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With Ray Davies

An epic career spanning interview with Kinks frontman Ray Davies. Tom and Ray discuss song writing and the stories behind some of his lesser known gems.

Ray Davies owes his status as one of pop's National Treasures to world famous Kinks hits such as You Really Got Me, Days, Waterloo Sunset, Lola and Sunny Afternoon.

But in this three hour interview, fan and former prot茅g茅 Tom Robinson hears the fascinating backstory behind many less-known Davies gems suggested by listeners - which span a fifty year writing career from the 1960s to the present day.

A recurrent theme is The Culture Of B Sides - a subject close to Ray's heart. "Although they're notionally just a way of filling up space on a record", he says, "B sides are usually more revealing about an artist than the hard sell of the A Side. It's interesting what people do when their guard's down..."

The conversation is wide ranging - from the merits of demos to the pressures of success; from the family tragedy behind Ray's biggest American hit, to the day Alan Bennett refused to work with The Kinks because "it would give me indigestion".

And who knew the teenage Davies was launched on his songwriting career by jazz saxophonist Lol Coxhill in a Soho basement, with the words "you should do your own music... because you're no good at mine.".

3 hours

Last on

Sat 1 Aug 2020 21:00
91热爆 Radio 6 Music

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Music Played

  • The Kinks

    You Really Got Me

    • The Journey - Part 1.
    • BMG.

  • Ray Davies & Crouch End Festival Chorus

    Waterloo Sunset / Days - Glastonbury 2010

  • The Kinks

    Big Black Smoke

    • The Best Of The Kinks 1966-67.
    • Pickwick.
    • 7.

  • The Kinks

    Celluloid Heroes

    • Essential.

  • The Kinks

    Sweet Lady Genevieve

    • Celluloid Heroes.
    • Sanctuary Records.
    • 7.

  • The Kinks

    Picture Book

    • Castle.

  • The Kinks

    Phenomenal Cat

    • The Kinks Are The Village Green Preservation Society.
    • PRT.

  • Ray Davies

    Creatures Of Little Faith

    • Other People's Lives.
    • V2.

  • The Kinks

    I'm Not Like Everybody Else

  • The Kinks

    I Go To Sleep (Demo Version)

    • Kinda Kinks (Deluxe Edition).
    • Universal.

  • The Kinks

    The Moneygoround

    • Lola Versus Powerman And The Moneygoround, Part One.
    • Pye Records.

  • Little Richard

    Tutti Frutti

    • That's Rock'n'Roll (Various Artists).
    • EMI.

  • The Kinks

    Come Dancing

    • The Kinks - The Definitive Collection.
    • Polygram Tv.

  • The Kinks

    How Are You?

    • Think Visual.
    • London Records.

  • Ray Davies

    The Tourist

    • Other People's Lives.
    • V2.

  • The Kinks

    Some Mother's Son

    • Arthur Or The Decline And Fall Of The British Empire.
    • Pye Records.

  • Ray Davies

    Working Man's Caf茅

    • Working Man's Cafe.
    • VR.

  • Ray Davies

    London Song

    • London Song.
    • EMI.

  • The Kinks

    Where Did My Spring Go?

    • Warner Chappell Music Inc.

  • Ray Davies & Crouch End Festival Chorus

    Village Green Medley

    • The Kinks Choral Collection.
    • Universal.

  • KOG

    Bad Man Town (feat. Dark Angel)

  • leah music

    A Letter To The World

  • Benefits

    Shh Britain

  • WomenSaid

    Lena

  • Joshua Burnside

    Born in the Blood

  • Morkeus

    Polygamous Mammoth

Broadcast

  • Sat 1 Aug 2020 21:00
    91热爆 Radio 6 Music