SUNNY AFTERNOON is a masterpiece by The Kinks. And please get back to more JETHRO TULL , eventually you should listen to some live stuff and the full thick as a brick album, long long overdue.
If you want more like this try I Need You, Set Me Free, Come On Now, Till the End of the Day, but really, they have such a diverse range of styles. They are an amazing band. You could own their entire catalog and it just might be all you'd ever need to listen to.
Because you loved this so much, you've gotta hear "You Really Got Me", a similarly styled record. But there's also "Waterloo Sunset", a beautiful ballad. I hope that you react to both songs within the next 6 months or so.
To be clear, nothing in rock and roll sounded like this before the Kinks. "You Really Got Me" and "All Day and All the Night" are basically the twin pillars that punk and metal were built on.
Spot on. So many all time great musicians cite The Kinks as a massive influence. I think they get a little lost sometimes as one of the most important bands ever.
In 1964, a fuzzy and somewhat distorted sound gained widespread popularity after guitarist Dave Davies of The Kinks used a razor blade to slash his speaker cones for the band's single "You Really Got Me".
This is S tier for one reason. While listening to it, you can hear the birth of thousands of garage bands. Those will be the training ground of the musicians who led rock for the next 40 years.
No, it's S tier for *two* good reasons. First, as you said, because (like the Kinks single that preceded it, "You Really Got Me") it is the Big Bang that gave birth to garage, heavy metal, and punk. But, second, because it's just simply a great song. Five and a half decades after it was released, you still can't sit still while listening to it. Did you see Andy's face as he was listening to this song? We don't see Andy's stankface all that often anymore, probably because his musical experience is so much broader now after hearing so much '60s and '70s music. But he was in full stankface mode during this song -- and Andy's stankface don't lie. ;-)
@@markd9130 I would say that Punk took part of this and ran with it. Punk distilled a bit of the Kinks sound. But so did so many other sub-genres who were influenced by the Kinks. But none of them combined it all, like the Kinks did.
People lost their absolute minds when they heard "You Really Got Me" and "All Day and All the Night." Kinks played with the Beatles in those early days and Lennon was actively jealous the Kinks had something he didn't. The Who started as straight up Kinks' copyists. The Stones stopped releasing cover songs as singles and started to write their own records after the Beatles & Kinks. An absolute landmark moment in rock history.
I saw an interview with Ray Davies where he said it wasn’t unusual to play gigs with the Beatles, and there was one time the Beatles opened for them. The Beatles were the headliners and the Kinks were opening for them but the Kinks were so late getting there they went on after the Beatles.
In The Who's defense, their manager wanted them to sound like The Kinks and those two songs. And it's not just because The Kinks had so much success with those two songs - The Who and The Kinks had the same manager at the time.
@@thefuge5 That's not true. It was *Pete Townshend* who wanted his band to sound like the Kinks, and he's gone on record numerous times in stating that. Not only did Townshend love those early Kinks hits, especially their sound, he also recognized that what the Kinks were doing stylistically fit the strengths and weaknesses of his own band better than the R&B covers that the Who was playing in the clubs because their audience of mods preferred R&B. You need a disciplined, in-the-pocket drummer to play R&B, and the baby-faced anarchist who sat behind the drumkit in the Who was the diametric opposite of a disciplined, in-the-pocket drummer. The strengths of the Who were obviously their super-loud stage sound and their unbridled aggression. Putting heavy guitar on top of a standard pop composition with all of that wham! bam! coming out of the rhythm section (i.e., what the Kinks were doing) suited the Who perfectly. And so the Who deliberately sought to follow in the footsteps of the Kinks, not because their managers wanted them to do so (Kit Lambert and Chris Stamp knew absolutely nothing about the UK pop scene, aside from the fact that it was a potential goldmine), but because their guitarist/songwriter wanted them to do so. Also, the Who and the Kinks never had the same manager. The Who was first managed by Peter Meaden, and then was managed by Kit Lambert and Chris Stamp. It was Lambert and Stamp who sought out Kinks producer Shel Talmy at Townshend's request and asked him to produce the Who's next single ("I Can't Explain", which Townshend has never denied was an attempt to write a Kinks song in the vein of "You Really Got Me" and "All Day and All of the Night"). The Kinks, meanwhile, were managed by a trio of impresarios: Robert Wace, Grenville Collins, and Larry Page.
@@gregsager2062 You are correct, sir. I am a huge Who fan and it is true that PT was a huge fan of The Kinks and always has been a friend of Ray Davies. He has stated that The Kinks were always vastly and terribly underrated which I think is absolutely true.
Lennon wasn't jealous of anything, don't talk nonsense. He admired them is all, and it was mutual. Exactly what did they have the beatles didn't except different songs. Both great bands, but to say lennon was 'jealous' is just nonsense. So cite your source
Said this before. The Kinks were one of the if not THE most influential band in rock history. I bring as proof the number of covers of their material. I'm all for you doing You really got me, Celluloid Heros, and Waterloi Sunset, a song that Pete Townshend called "a masterpiece."
This song was punk 10 years before punk existed, and it brought a harsh, gritty, antagonistic energy that had not been heard before. Definitely S tier, no question.
Punk was a reaction to all the shitty rock that rock had changed to in the mid 70's. AOR bland crap or wanking solos that were technically proficient but had nothing to appeal to the 18 year old kids that wanted something to energize them. Punk just continued the garage sound that had disappeared at that point in history. It just had new clothes and hairstyles, but still was a jolt that the music industry needed. First gen punk here and loved the new stuff coming out at the time and these old rock and roll masterpieces that influenced it.
@@Cosmo-Kramer it's not a matter of opinion, they have been categorized as a proto-punk band. I understand what you are saying, I'm not disagreeing, it's just not correct.
@@MTLUVR Did I reply to you? No. I replied to the OP who has mislabeled this song as punk. As for you labeling them as proto-punk, I would accept that or deny that based on how you defined "proto". By "proto", do you mean 1) that The Kinks sound as featured in this song was the first punk music produced, or 2) do you mean that, while they were not producing punk music in songs such as this one, their sound--a harder rock sound than had previously existed--paved the way, or helped pave the way, for punk to rise a decade later?
So glad to see some more Kinks. Waterloo Sunset should be next - it was ranked 14 on Rolling Stone's recent 500 Greatest Songs of All Time. The Kinks have a deep catalogue with a ton of classics.
