Buttmunker

I think we can pretty much all agree that the top two tiers of the 1960's British Invasion belong to The Beatles and The Rolling Stones - whichever position you feel they belong - whether No.1 or No.2 - is debatable at best. I guess No.1 would go to The Beatles from a "sales" point of view, if for nothing else. The Rolling Stones sometimes impressed me more because they actually played the harder instruments on their songs (thanks to Brian Jones, for the most part - playing exotic instruments like the Sitar, Marimba, Recorder, Saxophone, Oboe, Mellotron, Autoharp, etc), while The Beatles had session musicians play the exotic instruments (or sometimes employed Brian Jones). The notable exception, of course, is George Harrison playing the Sitar on " Norwegian Wood".

I would venture to say that the No.3 and No.4 spots would go to The Kinks and The Who - but who would be No.3 and who would be No.4, and why?

The Kinks could be more folksy, more whimsical - but they could rock very early in the game with hits like You Really Got Me and All Day and All of the Night. Their rockers are very spaced out between more acoustic, thoughtful numbers. They were also known for being very artistic in their later 60's albums ("The Kinks Are The Village Green Preservation Society").

But so were The Who. Their efforts at "concept albums," like Tommy in 1969 take a great artistic vision, and Pete Townshend had that, and more. They rocked like nobody's business when they first started out, and I think the may have been ahead of their time because they weren't very well received in the U.S. (and, by Townshend's expectations, neither did the UK receive them in a way he wanted to be received - he once said he would spit in the UK consumer's eye for the way his single "I Can See For Miles" was received by the record buying public.

Do you think any other band/performer from the 1960's British Invasion deserves the No.3 and No.4 positions more than The Kinks and The Who? If not, then which band would you place in each position?

cungar

Used to be a huge Who fan but I realize now that Ray Davies is a better songwriter than Pete Townshend and more quintisentially British so I'll go with the Kinks. I also feel the Kinks have more great albums than the Who. As live performers though, the Who blow the Kinks away no contest.

5 and 6 would be the Small Faces and the Move

starman9000

Do the Yardbirds/Zepp factor in the British invasion?

I like the Kinks more and would even rate them ahead of the Stones.

Dusty Springfield would make my top 5 too I think.

Buttmunker

Really - over, say, a band like The Hollies?

Buttmunker

I wouldn't think so, since they came later on.

The Hollies, however, formed in 1962, around the time of the "Invasion."

Hokeyboy

If you're asking me which band I liked more, I'd go with The Kinks.

Chrisedge

Just saw this the other day...

Buttmunker

You know, that's pretty accurate to what I was thinking, too.

starman9000

Liar, you just said no to the Yardbirds!

Buttmunker

I meant insofar as the Top 4 positions were concerned. Not so much with the rest of the chart - just the Top 4.

Mordred

Herman's Hermits broke the combo

Mordred

The Yardbirds were active from '63-'68. I don't know how popular there were here in the States, but they're definitely the right time frame. Zeppelin is too late to get the label though.

nando820

The Kinks all the fucking way! the Who is good but no comparison

SkullOrchard

The Kinks.

The 10 best Kinks songs are every bit as great as the 10 best Beatles or Stones songs.

The Kinks are one of the most criminally underrated band in the history of Rock & Roll.

foofighters7

Uh, easy response to this lunacy. No.

In regard to The Kinks/The Who, it has to be The Who.

The Kinks are great but really not quite on the same level with The WHO.

nando820

says the guy who likes the Foo Fighter.... sorry had to do it

cungar

YES Definitely

cungar

Even the Stones can't touch this run. Only the Beatles from Rubber Soul to Abbey Road beats it.

Face to Face (1966)
Something Else by The Kinks (1967)
The Kinks Are the Village Green Preservation Society (1968)
Arthur (Or the Decline and Fall of the British Empire) (1969)
Lola Versus Powerman and the Moneygoround, Part One (1970)
Muswell Hillbillies (1971)

cungar

Is this based on sales? Ridiculous that there's no Small Faces on there. Petula Clark Phhht.

Ky-Fi

Overall I'd clearly give the nod to the Kinks, but I might prefer the Who's songs in the '65-'67 period---those were some amazing singles.

kd5

The Kinks have some really good songs (Celluloid Heroes being one of my favorites) but I have to choose The Who. The Who just have WAY more songs that click with me. I'm not discounting The Kinks in any way shape or form, they have some of the most enduring and memorable music on the planet, but I choose The Who over The Kinks, probably influenced most by Tommy. -kd5-

statcat

the kinks

inri222

The Who

statcat

I like the who but I always preferred the small faces over them. It's a shame Marriott got pissy and went off to form Humble Pie.

Don Homer

The Who all the way. Hell, I'd take The Who over the Stones anyday.