Most Kinks fans have heard the story of how Ray Davies invented the Kinks' groundbreaking 'You Really Got Me' guitar sound by stabbing an amplifier with a knitting needle.
Video killed the radio star. Just ask Ray Davies, who's certain he'd never stand a chance if he were starting out with the Kinks in today's image-driven music marketplace.
It's no secret the Davies brothers, Ray and Dave, have had a turbulent relationship despite having formed one of the most influential bands of the 'British Invasion.'
‘The Kinks Are the Village Green Preservation Society’ was both ahead of and behind the times when the British rockers released the album in November 1968. A critical success, but commercial disappointment at the time, the ‘Village Green’ LP eventually became the Kinks’ bestselling studio album, prompting frontman Ray Davies to once refer to it as “the most successful flop of all time.”
It's been a few years since Ray Davies released an album of new material, but it looks like the wait for his next studio LP might soon be over -- and the future could even bring a few treats for long-suffering Kinks fans in the bargain.