Kinks Guitarist Dave Davies Slams Van Halen

Over 30 years since Van Halen broke the Top 40 with their high-octane cover of The Kinks' classic "You Really Got Me" — Kinks guitarist Dave Davies says he's got a problem with it. Davies, who is recovering after being sidelined by a 2004 stroke, took a poke at Van Halen, telling Classic Rock Magazine, "There's the thing: good art isn't always about having the comfiest technique. I shouldn't encourage him, but I'm sure Eddie Van Halen played better when he was drunk. But it must be a good record if people like it. Van Halen's version was very Middle America. It was like, 'Hey man, look at me with my tight trousers! Here's our version of 'You Really Got Me'!"

Davies says that The Kinks actually came to resent the cover version that was featured on Van Halen's 1978 self-titled debut. "We got pissed off though, when we played America," he said. "The Kinks had an album out called 'Low Budget' and we ended up touring and playing stadiums. Some kid came up to me after one of the gigs and said: 'I like your cover of Van Halen's 'You Really Got Me'. You have to smile sometimes."

Dave Davies, who has always battled his brother Ray Davies for attention and control of The Kinks, says that he's responsible for the band's signature sound on "You Really Got Me" which propelled them to fame. "It wouldn't have been a record without, in all modesty, I think it wouldn't have been a record without that guitar sound on it, so it's like it paved the way for our whole career," he said.