BBC Sessions 1964 - 1977

From the driving riff of Dave Davies’ guitar and Mick Avory’s clattering drum fills on their first hit, “You Really Got Me,” to leader Ray Davies’ music-hall-style singing and arrangements on cuts such as the once difficult-to-find “When I Turn Out the Living Room Lights,” this collection of the BBC’s recordings of The Kinks is revealing. Often referred to as the “fathers of heavy metal” (as well as punk, power pop, etc.), the early Kinks almost seem worthy of such hype when actually heard performing their first hits “live": “You Really Got Me” is murderously raw, Dave’s knitting-needle-punctured speakers producing a muscular distortion; and “All Day and All of the Night” blasts a path open for The Who, Led Zeppelin, and every other heavy-riff group that followed (remember, The Kinks did all this in 1964!). This two-CD set takes us into the mid ‘70s with tracks from their Preservation rock opera, as well as some gorgeous stuff from the "banned in the USA," pre-"Lola" period—quite possibly Ray Davies’ creative height. Definitely worth hearing!