The Top Ten Songs by the Kinks

The Kinks, along with the Beatles, Rolling stones, Animals, Yardbirds and Dave Clark Five, were one of the original British Invasion bands of the 1960's. They released many hit singles which made it onto the Top 10 record- selling charts both in the US and abroad. Led by the Davies brothers, Ray and Dave, whose on-again/ off- again relationship has been a hallmark of the band, the Kinks have always maintained a unique perspective and sound. Showing early- on that they could rock with a viscious sneer, the Kinks had huge International hits with "You Really Got Me" and "All Day And All Of The Night", both released in 1964. As the years passed however, the Kinks developed more of a theatrical and somewhat elegant stance.

The songwriting skills of Ray Davies are immense and innovative, evidenced by the huge, diverse body of work produced by the Kinks. In 1968 and 1969, they released two classic 'concept' albums, "Village Green Preservation Society" and "Arthur"(Or The Decline And Fall Of The British Empire), respectively. In 1970, the Kinks scored a big hit with the single "Lola", a bittersweet song about a transvestite. Now, in the year 2006, the song "Lola" still receives an enormous amount of radio airplay. When the song was first released however, many radio stations were reluctant to play a song about such a controversial topic.

Through the 1970's and 1980's, the Kinks had a succession of Top Ten songs. In 1983, they released the " Come Dancing" single, which also entered the top ten record- selling charts, both in the US and overseas. Although the Kinks have disbanded countless times, due to Ray and Dave Davies' squabbling, they never really completely break up, either. As long as Ray and/or Dave Davies are still making music, which they are, there will always be the Kinks, in some form. With over 36 Kinks albums/ CD's in print, plus numerous 'Greatest Hits' and bootleg albums available, trying to determine the top ten songs by the Kinks, is not an easy task. After much analysis, repeated listenings and deep thought, this reviewer has deemed the following songs to be the top ten songs by the Kinks.