As the leader of the Kinks--one of the most vital and volatile bands of the British Invasion--Ray Davies may also have been one of the genre's most underappreciated figures, often playing second fiddle to the likes of Lennon, McCartney, Jagger, and Townshend, but never failing to reignite the flame on a now-legendary songwriting caldron. At his best, he is one of the cleverest writers in pop, managing to wring universal appeal from a wholly and unapologetically English perspective. His solo catalog is dwarfed by that of his younger brother, Dave, who founded the group in 1963, so his reputation as Godfather of Britpop rests entirely upon the masterworks he put together as leader of what, by the mid-'80s, had essentially become a brother act. And what gems they were: the proto-heavy-metal "You Really Got Me" and "All Day and All of the Night," the glorious "Waterloo Sunset," the twisted carol "Father Christmas" and the twisted anthem "Lola"--not to mention the numerous character studies, from "A Well Respected Man" and "David Watts" through to the rock operas of the mid-'70s. What of his solo albums? The first two were essentially Kinks albums, Return to Waterloo being recorded by the group around the time of Word of Mouth, and The Storyteller an acoustic tour through the band's '60s catalog, but Other People's Lives and Working Man's Café have enjoyed good critical reception. The latter was given away free with copies of the Sunday Times of London on October 21, 2007, in a move reminiscent of Price and Radiohead. Davies wrote an "unauthorized autobiography," X-Ray, in 1994, and survived being shot in the leg in New Orleans ten years later.
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20th Annual SXSW Film and Music Festival - Ray Davies
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