Kinks OPX

Who'll Be the Next in Line
Death of a Clown
Don't You Fret
Something Better Beginning
Holiday
You're Looking Fine
Party Line
Apeman
Better Things
Victoria

"This Is Where I Belong"
"Little Miss Queen Of Darkness"
"Phenomenal Cat"
"Wicked Annabella"
"Animal Farm"
"Young And Innocent Days"
"Autumn Almanyac"
"No Return"
"Love Me Til The Sun Shines"
"Big Sky"

when it comes to the Kinks, ten's not enough

--Maybe not the best, but the first that came to mind.

Tired of Waiting for You
Ring the Bells
Too Much on My Mind
Most Exclusive Residence for Sale
David Watts
Waterloo Sunset
Do You Remember Walter?
People Take Pictures of Each Other
Days
Victoria
Young and Innocent Days
Lola
Muswell Hillbilly

waterloo sunset
oklahoma, usa
autumn almanac
david watts
jukebox music
see my friends
afternoon tea
starstruck
do you remember, walter?
celluloid heroes
rosie won't you please come home
fancy
uncle son

Picture Book
Where Have All The Good Times Gone?
Rosie, Won't You Please Come Home
I'm Not Like Everybody Else
Big Sky
Wicked Annabella
King Kong
Wonderboy
You Really Got Me (this would be higher if not for that crappy live version VH1 Classic keeps playing from the '80s)
David Watts

1. Waterloo Sunset
2. Afternoon Tea
3. Dead End Street
4. Sunny Afternoon
5. Two Sisters
6. Village Green
7. Dedicated Follower Of Fashion
8. Stop Your Sobbing
9. Harry Rag
10.Starstruck

"Tired of Waiting for You"
"Dead End Street"
"Mr. Pleasant"
"Sunny Afternoon"
"Waterloo Sunset"
"Autumn Almanac"
"Susannah's Still Alive" (I had to include one Dave Davies song)
"Big Sky"
"Victoria" (although I sort of prefer the version on The Storyteller)
"Shangri-La"

plus "Rock & Roll Fantasy" (Seventies Kinks doesn't deserve to be part of my top 10)

This leaves off lots of stuff that I derive immense pleasure/catharis from listening to (e.g. "Holiday in Waikiki", "Big Black Smoke", "See My Friends", "Death of a Clown") as well as stuff that I thought was great at one time but have simply heard too many times to enjoy as much anymore (e.g. "Lola", "You Really Got Me", "All Day and All of the Night", "Apeman"), so it's pretty much worthless, but it's a list.

I really need to listen to the albums more; when at home I'll have access to "Village Green", "Percy" and "Arthur" at least. Sounds like "Face to Face" and "Something Else" are very much worth checking out...?

Look, how about I do ten songs from the 60s then ten songs from after the 60s? How about that?

OK, 60s list.

People take pictures of each other
Love me 'til the sun shines
Shangri-la
This is where I belong
Animal farm
Mindless child of motherhood
I need you
Too much on my mind
Big sky
Do you remember Walter?

(Yes I do like "Village Green". A lot)

70s onwards list

No more looking back
A long way from home
Oklahoma USA
A face in the crowd
Scattered
Only a dream
Full moon
Good day
Get back in line
20th Century Man

(Hmm, that was a struggle)

Yes, very much so, IMO.

Act Nice and Gentle
This Man He Weeps Tonight
Mr. Pleasant
King Kong
Creeping Jean
Plastic Man
Lincoln County
Polly
Mindness Child of Motherhood
She's Got Everything
Berkeley Mews
Hold My Hand
There Is No Life Without Love

Listening to this compilation just now has convinced me of the utter folly of trying to pick only ten Kinks songs...

Autumn Almanac
Act Nice And Gentle
Afternoon Tea
End Of The Season
Waterloo Sunset
Village Green
Drivin
Shangri La
This Time Tomorrow
Skin And Bone
The Way Love Used To Be
Moments

Oops, that's 12. Take out Skin And Bone and Moments.

Waterloo Sunset
Do You Remember Walter
Drivin'
Shangri-La
Autumn, uh, thing
This Time Tomorrow
Sitting in the Midday Sun
Nobody Gives (you heard)
Full Moon
War is Over

Shit this is hard. I had to chop all of Muswell Hillbillies because no single track stands out.

