Would anyone like to recommend a Kinks biography? "All Day and All of the Night", maybe?

I thought X-Ray was pretty good. He's able to convey a feeling and mood that doesn't necessarily correlate with standard biographical facts.

I just finished the 33 1/3 book and it does indeed isolate a period in their career, but that's my favorite period. As far as the earlier Kinks era is concerned I don't know what's out there.
But I do recommend the 33 1/3 book as it discusses Peter Quaife's decision to leave the band. In fact, Quaife and Mick Avory have quite a lot to say that's important. If you want to know the secrets behind a band, talk to the rhythm section.

I've seen that 33 1/3 around, but I was more interested in something that would say alot about their earlier exploits.... their US tour and the reason(s) they were banned for 4 years. Not that I don't think "Face to Face", "Something Else..." and "The Village Green..." are great albums, but I don't want something that's just gonna focus on the group post '66.

I just saw a new book called Ray Davies: I'm Not Like Everybody Else, but it looked a little too academic for my taste. I know of a couple of other recent titles as well that I haven't yet read--The Kinks by Neville Marten and Jeff Hudson, and The Kinks: All Day and All of the Night by Doug Hinman, which is basically a day-to-day chronicle of their band-related activities. Ray's semi-novelistic X-Ray is pretty entertaining. I've also read John Savage's bio and John Mendelssohn's amusing "Kink Kronikles," both of which are long out of print.

I don't know, but the Dave Davies autobiography isn't very good. I'm thinking of getting the 33 1/3 series book "Village Green Preservation Society" book as it tells a lot about the band's working relationship, plus it catches them during a very cool period in their history.