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The Story of the Kinks: You Really Got Me
The Kinks are the quintessential British sixties band, revered for an incredible series of classic songs ("You Really Got Me," "Waterloo Sunset" and "Lola" to name but a few) and critically acclaimed albums such as The Village Green Preservation Society. Featuring original interviews with key band members Ray Davies, his brother Dave Davies and Mick Avory, as well as Chrissie Hynde and many others close to the group, every stage of their career is covered in fascinating detail: the hits, the American successes of the 1970s and the legendary band in-fighting. Nearly 50 years after they formed, the Kinks' influence is still being felt today as strongly as ever.
326 pages, Paperback
First published April 1, 2010
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Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews
April 1, 2012
The Kinks couldn't do no wrong from 1963 till the early 1970's. By all means and reason they were my favorite band. With Ray Davies, one had a writer that was up there with Cole Porter and (more likely) Noel Coward. In the early 70's I went to see the band whenever they came to Los Angeles - and the shows were more music hall than rock n' roll. Davies always came off to me as slightly like Laurence Olivier in the Entertainer. When you go into a Kinks album, it is very much of a world that doesn't exist anymore. Post-War England as re-imagined by The Kinks.
This is a very good biography by Nick Hasted on Ray, Dave Davies (the brother), Pete Quaife, and Mick Avory. Although in the big picture extremely successful, but in the miniature details a life full of doubt and pain. For whatever reasons the brothers can barely stand each other - and the other two musicians in the band had often suffered under their tortured relationship. Ray and Dave, raised in a house full of sisters, are very eccentric in their ways. Yet totally opposite in character. Dave dived into the world of London 60's and Ray stood by the side and caught it all on paper and music. If one was to get a book on the Kinks - this one is it.
This is a very good biography by Nick Hasted on Ray, Dave Davies (the brother), Pete Quaife, and Mick Avory. Although in the big picture extremely successful, but in the miniature details a life full of doubt and pain. For whatever reasons the brothers can barely stand each other - and the other two musicians in the band had often suffered under their tortured relationship. Ray and Dave, raised in a house full of sisters, are very eccentric in their ways. Yet totally opposite in character. Dave dived into the world of London 60's and Ray stood by the side and caught it all on paper and music. If one was to get a book on the Kinks - this one is it.
April 23, 2017
God Bless The Kinks
The last words of this book, "After what they've been through to build it, they need someone to say: God bless The Kinks." The perfect end to an absorbing and entertaining story.
I love The Kinks and yet have barely scratched the surface in terms of their back catalogue. A comprehensive singles collection of the hits from the 1960s and 1970s, Village Green, Muswell Hillbillies, Arthur and that's about it. Needless to say with a recording career that lasted well into the 1990s there plenty more to discover. This book has really inspired me to do just that.
The Kinks must be contenders for The Most Dysfunctional Pop Group Ever award. The Gallagher brothers (Oasis) could learn a few tricks from Ray and Dave Davies. A fully qualified psychiatrist would struggle to analyse the behaviour detailed in this book. When Ray Davies says "I'm Not Like Everybody Else" he's completely serious. One story from the book gives an insight into the Davies brothers relationship: when Dave turned 50 Ray threw a party for him. As Dave was about to cut his birthday cake, Ray jumped on the table with the cake, gave a quick speech about himself, and then trampled all over the cake. Despite this sort of gesture their story is also interspersed with acts of mutual support and, somehow between them and the rest of the group, they created one of the most remarkable and enduring bodies of work. Music that, as Nick Hasted observes at the outset, evoked 1930s glamour as much as more obvious pop and rock tropes.
There are so many great insights in this book. Here's a few examples:
* The extraordinary highs and lows that the band, and each member, endured throughout their long and eventful career. Over 40 years The Kinks left a trail of irate ex-partners, and band members driven to despair, madness and violence.
* The band's extraordinary penchant for self-sabotage, a recurring theme is how the band manage to consistently shoot themselves in the foot at the most commercially inopportune moments - and all this despite one of the all time greatest songwriters in their midst.
* On 'You Really Got Me' and that iconic riff..."The completion of Dave's primitive experiments was the fusing of the radically different brothers in a moment's creative union, as the song's lightning hit. Everything that was special about them began to breathe then. Ray's art found its voice through his brother's wild freedom."
* The extent to which "The Village Green Preservation Society" album was equivalent to career suicide. And that the band had pretty much stopped playing live by this time.
* That Ray Davies produced Tom Robinson's first band Cafe Society - and then, when discussing it with Nick Hasted, Ray radically rewrote the history to make himself appear far more significant and influential.
