the grinding "Superman," and close full throttle with "Attitude" and “Pressure”
This year I found the whole Providence show, and it rocks! The Kinks Live in Providence 1979 (Set list: “You really got me/All day and all of the night,” “Low budget,” “Superman,” “Attitude,” “Celluloid heroes,” “The hard way,” “Where have all the good times gone,” “Pressure,” “Catch me now I´m falling,” and “Victoria.”)
From 1981, Ray ripping himself off and reworking the same 3 chords that made him famous way back when! "Destroyer"
From who knows when, "20th Century Man"
The original video of "Come Dancin'" Here Ray performs it live at the British Summertime Festival in 2013! "Come Dancin'"
From 2007, never done live before then, Ray's haunting comment on a not-so-comfortable middle class life, "Shangri-La"
From 1982 in Australia, the Kinks cranking up “You Really Got Me” and “Destroyer”
Here’s a full 1 hour 50 minute video concert from Rockpalast in Germany! The Kinks Live at Rockpalast 1982
We’ll close the tribute with one of my favorite Kinks songs. Because it’s such a great rave up, here it is again! Even though the awesome 1966 live performance has disappeared, we’ll leap forward across the years to 1993 on the Jools Holland television show, it’s clear they didn’t lose their intensity! Here the Kinks perform a ripping version of the awesome "Till the End of the Day"
For the encore, here Ray and Dave are very live and having a blast at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Benefit! Enjoy "All The Day and All the Night" and "Lola"
From the Biography channel, Here's an interesting documentary. Last year I had all the parts in one clip, while this year they’re broken up.
I don’t know if this is part of the original show, but here it is. Biography - The Kinks Pt. 2.
Here’s another from BBC 2 in 1996 which is 25 minutes of electricity! The Kinks - My Generation
This year there are still a few choice clips no longer available. This year we’ve lost “The Kinks in Paris 1965” which was 21 minutes of the Kinks at their early peak! This year the hour and 8 documentary from 2008 titled The Kinks – Life on the Road is still gone, as is the 38 minute documentary on BBC 4’s The Late Shift in 1986 titled The Story of the Kinks.
And because the brothers Davies were tied at the hip for so many years, I’ll include this hour and 14 documentary on Dave Davies’ life by Julien Temple made in 2011 titled Kinkdom Come - Dave Davies.
Thanks for all the great tunes across the years, and all those great hours of dancing to your amazing vision, wit, and incredibly catchy songs! May you rock on all the day and all the night, Superman Apeman, until you sail off on a sunny afternoon and find yourself in a Waterloo Sunset.
© Copyright 2024 Robert Wilkinson
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