The Kinks can sometimes seem dated, but it is hard to overestimate their importance in the British Invasion. The attention is paid more to The Beatles, Stones, Who etc. The Kinks should be included in that.
I definitely listen to more Kinks than Beatles or Stones. I think "Strangers", "Apeman", "Got To Be Free" and "Muswell Hillbilly", from their early 70's, Americana, inspired period, are also other songs deserving consideration. But they have so many great songs in their catalogue, so it is hard to limit it down.
I put Waterloo Sunset in my top ten favourite songs ever. The imagery it brings is wonderful. I listen to it and it brings back all the memories of a summer sojourn to London from Australia nearly 40 years ago.
@@eh-i1841 He’s underrated in the sense that he should be a megastar on a par with Townsend, Jagger and McCartney and he’s just not. But, he’s just as talented.
My girlfriend's run off with my car and gone back to her ma and pa Telling tales of drunkenness and cruelty Now I'm sitting here, sipping at my ice-cold beer Lazing on a sunny afternoon
The birth of punk and grunge. The Kinks were one of the most important bands in rock history. Masters of the 3 minute song and the clever, crunchy riff.
One of the cool things about that track is that this was a 17 year-old lead guitarist playing. And it's straight up one of the most important, formative rock songs.
Jimmy Page was the young studio musician playing lead. There's a great interview with the Davies brothers talks about their early struggles replicating Pages licks on the road.
@@markoconnor995Where is the supposed interview? Absolutely false statement backed up by live recorded versions of Dave Davies replicating the studio recording. Many articles and books saying this is completely untrue. Same with the BS of him doing the solo on I Can’t Explain. I continue to lose respect for Page every time this false hood is repeated.
@@reallyluckyoaklawn8306. Not falsehood. I saw the interview myself decades ago and couldn't remember what it was on if my life depended on it. Young Jimmy Page; however, was the studio musician playing guitar on All Day and All Night, as well as You Really Got Me. That's the real story. Page's guitar work was influencing generations long before Zeppelin.
@@reallyluckyoaklawn8306. I was going to just leave my first reply and walk away, but realized you might be a legitimate Kinks or Page fan and not just another attention seeking internet troll. I think the the interview might have been on a Kinks live video VHS pack that included live performances, studio clips and interviews with the Davies brothers. I purchased it back in the 80's when I was in my late teens. All Day was one of my favorite Kinks songs and foundational to the rise of Punk rock. Iggy Pop is called the Godfather of punk, but what does that make the Kinks?
@@markoconnor995 The live, not mimed recordings on Shindig of Dave Davies playing note perfect renditions of the studio Your Really Got Me solo and All Day and All of the Night solo, is one data point putting this myth to rest. Dave Davie and Ray Davies angry interviews, tweets or quotes definitively over the years saying this is a lie are more data points. The author of the excellent Classic Albums "Meaty Beaty Big and Bouncy" book again makes this point, about You Really Got Me and I Can't Explain saying respectively Davies and Townsend played the solos on both records. And Ritchie Blackmore "gleefully" saying at best he may have added rhythm guitar under the auspices of Shel Talmy's post production. Page did play on "Bald Headed Woman" B Side of I Can't Explain. I have given you multiple data points. Use the Internet and public library to see if you can refute my data points. There was an upset recent tweet from Dave himself, saying stop spreading this myth to a TH-cam self styled rock documentary poster. I have seen the Kinks 6 times, Dave solo twice and Ray solo twice. And actually worked backstage setting up the stage for the Kinks as part of the concert committee. So I have read quite a lot about this myth and its refutation. Since we are on the topic of who did what, check out the live Creation "Making Time" video. Notice what the guitarist Eddie Phillips uses to play the solo in 1966!
Im sorry about your brother! I also lost my brother Oct.23,1995 to cancer. Your brother sent a spiritual shout out to you thru A &A today. Its true , they are always with us!😇✌
@@DDK62 Sorry for your loss. I just lost my sister unexpectedly 7-11-21. Complications from her lifetime of diabetes. She was a Genesis fan. Miss them both so much!☮✝️
One of my must hear Christmas song each year. Kinks Father Christmas, Pogues Fairytale of New York, Dropkick Murphy’s The Seasons Upon Us. The perfect Punk Christmas Trifecta.
Definitely listen to “You Really Got Me” and “Destroyer.” “Destroyer,” which came out in 1981, is like “Lola, Part 2” but is an an absolute banger. It starts out “Met a girl called Lola and I took her back to my place...” but borrows the riff and some of the lyrics from this song, too.
Ray Davies is one of the greatest songwriters in history...some great, if somewhat obscure, Kinks tunes to check out are "Big Black Smoke", "Situation Vacant", and "20th Century Man"
The Who and The Kinks were the 2 heaviest bands on the planet in 1964. You Really Got Me is the birth of Hard Rock. There’s a reason Van Halen released it as the first single from their self titled debut album. By the way lyrically both of these Kinks songs are sung first person to the girl Ray is singing about. The Beatles did that too but musically these songs rock way more. If I recall correctly they do a live version of You Really Got Me around 1980. Low Budget is their huge comeback album in 1978. The title track and Superman were always on the radio. Low Budget sounds like Joe Walsh’s Life’s Been Good and Superman is hard rock Disco but it works.
One of the great bands of The British Invasion. 1964 boys!! More than a half-century old. Holds up better than excellent. I was 10-years old when this dropped and was digging every moment of it. You had to be there to understand the magnitude of music style change brought on by the Brit bands. Every day brought a new revelation. Great time.
The great thing about "You Really Got Me" is that, unlike "All Day and All of the Night", the melody and the guitar riff are completely different. It gives the song a completely different feel, even though the actual raw sound of the two hit singles is identical.
Kinks guitarists Ray & Dave Davies got that fuzzy sound by slashing the speakers on their primitive little mid-60's amps. Run, do not walk, to "Waterloo Sunset;" total British Invasion sauce.
it's not "their version of 'you really got me'" - it's their song, they wrote it. "gritty", sure - pretty much the first mainstream, intentional use of distortion, so that had a profound effect on rock. generally an innovative band all around. Sunny Afternoon
@Joan In Florida so it's just your opinion then. The song doesn't suck, you just think it does. Same with Hey Jude and Angie. Those are great songs, you just don't like them.
