Bands / musicians whose best album is NOT the best one to start with

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Sort of inspired by What are the best albums by the following bands? but in this instance specifically EXcluding compilations; what bands / musicians are there whose best album is not the one you'd recommend as the best starting point for a newbie to begin investigating that band / musician?

― Stewart Osborne (Stewart Osborne), Tuesday, 31 May 2005 11:49 (twenty-one years ago)

The one that immediately leaps to my mind is Captain Beefheart.

Trout Mask Replica and Lick My Decals Off Baby are generally accepted as being his / their best albums but I wouldn’t recommend anyone to start with either of those unless they were already heavily into as many as possible out of: Bauhaus; Can; Nick Cave / The Birthday Party; James Chance; Ornette Coleman; John Coltrane; dEUS; Einsturzende Neubauten; The Fall; Faust; Half Japanese; Joy Division; Lydia Lunch; MC5; Charles Mingus; The Minutemen; Neu; Pere Ubu; Public Image Ltd; The Residents; Roxy Music; Silver Apples; Siouxsie & The Banshees; Sonic Youth; The Stooges; Suicide; Sun Ra; Television; Velvet Underground; Tom Waits; Scott Walker; Wire; Frank Zappa; and John Zorn; but for some reason still hadn’t encountered Captain Beefheart.

Otherwise I’d be inclined to suggest dipping an explanatory toe into Safe As Milk, Clear Spot, Spotlight Kid, Shiny Beast or Doc At The Radar Station rather than diving straight into the deep end with either TMR or Decals.

Who else falls in this category?

― Stewart Osborne (Stewart Osborne), Tuesday, 31 May 2005 11:50 (twenty-one years ago)

Autechre probably.

― dog latin (dog latin), Tuesday, 31 May 2005 11:54 (twenty-one years ago)

guided by voices, maybe?

― shine headlights on me (electricsound), Tuesday, 31 May 2005 12:08 (twenty-one years ago)

Boredoms

― latebloomer: B Minus Time Traveler (latebloomer), Tuesday, 31 May 2005 18:03 (twenty-one years ago)

The Comsat Angels -- well, if you think Sleep No More is better than Waiting for a Miracle as I do. WFAM would be a better starting point before immersing yourself into Sleep No More.

― Ian Riese-Moraine's exploding hamster zeppelin! (Eastern Mantra), Tuesday, 31 May 2005 18:15 (twenty-one years ago)

probably Neil Young, assuming that his best are On the Beach and Tonight's the Night. A good starting point might be Rust Never Sleeps or Everybody Knows This Is Nowhere, which isn't to say that those two don't kick ass.

― Gear! (can Jung shill it, Mu?) (Gear!), Tuesday, 31 May 2005 18:16 (twenty-one years ago)

I would say "A Hard Day's Night" or "Revolver" would usually be better starting points than "Sgt. Pepper", since they contain more "hits" and all. "Sgt. Pepper" is still the better album IMO though.

― Geir Hongro (GeirHong), Tuesday, 31 May 2005 18:17 (twenty-one years ago)

Bowie fits this bill if you're a Low aficionado.

― Steve Gertz (sgertz), Tuesday, 31 May 2005 18:21 (twenty-one years ago)

Radiohead

Best album -- Kid A
One should get warmed up with OK Computer, though.

― Nigel (Nigel), Tuesday, 31 May 2005 18:23 (twenty-one years ago)

Geir: Revolver and Hard Day's Night (along with Rubber Soul) are without a doubt the Beatles best three.

― Nigel (Nigel), Tuesday, 31 May 2005 18:23 (twenty-one years ago)

Most people who like "OK Computer" will never like "Kid A". "Kid A" is for Autechre and krautrock fans rather than for Radiohead fans.

― Geir Hongro (GeirHong), Tuesday, 31 May 2005 18:24 (twenty-one years ago)

"Sgt. Pepper" is without a doubt The Beatles' best album. People knew that in the 70s, and they knew more about good music than current young people too.

― Geir Hongro (GeirHong), Tuesday, 31 May 2005 18:25 (twenty-one years ago)

AC/DC (though I'm using "best" colloquially, not personally.. and even then, I bet most would disagree.)

