Hitting the road often drains musicians of their best material.
While the comfort of the studio allows artists to perfect their tracks, performing live presents a tougher challenge: making those songs resonate with an audience night after night.
For rock bands like The Kinks, the touring life proved to be a double-edged sword.
By the time they reached the album State of Confusion, the strain of constant touring nearly pushed them to the brink.
The friction between Ray and Dave Davies, always present in the studio, was a significant part of their success.
Their creative tension had fueled classics like “You Really Got Me,” with Ray’s songwriting and Dave’s guitar work clashing in a way that gave the band its ferocious edge.
Despite occasional moments where Dave took lead vocals, Ray was undeniably the driving force behind The Kinks’ eclectic sound.
Albums like The Kinks Are the Village Green Preservation Society showcased Ray’s vision, blending nostalgic views of England with their own distinct take on the British Invasion.
Their sound was far removed from the peace and love ethos of The Beatles, focusing more on the grim realities of life and the fading English landscape.
By the time they released State of Confusion, the band’s internal strife had reached new heights.
The ongoing conflict between drummer Mick Avory and Dave Davies, which had been brewing for years, escalated further as the group moved into playing stadiums.
Fans will never forget the infamous incident where Avory hurled part of his drum kit at Dave during a show.
With larger audiences now witnessing their turmoil, the tension only intensified.
Ray Davies expressed his mixed feelings about this period, revealing in an interview with Uncut, “That’s what the world is missing without The Kinks: their realism, and their mistakes.
If you look at the cover, everybody’s going in different directions. The feuds between Mick and Dave had reached a final peak, and it was horrible to be on tour.
We’d gone through massive hard work to get into stadiums. And success made us split up.”
Though the band soldiered on for a few more albums, Avory’s role diminished. He contributed only sporadically, with Bob Henrit stepping in to handle most of the live drumming.
Ultimately, State of Confusion marked the beginning of the end for The Kinks.
As much as they could have rivaled The Rolling Stones, personal safety and the threat of further conflict onstage forced the band to reconsider their future.
