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God Save the Kinks: A Biography
In August 1964 The Kinks released their third single. After a little noticed debut and a follow-up that had failed to chart at all, Pye Records were threatening to annul the group’s contract. But with its unforgettable distorted guitar riff, 'You Really Got Me’ went on to reach No.1, entering the US Top Ten later the same year. Followed by a string of hits, it marked the breakthrough of one of Britain’s most innovative and influential bands, and a turning point in the fortunes of two brothers whose troubled story is as tumultuous and characterful as the music they produced: Ray and Dave Davies.
Born into a deeply musical working-class family in London’s Muswell Hill, Ray and Dave grew up in a city recovering from the bombs and privations of the Second World War, and, more than any other musicians of the Sixties, they crafted the soundtrack that made it swing again. In songs such as ‘Dedicated Follower of Fashion’, ‘Sunny Afternoon’ – which toppled The Beatles to become the hit of Summer 1966 – ‘Waterloo Sunset’, ‘Days’ and ‘Lola’, they drew on music hall, folk and rhythm and blues to craft a peculiarly English pop idiom, inspiring generations of songwriters from David Bowie to Jarvis Cocker and Damon Albarn.
Pocked by sibling rivalry, furious on-stage violence, walkouts, overdoses, a career-throttling ban from the US, gross self-indulgence, and the band's curious rebirth as Eighties stadium rockers, the story laid bare in God Save The Kinks is one of the greatest in British pop history.
Born into a deeply musical working-class family in London’s Muswell Hill, Ray and Dave grew up in a city recovering from the bombs and privations of the Second World War, and, more than any other musicians of the Sixties, they crafted the soundtrack that made it swing again. In songs such as ‘Dedicated Follower of Fashion’, ‘Sunny Afternoon’ – which toppled The Beatles to become the hit of Summer 1966 – ‘Waterloo Sunset’, ‘Days’ and ‘Lola’, they drew on music hall, folk and rhythm and blues to craft a peculiarly English pop idiom, inspiring generations of songwriters from David Bowie to Jarvis Cocker and Damon Albarn.
Pocked by sibling rivalry, furious on-stage violence, walkouts, overdoses, a career-throttling ban from the US, gross self-indulgence, and the band's curious rebirth as Eighties stadium rockers, the story laid bare in God Save The Kinks is one of the greatest in British pop history.
336 pages, Hardcover
First published December 1, 2013
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168 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 45 reviews
February 6, 2015
It does a good job of telling the Kinks dramatic rise and breakdown with facts but doesn't do a good job of hooking the reader. A good history book transports you to the past but this one didn't really do that well.
October 9, 2020
I absolutely love The Kinks, and this book covered a lot of the well-documented issues the band have faced over the years as well as a few lesser known nuggets about the session players and the tours. Some of the tales did get a bit repetitive and formulaic towards the end, but this is a great read for both the avid Kinks fan and newbies to the Village Green Preservation Society.
December 27, 2014
The author has done a lot of homework but I wish he were a better writer. Too often this sounds like it's being transcribed from a notebook. I also noticed a couple of errors, in particular the 1967 reference regarding Revolver. Overall though, this told me more about the Kinks than I've ever known.
March 10, 2025
Utterly pedestrian. Even Andrew Hickey's self-published Preservation delves far more into their first and best decade. Jovanovic offers a potted assembly of the usual clippings, summaries, and interviews gleaned. But it's a woefully uncritical take, rarely bothering to analyze the music, or pay attention, as does Hickey, t0 the mimic Ray Davies and his penchant, say, for stereotypical accents and facile lyrics.
For at their best, of course, for me Face to Face in spots, 1966, through Muswell Hilbillies, 1971, the Kinks crafted stunning song cycles. Maybe imperfect, but that only deepens their charm, wit, and intelligence as depictions of postwar England's dramatic social changes, moral shifts, and cultural losses in a demolition-mad London, determined to raze the modest neighborhoods and stubborn, for better or worse, traditional ways. You'll gain precious little sense of this depth from this book's pages.