* The madly ambitious vaudeville shows the band staged in support of some of their 1970s concept albums.
If you have any interest in pop music, popular culture, the band, or you just like reading biographies, then this book will provide you with much to enjoy.
The last words of this book, "After what they've been through to build it, they need someone to say: God bless The Kinks." The perfect end to an absorbing and entertaining story.
I love The Kinks and yet have barely scratched the surface in terms of their back catalogue. A comprehensive singles collection of the hits from the 1960s and 1970s, Village Green, Muswell Hillbillies, Arthur and that's about it. Needless to say with a recording career that lasted well into the 1990s there plenty more to discover. This book has really inspired me to do just that.
The Kinks must be contenders for The Most Dysfunctional Pop Group Ever award. The Gallagher brothers (Oasis) could learn a few tricks from Ray and Dave Davies. A fully qualified psychiatrist would struggle to analyse the behaviour detailed in this book. When Ray Davies says "I'm Not Like Everybody Else" he's completely serious. One story from the book gives an insight into the Davies brothers relationship: when Dave turned 50 Ray threw a party for him. As Dave was about to cut his birthday cake, Ray jumped on the table with the cake, gave a quick speech about himself, and then trampled all over the cake. Despite this sort of gesture their story is also interspersed with acts of mutual support and, somehow between them and the rest of the group, they created one of the most remarkable and enduring bodies of work. Music that, as Nick Hasted observes at the outset, evoked 1930s glamour as much as more obvious pop and rock tropes.
There are so many great insights in this book. Here's a few examples:
* The extraordinary highs and lows that the band, and each member, endured throughout their long and eventful career. Over 40 years The Kinks left a trail of irate ex-partners, and band members driven to despair, madness and violence.
* The band's extraordinary penchant for self-sabotage, a recurring theme is how the band manage to consistently shoot themselves in the foot at the most commercially inopportune moments - and all this despite one of the all time greatest songwriters in their midst.
* On 'You Really Got Me' and that iconic riff..."The completion of Dave's primitive experiments was the fusing of the radically different brothers in a moment's creative union, as the song's lightning hit. Everything that was special about them began to breathe then. Ray's art found its voice through his brother's wild freedom."
* The extent to which "The Village Green Preservation Society" album was equivalent to career suicide. And that the band had pretty much stopped playing live by this time.
* That Ray Davies produced Tom Robinson's first band Cafe Society - and then, when discussing it with Nick Hasted, Ray radically rewrote the history to make himself appear far more significant and influential.
* The madly ambitious vaudeville shows the band staged in support of some of their 1970s concept albums.
If you have any interest in pop music, popular culture, the band, or you just like reading biographies, then this book will provide you with much to enjoy.
December 18, 2020
A good, well-balanced look at The Kinks and their rather hectic history.
It's easy to love the music, and easier to build a dislike for the Davies brothers.
It's easy to love the music, and easier to build a dislike for the Davies brothers.
January 26, 2021
Not bad biography of The Kinks, but it feels superficial. While Hasted quotes extensively from interviews he did with many key players, there's a lot of stuff that to me just doesn't feel like it's adequately explored/explained (e.g. Dave's antipathy for Mack Avory, or why the potential return of Pete Quaife--even temporarily-- late in the band's career didn't happen, a subject that is mentioned but never really explored). I don't come away from this feeling like I know a lot more than I did when I went in. I would especially have liked a lot more detail on the history of the songs and recordings, which do get attention at times but often are glossed over quickly, especially for later material.
February 21, 2018
brilliant insight into the beautifully checkered Kinks Kareer!
November 3, 2025
I came to this book looking for a primer on the Kinks. I've listened to their music for about half my life at this point, but had finally decided to learn something about the band beyond their discography.
I think the book made a decent primer, but Hasted's frequent references to Ray Davies' X-Ray: An Unauthorized Autobiography and Dave Davies' Kink: An Autobiography (along with several other sources) left me feeling like this book is more the next word in an ongoing conversation than an expected starting point. That said, it did cover their career and the relationships between band members fairly well given Hasted's ambition to go from the band's earliest beginnings to its eventual dissolution and rocky 21st century reunions.
However, in addition to learning more about the band, I also came to this book hoping to get a somewhat comprehensive rundown on the creation, band's perception, and public reception of Preservation Act Part One (1973) and Preservation Act Part Two (1974). Hasted makes some vague gestures towards these two albums, and perhaps slightly more of the same towards the so-called third in the trilogy (but not one that I've gone back to as much as parts one and two) Schoolboys in Disgrace (1976). Perhaps these parts were left out for space concerns since nearly every other studio album in their discography was given a track by track treatment. Whatever the reason behind their hasty coverage may be, that coverage was a disappointment to me.
