The Kinks - One For The Road (Live) (1980)

Formed in Muswell Hill, North London, in 1964 by the Davies brothers, Ray and Dave, The Kinks are considered one of the most important and influential bands of the era, as part of the British Invasion. Their music was influenced by many genres, including rhythm and blues, British variety and folk music, and country.

The Kinks first gained recognition in 1964 with their third single, "You Really Got Me", written by Ray Davies. The song became an international hit, reaching number one in the UK and the Top 10 in the US.

From the mid-1960s to the early 1970s, the band released a series of commercially successful and critically acclaimed singles and concept albums, and gained recognition for their songs and albums that explored English culture and lifestyle, imbued with Ray Davies' unique, contemplative vision.

The Kinks' subsequent stage concept albums were less successful, but the band enjoyed a minor revival in the late 1970s and early 1980s, when bands such as Van Halen, The Jam, The Knack, and The Pretenders covered their songs, boosting The Kinks' record sales. In the 1990s, Britpop acts such as Blur and Oasis cited the band as a major influence.

The Kinks disbanded in 1996 due to the failure of their last few albums and artistic tensions between the two brothers.

This '79 live album is a great example of how good The Kinks were live!!

The Kinks' scattershot U.S. career never fully flourished like that of their British Invasion peers. The most quintessentially British of British bands -- especially in the increasingly nostalgic songs of vocalist/rhythm guitarist Ray Davies -- the Kinks enjoyed a spike in popularity in America in the late '70s and early '80s. The gold-selling 1980 double-live album One for the Road is a fascinating document of trailblazing elder statesmen who paved the way for heavy metal and punk, but never felt a glorious pop song was out of their grasp. It also proves that Dave Davies is a criminally underrated lead guitarist. Brothers Dave and Ray Davies, bass guitarist Jim Rodford, drummer Mick Avory, and guest keyboardists Ian Gibbons and Nick Newell recorded One for the Road at several concerts in 1979 and 1980. "Lola" is the best-known track from this album, and this live reading was a minor hit single; Ray Davies' teasing intro shows his playful side. "The Hard Way," "Low Budget," a raw, stripped-down "(Wish I Could Fly Like) Superman," "Celluloid Heroes," and "You Really Got Me" are the other standouts.