Adapted and expanded from previous posts, this is not part of my book The Greatest Record Ever Made! (Volume 1).
An infinite number of tracks can each be THE greatest record ever made, as long as they take turns. Today, this is THE GREATEST RECORD EVER MADE!
When discussing the monolithic 1-2 punch of the Kinks' first two U.S. hits, "You Really Got Me" tends to grab all of the loud 'n' grungy glory. But its follow-up "All Day And All Of The Night" is even more savage and relentless, and if it lacks a tiny bit of the mesmerizing single-mindedness of its immediate predecessor, it compensates with sheer combustibility. "All Day And All Of The Night" sounds like it's 'bout to explode, and it sounds loud (if never quite loud enough) at even the lowest volume.
My appreciation of Muswell Hill's finest manifested during my senior year in high school. In retrospect, I realize that my path through 1977 was paved with dominoes, each falling in its proper place. The path began in December of 1976, when I saw my first rock concert: KISS with Uriah Heep at the Onondaga County War Memorial. It wound its way through Christmas gifts that deepened my appreciation of the mid '60s British Invasion, through increased attention to freer-form FM radio as I left AM Top 40 (partially) behind, through a tabloid rock rag (Phonograph Record Magazine) that introduced me to something called punk rock, a friend in high school who intensified my appreciation of the Monkees, and my discovery of the pop magic of the Rubinoos. Each domino fell with its own melodious thud. I turned 17 in January. I would graduate from high school in June, and begin college in late August. 1977. The dominoes never knew what hit them.
Setting the stage for '77, my Christmas gifts in 1976 included both The History Of British Rock, Vol. 2 and The Best Of The Animals. I was already a fan of the Animals, so the latter just reaffirmed preexisting obsessions; the former made me a fan of the Kinks. I quickly went from being a kid who remembered and loved the Kinks' 1970 hit single "Lola" into a full-on dedicated follower of well-respected men. The British Invasion set included "All Day And All Of The Night," and my sister pointed me toward "You Really Got Me."
And that really got me goin'.
The early Kinks can also be considered my gateway drug to the Sex Pistols and the Ramones, two groups I would embrace with manic fervor as '77 raged on. "All Day And All Of The Night" was the catalyst, the spark, the cantankerous shot heard 'round my world. Essential. And loud! Yeah, loud even at low volume...but why would anyone wanna play "All Day And All Of The Night" at low volume? Not content with the daytime, wanting the nighttime, and line-in-the-sand insistent that everyone's gotta hear about it. Any time. All of the time. The good Lord above invented the phrase Turn it the hell UP!!! specifically for "All Day And All Of The Night." God save the Kinks.
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My new book The Greatest Record Ever Made! (Volume 1) is now available, and you can order an autographed copy here. You can still get my previous book Gabba Gabba Hey! A Conversation With The Ramones from publisher Rare Bird Books, OR an autographed copy here. If you like the books, please consider leaving a rating and/or review at the usual online resources.
This Is Rock 'n' Roll Radio with Dana & Carl airs Sunday nights from 9 to Midnight Eastern, on the air in Syracuse at SPARK! WSPJ 103.3 and 93.7 FM, streaming at SPARK stream and on the Radio Garden app as WESTCOTT RADIO. Recent shows are archived at Westcott Radio. You can read about our history here.
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