― donut debonair (donut), Tuesday, 31 May 2005 18:27 (twenty-one years ago)

XTC (if "best" means "most sold".. Oranges & Lemons? ugh.)

― donut debonair (donut), Tuesday, 31 May 2005 18:28 (twenty-one years ago)

Björk. (Medulla)

― The Brainwasher (Twilight), Tuesday, 31 May 2005 18:28 (twenty-one years ago)

Exile On Main Street is not the first Stones album to get. Greatest Hits records aside, I'd start them off with Let It Bleed, or Aftermath.

― kornrulez6969 (TCBeing), Tuesday, 31 May 2005 18:29 (twenty-one years ago)

Most people who like "OK Computer" will never like "Kid A". "Kid A" is for Autechre and krautrock fans rather than for Radiohead fans.

This is a bizarre statement. Many Radiohead fans are Autechre and krautrock fans, and for some it's because of "Kid A." Anyway, it's a popular album that they play songs from all the time, and crowds all over the world cheer it on.

― jaymc (jaymc), Tuesday, 31 May 2005 18:34 (twenty-one years ago)

Well, I started with OK Computer, became a Radiohead fan, fell in love with Kid A/Amnesiac, became an Autechre and Krautrock fan via Radiohead), and now I don't even really listen to OK Computer. But I'm glad I started with it.

― Nigel (Nigel), Tuesday, 31 May 2005 18:44 (twenty-one years ago)

I started with Pablo Honey and have followed them through their entire career and there's not a single album I don't like except for Hail To The Thief.

― Johnny Fever (johnny fever), Tuesday, 31 May 2005 18:47 (twenty-one years ago)

Geir: You're way off on the Beatles. No doubt, Sgt. Pepper has some amazing songs, but it's not their best album. I'm not really sure what you mean about people in the 70s know more about music than young people today. That's an odd generalization.

― Nigel (Nigel), Tuesday, 31 May 2005 18:49 (twenty-one years ago)

Fall-wise, I think we've covered on other threads that Hex Enduction Hour is definitely not the best starting place.

― Douglas (Douglas), Tuesday, 31 May 2005 18:54 (twenty-one years ago)

Many Radiohead fans are Autechre and krautrock fans, and for some it's because of "Kid A."

I would replace "some" -> "an overwhelming majority of them"

― MindInRewind (Barry Bruner), Tuesday, 31 May 2005 19:02 (twenty-one years ago)

dl's Autechre pick is OTM unless you feel that "Tri Repetae" is their best album (most ILM Autechre fans do not, but many fans and critics do feel that it's their best).

― MindInRewind (Barry Bruner), Tuesday, 31 May 2005 19:05 (twenty-one years ago)

Many Radiohead fans are Autechre and krautrock fans

The most typical Radiohead fans dig "The Bends" and "OK Computer".

― Geir Hongro (GeirHong), Tuesday, 31 May 2005 22:34 (twenty-one years ago)

I'm not really sure what you mean about people in the 70s know more about music than young people today.

Symphonic rock. Punk destroyed much of popular music forever, and punk is also the reason why younger generations aren't able to appreciate the greatness of "Sgt. Pepper" and other albums from the same era.

― Geir Hongro (GeirHong), Tuesday, 31 May 2005 22:35 (twenty-one years ago)

my kids like sgt peppers and punk.

― mullygrubbr (bulbs), Tuesday, 31 May 2005 22:41 (twenty-one years ago)

talk talk. the colour of spring is a better to start with them than spirit of eden.

― alex in mainhattan (alex63), Tuesday, 31 May 2005 22:43 (twenty-one years ago)

With Talk Talk, you may actually start with "The Party's Over" and then gradually develop musically with them over time, as their music became less and less accessible over the years. I kind of like all of their albums, in their own way.

― Geir Hongro (GeirHong), Tuesday, 31 May 2005 22:45 (twenty-one years ago)

most kids (7-10 yrs old) i've known like the beatles a lot!

― latebloomer: Pain Don't Hurt (latebloomer), Tuesday, 31 May 2005 22:57 (twenty-one years ago)

The Smiths. The Queen Is Dead is a very unsettled and somewhat misleading ride. The firts half in paticular, the title track is really unlike much else they did and the I Know It's Over, Never Had No One Ever combo is a bit unrelenting on the misery front. Only the arival Cemetry Gates fluttering guitar offers a glimpse of poppy wistful fun Smiths. It's hard to recomend a decent starting point without choosing a compilation, ie Louder Than Bombs or Hatful of Hollow. In my experience casual fans like Strangeways Here We Come a lot, depite a couple of truly wretched songs.

