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Today I focus on the first five years of the Dutch Top 40, in which The Kinks scored so many hits. I'm about to take you on a singles tour of The Kinks, in a few episodes, in which I hope to do right to the classic hits of Ray and Dave Davies, Pete Quaife/John Dalton and Mick Avery. Not to forget producer Shel Talmy.
Of course it all started with that first single, 'You Really Got Me'. With me having no clue at the time, but this is one of the most original first hit singles of any band. The riff is classic, the guitar solo the near wildest ('Louie Louie') ever at the time. The impact must have been beyond huge and I have no room for it in this series. I have to start with the band's second hit single, that was still in the charts, at the start of 1965.
Of course, I can hear you say, this is just a rip off from that first single. In a way that is certainly true. But somehow I have always liked All Day And All Of The Night better, from the moment I first got to know it and don't ask me when that was, I just don't know. Somewhere. The song is more melodic and showing more of what the band is capable of. A little less effect and more action. The little hints hidden behind the main riff are hints at subtlety. The tambourine, the rock and roll piano, the background vocals. But everything comes down, when all is said and done, to that killer riff. There's no other word for it. Dave Davies would go on to play many great solos but here, and on 'You Really Got Me', is the playbook for a whole generation of guitarists. From hard rock to punk and punkrock, where would they be without this riff? The brothers were 20 and 17 when they recorded their second hit song. Youthful exuberance? Certainly. The next thing I would like to point to is the incredible dry sound of the drums. Mick Avery* is batting away here but caught in a unique way. And there's the vocal melody. It is simply better than the first single's. But, there's hardly ever a second that trumps the first and that is why 'You Really Got Me' has got its unique position in rock's history and rightly so. I'm going to play this one once again though. One of the best (rock) songs of the 60s, period.
* He's not. According to Wikipedia, who cites one Doug Hinman, the signifying drum sound was played by Bobby Graham. This is totally new to me.
What the xxxx?, whatever people were thinking on an occasion like this at the time in 1965 can be filled in here. The question certainly must have been asked by everyone who was expecting a 'You Really Got Me' part three. They did not get it and had to wait until the end of the year for that final incarnation. In the mean time, people who did open their ears heard a song that had some of that toughness but also a much stronger pop vibe. The softer intro's riff sounded the bell for a pop single. Tired Of Waiting For You does not have that unique star quality. What it does have is that pop spark that makes you not forget the song once you've heard it. It has that wanting to sing along vibe to it. Including a soft romantic interlude as well until it's time to underscore that tired part. Not a lot of backing vocals here (an ooh or so), the band is present though. There's no really stopping the rhythm tandem here, waiting to be let out of the cage and then off they go. It makes Tired of Waiting For You an in between single. A surprise but certainly entertaining enough to keep the band in the spotlight. The Kinks' highest scoring hit single in the U.S. (with 'Come Dancing')
1965 party song. That is the right description for the third single on this list. The kind you can see people dancing to in movies from the time, girls dressed in wide-striped, tight dresses. Not a big hit here, the question is, correctly or not? I'm a bit biased of course and I can't judge the time as I wasn't around musically yet. What I hear now in 2022 (and years before of course) is a fun song. This is one tough kind of a pop song alright. The rhythm is pumped, Avery is going at it alright (yes, he is) and Quaife playing a great running bass part. The handclaps propel the song even more. The only thing I can think of that the song is too loud for a true pop hit. For the rest? Try not to sing along here. My fancy is tickled for the whole of 2.16 the single lasts. The Kinks single at the time were all done within 2.25 easily. All excess waste was down by the wayside. Ev'rybody's Going To Be Happy is a great pop-rock single and so much better than I thought over 30 years ago when I first heard the song on a compilation record.
Set Me Free is a sentimental song sung by someone who may not want to be set free. Musically it is a soft version of the band's first two singles. The riff is there, mixed into the background, making way for Ray Davies' melancholy singing. He's pining alright. The oohs in the background are the first of a staple for The Kinks. Because of this mix the single hangs somewhere in between as well. At the same time Ray Davies is practising here for great things to come. There's no denying that here we are hearing the first inklings of what he would prove capable of in the years to come. Never my favourite Set Me Free is, but certainly alright.
We are still in 1965 and another, minor hit single. The first song still has to make it to the top 10, let alone higher. It is 1965 but there is a hint at psychedelia here. Something The Kinks would eschew like the plague in the years to come when everybody was going at it. The drone in the guitar certainly is sounding Indian. The fact that the song ends with a solo leading it past the 2.30 minutes is also telling. The song has another kind of longing. They see friends playing across the river and "she is gone". See what happens when she does what you ask her?, I can't help thinking. This longing is what gives the single its quality. It is a different sort of pop music. Mick Avery's (who knows?) power is contained much better, in the mix. Shoved backwards in other words. He's battering away as always but less noticeable. See My Friend is an interesting song, while being nice as well. A good combination.
A Well Respected Man is my oldest The Kinks single, because my cousin gave it to me, together with several others in the early 70s. Does she still feel sorry over it? I never asked her. I had no idea about the song at the time. In fact, I did not really like the song much when I got to know it. I thought it to be somewhat simple. It is special though, in at least two ways. The first is that it is the band's first top 10 hit over here. It is also the first song in which Ray Davies is giving his view on English society. Showing us a peak into the life of a commuter, someone working at a bank or the government, "working so conservatively". While in the background things are going on, listen to the song yourself to find out what. The song really sounds different, gone is the dominant electric guitar and in comes the acoustic as the dominant instrument, while an electric is played in a way a piano could have done. In the U.K. the single was not released. Too different. Now who was wrong here?!
"Baby, I feel good", and you can believe me, each time I hear this song. Only slightly behind the two big first singles. The huge riff is back and more varied than ever before. The piano is back, the big oohs and a more subtle guitar solo as well. On piano it's Nicky Hopkins but on drums a Clem Cattini, according to Wikipedia*. Now what does that tell of all the previous singles as this sounds so early The Kinks drums? The prominent tambourine in Mick Avery though. This song is fantastic in many, many ways. It has a great drive and pace. It shows the better players the band had become in one year time. There are far more subtle hints in the music, despite this being a proto-punkrock and roller. From the opening riff it is clear that nothing can go wrong here and it doesn't. The song is like a rollercoaster ride whooshing from peak to peak without stopping for a second until the final meters before having to get out or taking the ride once again, which comes totally recommended where this single is concerned. Ray Davies' then wife Rasa is singing background as well. And yes, every once in a while, when I listen real closely I can hear a young woman's voice in there. The The Kinks highlight for 1965, as 'All Day And All Of The Night' is from 1964 really.
* I started backtracking here.
Wout de Natris
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