From someone who grew up with this song, I agree with the *"S" rating* -- it always felt like a *perfect* rock song to me, and absolutely ahead of its time. (And I don't think you will be disappointed with _You Really Got Me,_ when you get to it.)
My husband sings this song with dirty lyrics he made up in Boy Scouts in the 1960s... It starts with, "One plus one, we're having fun, in the bedroom, all day and all of the night...Two plus two, I took off my shoe, in the bedroom, all day and all of the night..." (and so on!) HAHA! Yes, this is a catchy tune, for sure! I haven't heard it in a while, so enjoyed listening a few times. :)
Yeah and they also have a song called "I Need You" that rocks in a similar way. Not as well known I guess because it was on their second album, Kinda Kinks, which is a great record but starts to take them in a different direction.
Saw them in concert in Denver, years ago. Chrissie Hyde and the Pretenders opened, great show. S tier, fellas. Hey how about some Pretenders? Tattoo Love Boys, total banger.
When you revisit Otis Redding, make you first stop "I've Been Loving You Too Long"! No one ever put more soul and heartbreak into the groove of a record.
I grew up with all the music from the British Invasion & The Mersybeat. The Kinks were huge & had a lot of hits. I especially love their music from the 60's & 70's. "You Really Got Me", "Set Me Free", "Tired of Waiting for You", "A Well Respected Man", "Dedicated Follower of Fashion", "Sunny Afternoon", "Dead End Street", "Waterloo Sunset", "Autumn Almanac" & "Lola".
The real genius of Ray Davies, is the quality and range of his songs. Try "Lola" and "Waterloo Sunset" for the hits, "Sunny Afternoon" and "Days" for more chilled stuff. For asome great Ray Davies covers try the Jam's version of "David Watts" or the Pretenders "Stop your Sobbing"
Lola live is a must! Pressure, Superman, Low Budget, Waterloo Sunset. Dave Davies and Pete Townshend basically invented the British Rock power chord on guitar. Influenced EVH enough to cover multiple Kinks tunes. Peace from Toronto!
Nothing like this had ever existed before this tune...total Banger!! VANHALEN did THEIR version of 'You Really got me'...The KINKS didn't do a VERSION they wrote and performed it as the ORIGINATORS and it was also ground breaking...you gotta hit that tune next!!
The Kinks are so fun! "You've Really Got Me" and "Al Day and All of the Night" are tops, for sure! I also love "Come Dancing" early 80s and it DOES have a bit of an 80s feel, but still very cool. "Destroyer" is like a sampling of some of their earlier work with riffs from and references to previous songs. "Tired of Waiting" is another early song and a different feel from "You've Really Got Me" and "Al Day and All of the Night" , but very cool in its own way. I think that's the song that Ray Davies wrote when he was 15...?
About 16 years later The Kinks reworked this song into a little tune called Destroyer. It's from an incredibly underrated called Give The People What They Want. Highly recommended.
Though I enjoy their preliminary ‘Power Pop’ efforts, much in the same way that I get a kick out of the first few Who singles (I Can’t Explain is essentially a rewrite of All Day and All of the Night by the way). The Kinks really came into their own in the early months of 66, releasing a string of dotty little ditties and eccentric albums right through till the tail end of 1970. From Dedicated Follower of Fashion to Apeman, Ray Davies’ song writing transcended the barriers of the Pop scene at the time. Mixing autumnal melancholy with splashes of offbeat giddiness and charm, The Kinks were as British as cups of tea, crumpets with jam, and having a fight for no good reason. In short they were marvellous!
It's said that Ray's songwriting benefitted from the band being banned in America. He developed a very English style which influenced many others and led to the sort of whimsy that pervades Sgt Pepper.
After all is said and done, even with such an extensive and wonderful catalog, Ray Davies always maintains All Day and All of the Night is probably his best. Along with the b-side I Need You & You Really Got Me, THIS is where rock and roll became ROCK!
@@brianparker663 Absolutely! I don't think it's unreasonable to suggest that the likes of Syd Barrett and Kevin Ayers were tapping their feet and humming along to the tunes of Mr. Davies.
The Kinks had many bangers and slower songs. The sardonic wit is something I really enjoyed in many of their songs. "Rock & Roll Fantasy" is a slower but great song. "Sunday Afternoon, Art Lover," and so many more great songs from them.
I haven’t heard this for ages and forgot how insanely good it is. I voted for Waterloo Sunset in the poll but when all’s said and done I knew you would appreciate this more 😃 (you should still check out Waterloo Sunset though 👍🏻) 🇬🇧🇺🇸
Sunny Afternoon or Waterloo Sunset. On either song you have look at the lyrics. For another short banger in this vein you need to listen to Wild Thing by the Troggs.
This is the record that separated the music my brother and I listened to from the 'rock' our parents were willing to listen to. They bought us transistor radios with ear pieces. We never looked back.
I can remember living in an apartment with 6 roommates one summer when we were really into the Kinks. About the time of Preservation Acts I and II. Really appreciated Ray Davies wit in his lyrics.
Kinks dont get enough credit for their groundbreaking sound. This song is from 1964, there was nothing else like it at the time. This song made mothers and fathers fear for their children and the American way of a life. You really got me is killer.
I responded much the same way. These guys were dangerous. The industry did a lot to sink this band. There was no great American tour to follow up this page of their catalog…organized crime, labor unions and record label’s prevented that tour but it didn’t unhear it in young ears! Roots of Punk and Metal here.
Yes, and, while not too many people know this, he was also the original drummer of the Rolling Stones when they formed in London in the summer of '62. He only rehearsed with them a couple of times before he was replaced by Tony Chapman, who in turn was eventually replaced by some guy named Charlie Watts.
Mick Avory did NOT play on this song, or You Really Got Me or I Need you. Mick eventually became a good live Drummer, but he doesn't play on these. These were played by an English session drummer with a jazz background, BOBBY GRAHAM. He played on hundreds of British hits from the 60s. Watch the early videos with Mick on drums. He was NOT a rocker, like Ringo was. He was a Charlie Watts.
