3. The KinksCome Dancing With The Kinks: The Best Of 1977–1986

I realise this is cheating. You would too if you’d been brought up listening to The Kinks, brainwashed into loving them since infancy. A best-of record captures everything so neatly in this instance. My dad makes dinner reservations under the name of Ray, and I’ve been to Kinks conventions with him, to the West End musical Sunny Afternoon, to tour their old stomping grounds, and to [tribute band] Kast Off Kinks and Ray Davies concerts. I introduced dad to Debi Doss at a Kinks convention once, who just happened to be in the same year and course as me at university and had spent many years previously on the road with The Kinks as their backing vocalist. Dad was thrilled. 

I find myself returning to this album frequently. The title track is one of their biggest hits, and I was saddened to learn the story behind it. Ray’s eldest sister, Rene, had died suddenly whilst out dancing at a ballroom. She had given him his first guitar, and the song was written in her honour. They are an outstanding band with an incredible legacy, and they’ve really got me.