The Kinks

The Kinks were an English rock band formed in Muswell Hill, North London, in 1963 by brothers Dave and Ray Davies. They are regarded as one of the most important and influential rock groups of the era. The band emerged in 1964 during the height of British rhythm and blues and Merseybeat, and were briefly part of the British Invasion of the US until their touring ban in 1965. Their third single, the Ray Davies penned "You Really Got Me", became an international hit, topping the charts in the United Kingdom and reaching the Top 10 in the United States. Between the mid-1960s and early 1970s, the group released a string of hit singles; studio albums drew good reviews but sold less than compilations of their singles. They gained a reputation for reflecting English culture and lifestyle, fuelled by Ray Davies' observational writing style. Albums such as Face to Face, Something Else, The Kinks Are the Village Green Preservation Society, Arthur, Lola Versus Powerman and the Moneygoround and Muswell Hillbillies, along with their accompanying singles, are considered among the most influential recordings of the period.

Kinks (album)

Kinks is the self-titled debut album by English rock band The Kinks, released in 1964. It was released with three tracks omitted as You Really Got Me in the US.

The album was re-released in 1998 in the UK on Castle Records with twelve bonus tracks. This reissue was itself reissued in 2004 on the Sanctuary label. A deluxe edition was released on 28 March 2011.

Reception

Allmusic assessed the album as lacking in consistency, commenting that "As R&B cover artists, the Kinks weren't nearly as adept as the Stones and Yardbirds; Ray Davies' original tunes were, "You Really Got Me" aside, perfunctory Mersey Beat-ish pastiches; and [the] tunes that producer Shel Talmy penned for the group... were simply abominable."

Track listing

All songs by Ray Davies, except where noted.

UK release (Pye NPL 18096 mono: NSPL 83021 stereo)

US Release You Really Got Me (Reprise R-6143 (mono) RS-6143 (stereo)) track listing

Big Sky

Big Sky may refer to:

Places

Television, film and books

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Other

Big Sky (TV series)

Big Sky is an Australian television drama series produced by John Edwards that ran for two seasons on Network Ten from 1997 to 1999.

The show centred on the adventures of the pilots of a small aviation company in Australia called "Big Sky Aviation" and the battles of the owner to keep the company running. Chief pilot Chris Manning is determined to look after his team, even if that conflicts with the new boss, Lauren Allen, who has inherited the company following the death of her father.

Cast

Locations

Episode list

(Season One)

Big Sky (song)

"Big Sky" is a song by the British rock band The Kinks. Appearing on their critically acclaimed album The Kinks Are the Village Green Preservation Society, the song was written by Ray Davies.

Background

The lyrics of "Big Sky" tell about how "big sky looked down on all the people looking up at the big sky," and how "big sky looked down on all the people who think they got problems ... but big sky is too big to sympathize." Ray Davies originally came up with the song at a hotel in Cannes. Davies said, "I spent an evening with all these people doing deals. The next morning at the Carlton Hotel I watched the sun come up and I looked at them all down there, all going out to do their deals. That's where I got the "Big sky looking down on all the people" line. It started from there." At one point, Davies was asked whether the "Big sky" was God, he refused to give a clear answer.

"Big Sky" was one of two tracks recorded in Autumn 1968 (the other being "Last of the Steam-Powered Trains"), after Ray Davies had convinced Pye to withdraw the original 12-track version of The Kinks Are the Village Green Preservation Society. Since it was written far prior to its recording, author Andy Miller speculates that the song, like "Picture Book", was intended to be on a canceled Ray Davies solo album, but upon the project's collapse, it was used for The Kinks Are the Village Green Preservation Society.