Ray Davies Turns 70

Happy belated to Ray Davies, who turned 70 on Saturday, born on June 21, 1944 in London, England.

A reviewer at latimes.com considers that the Kinks, with Davies in command as frontman, predominant songwriter, producer and arranger, created "the warmest, funniest, most varied and keenly intelligent body of work in the rock canon."

I find it hard to argue with him.

I've certainly always felt The Kinks were well ahead of their time and that a healthy sense of humor drove much of their work.

Aside from the darkly funny but poignant "Father Christmas", one of my favorite amusing Kinks tunes is this one:

And for sheer poignancy and realism, Celluloid Heroes (especially the live version) has got to be my favorite:

Get info on Ray Davies and his band's tour this summer at his website.