Although the opening vignette about a disastrous White City show sets the tone for their front man's dissolution well. Brother Dave gets decent attention, but original bassist Pete Quaife stays on the edges of the coverage as does longer-term drummer Mick Avory. And their replacements in the arena era don't stand out much, for as is his nature, Ray hogs the limelight. I have zero enthusiasm for the band's hits after the Seventies lurch into theatricality, so I admit my bias. But overall, the treatment like the group suffers due to the rote recital of data, the predictable content, and the drab delivery.
For at their best, of course, for me Face to Face in spots, 1966, through Muswell Hilbillies, 1971, the Kinks crafted stunning song cycles. Maybe imperfect, but that only deepens their charm, wit, and intelligence as depictions of postwar England's dramatic social changes, moral shifts, and cultural losses in a demolition-mad London, determined to raze the modest neighborhoods and stubborn, for better or worse, traditional ways. You'll gain precious little sense of this depth from this book's pages.
Although the opening vignette about a disastrous White City show sets the tone for their front man's dissolution well. Brother Dave gets decent attention, but original bassist Pete Quaife stays on the edges of the coverage as does longer-term drummer Mick Avory. And their replacements in the arena era don't stand out much, for as is his nature, Ray hogs the limelight. I have zero enthusiasm for the band's hits after the Seventies lurch into theatricality, so I admit my bias. But overall, the treatment like the group suffers due to the rote recital of data, the predictable content, and the drab delivery.
January 3, 2022
Compared to the Beatles, the Stones, and even the Who, there aren't many books out there about the Kinks. This book meets a need, although anybody with a serious interest in the band would want to keep reading, including the various self-serving autobiographies that are out there. The author does a decent job - he covers their frenetic early years, the mismanagement, their fights, their creative hits and misses, their four-year ban from performing in the US and later '70s popularity there. In revisiting the band's late '70s New Wave-adjacent albums I was struck at how Ray Davies updated his mix of charm and curmudgeonliness for arena-sized US audiences.
May 6, 2019
I always liked the Kinks (and The Lovin' Spoonful) when it seemed de rigueur to like Cream, but oddly I sort of lost touch with everything at university. I recently got hold of a compilation - The Kinks: The Anthology 1964-1971 - and discovered how much I'd missed even then. 'God Save the Kinks' showed me how much more had passed me by.
I think I expected rather more from this 'biography' than the chronicle it effectively is. Certainly there's a lot about the Davies brothers, as you'd expect, but in the end there's not much more to it than a detailed chronology of their careers with some details about their private lives and those of their associates thrown in.
Nevertheless, the details that are there paint a pretty good picture of people who can't be said not to have lived life to the full. I was particularly taken by Dave Davies' interest in the occult and the 'spiritual' side of life, and was astounded by Ray's prolific songwriting. But I also felt that a lot of other people had fallen by the brothers' waysides, and there were personal tragedies in there which I'd perhaps, had I been the biographer, have been tempted to be more judgmental about. But that may be a thing for the future.
The discography is very helpful. I know what to look out for now. And the biography hasn't made me any less appreciative of the music.
I think I expected rather more from this 'biography' than the chronicle it effectively is. Certainly there's a lot about the Davies brothers, as you'd expect, but in the end there's not much more to it than a detailed chronology of their careers with some details about their private lives and those of their associates thrown in.
Nevertheless, the details that are there paint a pretty good picture of people who can't be said not to have lived life to the full. I was particularly taken by Dave Davies' interest in the occult and the 'spiritual' side of life, and was astounded by Ray's prolific songwriting. But I also felt that a lot of other people had fallen by the brothers' waysides, and there were personal tragedies in there which I'd perhaps, had I been the biographer, have been tempted to be more judgmental about. But that may be a thing for the future.
