It’s Dad Rock Tuesday (well, Wednesday I guess, but never you mind) once again, and this week, I’m fairly impressed. I’ll be honest, The Kinks’ self-titled debut kind of rocks. For an album that was released during the same year as my father (1964), this album still has a fair bit of magic. It’s also clear that The Kinks’ sound serves as an inspiration for a few of today’s rock bands.
Many Dad Rock Tuesdays find me hating on an album that no longer sounds modern, and has lost most (or all) of its relevance. Surprisingly, while this near-ancient record could never be referred to as relevant, it’s The Kinks’ old-school rock ‘n roll sound that draws me to it. Perhaps it’s because this is a style of music that I really enjoy, or because many current buzzbands are emulating its sound. I’d say that it’s a mixture of both that makes this record appealing to a jaded fan of modern rock music.
The Kinks also have something that most up-and-coming rock bands are missing. Crazy-good harmonica riffs are all over this album, and I can’t get enough. More bands really should start using this wonderful instrument, but only if they’re good. Nothing can ruin a song like some obnoxious harmonica playing. But there’s none of that to be found on this album, as every song featuring a bit of harmonica gets yet another layer of awesome added to it.
I wasn’t expecting to enjoy this record, but The Kinks’ debut has managed to age fairly well in its four-plus decades of existence.
Swole Ear 
Message for your internet service from the Kinks: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TMp2WgcmZRQ
Brother Ear, you know what else is great about this record, your link song, You Really Got Me, doesn’t rhyme. It just builds and builds and builds and then blows up. That is some cool songwriting that just ignores convention. Maybe Lucinda Williams got close with Changed the Locks (Tom Petty covered it), but this song will never get old. And the message, haven’t we all been there at some point?
Your Dad and I are apparently communicating telepathically but not perfectly. Last week, I was going to write him to strongly suggest that he offer up the Kinks’ 1970 master work “Lola vs. Powerman and the Moneygoround, Pt. 1”. It is a very different album than the Kinks debut, having absorbed six years of Beatles, Stones and all the rest of it and has little harmonica or R&B but lots of great songs. You will not be disappointed.
Sorry, Brother Ear, I have another question. If the band is “The Kinks” and the album is “Kinks” is it really self-titled? I think not.
Mr. Ear, Some harmonica for your ass: contemporaries of The Kinks using it to replace a pretty famous rock’n’roll violin solo: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oLwRZ3pfwUI&feature=related
…and something new that sounds like it could have been the source for a 1964 Kinks cover: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wHyalVRUXrA