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The Kinks' early singles set a new standard for raucousness. "Louie Louie" chord progressions and monosyllabic declarations of lurve (love definitely isn't a strong-enough word) drove "You Really Got Me," "All Day and All of the Night," and "I Need You." Only maniacal cackles from guitarist Dave Davies could've heightened their simple eloquence--and he provided even those before his solos on "Got Me" and "All Day." But brother Ray's observational talents quickly began to show: the optimistic "Till the End of the Day" is shadowed by an unspoken wistfulness, while "A Well Respected Man," "Dedicated Follower of Fashion," and "Sunny Afternoon" remain among the most cutting portraits of Britain's upper-class strivers. Both of the band's main impulses continue to be immensely influential, while the enraged "I'm Not Like Everybody Else" merges them in a three-and-a-half-minute burst of cold fury that few bands would match until the Sex Pistols era. --Rickey Wright