Rock Opera Original?-Townshend Admits Modeling His Work Off Early Kinks Material

[An English Boy]

http://www.thewhitonline.com/media/storage/paper291/news/2006/12/07/Entertainment/The-Kinks.Missing.Out.On.Fame.They.Deserve-2527789.shtml?norewrite200612071246&sourcedomain=www.thewhitonline.com

The Kinks missing out on fame they deserve

Matthew Nace
Issue date: 12/7/06

The British Invasion - the rock 'n' roll phenomena that swept the states in 
1964 - was lead by four groups that changed the genre of music in drastic 
measure. The Beatles, The Who and The Rolling Stones skyrocketed on the pop 
charts and became household names and sensations immediately.

The fourth band, The Kinks, gained early recognition with hit songs in the 
middle of the decade with "You Really Got Me" and "All Day and All of the 
Night," but became nearly invisible amongst their peers until 1970 with the 
release of "Lola."

According to http://wikipedia.org, The Kinks' original lineup, formed in 
1963, consisted of lead singer and guitarist Ray Davies, his brother Dave 
Davies on lead guitar and vocals, drummer Mick Avory and bassist Peter 
Quaife. Hailing from Muswell Hill, North London, the band, formerly called 
The Ravens, changed the name to The Kinks, referring to their "kinky" attire 
of leather boots and capes.

The Kinks never received the success as their Invasion counterparts, yet are 
one of the most influential and important bands to come out of the decade. 
Ray Davies should, by all means, be considered one of the greatest lyricists 
of his time, offering stiff competition to fellow invader John Lennon.

The band faded out of the spotlight after its initial pop success, yet it 
was recording some of the most inspired, creative and influential music of 
its career in the shadows.

Arguably the greatest of these albums is "The Kinks are the Village Green 
Preservation Society." "Village Green," recorded in 1968, was a product of 
an interesting year in the United Kingdom. The Vietnam Conflict was highly 
protested throughout the country and the pound was experiencing difficulty, 
leading the Labour Party to coin the slogan "I'm Backing Britain," promoting 
British product. Davies' lyrics reflected much of the year, creating the 
first true concept album.

Ray Davies' lyrics from albums of the "golden years" plea for simpler times 
and a hold of tradition. The album itself is a nostalgic look at moments of 
simpler people, times and traditions. Davies titled the album after hearing 
that listeners labeled the band as "preservers of rock 'n' roll." This idea 
fit perfectly with the inspiration of keeping village greens alive. As city 
size and population increased, village greens became rare. Davies used the 
depletion of greens to symbolize a greater loss of what he valued most in 
life.

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The title track immediately allows the listener insight into the thought 
process of Davies. "God save strawberry jam and all the different 
varieties/Preserving the old ways from being abused/Protecting the new ways 
for me and for you/What more can we do."

Davies' words are uncomplicated, straightforward and basic. However, the 
meaning behind the lyrics parallel the story he tells. Some of life's most 
simple and honored traditions were uprooted. The Kinks were here to protect 
the people.

"Do You Remember Walter?" is a conversation-style song. Davies speaks with 
the listener of the consequences of change. The song speaks of a schoolboy 
friend named Walter. Running into his old mate signifies that times have 
changed. Davies is uninterested in Walter's mundane life; Walter cares 
little for Davies' life in the music industry.

In this song, Davies pushes his most important idea. People, places and 
times change, but memories can preserve the past. Previous moments won't 
come back, but they certainly do not have to disappear.

The Kinks did ultimately disappear from the commercial success they once 
had. Davies could have easily continued the path of British guitar rock that 
made their popular singles so successful in the first place. Instead, he led 
the band in another direction. Valuing musicianship and personal 
appreciation of the band's work over that of its critics, the band's success 
floundered and never fully recovered.

Only six months later, Pete Townshend and The Who released "Tommy." The 
critics marveled at the work, labeling it a masterpiece and the band itself 
as innovators of their time. The concept theme, rock opera, was considered a 
complete original, noting that nothing had been released in comparison.

Townshend openly admits that he modeled much of his work off of early Kinks 
material. Although Davies and The Kinks never obtained due credit at the 
time, perhaps it was meant to be.

Music lovers from all subsequent decades have stumbled across this musical 
gem, preserving its significance in 1960s music. As Davies states his 
lyrics, "God save little shops, china cups, and virginity," it is our turn 
to save The Kinks.

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