The Kinks hold the accolade of being one of the most important and influential British rock groups of all time and with record sales in the millions and numerous awards to their name, they are rightfully credited as pioneers of British music and popular music in general. Emerging at a time when British Rock and Pop acts were gaining considerable coverage not only in the United Kingdom but in the United States, The Kinks proudly stood tall alongside such revered company as the The Beatles, The Rolling stones, The Animals and The Yardbirds at the forefront of the British Invasion phenomenon which took flight in the early to mid 1960's. Formed in 1964 by Ray Davies (lead vocals, rhythm guitar) and Dave Davies (lead guitar, vocals), two brothers from Muswell Hill, London, who remained the core of The Kinks throughout the band's 32-year history, the band hit the ground running with the release of 'You Really Got Me', an instant classic and a game-changer which has since been cited as the inspiration for Garage Rock, Punk and Heavy Metal. Numerous hit singles followed, including "All Day And All Of The Night", "Tired Of Waiting For You", "Till The End Of The Day" & "Sunny Afternoon" many of which gate-crashed the Top 10 on both sides of the Atlantic. Alternating confidently between hard-edged rock and acoustic-led pop The Kinks eventually developed a uniquely theatrical and quintessentially British sound, built around Ray Davies observational lyrics which painted a detailed picture of English life like no other. The songwriting skills of Ray Davies remain immense and evocative to this day, emoting nostalgia whilst operating as a virtual time capsule for his ironic commentary of the British class system as he lived and breathed it. Arguably, Ray Davies finessed The Kinks pop sound to absolute perfection within the concept album and in 1968 and 1969, The Kinks released two classic 'concept' albums of the era,
Village Green Preservation Society and
Arthur (Or The Decline And Fall Of The British Empire), respectively. Neither were immediate hits on release but both records have since gone onto receive unanimous acclaim as examples of The Kinks at their most influential and refined. With a career spanning 32 years, whittling down their finest works into a list of just 10 tracks proved to be a formidable task and it soon became apparent that as good as their 80's and 90's work may be, it was between the years 1962-1970 that The Kinks produced the songs that have truly stood the test of time. It is from this period that I have selected the 10 tracks on this list but please leave a comment if you feel I have missed out on a bona fide contender, lets have some feedback on this great band! Let The Kinks invasion begin...