Ray Davies

Ozzy Osbourne has suggested that Ray Davies invented heavy metal with his signature guitar-riff opening on "You Really Got Me." While that may be true, Davies's career with and without the Kinks has shown mainly that the guy has a true knack for inventive pop songwriting and for writing incisive...

By Tom Murphy

March 18, 2010

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Ozzy Osbourne has suggested that Ray Davies invented heavy metal with his signature guitar-riff opening on "You Really Got Me." While that may be true, Davies's career with and without the Kinks has shown mainly that the guy has a true knack for inventive pop songwriting and for writing incisive lyrics that expose not only the distasteful hypocrisies of society, but also a vulnerable side to the rock musician that many hide with absurd posturing and bombast. Despite his acerbic wit, there's a nostalgic streak evident in many of Davies's songs — but rather than romanticize the past, he seems to view those times and people as they really were, lovingly evoking their essence, warts and all. Both Davies and his music have aged well, and this show is sure to be unforgettable.

Tom Murphy is a writer, visual artist and musician from Aurora, Colorado. He was a prolific music writer for Westword and a documenter of the Denver music scene.

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