Today The Kinks, one of the greatest ever British rock groups, celebrate their 60th Anniversary with the release of The Journey - Part 1 (available in in all formats here). Formed in 1963 in Muswell Hill, North London, by brothers Ray and Dave Davies with their friend Pete Quaife, and joined by Mick Avory in early 1964, the band quickly established themselves as one of the epoch-defining groups of the 60s, with their impact still being felt around the world today.
The stats speak for themselves: The Kinks have sold over 50 million records worldwide and have been streamed over a billion times; they have achieved five US Top 10 singles, nine US Top 40 albums, seventeen UK Top 20 singles and five UK Top 10 albums, with four albums certified Gold. Among numerous honors, they have received the Ivor Novello Award for Outstanding Service To British Music and have been inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame and the UK Music Hall of Fame. Multi-award winning, legendary frontman Sir Ray Davies is widely recognized as one of the greatest British songwriters of all time.
The Kinks 60 campaign will be a two-year-long celebration of their illustrious musical journey career, confirming their place as one of the greatest and most influential rock groups of all time. As a key part of the campaign, and to mark this milestone, a career-defining anthology, The Journey, will be released on BMG in two parts, with The Journey - Part 1 out today, March 24, 2023.
The songs on The Journey - Part 1 (1964-1975) have been handpicked for the first time by Ray, Dave and Mick, curated according to themes inspired by the trials and tribulations of their journey through life together as a band since 1963. Featuring hits such as “You Really Got Me,” “Waterloo Sunset,” “All Day And All Of The Night,” “Celluloid Heroes,” “Supersonic Rocket Ship,” “Dead End Street,” and “Death Of A Clown” The Journey - Part 1 follows recently remastered 50th anniversary deluxe editions of The Village Green Preservation Society, Lola Versus Powerman Part 1, Muswell Hillbillies and Everybody's In Show-Biz. All tracks have been lovingly remastered from the original audio sources.
"Ask yourself the question, is this journey really necessary?.......Yes!” Ray Davies muses on The Journey. Dave Davies continues, “I’m delighted with what I think is an inspiring selection of timeless and magical Kinks music.”
The Journey - Part 1 is out now on 2CD, 2LP, Digital and HD Digital albums. The physical formats contain a booklet with band photos and personal track-by-track notes from Ray, Mick, and Dave, sharing their memories of the time these tracks were recorded and weaving them into the Kinks’ incredible story.
Details of the The Journey - Part 2 will follow later this year.
A host of global events and activities will be launching throughout 2023 & 2024 to mark the band’s 60th, with more to be announced in the coming months.
