Gaumont Cinema, 27 Westover Road, Bournemouth, 2 August 1964 On August 2, 1964, two days before the release of You Really Got Me, the Kinks met the Beatles, whom they were to precede immediately on the stage in Bournemouth, in the south of England. John Lennon, who had quickly developed into a master competitor, decided to intimidate this unproven act and keep them aware of their proper place. As Ray tells the story and the other Kinks and Grenville Collins confirm, Lennon approached Ray as he prepared to step on stage. He asked about Rays Fender Telecaster guitar and then brashly adjusted one of its controls before condescendingly brushing some dandruff off the shoulders of Rays red hunting jacket. Then, as Lennon peeked at the crowd through the curtains, Ray, with nervous innocence said, Its our turn. Youre on after us. Lennon, in his deep northern accent, replied, With the Beatles, laddie, nobody gets a turn. Youre just there to keep the crowd occupied until we go on. Duly intimidated, Davies took the stage but not before Lennon added something else: Well lads, if you get stuck and run out of songs to play well lend you some of ours - most bands opening for the Fab Four did include a Beatles song to minimize the screams for the headliners. As the Kinks played, calls for John, Paul, George, and Ringo rained upon them. Rays competitive furnace, however, began to heat up. Recalling his schoolboy defeats in track and boxing, he decided to change the set list, replacing Got Love If You Want It with their single in waiting, You Really Got Me. The song had been well received for several weeks now, and if the Kinks were going to lose this audience, they would do so with their own material and on their own terms. Dave turned up the volume on his amp, blasted the ragged chords, and within seconds the crowd applauded and screamed for the Kinks. It was a proud moment for the band, one none has forgotten. During the Beatles set, which Ray watched admiringly from just off the side of the stage, he heard someone call for the Kinks. Lennon responded with a comment into the microphone which Ray could not grasp, but for a few moments, on one evening, the Kinks threatened to upstage the Beatles. It was as if we had taken the first round off the Beatles, said Ray. The following week when the Kinks were again to support the Beatles, they were shifted away from the headliners and instead closed the first half of the show. For the Beatles, the memory of Bournemouth lingered past the following week. In April 1965 at the NME Poll Winners Concert in London, broadcast over the next two weeks by ITV television, the Kinks had to follow the Beatles, as the Beatles had to leave early for another booking and the Kinks were late in arriving from Denmark. It was an unenviable position no matter what the reasons, but especially disastrous as the Beatles played inspiredly. As they left the stage, a panicky Collins caught Lennon, John, we cant follow that. Lennon responded, Theres your payback for Bournemouth. The Kinks could muster little energy and their performance before a crowd of 10,000 was described as particularly disappointing, bad vocally and musically, and undeniably diabolical. Round two to the Beatles.... From the book Ray Davies by Thomas M. Kitts
Posted on: Fri, 01 Aug 2014 22:43:04 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015