Ray Davies reveled in the volume when he took the stage with Metallica in October for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame concert in New York City.

The heavy metal band backed Davies as they roared through the three-chord wonders "You Really Got Me" and "All Day and All of the Night," seminal rock songs that were early hits for Davies' band, the Kinks.

"It was about the same volume as Dave used to play," Davies said of his experience with Metallica. "Dave was as loud as their whole band."

Dave, of course, is Davies' brother and the Kinks' guitarist. The brothers, who have always had a tempestuous relationship, haven't played together since 1996, when the Kinks called it quits.

That could change, however, as Ray Davies, 65, is trying to reunite the band, which, along with the Beatles, the Rolling Stones and the Who, was at the forefront of the British Invasion in the 1960s. During a telephone interview from his Konk Studios in London, Davies said he would like to record an album of new material and then mount a tour.

He said he has already written four songs he deems worthy of the Kinks -—inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1990, along with the Who — and has recorded some basic rhythm tracks with Mick Avory.

Avory drummed for the Kinks from 1964 to 1984 and played on all their most important recordings, including "Face to Face" (1966), "Something Else" (1967), "The Village Green Preservation Society" (1968), "Arthur (Or the Decline and Fall of the British Empire)" (1969), "Lola vs. Powerman & the Money-Go-Round, Pt. 1" (1970) and "Muswell Hillbillies" (1971)."

Davies said he also has been in contact with musicians who played with the Kinks in the 1990s.

"It really is down to Dave because he's the one that's got to make the final decision," Davies said. "I've done some tracks with Mick Avory and other members of the last Kinks band. We just need Dave's seal of approval and Dave's inclusion."

Even if the Kinks' reunion doesn't happen, Davies won't be idle in the months ahead.

Davies and guitarist Bill Shanley are in the midst of an acoustic tour. Though they won't be making a stop in central Pennsylvania, the duo will be in striking distance with concerts scheduled Monday in Alexandria, Va. (the Birchmere); Tuesday in Annapolis, Md. (Rams Head on Stage); Wednesday in Wilmington, Del. (Grand Opera House) and Friday in Scranton (Scranton Cultural Center).

Though they aren't traveling with a choir, the tour, in a way, is supporting "The Kinks Choral Collection." The album, released last year, teams Davies with the 65-voice Crouch End Festival Chorus for reworkings of 14 Kinks songs and the title cut of Davies' most recent solo album, "Working Man's Cafe" (2008).

The album features some of the Kinks' best-known material, including the sublime "Waterloo Sunset," among the most beautiful pop songs ever written.

"It could have been a no-brainer," Davies said of picking the songs for the album. "It could have gone to the obvious, with all the hits. But I think the record company was very supportive when we decided to do a suite from 'Village Green.' It wasn't one of our most well-known periods. That was an interesting challenge to do that. I'm very pleased with the way that worked out."

"Village Green Preservation Society," which features 15 of Davies' best songs, including "Picture Book," which was winningly used in a Hewlett-Packard television commercial a few years back, sold poorly when it was released. Many, however, now consider "Village Green" the Kinks' best album.

Davies, however, chose not to include the song "Animal Farm," a charming tune with a catchy melody, in his six-song medley from "Village Green."

"You know what," Davies said regarding the song's exclusion, "we're going to do that on this tour. That's the great thing about doing an acoustic show; we can just throw them in."

Davies also is working on a collaborations album with various artists and has already recorded a version of "Celluloid Heroes," from the album "Everybody's in Show Biz" (1972), with Jon Bon Jovi and "Better Things," from the album "Give the People What They Want" (1981), with Bruce Springsteen.

"To do a duet with Bruce Springsteen, for me that was great," Davies said. "We did the vocals together in New Jersey. Where else?"

Davies also hopes to record songs with, among others, Metallica, Lucinda Williams and the Killers.

He said he plans to do a lot of writing during the current tour as he looks toward recording another solo album. Davies, one of rock music's most literary and insightful songwriters, said he follows no routine when he sets out to write.

"Generally, and it's never changed, the best ideas come when you're in a restaurant, and you write on a napkin."

jferguson@lnpnews.com