In 1964 there was a moment when the Kinks came close to beating the Rolling Stones into second place as Britain’s most successful group, behind the Beatles. Though that laurel was to be denied, they well deserve their spot in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame largely due to its songwriter Ray Davies’ standards such as “Sunny Afternoon”, “Waterloo Sunset” and “Lola” and albums like The Village Green Preservation Society. Although Davies insists the Kinks was a democracy, the others in the band invariably drew the short straw according to this exhaustive account of his “complicated” life. They included Davies’ younger brother, Dave, a formidable guitarist and talented songwriter in his own right. Ray Davies was already complicat