All in all, although there were points along the way where I felt like I was missing out often reading things like "as so and so has said" and "recalling such and such statement," the flipside of that frequent use of references is that Hasted's bibliography is nearly as useful as a starting place as his book itself.
I think the book made a decent primer, but Hasted's frequent references to Ray Davies' X-Ray: An Unauthorized Autobiography and Dave Davies' Kink: An Autobiography (along with several other sources) left me feeling like this book is more the next word in an ongoing conversation than an expected starting point. That said, it did cover their career and the relationships between band members fairly well given Hasted's ambition to go from the band's earliest beginnings to its eventual dissolution and rocky 21st century reunions.
However, in addition to learning more about the band, I also came to this book hoping to get a somewhat comprehensive rundown on the creation, band's perception, and public reception of Preservation Act Part One (1973) and Preservation Act Part Two (1974). Hasted makes some vague gestures towards these two albums, and perhaps slightly more of the same towards the so-called third in the trilogy (but not one that I've gone back to as much as parts one and two) Schoolboys in Disgrace (1976). Perhaps these parts were left out for space concerns since nearly every other studio album in their discography was given a track by track treatment. Whatever the reason behind their hasty coverage may be, that coverage was a disappointment to me.
All in all, although there were points along the way where I felt like I was missing out often reading things like "as so and so has said" and "recalling such and such statement," the flipside of that frequent use of references is that Hasted's bibliography is nearly as useful as a starting place as his book itself.
May 1, 2019
A very good biography of the band. The author includes background information about the Davies brothers ( upbringing childhood milestones etc...). If you thought they were a straight rock band think again. Ray has written a few plays that have been performed on the BBC. The inner rivalries and issues among band members is covered in great detail. The issues between the two Davies brothers of course is a main story of the band. As with any band around for as long as the Kinks they have had major ups & major downs. All written about in detail.
I learned so much about them I did not know, though I fancied myself as a long time Kinks fan. A VERY complicated band, what with Ray wanting to do thematic albums ( many of which did not sell very well).
The Kinks on a couple of occasions in their career blew themselves up, self destructed just when big fame might have been theirs. No problem really... their fans loved them all the more for it. They just couldn't seem to get out of their own way.
The author is English and of course as to be expected uses what I might call English syntax. It was a little hard for this american to read/ comprehend, nut no bother it is an engrossing and well told tale. A must for any Kinks fan, even though they last played together some quarter of a century ago.
I learned so much about them I did not know, though I fancied myself as a long time Kinks fan. A VERY complicated band, what with Ray wanting to do thematic albums ( many of which did not sell very well).
The Kinks on a couple of occasions in their career blew themselves up, self destructed just when big fame might have been theirs. No problem really... their fans loved them all the more for it. They just couldn't seem to get out of their own way.
The author is English and of course as to be expected uses what I might call English syntax. It was a little hard for this american to read/ comprehend, nut no bother it is an engrossing and well told tale. A must for any Kinks fan, even though they last played together some quarter of a century ago.
December 27, 2020
I'm not sure exactly what to think about this book. I don't know if I wasn't that big on it because having read it, I find that I really don't like the Davies' brothers - Dave sounds like a prick, and Ray is a pompous ass, and I get tired of all the pining for a lost England - 0r if I just hate Hasted's writing. He does often get bogged down in the details, his unabashed fandom for Ray particularly grates after awhile, and he gives whole pages to Ray rambling on. A little bit of both, I think.
I did appreciate he gave equal time to Pete Quaife and Mick Avory - I've read other books where the author tends to ignore the complaints of ousted members to keep the stars looking good. Hasted doesn't do this, and it's to his credit. Ultimately, I either just don't find the Kinks that interesting, or Hasted fails to make them interesting. On way or another, I found the book a bit of a slog.
I did appreciate he gave equal time to Pete Quaife and Mick Avory - I've read other books where the author tends to ignore the complaints of ousted members to keep the stars looking good. Hasted doesn't do this, and it's to his credit. Ultimately, I either just don't find the Kinks that interesting, or Hasted fails to make them interesting. On way or another, I found the book a bit of a slog.
October 25, 2021
This is an absorbing account of the band the Kinks focusing primarily on the two Davies brothers from their creation, through the sixties & ends in 2017 and their continuing solo projects.
Throughout I found it quite hard to follow their progress & a better knowledge of their albums would have been a big help but I think in the end this is a band & a creative partnership that defies logic particularly concerning Ray Davies and the joy of listening to them is their unique path they have chosen compared with their peers.