@@JasonSmith-jr7jh Yep. Most of the early Kinks drumming on their singles was either by Bobby Graham or by the other master drummer of '60s London sessionmen, Clem Cattini. Like most producers of his day, Shel Talmy was not shy about bringing in a sessionman to perform a part at a professional level with a minimum of rehearsal time, whether the band liked it or not. Mick Avory did play on a lot of '60s Kinks album tracks, though; albums were more or less an afterthought at that point when compared to singles.
The Kinks wer great in concert. I saw them for the Low Budget tour. They had a couple of fake trees and a sheet to project on. I am so glad I got to see them.
Incredible song and massively influential. Don’t forget though that The Beatles were playing about with feedback on ‘I feel fine’. Also in 1964. I love both bands. There was so much brilliance and creativity in the 60’s.
Thank you! You caught the amazing dissonance and timing. I enjoyed the trip back to the community center dances in 1965-68!! Every garage band tried hard to cover this. And we all sang along in the harmonies.
Lots of great Kinks songs. Like the Rolling Stones, they evolved their sound as music evolved. "You Really Got Me" is definitely the next one you should do.
What a BANGER! What’s next to hit from The Kinks?! More of THIS!!! 🔥
This was the sound that got Pete Townsend's blood flowing.
SUNNY AFTERNOON is a masterpiece by The Kinks. And please get back to more JETHRO TULL , eventually you should listen to some live stuff and the full thick as a brick album, long long overdue.
If you want more like this try I Need You, Set Me Free, Come On Now, Till the End of the Day, but really, they have such a diverse range of styles. They are an amazing band. You could own their entire catalog and it just might be all you'd ever need to listen to.
Because you loved this so much, you've gotta hear "You Really Got Me", a similarly styled record. But there's also "Waterloo Sunset", a beautiful ballad. I hope that you react to both songs within the next 6 months or so.
Just hear the original You Really Got Me. It's's in the exact same vein and it rocks!
To be clear, nothing in rock and roll sounded like this before the Kinks. "You Really Got Me" and "All Day and All the Night" are basically the twin pillars that punk and metal were built on.
Absolutely true!
More or less, yes.
Dave Davies invented distortion guitar.
This^
Spot on. So many all time great musicians cite The Kinks as a massive influence. I think they get a little lost sometimes as one of the most important bands ever.
In 1964, a fuzzy and somewhat distorted sound gained widespread popularity after guitarist Dave Davies of The Kinks used a razor blade to slash his speaker cones for the band's single "You Really Got Me".
This is S tier for one reason. While listening to it, you can hear the birth of thousands of garage bands. Those will be the training ground of the musicians who led rock for the next 40 years.
Add "Gloria" by Them (Van Morrison) to that tour de force of garage band inspirations.
Good point! I never thought about it but this was Punk decades before Punk.
You hit the nail on the head. The birth of 1000 bands.
No, it's S tier for *two* good reasons. First, as you said, because (like the Kinks single that preceded it, "You Really Got Me") it is the Big Bang that gave birth to garage, heavy metal, and punk. But, second, because it's just simply a great song. Five and a half decades after it was released, you still can't sit still while listening to it.
Did you see Andy's face as he was listening to this song? We don't see Andy's stankface all that often anymore, probably because his musical experience is so much broader now after hearing so much '60s and '70s music. But he was in full stankface mode during this song -- and Andy's stankface don't lie. ;-)
@@markd9130 I would say that Punk took part of this and ran with it. Punk distilled a bit of the Kinks sound. But so did so many other sub-genres who were influenced by the Kinks. But none of them combined it all, like the Kinks did.
The Kinks, in my opinion, laid the ground for future punk bands in this song. They were so far ahead of their time!
People lost their absolute minds when they heard "You Really Got Me" and "All Day and All the Night." Kinks played with the Beatles in those early days and Lennon was actively jealous the Kinks had something he didn't. The Who started as straight up Kinks' copyists. The Stones stopped releasing cover songs as singles and started to write their own records after the Beatles & Kinks. An absolute landmark moment in rock history.
I saw an interview with Ray Davies where he said it wasn’t unusual to play gigs with the Beatles, and there was one time the Beatles opened for them. The Beatles were the headliners and the Kinks were opening for them but the Kinks were so late getting there they went on after the Beatles.
In The Who's defense, their manager wanted them to sound like The Kinks and those two songs. And it's not just because The Kinks had so much success with those two songs - The Who and The Kinks had the same manager at the time.
@@thefuge5 That's not true. It was *Pete Townshend* who wanted his band to sound like the Kinks, and he's gone on record numerous times in stating that. Not only did Townshend love those early Kinks hits, especially their sound, he also recognized that what the Kinks were doing stylistically fit the strengths and weaknesses of his own band better than the R&B covers that the Who was playing in the clubs because their audience of mods preferred R&B. You need a disciplined, in-the-pocket drummer to play R&B, and the baby-faced anarchist who sat behind the drumkit in the Who was the diametric opposite of a disciplined, in-the-pocket drummer. The strengths of the Who were obviously their super-loud stage sound and their unbridled aggression. Putting heavy guitar on top of a standard pop composition with all of that wham! bam! coming out of the rhythm section (i.e., what the Kinks were doing) suited the Who perfectly. And so the Who deliberately sought to follow in the footsteps of the Kinks, not because their managers wanted them to do so (Kit Lambert and Chris Stamp knew absolutely nothing about the UK pop scene, aside from the fact that it was a potential goldmine), but because their guitarist/songwriter wanted them to do so.
Also, the Who and the Kinks never had the same manager. The Who was first managed by Peter Meaden, and then was managed by Kit Lambert and Chris Stamp. It was Lambert and Stamp who sought out Kinks producer Shel Talmy at Townshend's request and asked him to produce the Who's next single ("I Can't Explain", which Townshend has never denied was an attempt to write a Kinks song in the vein of "You Really Got Me" and "All Day and All of the Night"). The Kinks, meanwhile, were managed by a trio of impresarios: Robert Wace, Grenville Collins, and Larry Page.
@@gregsager2062 You are correct, sir. I am a huge Who fan and it is true that PT was a huge fan of The Kinks and always has been a friend of Ray Davies. He has stated that The Kinks were always vastly and terribly underrated which I think is absolutely true.
Lennon wasn't jealous of anything, don't talk nonsense. He admired them is all, and it was mutual. Exactly what did they have the beatles didn't except different songs. Both great bands, but to say lennon was 'jealous' is just nonsense. So cite your source
The guitar tone was so freaking unique and heavy! Yeah...1964!!! The Kinks were godfathers of garage/heavy rock.
