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Thursday, Nov 26, 2009
The recording was astounding. It was only 1964 and Dave Davies had laid down a truly original guitar sound. There was no such thing as punk yet -- and wouldn't be for more than another decade -- but there it is in that magnificent riff! The drums and piano border on proto-punk, a prediction of the foreboding vampire drone that would sound so new when the Velvet Underground revisited it two years later. Avory, likely pissed off that he was reduced to tambourine-thumper status (as Ringo Starr was on "Love Me Do"), bangs his instrument hard and loud. The voices in the background moan and drone and build suspense until Ray Davies chimes in with the raspy sneer of his "Yeah," all menace and his voice on the verge of cracking -- a real shock after the restrained monotone near-sweetness that he achieves in the verses.
In his autobiography, Dave Davies recalls the first time he heard the song on the radio: "I was momentarily stunned with excitement and awe. It was as if it was somebody else performing it and I was simply listening in admiration. All of a sudden I knew we had made it." As it turned out, Davies' prediction was right. Within the first week of its release, "You Really Got Me" entered the British Top 30, surpassing the chart positions of both the Kinks' previous singles.
Before the month was over, Ray Davies received a telegram at home announcing that the song had gone to No. 1. He spent the rest of the day driving around London to interviews and photo shoots. That night, the Kinks played a concert at Streatham Ice Rink in London, where they performed their new hit twice. After the show, the Davies' father hugged and kissed his son, telling him how proud he was. Ray Davies recalls, "Perhaps the world should have stopped turning then and there."
The Kinks were once again invited to perform on "Ready Steady Go," and appeared on the cover of NME and other important British magazines. They even enlisted the services of a publicist. By autumn, the Davies brothers were bona fide superstars, recognized wherever they went. The group even landed two prestigious gigs opening for the Beatles. At the first, in Bournemouth, Ray Davies had a somewhat nasty run-in with the notoriously acerbic John Lennon shortly before the Kinks' set.
"Well, lads, if you get stuck and run out of songs to play," Lennon said, "we'll lend you some of ours." When the Kinks took the stage, they were met with the expected shouts for the Fab Four, but the group rose to the challenge. Ray Davies shouted to his band mates to play their No. 1 hit instead of their usual set opener, "Got Love If You Want It." So bowled over was the crowd that the running order for the second date was changed so the Beatles would not have to go on immediately after the mighty Kinks.
In a rush to capitalize on the Kinks' sudden success, Pye hurried the group back into the studio to record their debut album. When recording began, session musicians started hanging around to find out what they could about the latest "it" group's hot new sound. Naturally enough, the focus of their attention was the trashy little Elpico amp. Unfortunately, though, even the presence of the unique amp couldn't save the album, "Kinks," from mediocrity. It was recorded hastily between tour dates, and Ray Davies only contributed five original songs -- and not very strong ones at that -- in addition to "You Really Got Me." All in all, "Kinks" was a collection of stale R&B covers and derivative Beat originals, and a disappointing way to start what would turn out to be a lengthy and often brilliant career.
At that point, the Kinks could have blissfully faded into one-hit-wonder status. Of course, they didn't. In October 1964, they released another hit, "All Day and All of the Night" (essentially a rewrite of "You Really Got Me"), and after another mediocre full-length effort, the following year they began releasing the string of classic albums that made their name. But what if they had never succeeded again? "You Really Got Me" would most likely still make the rounds of oldies radio, just as so many other 45 RPM treasures of the vinyl age do, and Van Halen probably would have recorded their memorable cover of it just the same.
A great rock 'n' roll song is often remembered because it does something magical: It captures a moment when all the elements are just right. From the angry single snare beat to the wails of the "fart box," the Kinks achieved and immortalized that moment on their first hit.
