The Kinks emerged from the musical activities of brothers Ray and Dave Davies, born three years apart and raised in Muswell Hill, London. Their first musical incarnation was the Ray Davies Quartet, formed around 1960 with schoolmate Pete Quaife, and this line up, with various drummers, performed blues, folk and jazz at pubs and coffee houses mainly in the north London area. Guitar instrumentals, R&B and rock’n’roll songs were added to the set list as the band went through frequent name changes. This CD is a collection of the songs that were most influential on the sound of the early Kinks and is representative of the live repertoire of the band from the time immediately prior to their signing a recording contract with Pye Records in January 1964. The illustrated 24-page booklet includes essays by Doug Hinman and Nick Duckett and explains the relevance of each track to The Kinks.
R008
