You Really Got Me - The Story of the Kinks - Nick Hasted

 

Of course, the Kinks have been close to my rock'n'roll heart ever since "You Really Got Me" blasted out of the AM radio in the early 60's - power chord rock'n'roll that really hasn't been improved upon since! I've kinda gone back'n'forth with their later efforts - certain records resonated and some, frankly, did not - but always respected them and were interested in their story.

I have read both Ray and Dave's bios, and while they are quoted here, there are plenty of other viewpoints represented. Naturally, we start with the Davies' household, with 6 older sisters and countless relatives, and how that affected the boys. The early, untimely death of one of their beloved sisters was traumatic, to say the least, and stories'n'characters from their youth appear in many of Ray's songs. Dave blames his later promiscuity on the parents splitting him and his teenage girlfriend up when she got pregnant. But, they hardly even have time to think once they hit with "You Really Got Me" (after a couple of false starts) and follow it up with several other Top Ten hits and subsequent tours and recording sessions.

An altercation with American unions means that they are banned from the country for the ever-important mid-60's that made so many other British Invasion groups stars, but the Kinks fashioned a name for themselves in their home country, while continuing to have occasional hits in the States, as well. Ray settles into his home life and eventually this means that his songs are so British that they have little relevance to teens in the USA, but they have enough of an audience to maintain their importance. (That said, Hasted writes in a very British manner, as well, little caring if us heathen Americans understand his phrasing or his references.)

The amount of praise for "Waterloo Sunset" always surprises me. It's nice enough and all, but I had always thought of it as just another album track before I started reading critics fawning over it - Hasted gives over an entire chapter to the tune! I suppose this is another divide between the Brits and Americans, although I do know Americans who adore the song, as well. Different tastes and all...

It is fairly amazing that their record company let them record at leisure after they essentially refused to tour (and weren't allowed to tour in America) and after their hits mostly dried out. Although their contracts were pretty draconian, they were pretty damn lucky to have seemingly open-ended time to make albums to please themselves, with little care for their dwindling audience. Once they recorded their "rock opera", Arthur, they were finally able to get their American ban rescinded and their lives and fortunes changed once again, particularly after they had a massive hit with their next record, "Lola".

Obviously it's the Kinks, so there has to be a number of self-sabotaging disasters to offset their triumphs, including illnesses, breakdowns, cancelled gigs'n'tours and Ray attempting to announce their demise, which turned out to be premature. They managed to raise themselves from the dead several times, including becoming a stadium rock act in the 80's, before dissolving completely.

A good quarter or so of the book is dedicated to the post-Kinks work and the continuing rumors of a reunion, which sorta/kinda happened when Ray showed up to a half-empty Dave Davies gig close to Ray's home, which led to nothing more - so far, anyway. Dave manages to release the occasional solo album (and one with his son) and play the one-off show here'n'there while Ray does all this along with a successful play ("Sunny Afternoon", about the band) and more.

Of course, as of today, we still have more to come from the Davies brothers, and hopefully we will for years to come, even as they themselves struggle with their mortality. With tons'n'tons of interviews over the years with all of the primary players (including all of the Kinks), this is well researched and  a well informed bio of the band and the various members, but most specifically the original four. Hasted does jump around a bit chronologically at times, which can be disconcerting, but overall, it is a fine and revealing bio of this classic band.