You're right, probably the birth of heay metal & I'm from the town that spawned Black Sabbath.
Said this before. The Kinks were one of the if not THE most influential band in rock history. I bring as proof the number of covers of their material.
I'm all for you doing You really got me, Celluloid Heros, and Waterloi Sunset, a song that Pete Townshend called "a masterpiece."
"Victoria" is another great Kinks song.
This is my favorite Kinks song.
This song was punk 10 years before punk existed, and it brought a harsh, gritty, antagonistic energy that had not been heard before.
Definitely S tier, no question.
Punk was a reaction to all the shitty rock that rock had changed to in the mid 70's. AOR bland crap or wanking solos that were technically proficient but had nothing to appeal to the 18 year old kids that wanted something to energize them. Punk just continued the garage sound that had disappeared at that point in history. It just had new clothes and hairstyles, but still was a jolt that the music industry needed. First gen punk here and loved the new stuff coming out at the time and these old rock and roll masterpieces that influenced it.
It's called proto-punk my friend.
This is not punk rock, it's hard rock. In fact, it's the second hard rock song ever.
@@Cosmo-Kramer it's not a matter of opinion, they have been categorized as a proto-punk band. I understand what you are saying, I'm not disagreeing, it's just not correct.
@@MTLUVR Did I reply to you? No. I replied to the OP who has mislabeled this song as punk.
As for you labeling them as proto-punk, I would accept that or deny that based on how you defined "proto". By "proto", do you mean 1) that The Kinks sound as featured in this song was the first punk music produced, or 2) do you mean that, while they were not producing punk music in songs such as this one, their sound--a harder rock sound than had previously existed--paved the way, or helped pave the way, for punk to rise a decade later?
"Tired of Waiting for You" is another great early Kinks song.
One of my all-time faves. Still got my original single from '64.
Definitely!
"So Tired!"
@@marygoodson4920 lol
Absolutely!!!!
So glad to see some more Kinks. Waterloo Sunset should be next - it was ranked 14 on Rolling Stone's recent 500 Greatest Songs of All Time. The Kinks have a deep catalogue with a ton of classics.
The Kinks can sometimes seem dated, but it is hard to overestimate their importance in the British Invasion. The attention is paid more to The Beatles, Stones, Who etc. The Kinks should be included in that.
When people ask me Beatles or Stones, I reply, "Kinks."
I definitely listen to more Kinks than Beatles or Stones. I think "Strangers", "Apeman", "Got To Be Free" and "Muswell Hillbilly", from their early 70's, Americana, inspired period, are also other songs deserving consideration. But they have so many great songs in their catalogue, so it is hard to limit it down.
"Waterloo Sunset" is a must-listen for Andy and Alex. It's as surefire an S-tier song as there is. The melody is so beautiful that it's timeless.
I put Waterloo Sunset in my top ten favourite songs ever. The imagery it brings is wonderful. I listen to it and it brings back all the memories of a summer sojourn to London from Australia nearly 40 years ago.
Ray Davies is the most underrated musical genius there’s ever been or could ever be. It’s criminal really.
Education, 20th Century Man, Celluloid Heroes, Shangri La, Ray is an absolute monster genius
He’s not underrated.Everyone knows he’s a genius,and loves their music.
ray davies is recognised as a one of the legends of the 60's, incredible talent
@@eh-i1841 He’s underrated in the sense that he should be a megastar on a par with Townsend, Jagger and McCartney and he’s just not. But, he’s just as talented.
England's greatest songsmith - ever.
My girlfriend's run off with my car and gone back to her ma and pa
Telling tales of drunkenness and cruelty
Now I'm sitting here, sipping at my ice-cold beer
Lazing on a sunny afternoon
Oh yeah!!
I love that one.
The birth of punk and grunge. The Kinks were one of the most important bands in rock history. Masters of the 3 minute song and the clever, crunchy riff.
1964. This song and The Animals’ “House of the Rising Sun” were the game changers for early rock and roll.
What makes you say that?
No.. no they weren’t. They didn’t change anything in the game. They were just good songs.
One of the cool things about that track is that this was a 17 year-old lead guitarist playing. And it's straight up one of the most important, formative rock songs.
Jimmy Page was the young studio musician playing lead. There's a great interview with the Davies brothers talks about their early struggles replicating Pages licks on the road.
@@markoconnor995Where is the supposed interview? Absolutely false statement backed up by live recorded versions of Dave Davies replicating the studio recording. Many articles and books saying this is completely untrue. Same with the BS of him doing the solo on I Can’t Explain. I continue to lose respect for Page every time this false hood is repeated.
@@reallyluckyoaklawn8306. Not falsehood. I saw the interview myself decades ago and couldn't remember what it was on if my life depended on it. Young Jimmy Page; however, was the studio musician playing guitar on All Day and All Night, as well as You Really Got Me. That's the real story. Page's guitar work was influencing generations long before Zeppelin.
@@reallyluckyoaklawn8306. I was going to just leave my first reply and walk away, but realized you might be a legitimate Kinks or Page fan and not just another attention seeking internet troll. I think the the interview might have been on a Kinks live video VHS pack that included live performances, studio clips and interviews with the Davies brothers. I purchased it back in the 80's when I was in my late teens. All Day was one of my favorite Kinks songs and foundational to the rise of Punk rock. Iggy Pop is called the Godfather of punk, but what does that make the Kinks?
@@markoconnor995 The live, not mimed recordings on Shindig of Dave Davies playing note perfect renditions of the studio Your Really Got Me solo and All Day and All of the Night solo, is one data point putting this myth to rest. Dave Davie and Ray Davies angry interviews, tweets or quotes definitively over the years saying this is a lie are more data points. The author of the excellent Classic Albums "Meaty Beaty Big and Bouncy" book again makes this point, about You Really Got Me and I Can't Explain saying respectively Davies and Townsend played the solos on both records. And Ritchie Blackmore "gleefully" saying at best he may have added rhythm guitar under the auspices of Shel Talmy's post production. Page did play on "Bald Headed Woman" B Side of I Can't Explain. I have given you multiple data points. Use the Internet and public library to see if you can refute my data points. There was an upset recent tweet from Dave himself, saying stop spreading this myth to a TH-cam self styled rock documentary poster. I have seen the Kinks 6 times, Dave solo twice and Ray solo twice. And actually worked backstage setting up the stage for the Kinks as part of the concert committee. So I have read quite a lot about this myth and its refutation. Since we are on the topic of who did what, check out the live Creation "Making Time" video. Notice what the guitarist Eddie Phillips uses to play the solo in 1966!
