RAY DAVIES - KINKS REUNION IS WISHFUL THINKING FOR NOW

RAY DAVIES has broken the hearts of KINKS fans by insisting news of a reunion isn't as immediate as they'd like to think. Reports have been circulating for the past two months that Davies, his brother Dave and their bandmates will become the latest supergroup to reform for a world tour. But the Days singer urges fans not to get their hopes up. He tells Billboard.com a reunion will only take place if he and his warring sibling can "get together". Davies fears Dave's 2004 stroke has rendered the guitarist too weak for a full comeback. He explains, "He's gradually getting his strength back, but he's playing again, so that's a good sign... He's getting well enough to shout at me." And the band leader will only consider a reunion if the group records new songs: "I can't get a band together just to play the old hits. They'd have to be able to do, like, 10 per cent new material. I think that will be the determining factor in the long run." The other thing that stands in the way of a Kinks reunion is the fact Dave Davies doesn't seem to want to play the old hits again. In a recent posting on his website, Davies compared the idea of a reunion to a "poor remake of Night of the Livin (sic) Dead".