The analysis of the albums was a highlight & I plan to go back & listen to them in turn & read the notes as I think I'll enjoy them more with the authors insight into their making of each of them.
Throughout I found it quite hard to follow their progress & a better knowledge of their albums would have been a big help but I think in the end this is a band & a creative partnership that defies logic particularly concerning Ray Davies and the joy of listening to them is their unique path they have chosen compared with their peers.
The analysis of the albums was a highlight & I plan to go back & listen to them in turn & read the notes as I think I'll enjoy them more with the authors insight into their making of each of them.
July 5, 2017
For the Kinks fan, a must-read. It details all the trials and tribulations of the band - banned from the US during the Sixties for bad behavior, on-stage fights, off-stage fights, sex, drugs, etc. Ray Davies' aloof, detached manner, the Brothers' rivalry. And oh, yeah. All that great music. They had effectively two great eras - 1964 to 1972 then 1976- 1986. A great, enjoyable read.
July 25, 2022
Very good read
May 14, 2024
id be the first person to sit down with dave davies and truly listen
November 30, 2014
Hasted's book really benefits from the long interviews conducted with the key players in the Kinks story. Those with the Davies brothers were particularly revealing, leaving the reader with greater insight yet also raising new questions which aren't answered by the text. From previous accounts I had thought that the Village Green album was out of step with the times so never gained the attention of the public. According to Ray however it was "a bunch of demos for a record to be made at a later date...we made a record that really shouldn't be listened to by anybody." Is this how Ray felt at the time of the record's release, or a post facto explanation for its commercial failure? Strangely it seems that both Davies brothers would enthusiastically sabotage their own career at times; Dave's reaction to a Top of the Pops appearance to promote hit single 'Apeman' being "Oh, blimey, not that again". They also managed to miss some of their own gigs, preferring to watch football on television.
The band's output is analysed in great depth and the author took a greater interest in the post 60s material than usual. He was much more positive about the 1970s concept albums than most critics, although in some cases he doesn't argue that the actual recordings were impressive, but that they worked well as a live theatrical experience. Hasted pays close attention to the lyrics of their songs, often revealing melancholic aspects to those which outwardly appear upbeat. It was a little too gloomy though, failing to bring across how optimistic and life affirming some of the band's material can be.
With a story so full of drama as this one the author could hardly go wrong, but unfortunately the prose employed was rather clunky, making the book harder to read than it should have been. In terms of career overview I don't think the book could have been bettered, but it was let down by the pedestrian writing. Certainly worth a look for fans of the band, but it could be of less appeal to the uninitiated.
The band's output is analysed in great depth and the author took a greater interest in the post 60s material than usual. He was much more positive about the 1970s concept albums than most critics, although in some cases he doesn't argue that the actual recordings were impressive, but that they worked well as a live theatrical experience. Hasted pays close attention to the lyrics of their songs, often revealing melancholic aspects to those which outwardly appear upbeat. It was a little too gloomy though, failing to bring across how optimistic and life affirming some of the band's material can be.
With a story so full of drama as this one the author could hardly go wrong, but unfortunately the prose employed was rather clunky, making the book harder to read than it should have been. In terms of career overview I don't think the book could have been bettered, but it was let down by the pedestrian writing. Certainly worth a look for fans of the band, but it could be of less appeal to the uninitiated.
August 20, 2014
Hello All,
I realize this review is going to look somewhat nepotistic, as my name would suggest it is one of my brothers.
But as someone with previously only a passing interest in the "mighty" (family joke) Kinks, and prior to reading this not really realizing how much they had influenced my and of course the musical world in generals, tastes and styles. I found this to be very insightful and well written.
I normally would not wish to review his work (believe me, my opinion of his Eminem book would be a touch more scathing, due to a loss of arguments, for factual errors in the first edition! sorry nick...) but I found this to be a really good read.
I only really post this to say that the editing (which at times I agree was woeful) was very much not his fault, and on a personal note my brother and I suffered a very large personal tragedy at the exact point he was writing this.
Yet on he plowed undaunted, not only for the love of the genre, but the band and the subject matter at heart. Otherwise, knowing him he would have edited it more himself, and taken the editors to task (where the blame should squarely fall!
He of course has a far better understanding of punctuation than shown (and yes mine is woeful! but I'm not a journalist or writer! so don't judge him on me!!) and was very sad that people had to see work that he himself was not happy about.
Anyway to cut to the chase, if you like the Kinks read it, its great, if you don't (then god help you!) but read it anyway and you might find you do!
