The Kinks is an English group formed in 1963 in Muswell Hill and originally made up of brothers Ray and Dave Davies, Mick Avory and Pete Quaife. A group considered to this day as one of the major groups of the 60s and which can boast of having sold no less than 50 million records around the world to date, just that !
Group which began by being called 'The Ray Davies Quartet' in its embryonic phase in 1962, a nascent group which would test several singers that year including a certain…Rod Stewart ! Singer who will only pass through and who will subsequently form his own group called 'Rod Stewart And The Moonrakers'.
We had to wait until 1964 to see the group produce a first title called “Long tall Sally” under the name Kinks, a single which unfortunately went somewhat unnoticed. Just like the following “You still want me”…
Which is not going to be the case with the following track “You really got me”, not only will it not go unnoticed but it will downright set the whole planet on fire. A dazzling success which will literally explode the group's notoriety internationally and which we will find on their first eponymous album which, too, will be more than certain to be favored by the public.
A huge success that they immediately re-released with the release of “All day and all of the night” the same year, a title which was almost as strong as its predecessor. Huge success which paradoxically creates tensions in the group with fights on stage between certain members and excesses of certain members also on TV shows, particularly in the United States.
New album “Kinda Kinks” the following year in 1965, an album which confirmed the status of the group as a phenomenon of the moment but without allowing him to achieve a level of success greater than that previously achieved. Album which will mainly produce the flagship Single “Tired of waiting for you”.
1965 was nevertheless an exceptional year for the group since he managed to release a second album called “The Kink kontroversy”, an album of more than certain success from which the flagship title “Till the end of the day” was mainly extracted.
The adventure continued to be exceptional the following year with the release of the album “Face to face”, an album which would not remain as their highest ranked of all but which would still produce a new global mega hit with the title “Sunny afternoon”.
New album “Something else by the Kinks” in 1967, an album which saw the success of the group erode in the Charts album after album despite ranking levels that were still more than flattering. Album which will mainly produce the enormous title “Waterloo sunset”.
An erosion which amplified in 1968 with the release of the album “The Kinks are the village green preservation society”, an album which did not even manage to produce a global hit. As for the following album “Arthur (Or the decline and fall of the British Empire)”, it narrowly escaped the following year in 1969 only thanks to the title “Victoria”.
They will succeed in rebounding spectacularly with the successful release of the album “Lola versus Powerman and the moneygoround, Part One”, an album which will produce no less than 2 top global hits with the titles “Lola” and “Aperman”.
Two huge successes which will be the last because the group will produce other albums and other Singles subsequently but with limited success to say the least.
To discover or rediscover...
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Discography (among others...) :
60s Decade :
Long tall Sally 1964
You still want me 1964
You really got me 1964
All day and all of the night 1964
Tired of waiting for you 1965
Ev’rybodys gonna be happy 1965
Set me free 1965
See my friends 1965
Who’ll be the next in line 1965
A well respected man 1965
Till the end of the day 1965
Dedicated follower of fashion 1966
Sunny afternoon 1966
Dandy 1966
Dead end street 1966
Mister Pleasant 1967
Waterloo sunset 1967
Death of a clown 1967
Autumn almanac 1967
Susannah’s still alive 1967
Wonderboy 1968
Days 1968
Lincoln county 1968
Starstruck 1969
Picture book 1969
Hold my hand 1969
Plastic man 1969
Drivin 1969
Shangri La 1969
Australia 1969
Victoria 1969
70s Decade :
Lola 1970
Aperman 1970
God’s children 1971
20th century man 1971
Supersonic rocket ship 1972
Celluloid heroes 1972
One of the survivors 1973
Sitting in the midday sun 1973
Sweet lady genevieve 1973
Where have all the good times gone 1973
Money talks 1974
Mirror of love 1974
Holiday romance 1974
Preservation 1974
Everybody's a star (Starmaker) 1975
Ducks on the wall 1975
You can't stop the music 1975
I'm in disgrace 1976
No more looking back 1976
Sleepwalker 1977
Juke box music 1977
Father Christmas 1977
A Rock ‘n’ Roll fantasy 1978
Live life 1978
Black Messiah 1978
(Wish I could fly like) Superman 1979
A gallon of gas 1979
Catch me now I'm falling 1979
Moving pictures 1979
Pressure 1979
80s Decade :
Better things 1981
Destroyer 1981
Come dancing 1982
Don’t forget to dance 1983
State of confusion 1983
Do it again 1984
Summer's gone 1985
Living on a thin line 1985
Rock ‘n’ Roll cities 1986
How are you 1987
Lost and found 1987
The road 1988
Down all the days (Till 1992) 1989
How do I get close 1989
90s Decade :
Did ya 1991
Only a dream 1993
Hatred (A duet) 1993
Scattered 1993
Still searching 1993
To the bone 1996
2010s Decade :
Rock 'N' Roll cowboys 2017
Time zone 2018
Tracks :
1964...it's a luxury cover, namely this revisited version of the Little Richard title dating from 1956 which will allow them to make themselves known. And above all to make themselves well known !
