Kinks Bassist Pete Quaife Dead at 66

[Adenoid_Hynkel]

Source: Rolling Stone

Pete Quaife, the original bassist in the Kinks who played with the British Invasion band from their formation in 1961 through 1969, has died, according to a source close to the band. He was 66. The exact cause of death is unknown, but he had been undergoing kidney dialysis for over a decade. Quaife played on all of the early Kinks classics, including "You Really Got Me," "All Day and All of the Night," "Dedicated Follower of Fashion" and "Waterloo Sunset," which also features his background vocals.

Quaife grew up in the same neighborhood as the Davies family and met Ray in music class at William Grimshaw Secondary Modern School in Muswell Hill, England. Ray was impressed by Pete's guitar playing and invited him to jam with him and his younger brother Dave. "After some jamming and loose rehearsals it was decided that Pete would team up with us," Dave Davies wrote in his memoir, Kink. "We drew lots to see who would play bass guitar and Pete lost."

In October of 1961 the group — with Quaife's friend John Start on drums — played their first gig at a school dance with a set that consisted of covers by the Ventures, the Shadows and Duane Eddy. They began playing gigs around town both as the Ray Davies Quartet and the Pete Quaife Quintet, depending on who booked the gig. By 1963 the group — now known as the Kinks — began recording with producer Shel Talmy, who got the group signed to Pyre Records. Their third single, "You Really Got Me," was a smash hit, instantly making the Kinks one of the biggest bands of the exploding U.K. rock scene.

Read more: http://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/17386/121429

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[truthisfreedom]

1. RIP Pete. Great songs, great playing. You'll be missed.

Sigh. So many greats dying around us.

[non sociopath skin]

2. Sad. The Kinks were a great band.

Sleep well, Pete.

The Skin

[Lasher]

3. I thought it odd that "Lola" was not mentioned.

However, Quaife left the group in 1969 to form another band, Maple Oak. The Kinks acquired replacement bassist John Dalton that same year, and released "Lola" in 1970.

[dipsydoodle]

4. Lola

The words have always cracked me up : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ixqbc7X2NQY

[karynnj]

7. So many of their songs had clever or at least complicated lyrics

Two examples - http://www.dailymotion.com/video/xn3b2_the-kinks-a-well-respected-man_music (a well respected man)

and http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1h1oRP7FfBw (sunny afternoon)

Or this:

You think we look pretty good together
You think my shoes are made of leather

But I'm a substitute for another guy
I look pretty tall but my heels are high
The simple things you see are all complicated
I look pretty young, but I'm just back-dated, yeah

Substitute your lies for fact
I can see right through your plastic mac
I look all white, but my dad was black
My fine looking suit is really made out of sack

I was born with a plastic spoon in my mouth
The north side of my town faced east, and the east was facing south
And now you dare to look me in the eye
Those crocodile tears are what you cry
It's a genuine problem, you won't try
To work it out at all you just pass it by, pass it by

Substitute me for him
Substitute my coke for gin
Substitute you for my mum
At least I'll get my washing done

[mac56]

8. "Substitute" was The Who.

Pete Townshend.

[karynnj]

9. Your right - and likely why I had trouble finding it googling "Kinks substitute video"?

It really is early in the morning - more coffee is needed!

[dipsydoodle]

14. lol

:) :hi:

[SheWhoMustBeObeyed]

5. This news makes me very sad

I adore the Kinks of the Quaife era. They're my favorite band.



Sigh.



I will play VGPS in your memory, Pete. Rest in peace.

[mascarax]

16. Thank you for the days, Pete

RIP

[Wickerman]

6. Sad news

RIP. A great era of a great band.

[onehandle]

10. There was talk in recent years of a reunion of the Kinks including Pete.

Pete shot down the rumors and the Davies brothers seemed to have stopped the effort.

Man, I would love to see the Kinks perform.

'The Kinks are the Village Green Preservation Society' is the definitive British LP and I have been listening to the special edition CDs a lot recently.

RIP, Pete.

[SheWhoMustBeObeyed]

11. Dave had that stroke a few years ago

He's releasing a DVD with new music in a few months but no tour dates are scheduled yet and he may not be well enough to perform live.

Pete had a low-key site where he described his life post-Kinks; he sounded happy with no desire to return to his days of fame.

YouTube has a number of early Kinks videos not aired in the U.S. back in the day. It's a pleasure to see them in the bloom of youth once more.

[otohara]

12. RIP

one of my favorite bands .... use to see them every time they'd come to Red Rocks

[Romulox]

13. God save Donald Duck, Vaudeville and variety....

RIP!

[Tempest]

15. The Kinks were my favorite band from the British Invasion

R.I.P. Peter.

We truly have been blessed to know your talent.