Howdy, Davies' life goes beyond 15 seconds of distortion fame January 29, 1999 By Wayne Bledsoe, News-Sentinel music writer Knoxville News-Sentinel In 1964, a 16-year-old guitarist played a 15-second solo that forever changed modern music. Dave Davies went into a London recording studio to record the Kinks' "You Really Got Me" with an intentionally damaged guitar amp. He had, in fact, cut the amp's speaker cone with a razor blade, giving his guitar the distorted aural smack of a giant rubber band. On radio, it sounded like a wild liberation, grittier and more unbridled than anything then heard over the airwaves. Through the next few years, Davies' solos became an essential part of the Kinks' biggest hits. Davies says working on the early Kinks records was "like catching lightning out of the sky." "I don't think you're aware of what you're doing at the time," says Davies, in a phone call from Los Angeles. "I mean if we had recorded 'Till the End of the Day' two hours later it would've been completely different." Through the years, Davies' contributions to the Kinks have been overshadowed by those of his brother Ray. Ray was the primary songwriter, lead singer and spokesman for the group (which is now on an indefinite hiatus). "The constant problem with the Kinks is that we had too much material," says Davies. "But it's better that way than the other way 'round." Davies says he wanted to release his two-disc career retrospective "Unfinished Business" (Velvel) "to put the record straight a little bit on my contribution to the Kinks." The set includes the group's first demo (recorded as The Ravens); highlights from Davies' vocal, guitar and songwriting contributions to the Kinks; excerpts from solo albums and some new recordings of his better-known songs, original versions of which could not be licensed for release in the United States. The set comes on the heels of Davies' autobiography, "Kink" (Hyperion Press). Unlike his brother, who wrote an "unauthorized autobiography" (it was written as if it were fiction), Davies chose the path of brutal honesty. One of the revelations in "Kink" was a romance when Davies was 15-years-old. His girlfriend became pregnant. However, Davies would not see his daughter from the relationship for 30 years. At the time, the teenagers' parents kept the two apart, insisting to each that the other never wanted to see them again. "It affected me very deeply, and I probably only came to terms with it when we met again in middle age," says Davies. He says nearly every song he wrote as a young man reflects the pain he felt from the loss of the relationship. Yet, Davies says his mother was probably working from the best intentions. "I think Mom knew it would drag me down," says Davies. "We were working class people. I think my mother saw I had an opportunity and if I didn't take it I'd end up having some menial job." Davies eventually reconnect with his lost love and formed a relationship with his daughter. The book also chronicles Davies's tumultuous relationship with Ray. Davies says his brother has never admitted to reading the book. "There have been some confrontations and it's been awful sometimes," says Davies. "But, you know, the dark side dissipates." In the end, Davies says the brothers' individual strengths help the other. Davies is currently planning a solo album of new material. He recently recorded an album of instrumental music with his son, Russell. And he says he would like to make another Kinks record. He does not, however, seem interested in the possibility of touring with the reunited original Kinks line-up, an idea that his older brother has occasionally floated to the press. "I don't think that's a particularly smart idea," says Davies. "And, Ray has never mentioned it to me." Ironically, Davies has found himself having to defend that he was actually the person who fired that first shot of distortion in "You Really Got Me." Led Zeppelin founder Jimmy Page, who was an aspiring studio musician in 1965, has occasionally taken credit for Davies' famous solo. "It's an old lie that keeps coming up," says Davies. "I think he should shut his trap before he embarrasses himself in his old age ... I'm very surprised he would say things like that considering the success that he's had in his own career. If he's so desperate for attention, I feel very sorry for him." ---- Take care, Shane Rhyne Knoxville, TN [EMAIL PROTECTED]
