Dave Davies.
RESUME: Kinks (1963-).
LEGACY: Davies was just as apt to slug his brother Ray as he was to embellish Ray’s songs. That aggression is clearly exhibited in the feral guitars of “You Really Got Me.” Although Davies’ belligerent approach to chording was a major component of his early - ‘60s tone, he was aided and abetted by the El Peko amplifier that Ray immortalised as the “tiny green amp” in his book X-Ray. Even somewhat languid songs, such as “Sunny Afternoon” have an essence of menace, as if Davies is picking notes with a switchblade. Of course, Davies was capable of making ‘pretty’ sounds too, and his sensitive playing on songs such as “Waterloo Sunset” helped frame the mood of Ray’s lyrical ideas. But, let’s face it, the really groovy thing about Davies is that he was a seminal punk who delighted in giving his brother’s high-brow pop a kick in the ass.
NOTABLE GEAR: Guitars: Fender Elite, Fender Telecaster, ‘54 Fender Stratocaster, Gibson Artisan, Gibson Futura (early Explorer body prototype played by Dave on the Shindig TV show), Gibson L5-S, Gibson L6-S, Gibson Les Paul, Guild 12-string acoustic, Harmony Meteor. Amps: El Peko (the “You Really Got Me” amp), Fender Twin Reverb, Gallien-Krueger, Hiwatt, Peavey Pacemaker, Vox AC30. Signal processors: MXR compressor, MXR noise gate, MXR Phase 100, Roland Space Echo.
FAB TRACKS: “You Really Got Me” (1964), “All Day and All of the Night” (1964), “Tired of Waiting for You” (1965), “Sunny Afternoon” (1966), “Waterloo Sunset” (1967), “Victoria” (1969), “Lola” (1970), “Apeman” (1970), “Celluloid Heroes” (1972), “Ducks on the Wall” (1975), “Face in the Crowd” (1975), “Sleepwalker” (1977), “Rock ‘n’ Roll Fantasy” (1978), “Catch Me Now I’m Falling” (1979).
Guitar Player, March 1998.
