Kinks, The

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The Kinks Band

North London's The Kinks was formed in 1964 by brothers Ray and Dave Davies.  The youngest of eight siblings, the two grew up in a festive and musical home.  Their first band was the Ray Davies Quartet, who at one time had a young Rod Stewart as the lead singer.  After shuffling band names around, they initially settled on The Ravens, and then finally The Kinks after signing a record deal.

After a slow start, The Kinks had a number of worldwide hits in the 60's, such as "All Day and All of the Night", "Set Me Free", "Tired of Waiting for You", and the song that started their success, "You Really Got Me".  Many of you will remember that Van Halen covered this song in the late 1970's.  Some of the other 60's hits include "Set Me Free", "See My Friends", "Till the End of the Day", "Dedicated Follower of Fashion", "Sunny Afternoon", "Dead End Street", "Waterloo Sunset", "Death of a Clown", "Autumn Almanac", and "Days".

Although The Kings did not have as many hits in the 70's, they did have a few, including "Apeman", "Supersonic Rocket Ship", and our personal favorite, "Lola" (the song about the confused young man and the transvestite).  The 80's were a little better, with the following hit songs:  "Better Things", "Destroyer", "Don't Forget to Dance", "Do It Again", and their most notable 80's song, "Come Dancing", from State of Confusion (1983).

The Kinks produced a few more albums in the 1990's before taking a hiatus, and some of the band members have had successful solo careers.  The have been different variations of reunions between members and their is possibly more to come.  The Kinks Discography is as follows:

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  • 1964: Kinks (You Really Got Me in the USA)
  • 1964: Kinksize Session
  • 1965: Kinksize Hits
  • 1965: Kwyet Kinks
  • 1965: Kinda Kinks
  • 1965: Kinks-Size
  • 1965: Kinkdom
  • 1965: Kinks in Germany
  • 1965: The Kink Kontroversy
  • 1966: Face to Face
  • 1966: Dedicated Kinks
  • 1966: Greatest Hits!
  • 1966: Well Respected Kinks
  • 1967: Sunny Afternoon
  • 1967: Mr. Pleasant
  • 1967: Something Else by The Kinks
  • 1968: Dave Davies Hits
  • 1968: The Kinks
  • 1968: The Kinks Are the Village Green Preservation Society
  • 1968: Live at Kelvin Hall
  • 1969: Arthur (Or the Decline and Fall of the British Empire)
  • 1970: Lola versus Powerman and the Moneygoround, Part One
  • 1970: The Hit Collection
  • 1971: Golden Hour of the Kinks
  • 1971: Muswell Hillbillies
  • 1971: Percy (soundtrack)
  • 1972: Everybody's in Show-Biz
  • 1972: The Kink Kronikles
  • 1973: The Great Lost Kinks Album
  • 1973: Preservation: Act 1
  • 1974: Preservation: Act 2
  • 1974: Golden Hour of the Kinks Vol. 2
  • 1974: Lola, Percy and the Apeman Come Face to Face with the Village Green Preservation Society
  • 1975: Soap Opera
  • 1975: Schoolboys in Disgrace
  • 1976: The Kinks' Greatest: Celluloid Heroes
  • 1977: Sleepwalker
  • 1978: 20 Golden Greats
  • 1978: Misfits
  • 1979: Low Budget
  • 1980: One for the Road
  • 1980: Second Time Around
  • 1981: The Kinks Collection
  • 1981: Give the People What They Want
  • 1983: State of Confusion
  • 1983: Candy from Mr. Dandy
  • 1983: Dead End Street: Kinks Greatest Hits
  • 1984: Kinks Kollectables
  • 1984: The Kinks: A Complete Collection 20th Anniversary Edition
  • 1984: Word of Mouth
  • 1985: The Kinks: Backtrackin' (The Definitive Double Album Collection)
  • 1986: Come Dancing with the Kinks: The Best of 1977-1986
  • 1986: Think Visual
  • 1988: Live: The Road
  • 1988: The Kinks Are Well Respected Men
  • 1989: 25 Years: The Ultimate Collection
  • 1989: UK Jive
  • 1991: Did Ya
  • 1991: The Complete Collection
  • 1991: The Kinks Lost & Found: 1986-1989
  • 1992: The Kinks Story Vol. 1: 1964-1966
  • 1992: The Kinks Story Vol. 2: 1967-1971
  • 1993: The Definitive Collection: The Kinks Greatest Hits
  • 1993: Phobia
  • 1994: To the Bone
  • 1994: You Really Got Me: The Very Best of The Kinks
  • 1997: The Singles Collection
  • 1997: The days
  • 1998: God Save The Kinks, Vol. 1
  • 1998: God Save The Kinks, Vol. 2
  • 1998: God Save The Kinks, Vol. 3
  • 1999: You Really Got Me: The Best of The Kinks
  • 2001: BBC Sessions: 1964-1977
  • 2002: The Ultimate Collection
  • 2008: Picture Book
  • 2011: Hidden Treasures
  • 2011: The Kinks in Mono
  • 2011: Kinks Kollekted
  • 2012: The Kinks At The BBC
  • 2012: Waterloo Sunset: The Very Best of The Kinks & Ray Davies