Girl, you really got me goin’ 
You got me so I don’t know what I’m doin’
(Go up an octave)
Yeah, you really got me now
You got me so I can’t sleep at night
You’ve really got me, you’ve really got me.
For me the beginning of the Kinks’ song “You’ve Really Got Me” and to a similar degree the opening of their “All Day and All of the Night” represent the early days of British rock more than anything else. Yes, more than the opening of the Stones’ “Satisfaction,” more than the the iconic opening chord of the Beatles’ “Help” or even the early intros to “I Want to Hold Your Hand” or “Twist and Shout.” It just seems more primal, less produced, more rock-and-roll.
Someone once told me that Rock-and-Roll was basically about wanting to “do it,” that jazz was about “doing it” and that country music was about “doing it with the waitress because your wife wrecked your truck and ran off with your dog and your best friend.” I always liked that definition–encapsulates things very nicely, I think.
Anyway, by those parameters, the Kinks first two hits were pure Rock-and Roll.
Ray Davies and The 88 at the Uptown Theater in Napa.
I drove into Napa last Friday night from San Francisco and just fifty yards away from where I was staying was the Uptown theater with Ray Davies advertised for Tuesday the 17th. Didn’t know if I’d make it–had a lot of wine yet to drink and a lot of wineries yet to visit–but go I did. And I was glad. The opening band The 88 were very good–the front man reminded me a lot of Larry Kirwan from Black 47–and later they acted as Ray Davies back-up band for the second half of Davies’ set.
And then Davies came on. Nearly 50 years have passed since he and his brother Dave began the Kinks, and the years have taken their toll on his body–he looked thin and haggard and old. (Having experienced a terrible mugging in New Orleans a few years back also took its toll.) In fact often during the show he reminded me of the Bill Nighy character in the film Love Actually. (So much so, that I wonder if the director of the film had Ray Davies in mind when he cast and directed Nighy in the role.)
But his voice and his showmanship were still the same. If you closed your eyes, no time had passed. Accompanied by the Irish guitarist,
Bill Shanley, and then by
The 88, Davies put on a hell of a show with energy that belied his age.
It must be difficult for an artist whose major work is behind him. Davies is still recording solo, still writing good music, but he is well aware that the majority of his audience wants to hear what he used to do…especially what he used to do with his old band. He generously mixed many of his old Kinks tunes with newer things from later solo albums–but the majority of the set list seemed to be the Kinks’ tunes. He introduced his new stuff by asking the audience “to just indulge me for a few minutes.”His new material is good, fine songwriting, fine melodies, but most of the audience wanted the past.
I didn’t write them down, but from the Kinks’ repertoire I know he did at least these titles:
• Waterloo Sunset
• Victoria
• Celluloid Heroes
• Low Budget
• Apeman
• Dedicated Follower of Fashion
• Twentieth-Century Man
• Dead-End Street
• A Sunny Afternoon
• All Day and All of the Night
• You Really Got Me
So it was a great night of rock-and-roll, re-creating the sound of one of the seminal bands of the “first British invasion.” I have always thought the Kinks were grossly underrated–and still do. After their initial success with rocking tunes, they went on to create beautiful songs that often poked the stereotypical view of the “idyllic English life” in the eye. They were clever, witty, and fun. And Ray Davies is still capturing that on stage.
As a treat, here is a video of Ray Davies and the Kinks from a long, long time ago, but a treat nevertheless:
Like this:
Like Loading...
Related
j. p. bohannon 
He still looks and sounds better than any of his Contemporaries not to mention those much much younger. As far as sounding( singing, playing and performing ) again not to mention songwriting Ray can not be beat by anyone at any age! He is also the happiest and most physically fit that I have seen him in a long time and I have known him over 41 years.
I am one long time fan of the kinks and Ray’s who would be thrilled to see a Ray show and have him do all new songs and songs I have not heard before and I have heard and know every song he has ever written and released and then some, I have always belived in Ray and awlays will and my favorite song of his, is the one he has not written yet. God Save Ray Davies He is Not Like Everybody Else and once he is gone there will Never ever be another one like him. Frank Lima aka Dan the Fan in Kinkdom, with over 300 Kinks shows and 240+ Ray shows to my name.
Thanks for reading, Frank. It was a great show and a great place to see him.
I’ve seen Ray close-up and personal. He looks excellent and he’s in fine shape, works out all the time and takes very good care of himself. I really think the stage lights make people look more haggard than they really are. He has always been thin, that’s his nature, and the fact that he has always been an athlete speaks to the reason that he’s still thin. But honey, age does catch up to all of us eventually. I just don’t see why it bears mentioning in reviews. These days, aging is treated as though it’s a sin.
I agree with you–and now regret the comment. The stage lights are frightful, particularly in a theater like the Uptown. Again, the most important part, however, is the music, and on that night it was fabulous.
That’s okay jp, anyone who loves Ray is a friend of mine! We’re all guilty of judging people by their age. I do it every day when I look in the mirrow, LOL.
Love u Neon!
OMG! Wasn’t I just an absolute sage!
If you are comparing Ray at 68 years old to what he looked like in the 1980’s (which is unfair), he does look thin and haggard and old. If you are comparing Ray at 68 years old to what the general population looks like at 68 years old, I think he looks much better than the average 68 year old walking down the street.
Just keeping it real!
I said the very same thing when we left the concert. He is still rock-and-rolling while much of his audience seemed like retired bankers. Ray has done it right.