“I think rock music is just as important as painting.” Ray Davies—musician, poet, humorist, social critic and leader of one of the world’s oldest rock bands—is sitting in his Detroit hotel room, puffing a cigar, and contemplating just how seriously rock ’n’ roll should be taken. His stance isn’t that surprising, since many people have suggested over the years that “Waterloo Sunset”—one of the Kinks’ numerous masterpieces—is beautiful and vivid enough to be a painting as well as a pop song. If rock is indeed a serious art form, then Ray Davies has given the world some of its most wonderful works.

As far back as the British Invasion, Ray Davies wasn’t your typical rock ’n’ roll star. Unlike his English counterparts who based their appeal on cockiness or terminal cuteness, Davies never seemed totally comfortable in the role. It was strange to hear his shy, insecure voice projecting anthems of unrequited love over what was the wildest, rawest music anyone had ever heard in 1964. “You Really Got Me” and the tunes that followed planted a seed that would eventually spawn heavy metal, as well as four-chord punk rock, making the Kinks a major influence on the popular music of our time. Van Halen and the Pretenders probably wouldn’t argue with that. Neither would Ian Hunter, David Bowie, Sly Stone, the Jam, the Knack, the Romantics, Robert Palmer, the Stone City Band or Peggy Lee, all of whom have recorded songs originally written for the Kinks. More importantly, most of the band’s early records sound as fresh and exciting today as they did in the mid-60’s, living up to the often overused classifications of timeless and legendary music.