4. The KinksFace To Face

This one has the most personal connection to me because it’s the first Kinks album that I got and I moved forward and backward from there. It’s clearly the record where they’re in transition. There is still a little bit of the blues rock band in there and he’s also starting to paint these character sketches with ‘Dandy’ and ‘Sunny Afternoon’ and just these amazing stories like ‘Rosie Won’t You Please Come Home’. And he’s really starting to develop as one of the greatest lyricist of the 60s. 

With this album, and some of the other ones you’ve picked, there’s a clear theme of an artist transitioning to what they later became most famous for, or, in the case of Cope, someone transitioning into this experimental sound. Is there a reason why you’re fascinated by these transitional moments? 

I always like it when an artist is on a path, you get to know them a little bit and they do something that surprises you and it’s still good. That, to me, is one of the greatest signs of an artist’s strength. They’ve proven themselves in one way and they want to keep reaching out. Maybe that’s why these transition records appeal to me so much. I like being surprised.