I realize this review is going to look somewhat nepotistic, as my name would suggest it is one of my brothers.
But as someone with previously only a passing interest in the "mighty" (family joke) Kinks, and prior to reading this not really realizing how much they had influenced my and of course the musical world in generals, tastes and styles. I found this to be very insightful and well written.
I normally would not wish to review his work (believe me, my opinion of his Eminem book would be a touch more scathing, due to a loss of arguments, for factual errors in the first edition! sorry nick...) but I found this to be a really good read.
I only really post this to say that the editing (which at times I agree was woeful) was very much not his fault, and on a personal note my brother and I suffered a very large personal tragedy at the exact point he was writing this.
Yet on he plowed undaunted, not only for the love of the genre, but the band and the subject matter at heart. Otherwise, knowing him he would have edited it more himself, and taken the editors to task (where the blame should squarely fall!
He of course has a far better understanding of punctuation than shown (and yes mine is woeful! but I'm not a journalist or writer! so don't judge him on me!!) and was very sad that people had to see work that he himself was not happy about.
Anyway to cut to the chase, if you like the Kinks read it, its great, if you don't (then god help you!) but read it anyway and you might find you do!
July 27, 2015
To too many, The Kinks are known for a small handful of songs. We all get up when You Really Got Me and All Day and All of the Night are played in recording or by a bar band. We will sing along to Lola and Destroyer but very few of us have dug deep into the other tracks and the band's history. Author Hasted has written a highly reverential interpretation of this band's contribution to the British Invasion and rock music. He calls The Who "copyists" and "a bloated self-parody" and the Stones as very unoriginal from the 70's on. The Beatles escape criticism only because they blew apart.
The Kinks come across as the best band that the world never acknowledged. Hasted presents the albums and songs of the band in new light even though most of us will never seek out these deep tracks. What I took away from the book was the intriguingly volatile relationship between the brothers Davies who would have had their own reality show if they set out today. Comparisons to the Gallaghers are inevitable but I feel that Ray and Dave were heartier, deeper and more talented.
This book reminds me of No One Here Gets Out Alive by Danny Sugerman and Jerry Hopkins. On the one hand, honouring the subject seems fine and deserved but by the end of the book you are wondering if infatuation has trumped journalism. That heady debate aside, I love the Kinks' music. I am no authority on how it falls into rock's pantheon or who they influenced or how they got ripped off. All I know is when the opening chords of their songs cranks up, I am heading for the dance floor.
The Kinks come across as the best band that the world never acknowledged. Hasted presents the albums and songs of the band in new light even though most of us will never seek out these deep tracks. What I took away from the book was the intriguingly volatile relationship between the brothers Davies who would have had their own reality show if they set out today. Comparisons to the Gallaghers are inevitable but I feel that Ray and Dave were heartier, deeper and more talented.
This book reminds me of No One Here Gets Out Alive by Danny Sugerman and Jerry Hopkins. On the one hand, honouring the subject seems fine and deserved but by the end of the book you are wondering if infatuation has trumped journalism. That heady debate aside, I love the Kinks' music. I am no authority on how it falls into rock's pantheon or who they influenced or how they got ripped off. All I know is when the opening chords of their songs cranks up, I am heading for the dance floor.
July 30, 2013
The Kinks are one of the most underrated British Invasion bands. Ray Davies songwriting skills in the 1960s and his brother Dave's guitar ingenuity are often overlooked when compared to their peers. And those are just a few of the reasons why they deserve a better bio than You Really Got Me. The author's writing style is very pedestrian and I've read more enlightening pieces about the band in Mono and Uncut. It has a few insightful moments, but overall it's lacking in lots of departments. If you really want to read a coolKinks-based book then check out the Village Green Preservation Society entry in the 33 1/3 series of books
July 25, 2012
The most in-depth biography of the band I've read. And the worst edited. If you can work your way through the many misplaced commas and illogical clauses, a persistent Kinks fan will find a lot to like.
May 27, 2014
My full and detailed review is on my website:
http://rnrchemist.blogspot.com/2014/0...
The best biography of the Kinks, for sure...worth it alone for the fresh insight offered by numerous interviews the author did with Ray, Dave, and Mick.
http://rnrchemist.blogspot.com/2014/0...
The best biography of the Kinks, for sure...worth it alone for the fresh insight offered by numerous interviews the author did with Ray, Dave, and Mick.
June 14, 2015
The Kinks must be a gift for any music writer - an incredible back catalogue, and plenty of personal drama. Nick Hasted's story of the Kinks is thorough and overall very enjoyable. There was one point where he got the lyrics wrong - to 'Lola' no less! - which bugged me.
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