The Kinks - see my friend (1965)

[75xaya]

Does anyone know of a cool sitar player besides Ravi Shankar, I would really like to expand upon my musical tastes.

[Shellback41]

If you call four men playing guitars in a Rock'n'Roll band a 'boy band' then you'd have to call most of the canon the same. Also, just for the record, The Beatles were playing Hamburg Strip clubs night after night for 8 hours, doing speed and honing a craft. Hardy the route of a boy band.

This a brilliant song by a Brilliant band no more no less.

[Shellback41]

Can't believe some of the total bollocks being spouted on here. What's all this Beatles v kinks v Stones v Townshend v anyone else? They all contributed to the big tapestry and influenced each other in some kind of way. To all the people banging on about how Ray invented this and that, try listening to the old blues and folk, people who've used these tunings for centuries!

And as for the knob further down dismissing The Beatles as a 'boy band' words fucking fail me on him/her.

[pglogofilms]

Such memories. I met them when "See My Friend" was out and they were filming at the Soho studios where my father worked - I was 13 at the time. Both Pete Quaife and Mick Avory made a point of speaking to me, which made a lasting impression. One of the great bands of their time whose sound never dates.

[PicnicHikeMusic]

Yes, as a huge Beatles fan - I simply HAVE to admit the Kinks out-did the Beatles with the Eastern influence here. This is a remarkable song that came out the year I was born and I'm AMAZED I've never heard it till now. I just love it!! The Beatles would not equal this type of "drone" thing until "Tomorrow Never Knows." Hats off to the Kinks for this one!! WHY DO THE RADIO STATIONS ONLY PLAY "LOLA"!!!!! You NEVER hear stuff like this. A revelation!

[notholding2]

R.I.P. Pete Quaife

[sbarr10]

I remember reading somewhere (maybe in Dave's autobio) that the Kinks were nervous about launching this song, as it was their first "melodic" song. It's gorgeous!

[kink2508]

what a SONG

Lennon, Macca, Townshend ALL were jealous

[phishhed44]

Fuck you John Lennon!

[lyndloo]

love this vid !! love the 60s' music !!! British Invasion forever... Kinks were one of thee best groups from that Great era !! thanx for posting this classic vid !!!!! peace .. Lyndloo...

[kinkontroversy]

Dave Davies wrote in his autobio KinK

After Set Me Free we recorded one of my all-time favourite Kinks tracks, See My Friends. I believe it´s one of the most beautiful songs Ray ever wrote. And despite all it´s gay overtones, I always felt it was a song about tragic loss of a deep friendship that transcends words and defies explanation.

[stanleysoldman]

Really dig this track

[Matildamothers]

This song has raga influences fair enough but if you want to hear an actual sitar on a rock record it's on The Beatles "Norwegian Wood" and if you want to hear full blown raga sounds on a rock and roll try the Beatles again "Love You To". If you want to hear a full blown psychedelic song try the Beatles again on 'Tomorrow Never Knows". Not dissing the Kinks.

[lynnwoodham]

do you know that the state dept of the u.s. government would not allow the Kinks into the US to tour because of their name ! land of the free and home of the brave?

[phishhed44]

On a tangent, John Lennon used to go watch The Kinks at about this period. He'd stand in the back and fume. The kinks were SO good...it pissed him off. Sorry, but I love The Kinks over the Beatles ANY day!!!!!

[alonenjersey]

Seriously, thanks for the education.

[sinning1966]

Ray is a puppet.

[MrBobodrum]

To TheSaintJohnGuitar: you nailed it. I concur wholeheartedly.

[alonenjersey]

All this time I thought the first proto-psychedelic song was either "Rain" or "Paint It Black". Good Christ the music the bands on both sides of the Atlantic were making were a hell of alot better than the crap that one can listen to these days.

[spamzer]

@alonenjersey

Actually you can find the roots of psychedelic in classical music, but mostly on Ragas (indian classical music). In the occident, most prominently on the fantasies form (just like a Sonata form, or a Rhapsody form, there's also a Fantasie form).

But talking about contemporary music, you can find those roots on blues and jazz, and bands like Le Orme, Frank Zappa, 13th Floor Elevators, and later when... well... Rain, Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds... you can imagine the rest :p

[Matildamothers]

Yeh but "See My Friends" is a pop song with raga influences maybe the first of it's kind butn don't be dissing on the Beatles "Rain" and "Tomorrow Never Knows" are two of the first full blown psychedelic rock songs. I love the Kinks but you guys need to remember the Beatles already had influenced people like the Byrds to incorporate the 12 string jangle sound and influence THE BEACH Boys Pet Sounds.

[TheSaintjohnguitar]

See my Friend is one of those incredible gems that I can listen to over and over yes Indian drone influence!!

[Autonomy87]

One of my favorite songs :)

[alonenjersey]

A great song from a great band. But the first psychedelic song by a major band?

[mtopper66]

Yes. Well, at the very least proto-psychedelic, and certainly the first raga-rock tune. And the first rock song with homosexual overtones. The Kinks really pushed the envelope back then.

[BITCHPLZSTFU]

This song is the first psychedelic song released by a major band. It was released in july 65, 6 months before "8 miles high" and a year and a half before Strawberry Fields Forever. You gotta give them props. That and the fact that You really got me now is pretty much the first hard rock song is why the Kinks are important.

[pilesovinyl]

@BITCHPLZSTFU As a self proclaimed Kinks fan I had never heard this one until I bought an import copy of it a few years ago. It was not released in the US as a single and its a crazy good song. As you mentioned it has a unique feel to it which feels to me as somewhat psychedelic but also a Dylanesque lyrical flavor.

