They may have lit the fuse for high-voltage rock, but The Kinks are much more than You Really Got Me – and Ray Davies’ inventive acoustic style influenced a generation of players, including Pete Townshend

A black-and-white image of Ray Davies of the Kinks plays a Fender Malibu backstage with his bandmates in the background.

If You Really Got Me is the first thing that springs to mind when you think of The Kinks then fear not, you aren’t alone. Their 1964 hit defined an era with that ‘slashed speaker’ sound, bone-crunching riff and legendary solo.

For some it almost heralds the arrival of the heavy metal age, with the band’s young guitarist Dave Davies handling lead guitar duties.