1964...the rest will be much less favorable to them and one has to wonder if the success on the previous title was not just a stroke of luck. Given what's on the horizon, that would surprise me !
1964...because they will immediately deliver what will surely remain as one of the major titles of the end of the 20th century, no less. CULT !
1964...a sequel that will be almost as strong as the title that preceded it. In just 2 titles these young unknowns have just obtained their direct ticket to posterity in a resounding way to say the least...
1965...a year 1965 which starts almost on the same basis as the year 1964. Almost but not quite all the same...
1965...there will be quantity during this year 1965 but not all the titles will be treated in the same way by the public, that's clear...
1965...the first title of the year was a hit which was not really the case for the second. This one will have the chance to be treated like the first...
1965...this title won't excite the public any more than that either. There really is John who laughs and John who cries during this year 1965...
1965...same for this one. However, all these titles are far from unworthy, but they have set the bar so high from their beginnings that there will inevitably be titles which will work less than others...
1965...no better for this one. Afterwards, there's really no need to worry about them, especially when we see what follows...
1965...the first and last title of this year 1965 will have been the most pampered by the public. While waiting for a year 1966 which risks once again strikingly confirming their status as a global phenomenon of the moment...
1966...a year 1966 which started with a bang with a first global top hit. Everything smiles on the group as if by magic, it is clear...
1966...but that's without counting on this title which will give them a new mega hit. A well-deserved mega hit to add to an already impressive prize list. HU-GE !
1966...the success of this new title will seem somewhat pale compared to what its predecessor experienced. They can't produce Masterpieces in every title all the same...
1966...but seeing how the year ends in style with this new title it is clear that the year will remain in any case as one of their best Vintages !
1967...and it continues even better in this new year 1967. The group continues to smash everything in its path and leaves only crumbs to the competition...
1967...few groups are capable of competing with them at this stage and their total mastery of things and events is extremely impressive...
1967...certainly some titles are of lower level in terms of inspiration but even these arrive in the Top5 of the English Charts...
1967...and a new global top hit to add to the list ! All is well in the best of all possible worlds and it will last like this for a few more years...
1967...a year which ends more quietly with this title which will not remain as their highest ranked, that's for sure...
1968...an end of the decade which will see them slow down somewhat in terms of mega success. We suspected that they would not continue at such a level for years and years...
1968...after that, that won't stop them from landing a new top hit here which reminds anyone who will listen that they are still part of the racing leaders !
1968...big air hole on this one but they haven't said their last word, far from it. It's clear that they still have a bunch of titles in their bag...
1969...the last of the decade which saw them struggle somewhat. Difficult to understand but it will indeed be the case...
1969...certainly there will be quantity during this year with a significant number of titles produced. But the level of inspiration will be in the minimum service version...
1969...the change in sound and style is more and more obvious between the beginning and the end of the decade. Everything evolves as they say...
1969...the only title to do well during this year 1969. We'll have to take advantage of it because it will be almost the only one...
1969...all the inventive side of the beginning of the decade has somewhat disappeared. Will he come back or not, that's a good question...
1969...there are times you even wonder if you are dealing with the same group. It's good to evolve but at this point...
1969...so the fans from the beginning are a bit lost in all this and really wonder where the group wants to go in these conditions...
1969...we must therefore let this end of the 60s slip by and possibly see what musical project they will return with next decade...
1969...they will succeed in saving their end of the decade at the last minute with this title. Now it remains to be seen what they are preparing next...
1970...when we really had reason to wonder about them, here they are back on the front of the stage in a sensational way to say the least with this new title. Like what...
1970...a huge year 1970 which saw them return to the front of the race when no one believed them capable of doing so. And yet they did it !
1971...a return to grace that was furtive to say the least because what followed would prove to be significantly less favorable to the group. Hard law of the trade...
1971...they will still manage to classify the 2 titles of this year 1971 but in proportions which have nothing to do with those of the previous year...
1972...this one will experience a slightly more favorable fate but it will indeed be the last of the decade in this case...
1972...a title full of finesse which will not really find its audience. Too bad because he is far from undeserving, that's clear...
1973...a decade of the 70s which will in no way resemble what they experienced during the decade of the 60s. The competition grows stronger year after year and they lose more and more ground as a result...
1973...without a radical reconsideration in the years to come it will become more and more complicated for the group, that's for sure...
1973...paradoxically they work better in the United States than on the Old Continent. At least they can be satisfied with that...