[RobbieReineldt]

@BITCHPLZSTFU Spot on, The Kinks music provides the precursor to so many different styles of music, Heavy Metal, Punk and they invented the Britpop sound 25 years before Britpop came to be. Their influence in contemporary music is massively underated when you line up dates of when other bands did something and when the Kinks did it. The Kinks were generally ahead of the pack.

[crazymaner2003]

@BITCHPLZSTFU And Bully Holly released LISTEN TO ME in 1958 way before any of them.

[RevRabbitNov63]

...Well - that's part of what was so remarkable about the Times :

...It were both Pop & Art

- like: Pop Art

...all colliding.

...Trying to get it all into 2:30 (minutes/seconds) was pretty much what drove Brian Wilson mad - !

...& like Roger Daltrey said:

- When you get a Hit - you don't fight it - !...

[helltopay1]

this song allways,allways "guts " me. shouldnt listen really

[doglips1958]

Bubbled under the top 100.Released October 16, 1965, and made it to 111.

[sbarr10]

Ray got hooked on the droning sound and Indian chanting during a stopover in India during their world tour in the spring of 1965. He would hear the Indian fisherman on the beach singing a single note.

[hvymtlfn]

one of the greatest sonsg by one of the greatest groups....

[MaceMn]

Don't get me wrong. I like the Beatles. Esp. their lesser known works of that period. But they were at that time a boy band. Pretty much jus' for da gurls. Not until Sgt. Pepper would I consider they evolved from a boy band to a rock band. Actually, in my opinion, George, Paul, John and Ringo recorded their better tunes after they split up.

[pmfont]

Yeah, I'd agree but Kinks were a boy band at one point, too. I think both Beatles and Kinks started making stellar tunes around 64/65... I think Dylan had a huge influence on British Invasion and got those musicians to start stepping it up lyrically.

[HankLandMan]

Everyone knows that the whole is greater than the sum of its parts in regards to the Beatles. They didn't record better separately (not that their solo stuff is bad, it's great). If you think the Beatles weren't mature until Sgt Pepper, then you haven't listened to Rubber Soul, that sure wasn't boy band shit.

Lyrically the Kinks were so ahead of their time, kudos to Ray.

[MaceMn]

and the Beatles were goin yeah yeah yeah.. this is ahead of it's time

[polaroyd5]

well... not exactly. The Beatles were going "Norwegian wood" and "Day tripper" wich are musicaly quite interesting as well. I love The Kinks, but no one can be compared to the Beatles in the sixties, MaceMn.

[sbarr10]

Paul McCartney once ran into a Kink someplace and said about See My Friends, "You bastards! I should have done this song!"

This was an incident mentioned in one of the Kink autobiographies.

[Soldekai89]

he called you out, are you gonna take that?

[MaceMn]

Some sweet shit.. thx 4 postin'

[therealhippie]

what great bands britain had

[intcoop]

I used to play this to young folk in the late 80's and they thought it was current even though twenty years old. Shows how good the Kinks were in a way. Forward of their time, almost experimental.

[Chesterton7]

amazing song with ray's weird singing on the verse

i love the glitch between songs

[yumyummoany]

Just love the way the Thames flows through their songs.

[CreatingExcellence]

It's obvious why this was Jim Morrison's favorite band.

[Kinksforever]

was it?

[Grafietstift]

Cool!

[tacako1930]

how cool finger performance !! luv it sooo much !

[tacako1930]

oh nice !!

[Demagogue8990]

One of the most underated & covered bands ever. They are great!

[CliClasp]

See my friends,

Layin' 'cross the river,

She is gone and now there's no one left

'Cept my friends,

She just went,

Went across the river.

Now she's gone,

Wish that I'd gone with her.

She is gone and now there's no one else to take her place

She is gone and now there's no one else to love

[george666gollin]

PLAYIN" across the river, not Layin'

[eusereumesmo]

Great Band , great sound !!!

They really begun the hole thing.

[TheAnchors2]

creative music!!!

[fun4eileen]

Thanks for posting this! The Kinks were one of the all-time greatest bands ever! (Note that Ray Davies sneaks the middle finger into the performance -- at 1:46 into the video. Ha ha! Maybe it was meant for the girl in the song who left him.)

[CliClasp]

You surely noticed hat just before, he did another suggestive mouvement with his hand ;

this song was said to be about homosexualty(cf wikipedia on Kinks).

Very trangressive at the time it happened (1965).

About music, one the most beautiful performance from the Kinks

[mightym2]

Read the book X-Ray, by Ray Davies. He said he never knew how homosexuality got connected to this song. He wrote this song after watching some men working by a river. Whatever...it's another cool song by the Kinks.

[CliClasp]

Than you for that information,

Anyway Ray is pulling our legs, he says what he says, and we see what we see he is doing with his right hand

Might not be about homosexuality, but can be about sexuality...

very funny, very sugggestive indeed

[theold2007]

I'm pretty sure its about his sister, who died. she bought him his first guitar

[AppoCC119]

Actually, he does that gesture on a number of songs, including Set Me Free right here on Youtube.

So I doubt it's really meant to be suggestive.

[PiggyPinedog]

@fun4eileen Actually, I think this song was about his sister, who had recently passed away.

[loukakis]

Noise Pollution!

[FenceThis]

poor little dimwit lardass piece of turd

[ildemart]

pete quaife at bass

[jchacko1]

Great video, two songs for the price of one- Set Me Free and See My Friends. Music that stands the test of time!