The Kinks Kronikles

by John Mendelssohn

For more than twenty years- longer than any rock group in history except the Rolling Stones- God's been saving The Kinks. From dedicated followers of fashion, From demon alcohol. From vengeful governments. And mostly from each other.
Alternately marked by intramural brawling and inexplicable banishments, transcendent brillance and shameless pandering, emotional collapses, punch-ups and sellouts, scandalous affairs and utter discretion, drunkenness and cruelty and failed attempts at fratricide, altruism, and greed, The Kinks' long history is among the most fascinating in rock.

Genres: Music, Nonfiction

208 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1984

Reviews

[Zeppo · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Kink Kronikles

Was a funny and fascinating take on the Kinks. I know superfans might hate this because the writer is not fawning and is unafraid to take the band to task for their failings and mistakes. That's what I like about it, it's idiosyncratic, full of humour and celebrates their achievements while taking them to task for their missteps. Great biography, and while not up there in scope with the greats like 'revolution in the head', it has a smaller, more wistful appeal than that books, just as the band themselves do when compared with the beatles!

Good quotes:

seventeen year old white English boys just don't do very good vocal impersonations of of fifvy five year old black american members of chain gangs
You can get the most sophisticated man in the world, and if he's hung up about his feet, nothing will change it. He'll go to university, he'll become a nuclear physicisit, he'll fly to the moon. But the moon men will say, 'you've got big feet,' and he'll be back at school because that's what they said to him there.'
'
'People just don't change that much.'

To my ears, it's about a person coming to terms with the fact of solitude being that to which he's best suited, and learning both to find contentment in his firendlessness – no longer to resent others who aren't similarly predisposed to solitude – and, ultimately, to derive vicarious pleasure from those others' pleasure, from that of the Terries and Julies he so wistfully espies from his unseen window.

It's really about losing touch with reality because of what you do. I don't want to get out of rock and roll, but I don't want to live in a bubble either. I want to be creative, but I can only be creative if I'm in touch with what being creative's about. The lampshade isn't going to read my book or listen to my music. People will.'

[Dan Ream · Rating 4 out of 5]

This 1984 book is full of information and interesting quotes about the rockband The Kinks and its leader, singer, and songwriter Ray Davies that is of great interest to fans of the group’s work, such as myself. The author, John Mendelssohn, was a well-known record reviewer for Rolling Stone magazine in the early 1970s, where he championed the Kinks, the Move, Procul Harum and other British bands of those days. But the author’s attitude toward the Kinks turns sour about 1971 or so and his description of their 70s and 80s music and stage performances makes for unhappy reading. The author also writes in the new journalism style of the late 60s in which he is a front-and-center part of the story he’s describing. That said, the write-up here of the Kinks music from 1964-1970 makes this book worthwhile reading.

[Tom Bass · Rating 2 out of 5]

For some reason, I thought this was the definitive biography of the KInks, who I hold to be one of the greatest and most under-rated bands of the 1960's 1970's. What it actually reads like, is one elitist Kinks fans opinion of each album and song, making sure to have plenty negative to say about any piece of work that the average fan may be familiar with, with a little history from an outsiders perspective thrown in. The time I invested in reading this book is time I will never get back. Just dig up some Kinks albums and spend your time listening to them instead.

[Ian Hamilton · Rating 3 out of 5]

I had never read a book about The Kinks, despite the fact that they’re one of my favorite artists, and picked this up on a whim. There’s some funny and deep content here, notably good insight into the Davies brothers’ personalities and how that shaped the odd trajectory of the band, especially outside of England. Unless it’s complete fabrication, the author seemed to have had a genuine relationship with Ray and could capture his oddities. Overall a fun, one-time but not a must-read.

[Ron Fowler · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was the first book ever on the Kinks, so i had to grab it when i saw it. It's a very enjoyable read, despite the fact that Mendelssohn slags off everything the band did after leaving Reprise in 1970. The author is clearly a fan of the Kinks' 60's works, and seems to have quite the man crush on head Kink Ray Davies. A lot of the book is taken up with reviews of their albums through the years, but there are also some eye opening interviews with Kinks producer Shel Talmy, manager Robert Wace, longtime Kinks bassist John Dalton, and others. Despite the many ups and downs of the band, the book ends on an up note with the success of "Come Dancing", which introduced the band to the MTV crowd.

[Rob · Rating 5 out of 5]

The way a rock bio should be written. Not too much detail and lots of smartassed remarks...