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Re: The Kinks vs. The Who



Kendra,

>I've had this debate with many people, and each time I end up being 
confused.
>Wich is the better band?  The Who or The Kinks?  I say the Who, but 
then again
>I think that Entwistle is god, and that Peter Quaife can't hold a 
match to
>him.  Then the question also arises of who is the better songwirte, 
for song's
>sake?  Pete Townshend or Ray Davies?  I know that Pete said that Ray 
should be
>the Poet Laureate, but all in all, who is the master in your honest 
opinion?

The Who and the Kinks are similar in many ways, but I think they are 
also different enough to make comparison difficult.  Pete and Ray 
come from completely different songwriting schools.  I always saw Ray 
as more the Romantic (as in the Romantic poets, not someone who 
writes love songs or something), and he also tends to write songs 
from a more detached perspective than Pete.  Kinks songs are often in 
the third person, and even when in the first person the narrator is 
usually an observer of the action rather than an active participant.  
Pete's songs tend to be more obviously personal, written in the first 
person, and have the narrator playing a big part in the action of the 
song.  Who is better?  I couldn't say.  I don't think anyone could, 
it's all personal preference.  I think both bands and songwriters are 
probably pretty close on the good to bad scale, but I prefer the Who. 
 That's why I'm on this list and not the Kinks list. :)

Oh, since we're talking about the Kinks, I'd just like to add that I 
once kissed Ray Davies.  Thank you.

-Yellow "He's a very nice man" Ledbetter