I tried and failed, but I know that King Kong, Australia, Wicked Annabella and Shangri-La would be on there. As for the rest, too many options.

just because my sons are now discussing their favourite kinks song:

Shangri-La
Waterloo Sunset
Dead End Street
Victoria
Sunny Afternoon
You Really Got Me
Wonder Boy
Till the End of The Day
Days
We are the Village Green Preservation Society

Village Green Preservation Society
Autumn Almanac
Victoria
Better Things
Till the End of the Day
Do You Remember Walter
Stop Your Sobbing
Shangri La
Susannah's Still Alive
Dedicated Follower of Fashion

Reflecting current preferences:

Ducks On The Wall
Money Talks
Ordinary People
Demolition
He's Evil
Australia
A Face In The Crowd
Daylight
One of the Survivors
Flash's Confession

Any Kinks fan who hasn't heard Ducks on the Wall is to be pitied...

thanks for the recommendation, I was always afraid of "Soap Opera" but I can probably find it for a couple of bucks.

The more I play it, the more I realize how hysterically funny (on purpose) it is.

"Where Have All the Good Times Gone?"
"Too Much on My Mind"
"Tired of Waiting for You"
"Nothin' in the World Can Stop Me Worryin' 'Bout That Girl"
"Love Me Till the Sun Shines"
"See My Friends"
"Lola"
"Afternoon Tea"
"Stop Your Sobbing"
"Party Line"

More or less in order...Amazing top 10, but I'd still rank them behind the Beatles, Rolling Stones, and Who (I know it's not all that unusual to argue otherwise). Ditto what swoods wrote way upthread re Rushmore.

Am I the only one in here who loves '(Wish I could fly like) Superman'?

I have to admit I have little interest in most Kinks material from after the "Arthur" album. Yep, already on "Lola Vs. Powerman...." I felt they were starting to lose it a bit.

At this point, seems like they took a dip after TKATVGPS, then rebounded for Preservation through Schoolboys, then tanked again until Low Budget. But I keep extending thier glory period. Maybe eventually it'll contain every album they did.

Schoolboys took me the longest to love, but seriously it's insanely great. If you stop listening to the 50's doo-wop stuff before RD starts to fuck with it, you'll never know...

How is this not considered one of their best? Just boggles the mind.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wYFIm4y8F5o

And this may actually be the best live Kinks video I've ever seen:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=koraNwOw_DQ

Those songs just don't sound like The Kinks to me. They sound like some American rock band with Ray Davies on vocals. Long gone is archetypically English kitchen sink music hall approach that was musically typical of their 1965-69 style.

Lazy Old Sun is one of my favourite Kinks songs. Have a soft spot for Harry Rag too. Apeman is an all-time favourite song too, depsite slightly quasi-racist undertones.

is there a good book about the kinks? i see a few in my library system

Great photo.

Crazy.

still have trouble telling them apart!

What lager are they drinking?

Don’t know the brand, but it’s gluten free. Dave not too happy at the intrusion.

My bloody overcoat looks nice it’s got great shoulders and it was expensive and my brother brought it for me@last Christmas and we were drinking gluten free beer -why can’t the paparazi leave us alone for 5 minutes so we can catch up and have a beer https://t.co/Cc4JMj9Afg

— Dave Davies (@davedavieskinks) December 26, 2020

lol are the paparazzi really out hounding the Davies bros? Camped outside Ray's door? This pic seems more like a happy accident for rando paparrazi in the course of other work

Yes, exactly.

maybe some innocent wishful thinking

I don't think you have to try too hard to get a photo of Ray Davies, he's not exactly one for the reclusive rock star lifestyle, from what I've heard

forgot he was "sir ray" now

The Kinks

announce The Journey,

a two-part special anniversary anthology release

The Journey - Part 1

2CD, 2LP, Digital & HD Digital

Worldwide release March 24th, 2023

The Kinks, one of the greatest ever British rock groups, celebrate their 60th Anniversary in 2023. Formed in 1963 in Muswell Hill, North London, by brothers Ray and Dave Davies with their friend Pete Quaife, and joined by Mick Avory in early 1964, the band quickly established themselves as one of the epoch-defining groups of the 60s, with their impact still being felt around the world today.

