The Kinks were an English rock band that formed in London in 1964. The band consisted of Ray Davies on lead vocals and rhythm guitar, Dave Davies on lead guitar and lead vocals, Pete Quaife on bass guitar, and Mick Avory on drums. The band is now considered one of the most influential groups of their time for pioneering hard rock as well as incorporating R&B, blues, and traditional English music into their songs. Because of their rowdy stage presence, the group was banned from performing in the US in 1965 for the next four years, which kept the band from gaining the same level of commercial success in the US as many of their English contemporaries. The band enjoyed critical praise for their albums up to about 1971, which is about where this saga will end.
The Kinks' debut studio album Kinks was released in 1964. It was a commercial success, reaching number four on the UK charts. It shows a strong R&B influence and consists mostly of covers and six originals from Ray Davies including "You Really Got Me," which peaked at number seven in the US and is one of their most popular songs today. In retrospective reviews, most critics agree the album is somewhat weak compared to other R&B-influenced rock from the same time period.
Although it's comparatively weaker than the Rolling Stones' debut, Kinks suffers from the same fundamental problem: many of the R&B covers don't translate well to the rock and roll setting (though "Bald Headed Woman" does make me laugh). Excluding the excellent "You Really Got Me," Ray Davies's songwriting is still in an incubator state and lacks a unique character. However, even despite thin production, the band has already sonically carved out their own recognizable style that separates them from their contemporaries. Fortunately for the band, since I began reviewing the Stones in August 2020, I've become a much bigger fan of early rock and roll and this is a decent, if uneven, document of that sound and style. B [Later: B-]
