The Kinks Vs Van Halen: Battle Finally Commences

[Va Beach VH Fan]

Bitter old Brit....

---------------------------------------------

http://www.classicrockmagazine.com/news/the-kinks-vs-van-halen-battle-finally-commences/

It’s taken him more than 30 years, but the The Kinks’ Dave Davies has finally offered his opinion on Van Halen’s cover of You Really Got Me. His verdict? “I’m sure Eddie Van Halen played better when he was drunk.”

Classic Rock’s Rob Hughes met up with Davies last week and they got talking about Van Halen’s 1978 cover of The Kinks classic.

Davies didn’t seem overly impressed by the VH version. Here’s what he had to say:

“Van Halen’s version was very Middle America. It was like, ‘Hey man, look at me with my tight trousers! Here’s our version of You Really Got Me!’

“There’s the thing: good art isn’t always about having the comfiest technique. I shouldn’t encourage him, but I’m sure Eddie Van Halen played better when he was drunk. But it must be a good record if people like it.

“We got pissed off though, when we played America. The Kinks had an album out called Low Budget [1979] and we ended up touring and playing stadiums. Some kid came up to me after one of the gigs and said: ‘I like your cover of Van Halen’s You Really Got Me.’ You have to smile sometimes.”

[ThrillsNSpills]

Bitter indeed.
It was one of the best covers in Rock.

and if Ed played better drunk then it's a great advertisement for Schlitz Malt liquor, no?

[sadaist]

That song is so much a signature CVH song & sound that they chose it as the opener on the 07/08 tour. Great tune.

[VAiN]

Wow, what a cunt... I don't get the playing drunk reference.. I mean, sure - we all agree that EVH was the man in the 80's and he was hammered/stoned out of his mind - what's you're point, Davies?

[chefcraig]

I believe Davies is merely pointing out that the fashions people wore in the late seventies (platform shoes, impossibly tight pants) were a bit more comfortable to wander around the stage with if you had a few belts in you. And it is somewhat easy to accept a sense of bitterness there. For all of the brilliance of their albums, the Kinks were quite unheralded in the U.S. If some kid came up to him and said "I like your cover of Van Halen’s You Really Got Me" more than a decade after the Kinks had released the tune, he had every right to be pissed.

[Va Beach VH Fan]

He should be grateful to have one of his songs "Halenized", as Dave eloquently said once.....

[chefcraig]

He should be grateful to have one of his songs "Halenized", as Dave eloquently said once.....

Davies is probably just jealous. After all, the Pretenders covered "Stop Your Sobbing", and his brother Ray wound up banging Chrissie Hyde.

[Carloscda]

That's contradictory to what he said on one of those rock countdown shows on VH-1
He said he liked VH's version better than theirs!

[fryingdutchman]

Nobody really gives a fuck what either of the Davies brothers have to say at this point.

[ThrillsNSpills]

They should have done All day and all of the Night instead of Where Have All the Good Times Gone.

Ray should cash the checks and be grateful.

[VAiN]

Nobody really gives a fuck what either of the Davies brothers have to say at this point.

This seems to be the trend with brothers in a band, huh?

[indeedido]

He's a bitter old turd.

[Jagermeister]

He should be grateful to have one of his songs "Halenized", as Dave eloquently said once.....

I bet Dave would do a whole album of cover tunes if Ed would go for it.

[ALMOSTsaved]

They should have done All day and all of the Night instead of Where Have All the Good Times Gone.

I've always thought this as well.

[IcarntRite55]

kinks = still a fashion able broad fanbased respected band with world wide hits
van halen = massivly unfashion able thought of as hair metal rock band who were big in norfh america for a few years with no worldwide hits ecept a keebored tune
sorry but its true and i lofe them

davis means eddie is all trousers with his cumfart able technique and art isnt about speed of playing and profiency on an instrument and that he probly should have played drunk so that his technique was sloppyer making his compostitions better

he has a point to a degree but its a bit arrowgant to critisise hEadwoods style that way

[VHscraps]

That's contradictory to what he said on one of those rock countdown shows on VH-1
He said he liked VH's version better than theirs!

Yup - both he and Ray Davies have said very complimentary things about VH's version. Dave Davies is - to use an expression EVH would understand - 'a bit of a loose cannon'. My guesses as to how we read this are:

(i) that the journo didn't quite get Dave Davies' English sarcasm - and he is a sarky git.
(ii) Dave Davies does interview with journalist, gets reminded that he never gets credit for the Kinks (RAY DAVIES gets all the credit for the Kinks), and ends up generally pissed off about anyone getting credit for his riff.

Re- what some folks are saying about other Kinks' covers - I thought they did a great version of 'Where Have All the Good Times Gone' - better than the original, and better than some others I've heard (e.g. Bowie). Dave manages to wrest something you'd have to say is melodic out of a very un-melodic vocal line (on the original Kinks version).

[fryingdutchman]

The Davies brothers make the Van Halen brothers look musically relevant these days...and that's saying something.

[Ruprecht]

the haleners version is a lot louder than the kinks vesion, so haleners guitars where newer and louder than kinks guitars, cheap one from 60's / listen to the record and hear the difference

[DlocRoth]

They should have done All day and all of the Night instead of Where Have All the Good Times Gone.

Ray should cash the checks and be grateful.

Agree they would have tore that song to shreds....

But I bet they didnt do it because that and YRGM sound almost identical.