The discography is very helpful. I know what to look out for now. And the biography hasn't made me any less appreciative of the music.
August 21, 2021
In the rock pantheon of "great British bands of the Sixties," The Kinks have to be included by even the most basic standard of "songs that stand the test of time." Ray and Dave Davies, along with original members Pete Quaife and Mick Avory, became the gold standard for pop songwriting with a distinctly English bent (perhaps as a result of their isolation from America from 1965 to 1969, after a mysterious banning from touring that kept them unable to ride the crest of the British Invasion's wave at the height of their powers), and they managed to stay together until at least 1996 (personally, I've never gone beyond the Sixties singles too much, though I've heard some of the Seventies era stuff and liked a lot of it). In this book, Rob Jovanovic explores the long, fraught history of England's most contentious band.
Charting the early years of the Davies family and the late births of Ray and Dave (they had sisters who were born in the Twenties and Thirties), Jovanovic documents how the brothers found themselves thrown together to create some of the best music ever made. Beginning with "You've Really Got Me" in 1964, the Kinks racked up an amazing run of hit singles and memorable albums, and whatever decline in quality they endured they made up for in finally securing profitable American tours that kept them a going concern and making new music long after many of their contemporaries became oldies acts or defunct. Through it all, Ray and Dave got along about as well as Ray and Dave Davies, which is to say their sibling rivalry both fueled some of the band's greatest heights as well as some of its lowest lows.
Drawing on Ray and Dave's own memoirs and other interviews, as well as those he conducted with people involved with the band throughout its history, Jovanovic crafts a good overview of the band's story. It's not always pretty, but it sure is entertaining (especially when a pre-fame Rod Stewart tries to join an early incarnation of the Kinks but is let go because Ray and Dave's mom hates the sound of his voice). The Kinks have long ago started to be accorded the respect due to them as forefathers of punk, heavy metal, Britpop, and other genres, but their songs still work either as rock standards or as whimsical looks at suburban English life. And Rob Jovanovic has, with "God Save The Kinks," given us a nice overview of that village green preservation society that continues to stand up for Fu Manchu, Moriarty, and Dracula.
Charting the early years of the Davies family and the late births of Ray and Dave (they had sisters who were born in the Twenties and Thirties), Jovanovic documents how the brothers found themselves thrown together to create some of the best music ever made. Beginning with "You've Really Got Me" in 1964, the Kinks racked up an amazing run of hit singles and memorable albums, and whatever decline in quality they endured they made up for in finally securing profitable American tours that kept them a going concern and making new music long after many of their contemporaries became oldies acts or defunct. Through it all, Ray and Dave got along about as well as Ray and Dave Davies, which is to say their sibling rivalry both fueled some of the band's greatest heights as well as some of its lowest lows.
Drawing on Ray and Dave's own memoirs and other interviews, as well as those he conducted with people involved with the band throughout its history, Jovanovic crafts a good overview of the band's story. It's not always pretty, but it sure is entertaining (especially when a pre-fame Rod Stewart tries to join an early incarnation of the Kinks but is let go because Ray and Dave's mom hates the sound of his voice). The Kinks have long ago started to be accorded the respect due to them as forefathers of punk, heavy metal, Britpop, and other genres, but their songs still work either as rock standards or as whimsical looks at suburban English life. And Rob Jovanovic has, with "God Save The Kinks," given us a nice overview of that village green preservation society that continues to stand up for Fu Manchu, Moriarty, and Dracula.
June 27, 2022
Perfectly decent book: well researched, well told. But a disappointing and infuriating story: it feels that, at every step of the way, the band was close to self-destruction. Everybody fights with everybody else, all the time. Punches are thrown, drink and drugs taken, shows and whole tours ruined. More punches are thrown. Musicians leave and are replaced. More arguing. More punches are thrown. Everybody stops speaking to everybody else.
