- Seventh Arrow
- Jan 26, 2005
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So your friend is interested in getting into metal/polka/space rock/hillbilly punk/disco/etc and you, being an expert in said genre, know exactly what albums will fire him/her up. What are they?
Jazz:
- Miles Davis - Kind of Blue; a classic...this really has that cool jazz sound that people think of when they hear the word "jazz"
- Charles Mingus - Ah Um; a jazz newbie would be pulled in by the strength of Mingus' compositions and arrangements
- Art Blakey & The Jazz Messengers - Moanin'; a very groovy album all around...great compositions, great improvisation
- Cannonball Adderly & Nancy Wilson; Nancy Wilson's effortless vocals help to make this album accessible
- Chick Corea & John McLaughlin - Five Peace Band; most of the songs reflect a different era of jazz history, making it a good "all in one" package
- Dave Holland - Extensions; a good introduction to the esoteric side of jazz
- Dizzy Gillespie - Sonny Side Up; Dizzy teams up with Sonny Rollins and Sonny Stitt, what's not to like? Also has a really fun version of "On The Sunny Side of the Street" with vocals by Diz
- Donald Byrd - Fuego; great rhythm section, great blowing...also has a fun song called "Amen"
- Gary Burton & Keith Jarrett - Throb; this may be the only opportunity to introduce someone to Country-Jazz
- Grant Green - His Majesty King Funk; a great introduction to Soul-Jazz
- John Coltrane - Blue Train; like "Kind of Blue," this album is very accessible to newbies and has some great grooves and Coltrane's classic lines
- Mahavishnu Orchestra - Birds Of Fire; just to see if they run away
- Weather Report - Heavy Weather; possibly the most accessible fusion album of its era
- Wes Montgomery - Smokin' at the Half Note; a fantastic album of jazz guitar, Wes really kills it all over this album
Prog:
- Asia - Asia; purists will frown, but it's an easy-on-the-ears, "catchy" album that will lure newbies into the prog trap
- Atomic Rooster - Death Walks Behind You; a very gonzo album with Carl Palmer on drums...invites multiple listens
- Beardfish - The Void; pretty weird, but the strong melodies are compelling
- Big Big Train - Gathering Speed; Genesis-a-like with the same melodic leanings but none of the eccentricities
- Camel - Mirage; good for your buddies who are into classic rock
- Cathedral - Stained Glass Stories; Yes-a-like with a very different vocalist
- Coheed & Cambria - Good Apollo I'm Burning Star IV Vol 1; eventually, your friend will have to accept the fact that prog is very very pretentious
- Curved Air - Phantasmagoria; very tight songwriting, mixing classical, jazz, and rock elements
- Discipline - To Shatter All Accord
- Dream Theater - Metropolis Pt. 2
- ELP - Emerson, Lake, & Palmer; the single "Lucky Man" is pretty catchy
- The Flower Kings - Back in the World of Adventure; a bit generic, but there's some good song hooks and neat guitar throughout
- Flying Colors - Flying Colors; some fantastic musicians are here...Steve Morse, Dave LaRue, Mike Portnoy, Neal Morse, fantastic, well-written songs
- Focus - Moving Waves; the yodelling on "Hocus Pocus" might be frightening, but much of the album rocks hard
- Fuzzy Duck - Fuzzy Duck; they made one fantastic album and then disappeared into nowhere
- Genesis - Foxtrot; it's hard to pick just two Genesis albums, but here they are. Just get your friend to listen, that's all they need
- Genesis - The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway
- Gentle Giant - Free Hand; probably their most accessible album...these guys are amazing musicians
- Glass Hammer - If; GH out-yesses Yes
- Hawkwind - In Search of Space; the best of Space-Prog
- IQ - The Wake; I generally don't care for 90's prog, but this is a strong album
- Jethro Tull - Aqualung; as with Genesis...just listen
- Jethro Tull - Thick As A Brick
- King Crimson - In the Court of the Crimson King; ditto
- King Crimson - Lark's Tongue in Aspic
- King Crimson - Red
- The Mars Volta - Deloused in the Comatorium; the lyrics are bizarre, maybe even off-putting, but the musicianship is totally solid throughout
- Oblivion Sun - Oblivion Sun; poppy prog with lots of twists & turns
- Pink Floyd - The Dark Side of the Moon
- Pink Floyd - Wish You Were Here
- Porcupine Tree - In Absentia
- Pure Reason Revolution - Cautionary Tales for the Brave; really interesting EP....well-written songs, cool harmonies and guitar riffs
- Queensryche - Empire
- Renaissance - Scheherazade and Other Stories; probably the best prog band with a female vocalist...this album really captures your attention throughout
- Rush - Moving Pictures
- Rush - 2112
- Soft Machine - Bundles; The One With Allan Holdsworth
- Spock's Beard - Day for Night
- Squackett - A Life Within a Day; Squackett = Chris Squire + Steve Hackett, haha get it? Very pop-oriented, makes for good "gateway prog"
- Steve Hackett - Voyage of the Acolyte
- Steven Wilson - The Raven That Refused to Sing
- Styx - The Grand Illusion; more gateway prog, catchy singalong stuff (come sail away! come sail away! x100)
- Supertramp - The Crime of the Century; this is the one where they found the sweet spot of pop melodicism and prog complexity
- Tool - Lateralus; the band that has actively tried to destroy 4/4
- UK - UK; an interesting mix of fusion and prog
- Unitopia - The Garden; a very underrated album, but so good...each development pulls you more and more into the songs
- Utopia - Ra; Todd Rundgren takes a stab at prog, with fantastic results
- Van Der Graaf Generator - Pawn Hearts; very demented...see whether they run away screaming or not
- Wishbone Ash - Argus; a classic...test it out on your classic rock buddies
- Yes - Close to the Edge
- Yes - The Yes Album
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Mar 1, 2016 04:30
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Apr 27, 2024 18:40
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- Sham bam bamina!
- Nov 6, 2012
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ƨtupid cat
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I don't think it still counts as "introducing" someone to a genre 51 albums in.
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Mar 1, 2016 07:23
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- Crow Jane
- Oct 18, 2012
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nothin' wrong with a lady drinkin' alone in her room
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Not a genre so much as the works of one artist, but if you're interested in Tom Waits, start with Rain Dogs. If you like the odder stuff (Singapore, Gun Street Girl, Cemetery Polka, Tango til They're Sore), listen to his subsequent albums. If you like the more traditional songs (Blind Love, Downtown Train, Hang Down Your Head), listen to the earlier stuff. Either way, you're listening to Tom Waits, so you're having a pretty good time.
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Mar 1, 2016 18:33
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Mar 1, 2016 04:30
