The Kinks’ story is a messy one, because they’ve been so many different bands: British Invasion mods, art-school jesters, Seventies stadium hounds. But over the years, Ray Davies built his legend as one of rock’s great eccentric wits, the poet laureate of England’s dead-end streets, rooting for the losers and outsiders, always feuding with his kid brother Dave on guitar. Not exactly a cozy family relationship: the Kinks had a infamous history of onstage fisticuffs. The hits are just the beginning — they made classic albums as well as disasters, creating one of rock & roll’s most gloriously weird songbooks. So here’s a guided tour to their music — the absolute kream of the krop. God save the Kinks.