Some of it's because of their sudden success; no-one could have prepared themselves for it. Some it's from the pressure of badly-planned touring with inadequate resources. And for some, creative tensions and differences are part of the chemistry. And there's no doubt that a clutch of classic pop songs came out of the chaos. Still, I kept thinking: 'come on, lads, you can do better than this.'
Some of it's because of their sudden success; no-one could have prepared themselves for it. Some it's from the pressure of badly-planned touring with inadequate resources. And for some, creative tensions and differences are part of the chemistry. And there's no doubt that a clutch of classic pop songs came out of the chaos. Still, I kept thinking: 'come on, lads, you can do better than this.'
April 13, 2018
What an odd and wonderful band the Kinks were. Grounded for the best part of the British Invasion of the USA in the sixties, the Kinks hunkered down in London and concentrated on writing about life in old Blighty, becoming the quintessential musical voice on the subject. Oddly enough, they became somewhat ignored in the homeland around the advent of punk and into the eighties but built up a strong following in the US long after the invasion was over. The tale spans a lot of years and a hell of a lot happens with the Davies boys at each others throats, booze, drugs, mental illness, a love hate love hate love affair with the snippy English music press and a revolving door of band and management. If you are a fan of the Kinks, this read gives you a nice overview of the big picture and even for those that only know the hits, moves along at a nice enough pace to keep you on the hook.
August 11, 2024
This book does exactly what it says on the tin: it tells the story of the Kinks. It is not the most brilliant or well written book you will ever read, but if you want to know the story of the Kinks, you'll pretty much get all the facts here. It is very much skewed - as any Kinks bio will be - towards the Davies brothers half of the band, being as their tempestuous relationship was very much the driving energy of the band, as well as being the songwriting centre. Ray comes across as a difficult genius, Dave as a troubled soul fighting to keep his head above water. There is no great showdown, no cataclysmic split, just a drifting apart of two brothers who loved each other but couldn't be in a band together. (Now, where have we heard that story since? Gallaghers, I'm looking at you two!) Overall, Jovanovic does a capable job of telling their story. Regardless, in the end, we'll always have the music.
November 14, 2017
I am a Kinks fan and have a bunch of their records but never knew a lot about them. This book was informative but a bit lacklustre. I now have a lot more respect for and sympathy with the band members. However, I am a fan of their much derided concept albums - Soap Opera, the Preservations, Schoolboys in Disgrace - and am a bit sick of the way that every critic follows each other in panning these albums. As far as I can see they were a genuine attempt to do something original rather than just seeking chart success. I like them anyway.
Summary of the book - topic is great, information is well presented, but writing a bit underwhelming.
Summary of the book - topic is great, information is well presented, but writing a bit underwhelming.
November 22, 2018
For Kinks fans only. Mostly a compilation of quotes from album reviews, quotes from interviews of band members and interviews with minor figures. I don't feel I gained much insight into the famous battles between Dave and Ray Davies. I gather Ray was more volatile and sometimes violent than was apparent to the fan base. A lot of the book deals with the Kinks being banned from playing in the US in the late sixties but doesn't reveal how or why that happened. Glad to know there was an actual person named "David Watts" that the song referred to. And that many of the songs refer to actual events in the Davies family.
November 4, 2022
Always loved The Kinks, yet never really knew much about them. It's a pretty straightforward book that has the usual rock and roll biography stuff (drugs, sex, in fighting, egos). I was more interested in the earlier years and really had no idea that Ray Davies was still writing songs and putting out stuff in the past twenty years (stopped listening to their new records probably around 1983-84). So the last third of the book did not really captivate me. I'm guessing this is not a book for die hard fans but in the end, it was good to know more about the band I've been listening to all these years and I have been playing some of the old albums the past couple weeks.