The stats speak for themselves: The Kinks have sold over 50 million records worldwide and have been streamed over a billion times; they have achieved five US Top 10 singles, nine US Top 40 albums, seventeen UK Top 20 singles and five UK Top 10 albums, with four albums certified Gold. Among numerous honors, they have received the Ivor Novello Award for Outstanding Service To British Music and have been inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame and the UK Music Hall of Fame. Multi-award winning, legendary frontman Sir Ray Davies is widely recognized as one of the greatest British songwriters of all time.

The Kinks 60 campaign will be a two-year-long celebration of their illustrious musical journey career, confirming their place as one of the greatest and most influential rock groups of all time. As a key part of the campaign, and to mark this milestone, a career-defining anthology, The Journey, will be released on BMG in two parts, with The Journey - Part 1 released on 24 March 2023.

The songs on The Journey - Part 1 (1964-1975) have been handpicked for the first

time by Ray, Dave and Mick, curated according to themes inspired by the trials

and tribulations of their journey through life together as a band since 1963. Featuring hits such as “You Really Got Me,” “Waterloo Sunset,” “All Day And All Of The Night,” “Celluloid Heroes,” “Supersonic Rocket Ship,” “Dead End Street,” and “Death Of A Clown” The Journey - Part 1 follows recently remastered 50th anniversary deluxe editions of The Village Green Preservation Society, Lola Versus Powerman Part 1, Muswell Hillbillies and Everybody's In Show-Biz. All tracks have been lovingly remastered from the original audio sources.

"Ask yourself the question, is this journey really necessary?.......Yes!” Ray Davies muses on The Journey. Dave Davies continues, “I’m delighted with what I think is an inspiring selection of timeless and magical Kinks music.”

The Journey - Part 1 will be released on 2CD, 2LP, Digital and HD Digital albums. The physical formats contain a booklet with band photos and personal track-by-track notes from Ray, Mick, and Dave, sharing their memories of the time these tracks were recorded and weaving them into the Kinks’ incredible story.

Details of the The Journey - Part 2 will follow later this year.

A host of global events and activities will be launching throughout 2023 & 2024 to mark the band’s 60th, with more to be announced in the coming months.

RELEASE FORMATS:

2LP

Side 1

Songs about becoming a man, the search for adventure, finding an identity and a girl:



1. You Really Got Me (UK#1, 1964)

2. All Day And All Of The Night (UK#2, 1964)

3. It's All Right (1964)

4. Who'll Be The Next In Line (1965)

5. Tired Of Waiting For You (UK#1, 1965)

6. She's Got Everything (1968)

7. Just Can't Go To Sleep (1964)

8. Stop Your Sobbing (1964)

9. Wait Till The Summer Comes Along (1965)

10. So Long (1965)

Side 2

Songs of ambition achieved, bitter taste of success, loss of friends, the past comes back and bites you in the backside:

1. Dead End Street (UK#5, 1966)

2. Schooldays (1975)

3. The Hard Way (1975)

4. Mindless Child Of Motherhood (1969)

5. Supersonic Rocket Ship (UK#2, 1972)

6. I'm In Disgrace (1975)

7. Do You Remember Walter? (1968)

Side 3

Days and nights of a lost soul, songs of regret and reflection of happier times:

1. Too Much On My Mind (1966)

2. Nothin’ In The World Can Stop Me Worryin’ ‘Bout That Girl (1965)

3. Days (UK#2, 1968)

4. Where Have All The Good Times Gone (1965)

5. Strangers (1970)

6. It’s Too Late (1965)

7. Sitting In The Midday Sun (1973)

Side 4

A new start, a new love, but have you really changed? Still haunted by the quest and the girl:

1. Waterloo Sunset (UK#2, 1967)

2. No More Looking Back (1975)

3. Death Of A Clown (UK#3, 1967)

4. Celluloid Heroes (1972)

5. Act Nice And Gentle (1967)

6. This Is Where I Belong (1967)

2CD

CD1

Songs about becoming a man, the search for adventure, finding an identity and a girl:



1. You Really Got Me (UK#1, 1964)

2. All Day And All Of The Night (UK#2, 1964)

3. It's All Right (1964)

4. Who'll Be The Next In Line (1965)

5. Tired Of Waiting For You (UK#1, 1965)

6. Dandy (Germany#1, 1966)

7. She's Got Everything (1968)

8. Just Can't Go To Sleep (1964)

9. Stop Your Sobbing (1964)

10. Wait Till The Summer Comes Along (1965)

11. So Long (1965)

12. I'm Not Like Everybody Else (1966)

Songs of ambition achieved, bitter taste of success, loss of friends, the past comes back and bites you in the backside:

13. Dead End Street (UK#5, 1966)

14. Wonderboy (1968)

15. Schooldays (1975)

16. The Hard Way (1975)

17. Mindless Child Of Motherhood (1969)

18. Supersonic Rocket Ship (UK#2, 1972)

19. I'm In Disgrace (1975)

20. Do You Remember Walter? (1968)

CD2

Days and nights of a lost soul, songs of regret and reflection of happier times:

1. Too Much On My Mind (1966)

2. Nothin’ In The World Can Stop Me Worryin’ ‘Bout That Girl (1965)

3. Days (UK#2, 1968)

4. Last Of The Steam-Powered Trains (1968)

5. Where Have All The Good Times Gone (1965)

6. Strangers (1970)

7. It’s Too Late (1965)

8. Sitting In The Midday Sun (1973)

A new start, a new love, but have you really changed? Still haunted by the quest and the girl:

9. Waterloo Sunset (UK#2, 1967)

10. Australia (1969)

11. No More Looking Back (1975)

12. Death Of A Clown (UK#3, 1967)

13. Celluloid Heroes (1972)

14. Act Nice And Gentle (1967)

15. This Is Where I Belong (1967)

16. Shangri-La (1969)

CONNECT WITH THE KINKS

WEBSITE I FACEBOOK I TWITTER I SPOTIFY

For US Press Inquiries:

Big Hassle Media

Jim Merlis

jim at bighassle dot com

Oh, on the Kinks official side, they are knocking out the Superdeluxe boxes - Muswell/Everybody for £50, VillGreen £65 and suchlike..

... except they seem to have run out of stock.

Still taking orders though.

It seems I'm getting mine on Monday.

Still available....

Is anybody else a bit worried about Ray Davies? I don't want to pry but he's been very quiet since his last album five years ago and doesn't seem to turn up for anything anymore.

He's been fairly involved with the reissues (the bonus disc of him and Dave chatting over a cuppa in the Lola box is pretty priceless.) I've always thought he seemed the type to just pack in in, creatively, at some point and just sit down by the riverside.

Didn't know about that bonus disc, will have to track it down!
A few years ago I heard a depressing account about him hanging around an old haunt but I imagine that's nothing new.

I'm always on the look out for him if ever I'm in the Muswell Hill/Highgate area.

... in pubs usually at some point.

Wasn't some sort of Kinks reunion in the works? That might have been five years ago now, so maybe not anymore.

There were a handful of good songs on Our Country / Americana Act II, enough to make it a decent envoi if he doesn't release anymore.

I think the reunion was first properly mooted in 2014, so nearly a decade ago. Ray did make a surprise appearance at a Dave Davies gig in London in 2015, quite tentatively singing “You Really Got Me”. I think Dave has an issue with Mick Avory; according to Avory, the reunion is now off because Ray and Dave didn’t agree on how best to do it.

Bizarrely there hasn't been a Kinks podcast of note until now. Loving this:
https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/thoroughly-kinky-a-kinks-podcast/id1729244527

How are people feeling about the podcast so far? I've listened all the posted episodes and have learned a few little things from the older host. It's funny how they use the younger host as a naif with no prior knowledge of the band, although he can demonstrate riffs and things on the guitar. I'll be sticking with this.

i tried to listen to the first episode. it sounds like a zoom call that somebody recorded on a cell phone. no thanks.

heck yeah dave !!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lLOffuUNjpY

that thread on SteveHoffman above is pretty interesting. basically there's this theory that Rasa Davies, who is mostly just credited as a backup singer, actually had a hand in the melody writing, or at least wrote a lot of the harmonies, and that's why Pye era Kinks is so much different and better than their other eras. listening to VGPS I think there's probably something to that. there's just a lot more going on melodically than there is in later Kinks.

that's an interesting theory

also I think God's Children off Percy might be my favorite Kinks song

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G10yAmbCiq0

That's a killer song. I first heard it on a Mojo soundtrack comp called The Score.

I subscribe to the idea that Ray lost something when Rasa left. Once you hear her on "Waterloo Sunset" you can't unhear her. Before I thought the high harmonies were all Dave!

yeah its not just the sound of her voice it's the melodies she's singing, those are the sort of melodies that go absent once she's gone

that’s stellar, i want more of an ending somehow maybe

(xp)Yeah. It's the kind of thing a professional backup singer for hire probably just wouldn't do because to them it might sound too amateurish and be beneath them, but it’s exactly the element that sends those songs into the stratosphere.