"Celluloid Heroes" and "Waterloo Sunset" are beautiful Kinks songs; "Destroyer" rocks pretty fiercely. Try 'em all!
#Facts 🙋🏿♀️ 'Destroyer' would knock their socks off! 🤗 Another 45' I totally wore out at high volume! 😁🐰
Especially the live version of "Celluloid Heroes" with that cool synth and guitar opening.
@@Drummingvulture Agreed!
Yes to "Celluloid Heroes" and "Waterloo Sunset"!
Yes to Celluloid Heroes. Wonderful lyrics, melody, the poignant imagery of walking amongst the 'Stars' on Hollywood Boulevard
The Kinks - my first concert - Felt Forum, NYC, 1971.
The Kinks were my brother's favorite band. He passed away in '97. Hard to listen to The Kinks without sheading tears. Awesome band!😭
He had great taste. ✌🤘
Im sorry about your brother! I also lost my brother Oct.23,1995 to cancer. Your brother sent a spiritual shout out to you thru A &A today. Its true , they are always with us!😇✌
@@DDK62 Sorry for your loss. I just lost my sister unexpectedly 7-11-21. Complications from her lifetime of diabetes. She was a Genesis fan. Miss them both so much!☮✝️
❤🕯
@@burmajones803 Yes he did.
Raw rock n' roll, gentlemen. Unadorned, stripped down to the basics.
Around Christmas, you need to do "Father Christmas" from them. Great song of theirs from the late 70's.
One of my must hear Christmas song each year. Kinks Father Christmas, Pogues Fairytale of New York, Dropkick Murphy’s The Seasons Upon Us. The perfect Punk Christmas Trifecta.
Yaaaas!!!! One of my all time favorite Christmas tunes, was 17 in '77 when this came out.....long live The Kinks!!!
I don't think I have ever seen Andy so physically into a song before, drumming along, etc.
Definitely listen to “You Really Got Me” and “Destroyer.” “Destroyer,” which came out in 1981, is like “Lola, Part 2” but is an an absolute banger. It starts out “Met a girl called Lola and I took her back to my place...” but borrows the riff and some of the lyrics from this song, too.
Yes, I really like Destroyer, a comeback hit for the Kinks. I also noticed they borrowed the opening riff from this song.
"Low Budget" was a great album; way too overlooked and underappreciated.
@@mikek5958 it is! I love “Catch Me Now I’m Falling.”
@@allisonreed7682 Oh yeah, absolutely Allison; love the piano intro.
I met her in a club down in old Soho . . .
She picked me up and set me on her knee
And said "Dear boy, won't you come home with me?"
“You Really Got Me” is also S tier IMO, I also love their whimsical songs like “Ape Man” and “Dedicated Follower of Fashion”.
And so many more!!
🎸🎸🎸
S tier 10 out of 10 times for sure. This goes hand in hand with You Really Got Me. Can't wait for you guys to check that one out
I can't wait for them to check it out, either.
Me too and maybe "tired of waiting" as well as a possible future track.
Ray Davies is one of the greatest songwriters in history...some great, if somewhat obscure, Kinks tunes to check out are "Big Black Smoke", "Situation Vacant", and "20th Century Man"
Waterloo Sunset….. hits everybody’s list of all time greatest rock songs, it’s a must hear.
It gets overlooked, but one of my favorites by The Kinks is "I'm Not Like Everybody Else." It's full of grit, and a great salute to Individualism.
Nailed it!!
Wow,
The Who and The Kinks were the 2 heaviest bands on the planet in 1964. You Really Got Me is the birth of Hard Rock. There’s a reason Van Halen released it as the first single from their self titled debut album. By the way lyrically both of these Kinks songs are sung first person to the girl Ray is singing about. The Beatles did that too but musically these songs rock way more. If I recall correctly they do a live version of You Really Got Me around 1980. Low Budget is their huge comeback album in 1978. The title track and Superman were always on the radio. Low Budget sounds like Joe Walsh’s Life’s Been Good and Superman is hard rock Disco but it works.
One of the great bands of The British Invasion. 1964 boys!! More than a half-century old. Holds up better than excellent. I was 10-years old when this dropped and was digging every moment of it. You had to be there to understand the magnitude of music style change brought on by the Brit bands. Every day brought a new revelation. Great time.
Iconic! Alex hit the nail on the head, this feels to me exactly like the earliest of punk rock.
God. Please don't associate this great 60s music as Punk. Head banger.... Yes! But musical !!
“You really Got Me” is a MUST I feel it is in the same league maybe even a little better than this song but both though are definite S tier songs!!
The great thing about "You Really Got Me" is that, unlike "All Day and All of the Night", the melody and the guitar riff are completely different. It gives the song a completely different feel, even though the actual raw sound of the two hit singles is identical.
Kinks guitarists Ray & Dave Davies got that fuzzy sound by slashing the speakers on their primitive little mid-60's amps. Run, do not walk, to "Waterloo Sunset;" total British Invasion sauce.
Girls, if he wants to be with you all the time forever, run, run for your life.
lol true it sounds so incredibly romantic in a song but having experienced a relationship like this it’s incredibly toxic! 😬
Come December you should hit their song 'Father Christmas'.
So much yes!
Always on my Christmas playlist.
The Kinks are credited with the first use of distortion, without a pedal! It was done by cutting slits in the amp speaker. Now THATS Rock and Roll!
Link Ray?
@@ChicoEscuela Link Wray would get credit for inventing the power cord, but he didn't use distortion, just high gain, which was also a newer thing.
@@CormacMacCormac ah! I thought he also shredded his speakers. But I love both his and Kinks tones. Cheers!
"Apeman" is one of my favorite Kinks song, and still very relevant.
it's not "their version of 'you really got me'" - it's their song, they wrote it. "gritty", sure - pretty much the first mainstream, intentional use of distortion, so that had a profound effect on rock. generally an innovative band all around. Sunny Afternoon
Waterloo Sunset is probably their best song. But the whole Village Green album should be required listening for classic rock fans.
