The Kinks were formed in London in 1963 around brothers Ray and Dave Davies, British Invasion originals who helped pioneer hard rock with the riff of You Really Got Me. Ray's witty, distinctly English songwriting peaked on The Kinks Are the Village Green Preservation Society (1968), a blueprint for Britpop decades later. Shop The Kinks vinyl, CDs, and reissues at Wax Trax Records.
The Kinks formed in London, England in 1963. The band was led by the songwriting of Ray Davies, with his brother Dave Davies on lead guitar, Mick Avory on drums, and Pete Quaife on bass. Emerging during the British Invasion, the Kinks endured a turbulent career, including a mid-1960s touring ban in the United States, yet produced one of the most respected catalogs in rock. They were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1990.
The Kinks helped pioneer the hard rock and proto-punk guitar sound with the distorted riff of You Really Got Me, then evolved toward witty, observational, and distinctly English songwriting exploring class, nostalgia, and everyday life. Ray Davies's narrative lyricism and the band's concept albums made them enormously influential on later British rock, Britpop especially.
Village Green Preservation Society has been reissued in expansive deluxe and box-set editions, and the band's Pye and RCA-era catalog appears across numerous remasters and anniversary pressings. Original UK mono pressings are highly collected.
Listeners new to The Kinks often start with The Kinks Are the Village Green Preservation Society (1968) or a singles collection. For related listening, see and.
