10 Classic Guitar Riffs That Were Created By Accident

As far as the origins of heavy rock go, the Kinks definitely belong somewhere in the equation. Aside from their more abrasive sound compared to the rest of the British Invasion, the raw and gritty guitar tone on You Really Got Me was a welcome switch up to the kind of clean sounds we were hearing from the likes of the Beatles or the Animals. So how did they achieve this mountain of fuzz? Well...it depends on who you ask.

Though Dave Davies played the riff on the record, Ray Davies was the one who originally envisioned You Really Got Me, and claims to have tinkered with the amp to give it that amazing sound. As Dave tells it though, the throaty sound of his guitar came when he started to carve the side of the speaker with a razorblade while he was bored, and then strapping it on and hearing that amazing sound come through on the recording.

As much as some others are reluctant to credit themselves as originators, Dave has always stood by his place in history, often calling himself one of the inventors of heavy metal back in the day. Then again, if you have a tone this nasty sounding, it's not like he's necessarily wrong in thinking that either.