# Introduce a noob to your favorite music **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [March 13, 2008, 12:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/introduce-a-noob-to-your-favorite-music/441195 "2008-03-13T00:46:00Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![pprgrl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/f6c823/32.png) [@pprgrl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pprgrl)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2008, 12:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/introduce-a-noob-to-your-favorite-music/441195/1 "2008-03-13T00:46:00Z")
If someone you knew had never listened to your favorite musician/band/singer, what is the one album that you would give to that person to introduce her or him to their music? It doesn’t necessarily have to be your personal favorite album by that artist, although it can be. For instance, my favorite artist is Tori Amos, and my favorite album of hers is _Boys For Pele_, but that’s not the album I’d give to someone who’d never listened to Tori before. For someone who’s new to her music, I’d recommend either _Little Earthquakes_ or else _Scarlett’s Walk_, depending on what I know of the other person’s taste in music. _Little Earthquakes_ is a good introduction to Tori, but I think that overall, _Scarlett’s Walk_ is more mature and more easily accessible to the first-time listener. So, favorite artist, and the album you’d recommend to a first-time listener. Tell us your favorite album, too, if the two are different. ---
**Author:** ![woodstockbirdybird](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/woodstockbirdybird/32/7905_2.png) [@woodstockbirdybird](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/woodstockbirdybird)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2008, 1:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/introduce-a-noob-to-your-favorite-music/441195/2 "2008-03-13T01:03:27Z")
Favorite band is Husker Du; my personal favorite album of theirs (this week) is _New Day Rising_, but for a beginner, I’d probably recommend “Candy Apple Grey”. ---
**Author:** ![KneadToKnow](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kneadtoknow/32/3999_2.png) [@KneadToKnow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KneadToKnow)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2008, 1:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/introduce-a-noob-to-your-favorite-music/441195/3 "2008-03-13T01:06:37Z")
I’d probably introduce someone to Stevie Ray Vaughan with _Couldn’t Stand the Weather_. Even though I don’t think it’s his absolute best album, I do think it’s his most accessible. ---
**Author:** ![Ephemera](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/8baadc/32.png) [@Ephemera](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ephemera)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2008, 1:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/introduce-a-noob-to-your-favorite-music/441195/4 "2008-03-13T01:24:30Z")
_A Perfect Dream_ by Sarah Fimm is both my favorite and her best album. ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2008, 1:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/introduce-a-noob-to-your-favorite-music/441195/5 "2008-03-13T01:24:33Z")
**Renaissance** - **Live At Carnegie Hall** All the best work, a full orchestra backing about half the album, and Annie’s soaring voice. The problem with my other favorite is: Which Bruce? **Bruce Springsteen** - **Born To Run** Let’s go with the album that introduced him to pretty much everybody. ---
**Author:** ![pprgrl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/f6c823/32.png) [@pprgrl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pprgrl)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2008, 1:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/introduce-a-noob-to-your-favorite-music/441195/6 "2008-03-13T01:41:08Z")
**silenus,** someone gave me Bruce’s Greatest Hits as my first cd by him, and I really wish I’d gotten _Born To Run_ first. And apparently it’s _Scarlet’s Walk_ with one t. :smack: Some fan I am. ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2008, 1:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/introduce-a-noob-to-your-favorite-music/441195/7 "2008-03-13T01:46:08Z")
[QUOTE=silenus] **Renaissance** - **Live At Carnegie Hall** [/QUOTE] Whreas I’d pick their first album, before Annie joined. They definitely lost their edge when the lost Jane Relf. For me, it’s the Bonzo Dog Band. Assuming no compilations, I’d pick “Tadpoles,” for their insane version of “Monster Mash,” plus “Doctor Jazz,” “Ali Baba’s Camel,” and “Mr. Apollo.” ---
**Author:** ![NurseCarmen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/5daacb/32.png) [@NurseCarmen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NurseCarmen)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2008, 2:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/introduce-a-noob-to-your-favorite-music/441195/8 "2008-03-13T02:08:51Z")
[QUOTE=woodstockbirdybird] Favorite band is Husker Du; my personal favorite album of theirs (this week) is _New Day Rising_, but for a beginner, I’d probably recommend “Candy Apple Grey”. [/QUOTE] woodstockbirdybird, Refer to my location for another good album 🙂 But I digress. I must admit that I am again going through my yearly Flogging Molly and Pogues jag kicks in. March seems to be a good month for hard rocking Irish drinking music. ---
