the Kinks "See My Friends"

[ChangoVigoton]

@sackorats Thank You For The HD = High Distorcion  :D

[botaylor100]

they may have sounded like they were using eastern instruments but they were not. the 12 string acoustic doubled w dave's octave moves makes for creative psychedelia by using what they got. they always just bashed it out. one of the best songs by the kinks in my opinion.....

[doodahgal]

what a great video (wish its quality were better)

thanks to everyone for the intelligent comments--I have learned a lot about music, music history, and the videos on youtube are amazing with some great disucssions.

The Kinks are my favorite band of all time, ever since early 70's, and I keep finding more and more to like about them.

[rath9732]

Released 7/65 in UK; didn't make Hot 100 in U.S./ on US LP 11/65

12-string gives exotic, Indian sound

Drones go back to 12th C. France; Scottish music also uses drones. Asian. Some infl from "Ticket..." drone, released May '65, recorded Feb. 15. "Heart Full of Soul," June '65, may also have influence

Drums? Latin beat variation; double-hit on snare then tom, other times only single hit on snare followed by double on tom. Light, not heavy.

Who cares when? All good songs! Leave it at that!

[pinkshark0007]

I love the way they speak the english language in the 1960's :)

[ziggybin]

pitty its ashit vid and sound

[sydswirl]

"Personally i don't buy a record unless i like it, and if I buy enough of em, i'll put em in my own show i suppose." DAMN RIGHT YOU WILL SON, ITS THE KINKS!!!

[wales2k4eva]

holy shit has he gt a pick up fitted into his aucoustic :L .. tha was myy ideeaaaaa ..

[sbarr10]

What a great record!

[nanderson1965]

Now it's Kinks Time!

[spirtw72]

Great song. Inspired from an altered state of consciousness? I think it would have been one of the first to chart so 'high' apart from, say I Feel Fine, Mr. Tambourine Man, etc.

[hvymtlfn]

this song is genuis...

[worldsno1drwhofan]

Ray has such a strong amazing sounding voice and it really comes out on this record!

[hvymtlfn]

One of the greatest songs by one of the greatest groups of all times

[jimmyboy8005]

correction:

"of all time"

[garygomesg]

One of my favorite groups and one of my favorite songs. Lovely.

[worldsno1drwhofan]

This song is hugely underrated

[BlackBoba]

wollox he's talking about to the Thames .. not some arty farty meaning i reckon but his lyrics are so great you can read anything into them , great song , The Kinks got there b4 beatles and yardbirds with that raga sound (and feedback too)

[galaxyangles]

The Beatles used guitar feedback on a record before the Kinks "I Feel Fine". They used drone before the Kinks its on "Ticket To Ride". The Kinks were not the first to use eastern influences first SEVENTH SONS, Raga (psych mantra, 1964) was before everyone. I love the Kinks but there always precedents

[worldsno1drwhofan]

Even still, this song popularised the indian rock genre.

[paddyo702]

I think "All day and all of the night "was recorded prior to I feel fine." Feed back in the middle of the song was intentional, I feel fine was accidental, and Lennon left it in. I need you "may be older as well

[feldi71]

Way across the river?Whats up with homosexuality in this song?

[gibsoneb3]

They invariably played the coolest guitars, before they became vintage...Flying V's, teles, LPs, Gretch models...and I had that acoustic pickup! Talk about feedback.

[ScottAnderson1948]

I still have my 1960 Gibson Flying-V, in a Sunburst Finish, and a factory installed Tremolo Arm, like on the Gibson SG Guitars!!!

[anthrax2525]

Pete Quaife was the first British bassist to use a Rickenbacker 4001 bass. Look what that started!

[830615521]

So this how the original sounds like.

[worldsno1drwhofan]

This is such a beautiful song and it captured me the first time I listened to it. Its such a shame its one of their underrated songs. I think its one of their best ones. And they were the first band to ever use eastern influences, even before the beatles

[perljamtec]

I think the Beatles beat them to this. "Ticket To Ride" MacDonald described it as "psychologically deeper than anything The Beatles had recorded before ... extraordinary for its time — massive with chiming electric guitars, weighty rhythm, and rumbling floor tom-toms. Macdonald also notes that the track uses the Indian basis of drone which might have influenced the Kinks' See My Friends. Well the Beatles beat the Kinks to the use of drone at least.

[worldsno1drwhofan]

They may have used drones, but it wasn't directly indian - the band didn't start consciously using indian influences until George Harrison was introduced to a Sitar mid 65 - by then this song had already been written and recorded. This song was actually written in December 1964 and it was when Ray Davies went to India and listened to the fishermen singing. So if See My Friends had been written before Ticket to Ride had been recorded then how can it have been influenced by Ticket to Ride?

[perljamtec]

The Beatles use of drone on "Ticket To Ride" is similiar to the guitar drones on "Rain" which was Indian influenced. Its on the book "Revolution in the Head" Ian MacDonald say the drone on "Ticket To Ride" drone is based on Indian Music or its pseudo like the Kinks "See My Friends". Hey it does not matter. The Beatles "Love You To" is pop first attempt in emulating non-western music in structure, instrumentation and rhythm. Which "See My Friends" is clearly not.

