The Kinks

Pete Quaife: I was a bass player and I was supposed to know my place.

Dave Davies: On my 50th birthday, I was up in London, and Ray threw a surprise party for me. It was really nice of him to do that. So I went up to him and grabbed hold of him and kissed him on the cheek and his body just stiffened as if I were going to try to eat him or something.

Dave Davies: I think the problem the Kinks have had is that the music always has been so diverse. I think sometimes it's hurt us commercially. There'll be 12 or 15 songs on an album and they'll all be different, all have identities of their own. I think that's confused a lot of record companies. People find it hard to pigeonhole the Kinks.

Ray Davies: I thinkthat songwriting changed when groups started spending more time in the studio. See, when groups were on the road, they used to go right in the studio and create the same kind of feeling they had on the road, and the stuff they used to cut was influenced by what they did at gigs.

Pete Quaife: Ray wanted complete control of everything. He was a control freak. As for Dave, well, I think Ray felt obligated to listen to his ideas a little more because he was blood. But Ray sure as hell didn't encourage it from Dave either.

Ray Davies: Maybe people should have a winding down session before listening to our songs. Maybe they should be briefed. Or debriefed. I think they should be debriefed.

Dave Davies: I think the problem the Kinks have had is that the music always has been so diverse. I think sometimes it's hurt us commercially. There'll be 12 or 15 songs on an album and they'll all be different, all have identities of their own.

Ray Davies: If I had to my life to do over, I would change every single thing I have done.

Dave Davies: Working with the Kinks, there always seemed to be some kind of automatic process at work. Ray and I had this telepathy happening for a long time, where one of us always knew what the other could do with something.

Ray Davies: I've written so many songs about Englishmen, I have to go elsewhere.