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Hailing from Muswell Hill in London, The Kinks were one of the top British bands of the sixties, with over twenty hit singles including a trio of number ones (including the famous paean to their home city 'Waterloo Sunset'). They had over a dozen top ten's, thanks to the clever and sometimes sardonic songwriting of Ray Davies, who dominated the band and deservedly went on to be knighted. When the seventies came along, they recorded a number of critically acclaimed concept albums, and their live shows became more theatrical with the band shifting focus to become pioneers of arena rock in America. Following a resurgence of commercial popularity in the late seventies and early eighties, the band continued to record interesting and lyrically insightful albums. They last performed together in 1996. The combination of Ray's songs and the musicianship of the band - including his brother Dave Davies, with whom Ray had a rather tempestuous relationship, has resulted in The Kinks being named as a major influence for many bands. This book examines all the tracks released by The Kinks, both singles and albums, and provides a valuable insight into one of music's greatest groups.
About the author
Martin Hutchinson has been a music fan all his life and his knowledge of sixties and seventies music is encyclopaedic, having written over 270 liner notes for CDs. He has been writing for numerous newspapers and magazines (a labour of love not profit) for over thirty years and has also written comedy sketches for TV and Radio. This is his first book. Martin is also a quizzer, having been on a dozen TV quizzes (including Bullseye and The Chase, both of which he won). He lives in Horwich, near Bolton, UK with his wife Michaela, who also loves music.
Summary
Hailing from Muswell Hill in London, The Kinks were one of the top British bands of the sixties, with over twenty hit singles including a trio of number ones (including the famous paean to their home city ‘Waterloo Sunset’). They had over a dozen top ten’s, thanks to the clever and sometimes sardonic songwriting of Ray Davies.