1973... they try to stick as much as possible to the latest musical trends of the moment but it is once again the level of inspiration which is somewhat lacking...
1974...what is certain, however, is that in terms of productivity, nothing is weakening. Is it good, is it bad, good question...
1974...maybe they should ease off a bit and produce less to produce better. A question they are not asking themselves at this stage...
1974...a very disappointing 70s decade with a group that fails to reinvent himself as he should have. Attention danger...
1974...whatever the adventure continues. They at least make the core fans happy, who are extremely happy as soon as a new title comes out...
1975...and there are titles, that's for sure. Their level of productivity is impressive and de facto shows that the adventure is far from over...
1975...afterwards, like music, everything remains possible, it could well be that at one time or another they manage to get back into the race...
1975...what is almost certain is that if there is a return it will not be during this decade of the 70s. We will have to wait a little longer...
1976...a second part of the decade which will therefore not see any major improvements on the Charts side. On the contrary even...
1976...even on the Albums Charts side, nothing is going well. The level of success is very minimalist and does not really reassure us about the end of the decade to come...
1977...one of the very rare titles of the decade to be even slightly popular with the public. There won't have been many like that...
1977...once again they try to evolve their style and their sound but the delay with the competition is such that no one sees it...
1977...and it's not this special Christmas title that will change the situation in any way. Nice try but it won't have helped much...
1978...the end of the decade is a little more favorable than the middle of the decade which really saw the group struggling...
1978...certainly not all titles will benefit from the same treatment but overall the group straightens its head somewhat...
1978...at least one title per year will benefit from the public's favor. Moderate favors certainly but favors all the same...
1979...for the year 1979 it will be this title which will do the best. We will therefore have to take advantage of it because the others will go somewhat unnoticed...
1979...they will therefore have to take advantage of this year 1979 to ask themselves the right questions about the sequence of events, that much is clear...
1979...because without an almost total reconsideration the transition to the 80s risks being, to say the least, trying for the group...
1979...yet we feel that they are not missing much to get back into the race. A little more inspiration and it should be good...
1979...but the hardest thing to find is inspiration because it comes from who knows where and it leaves as quickly as it arrived...
1981...after a year 1980 where not much happened, they are back in this year 1981 in relative form. Relative but sufficient to achieve a new major success, finally...
1981...a year 1981 which finally saw them return to the race. It took them almost a decade to do it but it's done anyway...
1982...when we no longer believed it, they even managed to achieve a new global top hit with this title. Who would've believed that...
1983...and 2 ! The group has finally found a semblance of inspiration and it shows, above all it can be heard. Early fans are bound to be over the moon...
1983...a comeback that was furtive to say the least, but it will at least have taken place. Too bad they didn't manage to consolidate their positions...
1984...this one won't do so bad in the end. In the end, a first part of the 80s which will have shown that they still exist and that they still have something under their belt, that's clear !
1985...a title with very limited influence because it will only be released in the United States, which explains that. Afterwards, this does not detract from its intra-dry quality...
1985...same for this one with a release once again ultra-targeted on the United States, hence a very limited influence as a result...
1986...this one will already have a slightly more favorable fate because this time it will be released officially. A commercial strategy that inevitably changes everything...
1987...an 80s decade which saw them rank almost all their titles. Certainly the success will be limited to say the least but there will be success all the same...
1987...we must remember that they began their career in 1964. Already 23 years of presence, which is not nothing, that's for sure...
1988...as always only the most gifted of each generation last this long. And the adventure is not quite over yet...
1989...an 80s decade which ends with a positive outcome for the group. They knew how to reinvent themselves and that's why they are still here...
1989...they haven't had a major hit in a few years but it doesn't matter as long as the quality is still there, which it is at the moment...
1991...they begin this 4th decade of their career here with the firm intention of going as far as possible. It remains to be seen what this new decade has in store for them...
1993...for the moment no unscrewing in order on the Charts side which is rather reassuring. Afterwards, we're not going to lie to each other, the best years are now behind...
1993...the level of productivity will still fall sharply during this decade. Which does not necessarily bode well for the rest of the events...
1993...the year 1993 will be the only major year in terms of production of titles but we will have to make the most of it because this will no longer be the case afterwards...
1993...of the 4 titles of the year only 2 will be classified but at least they will be. Two new stars to add to a list that is still among the most flattering at the end of the 20th century...
1996...we lost sight of them for almost 3 years and here they are again in this year 1996 in a form that we would describe as relative. Relative and above all insufficient to make them stick to the leading pack...
2017...an official adventure which will therefore not have gone further than the 90s. A few titles will be released subsequently but more for the anecdote than anything else...
2018...in the end, an exceptional career for one of the major groups of the end of the 20th century. Hats off, gentlemen !
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Greatest Hits :
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