The Kinks Vs Van Halen: Battle Finally Commences

[Va Beach VH Fan]

Bitter old Brit....

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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