#46 -- The Kinks

If The Kinks had kept their band's original name, The Ravens, would their trajectory have been any smoother?  As it was, their trove of hits from '64 through '66 (example: "Sunny Afternoon") qualified them as innovative geniuses.  Unfortunately, their early rowdiness (compared to the suit-and-tie, formulaic probity of their peers) meant they were banned from performing in the US, and thus limited in their reach and success.

And there were subsequent constrictions and breakthroughs in the decades to come.

Do we penalize their standing on the Mighty 55, then, for the herky-jerky manner with which their band's career unfolded?  Not a chance.  The Kinks, after all, have the sound and feel of the very first punk/grunge garage band.  "You Really Got Me" is shockingly raw, and to think it dates to 1964!  So, since we'll be giving short shrift to both punk and grunge, we'll tip our cap to both genres right here (or indicate it's all in your head, depending on how you look at the gesture).

Can we have just one glimpse into the astounding brilliance that is Ye Kinks?  When you are a pioneer in any field, you have the opportunity to discover the biggest bang in the universe you explore.  We all know the lyrics to "Lola", since the jovial expansiveness that states "...in a subtle, background voice..." is hard to miss.  The big bang, though, is of course the clever grammatical twist they discovered, something that when heard for the first time is a revelation.  It occurs just after the following: "Well I'm not the world's most passionate man, but I know who I am and I'm glad I'm a man..."  [I don't quote it in its entirety in case a reader has not heard the full line.]

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Each band or performer is graded on four things:
  1.  Innovation
  2.  Influence in my life--as a typical American
  3.  Integrity: the band's approach to music (just making a buck or honing a craft?)
  4.  Immortality--am I, a typical American--still eager to hear their music

8/4/5/2 = 19 out of a perfect 40

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Hard to believe, but when The Ravens (later, The Kinks) were in their formative phase, they went through several lead singers, including a school classmate of theirs, Rod Stewart.