David Bowie has written the sleeve notes for a new Kinks compilation.
The 48-track double album, ‘The Essential Kinks’, will be released on October 14 in North America and is a celebration of the band’s 50th anniversary.
In a statement on his website, Bowie has released an excerpt from the sleeve notes with an image of him with Ray Davies captioned, “I’ve never heard a Kinks song that I didn’t like”.
“Of course, from their noisy and brash beginnings, The Kinks have come to stand for some of the most enduring and heart-clutching pop of all time. They are in the gut of every British songwriter who followed them and are indisputably a cornerstone of everything pop and rock. I love ’em. The world loves ’em.”
The image, above, was taken in 2003 at the Tibet House Benefit in New York. Watch footage of the gig below.
Earlier this year, The Kinks revealed that they had put their animosity behind them and were now working on new material. Ray Davies said that he and his brother, Dave Davies, had finally met in person to talk about the possibility of playing together again.
The pair, who have not performed together since 1996, apparently began to build bridges over the new Kinks musical Sunny Afternoon, which opened earlier this year. Ray Davies helped with the script and the music for the show, which Dave saw and reportedly liked.