The Andrew Hickey podcast explored this quite a bit and made a good case for it.

They divorced in 1974 but I'm not sure how much she was involved in the Kinks's recordings in the 70s.

few weeks ago, I finished a trawl through everything I wasn't familiar with, from Percy pt II through Give the People… the concept records are not very good at all… they are instances of a trend in which writers of the front rank of english rock —Davies, Waters, Townshend, but not the Stones or any of the beatles— seemed to think the way forward for them was to was to emulate Andrew Lloyd Weber, to make longform theatrical works… and then Davies seemed to say "fuck it" and spent the rest of the 70s making dopey arena radio rock for dopey Styx and Boston fans… It's possible that if I was familiar with these records 50 years ago I would be much more generous, since I think "Come Dancing" and "Don't Forget to Dance" truly are a return to form…or is it that I knew and loved those songs 40 years ago?

I did a similar trawl during COVID, though I knew most of the concept albums already, probably posted about it on here. I gave up before I got to Think Visual.

Tried to look up that podcast and stumbled upon this post, which lays a lot of it out:

https://forums.stevehoffman.tv/threads/did-a-teenage-girl-make-the-kinks-great.727708/

I didn't know Nicky Hopkins stopped working with the band because Ray took credit for most of his keyboard playing on VGPS. I guess that tracks with the idea that Rasa was "secretly" adding the melodic elements that really sent these songs into the stratosphere.

So the question is when exactly did she *stop* helping him? Lola *does* feel more straightforward and riff heavy than the prior two, but it still has touches of that melodic brilliance, particularly on tracks like This Time Tomorrow and Get Back in Line. What about Muswell Hillbillies? That one's clearly different than the rest, but it still feels special in the same way. The downturn really starts on Everybody's in Show-Biz, which is right around when Rasa left him.

But yes it's curious that there isn't really a single *great* Kinks song after Celluloid Heroes...obviously a subjective take, there are plenty of good singles (ok, "Come Dancing" is better than just 'good') and both Sleepwalker and Low Budget are solid records....but for a guy that really loved to cannibalize its own past, its odd that nothing post-Showbiz even comes close to reaching those heights. I mean I think McCartney's best work was in the Beatles, but you can still tell it's him on those solo records. On so many of those later Kinks records I ask myself, "how can this be the same person??" - not just because the songs are relatively simple, but also because he lifts a ton of riffs, almost as if he just doesn't have any melodic ideas of his own.

"Sweet Lady Genevieve", which apparently is about Rasa, is a great song. There are some really good songs post-Showbiz.

God's Children is easily one of my top three Kinks songs -- have loved it since I also heard it on that same comp!

ray has a pretty great run from 64-71, a lot of his peers like brian wilson and graham nash and john lennon fell off around the same time with changing tastes; plus i don’t think you can point to rasa to say that’s what made songs like tired of waiting, dedicated follower, david watts, autumn almanac, big sky, etc. it feels like poor criticism to look for a fact from his personal life and what other examples from rock history do we have where an occasional backup singer was a crucial part of the equation. there are a few but…

Go and listen to the Andrew Hickey podcast

Backup singer was also his wife, so presumably they spent a bit of time together when he wasn't out on the road

would be nice to hear from Rasa herself but it doesn't seem like anyone really thought to interview her...this little sidebar from 2015 is all I could find:

https://web.archive.org/web/20161221131717/https://jennyartichoke.wordpress.com/2016/04/26/rasa-didzpetris/