― elwisty (elwisty), Tuesday, 31 May 2005 22:58 (twenty-one years ago)

>>>I'm not really sure what you mean about people in the 70s know more about music than young people today.
Symphonic rock. Punk destroyed much of popular music forever, and punk is also the reason why younger generations aren't able to appreciate the greatness of "Sgt. Pepper" and other albums from the same era.

― JAS, Tuesday, 31 May 2005 23:00 (twenty-one years ago)

This notion does seem to come up from time to time, and I tend to think one's introduction should be the best one regardless. Bang your head against the rawest idiosyncracies at the outset! I suspect my interest would scarcely have been piqued if I'd been issued with Clear Spot or, say, This Nation's Saving Grace, or whatever-might-be-the-smoothest-Autechre-record, etc.

― Nag! Nag! Nag! (Nag! Nag! Nag!), Tuesday, 31 May 2005 23:01 (twenty-one years ago)

I meant to say that the above is a gross generalization. I know plenty of "younger" people who are able to appreciate both.

― JAS, Tuesday, 31 May 2005 23:01 (twenty-one years ago)

And anyway, I prefer Odessey and Oracle, Begin and Forever Changes to Sgt. Pepper. Just my $.02.

― JAS, Tuesday, 31 May 2005 23:02 (twenty-one years ago)

Guilty as charged. Only I don't think it's b/c of punk. I think it's b/c only few of the songs on Sgt. Pepper (vs. Revolver or even Let It Be) are worth saving when the revolution comes. Fortunately the resources were available to wave plenty of shiny objects (trippy outfit! with epaulets!! trippy cover! with famous faces!) in front of Jann Wenner to distract from this fact at the time.

I grant that several tracks make good use of the orchestra. But that just makes the Beatles responsible for Michael Kamen.

― rogermexico (rogermexico), Tuesday, 31 May 2005 23:10 (twenty-one years ago)

Mmh. I probably would've been scared off Throwing Muses for quite a while, if their debut album had been the one I picked up in seventh grade.

― babyalive (babyalive), Tuesday, 31 May 2005 23:39 (twenty-one years ago)

most kids (7-10 yrs old) i've known like the beatles a lot!

At that age, kids are not old enough to be ageist yet, and they are able to appreciate good music without paying attenting to ageist criteria.

― Geir Hongro (GeirHong), Wednesday, 1 June 2005 08:03 (twenty-one years ago)

Arthur Russell is a great example of this. "World of echo" is way his best, even including all the comps, but the first few songs are just a bit too atonal and weird so on first listen you might think it was some experimental bullshit. I always give people "Another thought" first, so they get his aesthetic and his deep-rooted poppiness then move 'em on to "World of Echo"...

― Jacob (Jacob), Wednesday, 1 June 2005 08:25 (twenty-one years ago)

The first Beefheart record I heard was Trout Mask Replica. My dad played it to me when I was about six. I thought it was the weirdest but greatest children's record ever. Once you interpret it that way, the rest all falls into place.

― Marcello Carlin (nostudium), Wednesday, 1 June 2005 08:53 (twenty-one years ago)

"I still feel like a child - every day, everything is exciting and brand new to me."

Don Van Vliet

― Stewart Osborne (Stewart Osborne), Wednesday, 1 June 2005 09:13 (twenty-one years ago)

i liked these debuts but they had better lps:
david cassidy,shaun cassidy,bay city rollers.leif garrett.
i'm only 34

― llichael moyd, Wednesday, 1 June 2005 10:25 (twenty-one years ago)

Flowers of Romance

― Nic de Teardrop (Nicholas), Wednesday, 1 June 2005 10:30 (twenty-one years ago)

I'd say Oneida. Each One Teach One is a beast, one of the best heavy psych records in decades, but I don't know if I'd recommend it to a novice. Probably best to start off with Come On Everybody Let's Rock, or their new one, The Wedding.

― garrett, Wednesday, 1 June 2005 17:31 (twenty-one years ago)

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