The Kinks

Not only were The Kinks a key band of rock's mid-'60s British Invasion era, they also qualify as everything from punk progenitors via their early, scrappy singles to baroque-pop innovators and conceptual trailblazers. They first came together in London's Muswell Hill area in the early '60s as The Ray Davies Quartet, featuring singer/guitarist Ray, his lead guitarist brother Dave, bassist Pete Quaife, and drummer John Start. After many name and personnel changes they finally became The Kinks in 1964, with Mick Avory on drums.

Their first two singles for Pye Records that year didn't do much business, but the third, the primal "You Really Got Me," became a U.K. No. 1 hit, and the band's self-titled debut album roared up the charts too. The raw riffing and visceral attack of the aforementioned single and its No. 2 follow-up, "All Day and All of the Night," made them rock classics forevermore. The Kink's next single, 1965's "Tired of Waiting for You," showed their more melodic, pop-oriented side and became their second U.K. No. 1 and their third U.S. Top 10 hit.

But later in '65 the American Federation of Musicians banned The Kinks from touring America for the rest of the decade. The reason was never definitively revealed, but it destroyed the band's chance to achieve the success of top-tier peers like The Beatles, Stones, and Who. They nevertheless remained heroes at home.

Their fourth album, 1966's Face to Face marked a transitional point, shifting into more sophisticated songwriting and a more elaborate, baroque-pop production aesthetic. The approach continued through their next two classic LPs, Something Else and The Kinks Are the Village Green Preservation Society, the latter also kicking off the band's concept-album period, which would continue (with a detour or two) through the mid '70s.

By the start of the '70s, the touring ban was lifted, and The Kink's American profile was consequently raised. The 1970 single "Lola" became their first U.S. Top 10 hit in years. Nevertheless, the willfully non-commercial style of '70s concept albums like Preservation, A Soap Opera, and Schoolboys in Disgrace didn't do much to buoy the band's fortunes on either side of the Atlantic.

The band's American fortunes began to rebound with 1979's Low Budget, the 1980 live album One for the Road, and 1981's Give the People What They Want. The latter reflected the influence of punk and new wave, and brought two U.S. hits: "Better Things" and "Destroyer." 1983's State of Confusion did even better in America, giving The Kinks their final U.S. Top 10 single, "Come Dancing."

The final decade of the band's recording career saw them enter a slump commercially, and their last studio LP, 1994's To the Bone, was their poorest-performing album. The Davies brothers, whose dynamic throughout The Kinks' history had been notoriously fractious, became increasingly interested in their own pursuits, and the band split up in 1996.

In 2018 Ray announced that Dave, Mick Avory, and himself were working on new material together for the first time since the breakup.