August 5, 2024
A solid, workmanlike bio, and I intend "workmanlike" as a compliment here. Jovanovic is an experienced rock writer, and the legwork he put into this book is evident- in particular, he interviewed all the major surviving members of The Kinks other than the prickly Davies brothers (Mick Avory, John Dalton, and John Gosling), the brother and best friend of deceased core member Peter Quaife, mid-70s backing singers Maryann Price, Shirlie Roden, and Debi Doss, early producer Shel Talmy, and various other friends of the band and recording/touring personnel. There are no big scoops or major insights into the Kinks' working methods or cultural impact, but their story is clearly told.
January 11, 2025
A fascinating, & occasionally enraging*, insight into 1 of the most successful & creative 60s bands. Theirs was not an easy road. Early on they were huge in the U.K. but virtually banned in the U.S. Later, the situation was almost totally reversed. A must read for any Boomer, or fan of 60s music in general. Fact checking did fall a little short. The author claims that The Kinks were the first of their generation to play in Australia. The Beatles, although having toured the country in 1964, did not perform, he says. Wrong.
(* Due to the appalling behaviour of various band members, principally brothers, Ray & Dave Davies.)
(* Due to the appalling behaviour of various band members, principally brothers, Ray & Dave Davies.)
April 15, 2020
The Kinks were one of my favourite groups of the 60s. The first vinyl LP I owned was Well Respected Kinks - a Xmas gift from my brother. I loved reading more about them. I knew Ray and Dave had a volatile relationship, but the book really surprised me with all the fallouts. I did not know that they had been banned from the USA. Ray was a song writing genius. I listened to their "Best Of" CD while I read the book.
June 3, 2023
So if you are not a huge fan of The Kinks no need to read this. I am a big fan and find the love/hate relationship of the Davies brothers interesting and more interesting that the band made music together for about 30-40 years despite all the hate and fighting. A lot of details and information and a good objective point of view but in the end but not as engrossing of a story as I thought it might be.
November 3, 2024
I honestly didn't know much about the Kinks other than the two brothers fighting alot,and Ray Davies's relationship with Chrissie Hynde.It was an interesting book.I just could have done without the annoying notes and indexes in the back of the book.I would have liked to have seen more pictures but color ones. The band had an interesting career and were quite good.I would like to read the memoirs of each Davies brother.That could be even more interestung.
May 5, 2021
Good encapsulation of the band, their conflicts and why they are important. The storytelling is a little rote, but doesn’t flag and with a modicum of interest in the band will pull you through to the end. Seemed like a balanced perspective to me, although painting Ray Davies as a talent who knows it.
June 29, 2017
Great kronicle of one of the best and most British of the "British Invasion" bands that never seemed to quite get the success and recognition they deserved but nonetheless made excellent music through the 1990s.
January 4, 2019
Workman like recapitulation of this band's career. Contains many details without really touching what makes the Kinks' music so magic. That spirit is far better captured in the liner notes of The Kink Chronicles. Or just by playing the songs.
December 23, 2020
Very fun and enlightening biography of the Kinks. It’s particularly good on all the material they recorded after their 60s heyday, which as a Brit I’m barely aware of, and on the group’s dysfunctional relationships.
August 31, 2024
A rock band bio that checks all the boxes - anecdotes, back stories behind songs, wild nights on the road, one or more band members hitting rock bottom. The author is clearly a fan, but manages a disinterested posture from which to chronicle the bands' misadventures. Great read.
March 23, 2017
I loved this book and now want to read Ray and Dave Davies' books. The stories from the road were great!
March 25, 2018
Love the Kinks. But didn't love this book.
October 9, 2018
Garden variety bio of the Kinks. Does share some unattractive Ray Davies characteristics.
April 8, 2020
This book mirror's The Kinks career; too much repetitive drivel, with the occasional high quality moment.
September 17, 2020
A Bizarre History of Rock n' Roll and one of the greatest British bands of all time.
January 14, 2021
“But I don’t need no friends. As long as I gaze on Waterloo sunset I am in paradise.”
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 45 reviews