Both great, hugely original and influential bands. I'd go with Blur, as I think that they had far more variation in their sound than The Kinks. But maybe that's just my age. First band I ever saw live, in 1993.
Kinks for me. One of the best bands I have ever heard live. Dave Davies took a razor blade and made cuts in his speakers tweeters to achieve that raunchy sound. The best band I personally ever saw live and I saw the Stones, Beatles, The Who, Mungo Jerry, Free etc etc, was the Jimi Hendrix Experience without any shadow of a doubt.! Absolutely spine tingling.
I wasn't even born when The Kinks were at their height, in the 60s, but still rate them as one of my all time favourite bands. I can't be bothered to look this up as fact, but I also have it in my mind that, the song MC Peachey has chosen, Waterloo Sunset, was No.1 when England won the World Cup, 30/7/1966. I was, however, a music mad young lad in the early 80s when The Kinks released Come Dancing which struck a chord with me as it just felt like it was written about my older sister. Becaus of the Davies brothers major fallout, and the death of Pete Quaife, The Kinks are no more, but seen Ray Davies perform (backed by a choir, Glastonbury 2010) and it blew my socks off. Blur, undoubtedly good, but will people still listen to their material 50+ years down the line and call it timeless? I'm not so sure. Edit: over my morning cuppa, I seem to think it was Sunny Afternoon that was No.1 when Sir Bobby lifted the Jules Rimet.
Not really a fair competition pitting Britain’s greatest ever song writer against Damon. I like Blur’s lo fi scuzz stuff but some of their Parklife period material is just laughable. Good live though.
I guess choosing Lola is a bit obvious but I've always loved that song. They crafted a succession of superb songs with fabulous lyrics. Maybe there should be a Kinks v Beatles thread.
Kinks for me. One of my all - time favourites. I do like Blur though and saw them at Leeds festival in the early 2000s which was great. Two stunning nostalgic songs to compare that show the thread between Davies and Albarn...
Has to be " You really got Me". Story goes that Dave Davies was alone in his flat in Muswell Hill after splitting from his girlfriend and in a pure fit of melancholia, he took razor blade to the tweeter in a speaker and slashed it. Next recording session it was used on " You really got me" and purely by accident the Kinks "new" sound was born. Incidentally at a loose end one night, I went for a pint and a game of Snooker in " Fred's Red bar" at Leeds University. There was a Concert in an adjoining room and it sounded really good. Back at our digs on St Marks Road later, I was told by Michael a Medical student, that it had been a band from the Midlands called Black Sabbath.!!!