(Credits: Far Out / Alamy)
Fri 23 January 2026 8:57, UK
Ray Davies, best known as the lead singer, main songwriter and rhythm guitarist for The Kinks, is a national treasure.
“I always think that Ray Davies should one day be Poet Laureate,” Pete Townshend once proclaimed. “He invented a new kind of poetry and a new kind of language for pop writing that influenced me from the very beginning.” In fact, with even the likes of Bob Dylan calling the fuzzy-haired maestro a master, you could argue he influenced absolutely everyone.
Davies, who is often referred to as ‘The Godfather of Britpop‘ by the likes of Damon Albarn and Jarvis Cocker, formed The Kinks alongside his brother, Dave, in 1964, and became one of the most influential musicians of the 1960s alongside his bandmates as they continued to sell out venues thanks to hits like ‘Waterloo Sunset’ right up until the band eventually broke up in 1996.
With 24 studio albums to his name with the band, Davies went on to have a successful solo career where he released a further eight full-length records, which, ultimately, had a huge impact on influencing Britpop bands such as Blur and Oasis. “I think when you write songs, you write about people,” Davies once said of his writing style.
Proudly adding: “People are the source of my material. And London is a wonderful place to be for people. So, the next time you’re sitting in a park somewhere, and you see someone like me looking at you, don’t phone the police. I’m just writing”. That en plein air outlook to the art was pivotal to tracks like ‘Parklife’ that would follow in his observational wake.
The Kinks back in 1965. (Credits: Far Out / KRLA Beat / Beat Publications, Inc.)
Now, sitting down in an interview with The Express, Davies has detailed a string of records that he has held dearly through the years, picking out six records which he has described as his essential listening, with the likes of The Funk Brothers, Ray Charles, Percy Grainger and more being selected. Each pick seems to be tethered to how it seamlessly resonates with people and their lives.
“I loved the Britpop era, which produced some of the greatest bands to emerge from the UK in recent times,” Davies said while explaining his decision to include the Various Artists: Live Forever – The Best of Britpop compilation album as part of his list. “This is probably the best ‘greatest hits’ package from that era, pulling together a string of classics including Blur’s Parklife and Oasis’s Live Forever.”
Detailing his selections further, he added: “I’ve long had an interest in Percy Grainger, an Australian-born composer and pianist who moved to Britain in the 1900s and hiked around England making recordings of folk songs, which influenced much of his work,” Davies explained. “A fascinating character.”
Elsewhere, when on the topic of Gustav Mahler, Davies said: “I’ve always been interested in various musical genres, including classical music. One of my favourite composers is Mahler and for those who don’t know much about him this is as good an introduction as any to his work.”
Although the collection might be disparate and curiously devoid of classics, opting instead for greatest hits, they do seem to reveal something deep about Ray’s relationship with music. Greatest hits, and even symphonies for that matter, have been taken in by the public at large. The songs he yearns for are ones that have transcended a hipster’s record collection and connected with the man in the pub, but are nevertheless full of artistry in their own way.
A man humming Mahler over a pint of bitter is exactly Davies’ sort of thing.
See Ray Davies’ full list, below.
Ray Davies’ six favourite albums:The Funk Brothers: Millennium CollectionRay Charles: The Definitive Ray CharlesVarious Artists: Live Forever – The Best of BritpopPercy Grainger: The Music of Percy GraingerZoot Money’s Big Roll Band: Were You There – Live 1966 [Live]Gustav Mahler: Simon Rattle performs Mahler’s Complete Symphonies 1-10
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