Artists Influenced By The Kinks - From 1964 To Today

The Kinks, the band who put the British in the British Invasion, were influential right from the start. After two false starts, their third single "You Really Got Me" introduced to the world - distortion and the power chord. That famous three chord riff can be seen as the starting point of two genres - heavy metal and punk rock.

Led by the double-barrelled genius of the two Davies brothers - the passionate and desperate vocal delivery of a 20 year-old Ray who had yet to find his muse and with the innovative use of a razor on a little green amp by a then-17 year-old Dave, the Kinks recorded an all-time influential rock and roll song. If that was all they did, the song would have secured them a solid place in rock and roll history.

But they did so much more. They were highly influential. Who, you may ask? And you will have answered your own question. Who, as in the Who and Pete Townshend. Not only did the Kinks influenced bands like the Who, the Jam, the Pretenders, REM, Green Day, Oasis, Blur or singers like David Bowie, Elvis Costello, Bob Geldof but also movie directors like Wim Wenders, Wes Anderson.

The song that originated two genres - punk rock and heavy metal

Recorded in 1964, the song brings together the elemental fury and desperation so essential to punk rock and the distortion and relentless intensity of the lead guitar sound so prevalent in heavy metal or its precursor - hard rock.

At the time, the Beatles had just released A Hard Day's Nght and the Animals had The House of the Rising Sun, so there was nothing on the charts as ferocious as this.

The song is now a chestnut, a raver used by every wannabe Idol, American or otherwise.

Please note - Jimmy Page did not record the solo here. It was the work of a very young 17 year-old - Dave Davies.

Also, note Van Halen did not write this song.

The folow-up to You Really Got Me was a similar riff rocker - only instead of a 5 note riff, the Kinks expanded it to a 9 note riff and was also a big smash. This was released in late 1964.

Hot on the heels of the Kinks were the Who. Pete Townshend wrote I Can't Explain based on the KInks formula three chord riff. They were so intent in copying the Kinks, they even used Kinks producer Shel Talmy on the record.

Hello, I Love You was released in 1968.

The Kinks are the Godfathers of Britpop, of which Oasis is one of the leading exponents. Note the influence of the rare Kinks footage from Dead End Street on the video below.

In the late 70s, two bands rose through the L.A. bar scene, Van Halen and the Knack. They both had explosive debuts but different fortunes - Van Halen in 1978 with their version of the greatest rock and roll song ever - You Really Got Me - and the Knack with My Sharona, which was one ferocious riff rocker, seemingly patterned after the typical early Kinks style.

The Knack was interesting. They came on like the next Beatles, what with skinny ties and similar album covers, but they were actually more Kinks-influenced. My Sharona is really an enhanced early Kinks song made for the late 70s - one wallop of a riff but with a longer guitar solo. On their second album, they showed their influence with their version of Hard Way, which is basically the Knack ripping off the Kinks ripping off the Who ripping off the Kinks.

Van Halen later also covered Where Have All the Good Times Gone? and have gone on th the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. The Knack is but a fond memory.

Around the same time, the Jam resurrected David Watts and the Pretenders did likewise with the early Ray Davies song Stop Your Sobbing. They later did I Go To Sleep, which was also covered by Cher in the middle 60s.

An early work of German director Wim Wenders was titled 'Summer In The City (A Tribute to the Kinks). The French film 'Les Amants Reguliers' was released in 2005 and features the rarely heard 'This Time Tomorrow', which is also on the soundtrack of Wes Anderson's next film 'The Darjeeling Limited'.