Village Green Preservation Society is an album experience that one must have for sure
@Joan In Florida what criteria are you using to make that statement?
@Joan In Florida so it's just your opinion then. The song doesn't suck, you just think it does.
Same with Hey Jude and Angie. Those are great songs, you just don't like them.
Who wants to play spot the narcissist?
@Joan In Florida They're ballads -- not commercial junk. Deal with it.
What you're saying is so correct, listen to the live version and you will get exactly what what you were saying about singing to the crowd.
From someone who grew up with this song, I agree with the *"S" rating* -- it always felt like a *perfect* rock song to me, and absolutely ahead of its time. (And I don't think you will be disappointed with _You Really Got Me,_ when you get to it.)
My husband sings this song with dirty lyrics he made up in Boy Scouts in the 1960s... It starts with, "One plus one, we're having fun, in the bedroom, all day and all of the night...Two plus two, I took off my shoe, in the bedroom, all day and all of the night..." (and so on!) HAHA! Yes, this is a catchy tune, for sure! I haven't heard it in a while, so enjoyed listening a few times. :)
This song along with "You Really Got Me " and "I'm Not Like Everybody Else" was a great influence on the punk genre.
Yeah and they also have a song called "I Need You" that rocks in a similar way. Not as well known I guess because it was on their second album, Kinda Kinks, which is a great record but starts to take them in a different direction.
Didn't they do Ape man?
@@joesmith4222 "Apeman" was on the album Lola vs. Powerman...
Except punk sux.
Saw them in concert in Denver, years ago. Chrissie Hyde and the Pretenders opened, great show. S tier, fellas. Hey how about some Pretenders? Tattoo Love Boys, total banger.
This song is very similar to "You really got me." This one is a little more raw and punk but they go hand in hand.
I saw the Kinks,Tom Petty and the Heartbreaker and Blondie at the Fox theater in Atlanta in the late 70's for $12.00. Great concert!
Wow!
"Celluloid Heroes" is a beautiful song, in the vein of "Candles In The Wind" by Elton John
I would say that Candles in the Wind is in the vein of Celluloid Heroes, but I get what you are saying.
Much better than Candles in the Wind
And a fantastic album - a classic.
Celluloid Heroes was written before Candle In The Wind .... God Save The Kinks!!!
I saw these guys at the rockey in LA. We were in the balcony about 20 ft from the stage. 😊😊😊 badass jam.
When you revisit Otis Redding, make you first stop "I've Been Loving You Too Long"!
No one ever put more soul and heartbreak into the groove of a record.
One of my favourites is 'Till The End of the Day'. I think you'd like it as you like this one.
I grew up with all the music from the British Invasion & The Mersybeat. The Kinks were huge & had a lot of hits. I especially love their music from the 60's & 70's. "You Really Got Me", "Set Me Free", "Tired of Waiting for You", "A Well Respected Man", "Dedicated Follower of Fashion", "Sunny Afternoon", "Dead End Street", "Waterloo Sunset", "Autumn Almanac" & "Lola".
God yes, "So Tired". Hell yeah.
How can you have possibly not have heard this yet?
'Waterloo Sunset' is beautiful ❤
Kinks 4ever! All Day and all of the Night.
Proto-punk at its finest! Think about it, The Kinks were the ones who set the stage for all those bands to follow... seriously influential...
When you invent a sound that shapes everything that comes after, that's S tier.
Great song reworked by the Kinks in the 80s as Destroyer, a worthy rocker unto itself.
The real genius of Ray Davies, is the quality and range of his songs. Try "Lola" and "Waterloo Sunset" for the hits, "Sunny Afternoon" and "Days" for more chilled stuff. For asome great Ray Davies covers try the Jam's version of "David Watts" or the Pretenders "Stop your Sobbing"
Lola live is a must! Pressure, Superman, Low Budget, Waterloo Sunset. Dave Davies and Pete Townshend basically invented the British Rock power chord on guitar. Influenced EVH enough to cover multiple Kinks tunes. Peace from Toronto!
Superman is such a great song but difficult to understand it’s greatness without knowing the absolute ditch rnr was in when it came out.
One for the Road is a great live record, almost every cut I like better than the original album versions
Dave Davies, YES... Pete Townshend not so much.
One of the greatest bands, led by one of the greatest songwriters of all time. Great reaction too.
Nothing like this had ever existed before this tune...total Banger!! VANHALEN did THEIR version of 'You Really got me'...The KINKS didn't do a VERSION they wrote and performed it as the ORIGINATORS and it was also ground breaking...you gotta hit that tune next!!
Dudes it was the 60s that alone makes what they did S tier
The true beginnings of hard and punk rock right here
Correct. All of it. The Kinks’ best. True “Garage Band” sound.
I love watching you two get so fired up about a song. It definitely makes the video fun! Love the channel - Keep doing what you do!!!!
The Kinks are so fun! "You've Really Got Me" and "Al Day and All of the Night" are tops, for sure! I also love "Come Dancing" early 80s and it DOES have a bit of an 80s feel, but still very cool. "Destroyer" is like a sampling of some of their earlier work with riffs from and references to previous songs. "Tired of Waiting" is another early song and a different feel from "You've Really Got Me" and "Al Day and All of the Night" , but very cool in its own way. I think that's the song that Ray Davies wrote when he was 15...?
About 16 years later The Kinks reworked this song into a little tune called Destroyer. It's from an incredibly underrated called Give The People What They Want. Highly recommended.
A lot of their 80's stuff is underrated.
Mm... I think Destroyer is revisiting our old friend Lola. 😎
Great band the Kinks grew up listening to them and went to see them nurmerous occasions.
Though I enjoy their preliminary ‘Power Pop’ efforts, much in the same way that I get a kick out of the first few Who singles (I Can’t Explain is essentially a rewrite of All Day and All of the Night by the way). The Kinks really came into their own in the early months of 66, releasing a string of dotty little ditties and eccentric albums right through till the tail end of 1970. From Dedicated Follower of Fashion to Apeman, Ray Davies’ song writing transcended the barriers of the Pop scene at the time. Mixing autumnal melancholy with splashes of offbeat giddiness and charm, The Kinks were as British as cups of tea, crumpets with jam, and having a fight for no good reason. In short they were marvellous!