[kreutzbear]

According to Richard Thompson, Ray wrote the song after a layover in India on an early Kinks tour. I'll leave the discussion of its meaning to others, but it is a great song. Check out Richard's cover of it on the dual CD/DVD set of his 1,000 Years of Popular Music show. We heard him do it in person several weeks ago and my wife hasn't stopped talking about it. Made me find a copy of the Kinks original 45 on Ebay!

[Rawego]

and then there were drugs! :))

[wgoco]

Well later than 65...early seventies, 72 73

[Breuseker]

Just a new benchmark at the time, still hasn't lost the magic.

[yeshead]

VERY early Rickenbacker bass. Besides Quaife, only Paul McCartney and John Entwistle had one at the time. And Paul didn't really use his til '66.

[gillesbertacco]

And...The Pink Floyd!!!

[yeshead]

Roger Waters got his in '66, not long after Chris Squire of Yes (who still plays his to this day, though he had it completely refinished to the current blonde look back around 1970).

[NatureOkie]

Also the KINKS' song FANCY utilized the eastern music chords and arrangements.

[SkopTeocratico]

The singer are very ciciLEO!!, faceskul!

[marcotukoff]

best song of them!

[MCsnooze]

the kinks are the best british rock band ever to exist in my opinion. you can shove the beatles and led zeppelin up ur arse lol. luv this song

[raulbarrientos007]

wata betch

[PRINCIPALBROKER]

Wow. Never seen this video. What show was this from? See my Friends is a classic.

[routeoz]

The Simon Dee Show. Most likely 1965.

[Beatnikella]

Wow....great song!

By the way: never seen Rays tooth-gap shining so brightly!Hehehe...

beautiful!

[MAGXX]

Great song, needless to sy....In this destorted sound it sounds much more The Kinks than ever!

[tallyrulz]

the Kinks were cool!!!

[StefioProductions]

The Kinks created COOL! Look up this song is REALLY about! Sooooo much more to the Kinks but Oh So Cool!

[littlecave]

isn't always kinks time?!

[holycrump]

It's Kinks time!

[jmanmoonwalk]

Great song by The Kinks.

[britishcavalry]

One of my favourite Kinks songs and nice to see this old footage.

[kinksfan1956]

The brothers did like to do a little gender-bending, although it wasn't called that in the '60s.

[kinksfan1956]

This clip looks like a kinescope, which would explain the peculiar lighting.

[gonzola88]

great song, great band. i didn't know this predated 'norwegian wood'. amazing. the kinks were very underrated in my opinion.

[SteveCaftdunt]

Yet another masterpiece from Ray Davies, I believe the Kinks were THE greatest musical/lyrical talent to come out of the 60's boom from Blighty, fingers were most definately on the pulse on more than one occasion !!!

[bibouni]

It is a wonderful song-it pre predates "Norwegian wood',"she said she said" and "Eight Miles High" by a long way.

[captaineasychord1]

Not to mention The Yardbirds "Still I'm Sad", with its use of Gregorian chants, in 1965.

[waybexxx]

A great clip, thanks. One of my fave songs ever.

[thesprintinglineman]

Ray Davies said himself that it wasn't about him questioning his sexuality.

[bboinnng]

Hi, I read two different Kinks bios and I very specifically remember Ray being quoted, rather a long detailed quote in fact, about the story of his confused sexuality in this period and this song specifically being about him saying to his then wife that he sometimes wondered if he was gay, as well as him having heard the droning sound of Indian music while on holiday. Not making this up- I swear.

[spoookytooth]

no he wrote this song after his sister died

[moxie96]

Sorry but no on that too. His sister Rene died when he was 12 and that was when Dave was only 9 so it's not likely dave formed a band at nine years old. this song was written while he was on vacation and heard workers humming a certain curious rhythum while pulling their nets from the sea and he impersonated that before the sitar bug bit George Harrison, which was on the set of HELP!

[bboinnng]

This has an amazing, almost eerie quality to it, the B&W, the too-bright lighting. One of their greatest songs. Ray said in an interview that it was about his wife being away and him realizing that he was confused about his sexuality and wondering if he might be gay. "She is gone and now there's no one left ... 'cept my friends". People did not openly talk about such things back then. One of the earliest sitar-ish sounds on any record- predated Within You Without You by I believe 2 years.

[RoyFive]

Back in the summer of '66, Tiger Beat had annexed Mod Magazine which was published in Britain (Jagger's then squeeze Chrissie Shrimpton was one of the columnists)--in one issue Ray said that See My Friend even predated Norwegian Wood--the first Beatle tune where George plays the sitar.

[clucaspik]

I think this song lines up more with RAIN by John Lennon, than WITHIN YOU by Harrison. Same trippy-stoned, droning feel to it.

[Voxac100b]

Would agree with you. Only with Rays voice he didn't need to sing it through a leslie speaker!!

[aund]

Perhaps they were asking people to "See their friends" that the public couldn`t see. Work it out, they weren`t called the Kinks for nothing! Great track but i prefer " I`m not like everybody else"

[Al59reconstituido]

Gorgeous song! It seems obvious where George Harrison took his inspiration for Within you without you. I find this far more poignant.

[TheRetroDude]

Cool. Seems funny though dressed as MODS, playin indian style sound but not dressed as the hippy style at the time.

[circles69]

the 'hippy style' was a couple of years later

[1after909]

Great song... Ray wrote this after a trip to India...