SoundCheck on Variety.com

Brit equation: After the Beatles and the Stones: Who?

In an email exchange with Variety, Sid Griffin — a founding member of the alt country band the Long Ryders and the Coal Porters — was lamenting the loss of Kinks bass player Pete Quaife.

Griffin, a multi-disciplinarian from Kentucky who relocated to London, called the Quaife obit in the Guardian "very well-written and rather moving" (read here) and noted that Kinks frontman Ray Davies sang "Days" at the just-wrapped Glastonbury Fest after dedicating it to Quaife.

The subject of the Kinks led to the age-old question: who was third most important band in the British Invasion after the Beatles and the Stones?

Griffin’s assessment: "The Who made too few records, that hurts them in my mind’s eye. Think of it: The extra tracks on their reissues have now almost tripled, yes, tripled (!) The Who’s 1960s official output. That is a weird and damaging statistic. The Kinks put out 2.75 LPs for every Who LP! Yardbirds made only one fine studio LP so they are out unless you argue the classic run of good singles. Animals made the UK Animalization (or is it Animalisms?), which is classic but their lack of developing the Price-Burdon songwriting team (I’m Crying) really crippled them ultimately and their early lineup changes eliminate them."

Griffin knows a thing or two about music. He penned the acclaimed "Million Dollar Bash: Bob Dylan, The Band & the Basement Tapes," and his chronicle of Dylan’s wild and woolly Rolling Thunder Revue tour, "Shelter from the Storm," is just out on Jawbone Press.

The Coal Porters’ latest album, "Durango" (Prima Records) was recorded "Basement Tapes" style — live and unvarnished — with the band in the midst of a U.K tour in support of the record. With all this activity, Griffin might be the hardest working man in show business.