Let's not forget that "Apeman" was the first pop single to include an F-bomb
It's said that Ray's songwriting benefitted from the band being banned in America. He developed a very English style which influenced many others and led to the sort of whimsy that pervades Sgt Pepper.
After all is said and done, even with such an extensive and wonderful catalog, Ray Davies always maintains All Day and All of the Night is probably his best. Along with the b-side I Need You & You Really Got Me, THIS is where rock and roll became ROCK!
Ooh, I forgot about Dedicated Follower of Fashion....I never got that deep into the Kinks, I'm thinking it's well time to rectify that.
@@brianparker663 Absolutely! I don't think it's unreasonable to suggest that the likes of Syd Barrett and Kevin Ayers were tapping their feet and humming along to the tunes of Mr. Davies.
The Kinks had many bangers and slower songs. The sardonic wit is something I really enjoyed in many of their songs. "Rock & Roll Fantasy" is a slower but great song. "Sunday Afternoon, Art Lover," and so many more great songs from them.
I haven’t heard this for ages and forgot how insanely good it is.
I voted for Waterloo Sunset in the poll but when all’s said and done I knew you would appreciate this more 😃 (you should still check out Waterloo Sunset though 👍🏻) 🇬🇧🇺🇸
They were ahead of their time. The Beatles were singing "I Want to Hold Your Hand" in 1964.
They had also been singing "Twist and shout" for some time.
You guys really need to do Father Christmas around the holidays
And Uncle Bernie's Farm by Frank Zappa.
One of the top 5 Christmas songs of all time!!
Having a week (or even 2) of Christmas rock songs would be great!!
Give all the toys...to the little rich boys!!!
The most underrated of the British invasion bands. Celluloid Heroes is a must. Apeman, Were have all the good times gone.
Sunny Afternoon or Waterloo Sunset. On either song you have look at the lyrics. For another short banger in this vein you need to listen to Wild Thing by the Troggs.
This is the record that separated the music my brother and I listened to from the 'rock' our parents were willing to listen to. They bought us transistor radios with ear pieces. We never looked back.
they didn't really have many songs like this. which is fascinating because they were one of the pioneers of punk/rock/heavy metal
... and garage rock.
“Come Dancing” is a really different tune by them but reminds me a lot of this tune in how it’s sung. And it’s a great song.
Everyone can relate to their "Low Budget" at some point. Also like their "Catch Me Now I'm Falling" and "Better Things"
I'm a cut price person in a low budget land
best of all, cheap is cheap. I lived this song for a while in my college daze.
Their Arista period has some GREAT tunes.
The whole "Low Budget" album would be a good spin. I saw them on that tour and they rocked!
Kinks rock. "Well Respected Man" is another great cut, but more tongue-in-cheek than outright rocker.
"Catch me now i'm falling" was always one of my favorite Kinks songs. Commentary on how the world views America.
Love this reaction! "Well Respected Man" is a quite cool.
I just wanna hit the like button a million times. So…isn’t it time for You Really Got Me?
I can remember living in an apartment with 6 roommates one summer when we were really into the Kinks. About the time of Preservation Acts I and II. Really appreciated Ray Davies wit in his lyrics.
Kinks dont get enough credit for their groundbreaking sound. This song is from 1964, there was nothing else like it at the time. This song made mothers and fathers fear for their children and the American way of a life. You really got me is killer.
I responded much the same way. These guys were dangerous. The industry did a lot to sink this band. There was no great American tour to follow up this page of their catalog…organized crime, labor unions and record label’s prevented that tour but it didn’t unhear it in young ears!
Roots of Punk and Metal here.
Best guitar solo ever!
Mick Avory on the sticks - perhaps the most under rated drummer around
Yes, and, while not too many people know this, he was also the original drummer of the Rolling Stones when they formed in London in the summer of '62. He only rehearsed with them a couple of times before he was replaced by Tony Chapman, who in turn was eventually replaced by some guy named Charlie Watts.
Mick Avory did NOT play on this song, or You Really Got Me or I Need you. Mick eventually became a good live Drummer, but he doesn't play on these. These were played by an English session drummer with a jazz background, BOBBY GRAHAM. He played on hundreds of British hits from the 60s. Watch the early videos with Mick on drums. He was NOT a rocker, like Ringo was. He was a Charlie Watts.
@@JasonSmith-jr7jh Yep. Most of the early Kinks drumming on their singles was either by Bobby Graham or by the other master drummer of '60s London sessionmen, Clem Cattini. Like most producers of his day, Shel Talmy was not shy about bringing in a sessionman to perform a part at a professional level with a minimum of rehearsal time, whether the band liked it or not. Mick Avory did play on a lot of '60s Kinks album tracks, though; albums were more or less an afterthought at that point when compared to singles.
This was recorded in 1964! 1964! Amazing.
YES!!! You finally get The Kinks! My favorite band! I’m so glad you appreciate this one. Ray Davies is a songwriting genius.
This song was WAY ahead of its time. It could even fall into the punk category.
Exactly, punk before there was punk.
Next up, "Waterloo Sunset". You'll also want to hear "Tired of Waiting for You", which strikes me as being the first 'power pop ballad'.
The Kinks wer great in concert. I saw them for the Low Budget tour. They had a couple of fake trees and a sheet to project on. I am so glad I got to see them.
Great song. You haven’t reacted to “You Really Got Me”? It is the one song that comes to mind when you think of The Kinks, truly an S. Do it soon.
Incredible song and massively influential. Don’t forget though that The Beatles were playing about with feedback on ‘I feel fine’. Also in 1964. I love both bands. There was so much brilliance and creativity in the 60’s.
The Kinks released a fantastic live album in 1979 called One for the Road. It has a fantastic version of this song and more than a dozen others.
Thank you! You caught the amazing dissonance and timing. I enjoyed the trip back to the community center dances in 1965-68!! Every garage band tried hard to cover this. And we all sang along in the harmonies.
Can you imagine Van Halen thinking. What kinks cover we should do? I would've loved to here what VH would've done with All day and all the night
Lots of great Kinks songs. Like the Rolling Stones, they evolved their sound as music evolved. "You Really Got Me" is definitely the next one you should do.
I agree about the Kinks sound evolving, but when exactly did that happen with the Stones?
At a High School dance, when this record was put on, the first note and the everyone was on the floor! What a great song to dance to!