God Save the Kinks: A Biography
Rob Jovanovic
In August 1964 The Kinks released their third single. It was make or break time. After an all but unnoticed debut and a second single that failed to chart at all, Pye Records were threatening to annul the group’s contract. With its unforgettable loud, gritty distorted guitar riff, ‘You Really Got Me’ went on to reach No.1, entering the US Top Ten later the same year. Followed by a string of hits, it marked the breakthrough of one of Britain’s most innovative and influential bands, and a turning point in the fortunes of two brothers whose troubled story is as tumultuous and characterful as the music they produced: Ray and Dave Davies.