Eighteen-year-old Lithuanian-born pop fan and convent school girl Rasa met The Kinks after a gig in Sheffield on May 19th, 1964, and got along so well with Ray that they corresponded over the summer and eventually met up in London in mid-August. Ray has described a movie-style reunion at Tottenham Court Road tube station, after which romance blossomed, followed somewhat swiftly by the young couple’s wedding in the bride’s home town of Bradford on December 12, ’64.
However, by this time Rasa had already seen her debut as backing singer for The Kinks, first appearing (probably) on ‘Stop You Sobbing’, recorded back in August during her first visit to Ray. Precise details of the whens, hows and whys are unclear but Rasa says that she sang with The Kinks from ’65-’72. Her ambition had been to become an actress but instead, starting to sing just “happened”, she says. “I found my voice and was truly happy to contribute.” Rasa’s voice can be heard on a number of Kinks and Dave Davies songs, most notably on ‘Waterloo Sunset’, ‘Death Of A Clown’, ‘Sunny Afternoon’ and ‘Days’, but really – if you can hear an ethereal high voice in the mix on any song during this period, that’s Rasa.
Singing and recording quickly became an important part of her life: “Working in Pye Studios in Marble Arch in London with producer Shel Talmy was exciting. My life changed; from the girl who was from a convent school in Bradford, to a girl singing backing vocals with my husband and other members of the group. After the various takes of the song(s), to hear the final vinyl was amazing and I remember my head ‘buzzing’ with joy, tiredness and achievement.”
Tensions within the band became apparent, though, as Ray could be secretive about his songs even during recording. Rasa, however, would sometimes take a very active role during the writing of the songs, many of which were written in the family home, even on occasion adding to the lyrics. She suggested the words “In the summertime” to ‘Sunny Afternoon’, it is claimed. She now says, “I would make suggestions for a backing melody, sing along while Ray was playing the song(s) on the piano; at times I would add a lyric line or word(s). It was rewarding for me and was a major part of our life.” This was bound to result in some resentments, as some of the other members of the band were at times not even aware of what the vocal line they were recording parts for would be. Dave, who asked Rasa to sing on ‘Death Of A Clown’, was very complementary about her singing, though, and has said – about her performance on ‘Waterloo Sunset’ – “Having Rasa there, that female vibe, softens the attitude of the song. It makes it warmer.”
Rasa and Ray divorced in ’73 and Rasa has since occasionally appeared live with The Kast Off Kinks. Her memories of her time as backing singer with The Kinks remain, she says, “bittersweet.”

the claim is not so much that she was the real genius behind the band but rather that she contributed a lot of the parts that made these songs truly special. "Johnny Thunder" is a good example, all those vocal lines and countermelodies really make the song, an aspect which is just completely absent from their music after 1972.

The Rasa-era songs have a psychological depth that winnows away in the 1970s. Like the nature of their relationship pushed him harder to find ironic middle grounds that were really humanistic, with melodies that followed those ambiguities. Whereas later ironies are just cheeky. I don't know if she was cowriting, or editing him to reach for more, or inspired indirectly. If all three, it's still hard to trace exactly where the collaboration left marks. But it is easy to feel the absence. Like "Last of the Steam Powered Trains" is a big blues rock riff and chugging rhythm - the least subtle song on VGPS. Yet the hook gets drawn out with a new chord, and sadness descends.

Seems like there's absolutely a case to be made that Rasa deserves more credit, but I think Hickey overstates it. To me, "the Kinks’ greatest records weren’t written by the genius Ray Davies, but by the genius songwriting team of Ray and Rasa Davies" doesn't follow from Rasa saying "I would make suggestions for a backing melody, sing along while Ray was playing the song(s) on the piano; at times I would add a lyric line or word(s)." I'd consider her a co-writer on anything she added to lyrically, but by her own account it doesn't sound like that was happening across the board. A stronger argument could be made that she was kind of a "fifth Kink" during their best years.

See also those creative partnerships where the guy who "only" wrote the words, like Hal David or Bernie Taupin, somehow was around to help inspire the guy who wrote the music to come up with his most interesting melodies.

and then Davies seemed to say "fuck it" and spent the rest of the 70s making dopey arena radio rock for dopey Styx and Boston fans…

A lot of that directly from their new label. In '77 they moved from RCA to Arista, a then-rising label known for making very specific demands to their newly acquired legacy acts (like making the Grateful Dead work with 'name' FM-friendly producers and delivering three studio albums before they could put out any live stuff). In the Kinks case, they were barred from doing the blatant concept albums and strongly encouraged to stick to a radio-ready Hard Rock formula. The latter ending up being a seriously winning move, lining them up perfectly with the rise of Van Halen and New Wave-y mainstream Rock bands like the Cars etc.

I'm not discounting the idea that Rasa was a collaborator and contributed to the peak Kinks era, but the way this discussion is framed is a little odd in the fact that the proponents ignore the multitude of rock bands that were brilliant for about 10 years and put out a string of classic albums then were never able to really reach those peaks again.

like, most of them, really

Fair enough