[Diamondjimi]

DAVE DAVIES Slams VAN HALEN's THE KINKS Cover - Aug. 2, 2010
The Pulse of Radio reports: Over 30 years since VAN HALEN broke the Top 40 with their high-octane cover of THE KINKS' "You Really Got Me" — THE KINKS' Dave Davies says he's got a problem with it. Davies, who is recovering after being sidelined by a 2004 stroke, took a poke at VAN HALEN, telling Classic Rock, "There's the thing: good art isn't always about having the comfiest technique. I shouldn't encourage him, but I'm sure Eddie Van Halen played better when he was drunk. But it must be a good record if people like it. VAN HALEN's version was very Middle America. It was like, 'Hey man, look at me with my tight trousers! Here's our version of 'You Really Got Me'!"

Davies says that THE KINKS actually came to resent the cover version that was featured on VAN HALEN's 1978 self-titled debut. "We got pissed off though, when we played America," he said. "THE KINKS had an album out called 'Low Budget' and we ended up touring and playing stadiums. Some kid came up to me after one of the gigs and said: 'I like your cover of VAN HALEN's 'You Really Got Me'. You have to smile sometimes."

Dave Davies, who has always battled his brother Ray Davies for attention and control of THE KINKS says that he's responsible for the band's signature sound on "You Really Got Me" which propelled them to fame. "It wouldn't have been a record without, in all modesty, I think it wouldn't have been a record without that guitar sound on it, so it's like it paved the way for our whole career," he said.

Link (http://www.roadrunnerrecords.com/blabbermouth.net/news.aspx?mode=Article&newsitemID=143902)




Christ, what a bitter old fuck. Bet he enjoyed the fuckin monthly royalty cheques.
I mean is there really any cuntparasin....


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OR...



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[Little Texan]

Van Halen took that song and made it their own, and The Kinks version just pales in comparison. The old man is just jealous that the VH version smokes their version and that the song is identified as a VH song.

[hambon4lif]

[B][I] DAVE DAVIES Slams VAN HALEN's THE KINKS Cover - Aug. 2, 2010
The Pulse of Radio reports: Over 30 years since VAN HALEN broke the Top 40 with their high-octane cover of THE KINKS' "You Really Got Me" — THE KINKS' Dave Davies says he's got a problem with it. Davies, who is recovering after being sidelined by a 2004 stroke, took a poke at VAN HALEN, telling Classic Rock, "There's the thing: good art isn't always about having the comfiest technique. I shouldn't encourage him, but I'm sure Eddie Van Halen played better when he was drunk. But it must be a good record if people like it. VAN HALEN's version was very Middle America. It was like, 'Hey man, look at me with my tight trousers! Here's our version of 'You Really Got Me'!"

Davies says that THE KINKS actually came to resent the cover version that was featured on VAN HALEN's 1978 self-titled debut. "We got pissed off though, when we played America," he said. "THE KINKS had an album out called 'Low Budget' and we ended up touring and playing stadiums. Some kid came up to me after one of the gigs and said: 'I like your cover of VAN HALEN's 'You Really Got Me'. You have to smile sometimes."Where's the argument? Edward does play better when he's drunk! He's uninhibited that way! He becomes a total hack when everyone around make the fatal mistake of trying to dry him out.
I say leave him the fuck alone,and let him do whatever he's gotta do to get in the frame of mind to crank out some killer tunes! If people keep trying to intervene and change him......nobody will EVER hear any new Van Halen music. Just mind your own fucking business and let him do his thing!

As far as Dave Davies bitter staement? That's a testimony of total ownage. I don't think anyone in the last two generations even know who the fucking Kinks are anyways.

If anyone wants new music from Eddie, they really have to pull their nose out of his asshole and back the fuck off! The six-pack wasn't created by everyone crawling all up into his business!

[FORD]

And let's not forget, the Davies brothers got paid for this one too....


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3CHbFI2Ovc0


I heard they were gonna do a cover of Lola on the second Van Danniels album, but then Cherone got fired :biggrin:

[hambon4lif]

FUCK the 12-step bullshit! Ed's a timid dude.....when he cuts loose, he creates magic!

I say "Let It Be"......

here's Eddie......IN THE ZONE!

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[chefcraig]

Sorry my friend, but this is a DUPLICATE THREAD (http://www.rotharmy.com/forums/showthread.php?59724-The-Kinks-Vs-Van-Halen-Battle-Finally-Commences) :ashamed:

[Big Troubles]

I like the Kinks version, not better, but equally good.

VH took that song and made it a killer cover tune! VH is the only band I know of that can take a good/mediocre song and crank it up and make it their own.

[Big Troubles]

FUCK the 12-step bullshit! Ed's a timid dude.....when he cuts loose, he creates magic!

I say "Let It Be"......

here's Eddie......IN THE ZONE!



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May fav Eddie solo EVER! (altho I hav2 admit LWAN is pretty damn good as well- Same with '94)

Give the man more booze!

[FORD]

Sorry my friend, but this is a DUPLICATE THREAD (http://www.rotharmy.com/forums/showthread.php?59724-The-Kinks-Vs-Van-Halen-Battle-Finally-Commences) :ashamed:

And now, it's a merged thread.

[Hardrock69]

One thing I like about the Kinks version is the drum sound. It has that loud chika-boom sound like you hear on the original version of Dancing In The Streets by Martha And the Vandellas.