**Author:** ![uncle\_squeegee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/b5e925/32.png) [@uncle\_squeegee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/uncle_squeegee)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2008, 2:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/introduce-a-noob-to-your-favorite-music/441195/9 "2008-03-13T02:14:23Z")
I am going to cheat because have three artists that I consider favorites (strangely they all end with the letter o) Devo: _Freedom of Choice_ to start, \*Q: Are We Not Men? A: We Are Devo! \* is my favorite. Elvis Costello: _King of America_ to start, hard to pick a favorite but I vacillate between _When I Was Cruel, Blood and Chocolate,_ and _Imperial Bedroom_ (and others) Wilco: _Sky Blue Sky_ to start, _Yankee Hotel Foxtrot_ is my favorite. ---
**Author:** ![lobotomyboy63](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lobotomyboy63/32/2900_2.png) [@lobotomyboy63](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lobotomyboy63)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2008, 2:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/introduce-a-noob-to-your-favorite-music/441195/10 "2008-03-13T02:21:42Z")
1. Michael Penn “March” or 2) Fastball “All the Pain Money Can Buy.” Each has their biggest hits, though their other albums may be better. ---
**Author:** ![joyfool](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/df788c/32.png) [@joyfool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/joyfool)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2008, 2:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/introduce-a-noob-to-your-favorite-music/441195/11 "2008-03-13T02:27:56Z")
Alice Cooper. If I wanted to separate the man from the band, I’d pick **Brutal Planet** for his solo career and **Billion Dollar Babies** from when he was still with the original group. ---
**Author:** ![Rhubarb](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/59ef9b/32.png) [@Rhubarb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rhubarb)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2008, 3:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/introduce-a-noob-to-your-favorite-music/441195/12 "2008-03-13T03:01:17Z")
**Pink Floyd** - Yeah, I know everyone has heard _The Wall_, seen _The Wall_, and performed _The Wall_ for their high school play. But if someone had never heard of Pink Floyd, or all they’d ever heard was _The Wall_, I’d give them _Wish You Were Here_. It’s definitely their best work (IMO). ---
**Author:** ![Thudlow\_Boink](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thudlow_boink/32/320_2.png) [@Thudlow\_Boink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thudlow_Boink)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2008, 3:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/introduce-a-noob-to-your-favorite-music/441195/13 "2008-03-13T03:20:38Z")
[QUOTE=uncle squeegee] Elvis Costello: _King of America_ to start, hard to pick a favorite but I vacillate between _When I Was Cruel, Blood and Chocolate,_ and _Imperial Bedroom_ (and others) [/QUOTE] Huh. I like Elvis (he’s not my #1 favorite, but at least in the top 20), but that is one album I’ve never been able to get into. ---
**Author:** ![What\_Exit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/what_exit/32/10652_2.png) [@What\_Exit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/What_Exit)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2008, 3:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/introduce-a-noob-to-your-favorite-music/441195/14 "2008-03-13T03:36:30Z")
Pink Floyd: Wish You Were Here This is their best work. It is much better than the Wall and even better than Dark Side of the Moon. Led Zeppelin: Zep IV I know, nothing unexpected, but really every song is great and Battle Evermore leading into Stairway to Heaven is just perfect. Beatles: The White Album I could as easily say Abbey Road or Sgt. Pepper’s but I think I’d pick the White Album as the introduction. Yes: Fragile My other choice would be Close to the Edge, but I think Fragile would be a better introduction. ---
**Author:** ![nikonikosuru](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/5f8ce5/32.png) [@nikonikosuru](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nikonikosuru)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2008, 3:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/introduce-a-noob-to-your-favorite-music/441195/15 "2008-03-13T03:42:42Z")
Alien Ant Farm’s second album, TruANT. The first one was okay, it’s what got me interested in the band. A lot of loud rock, banging on the drums, angry screaming singing just like a lot of alternative rock bands. The second album really rocked, though. Just by listening to the songs you could hear how much they improved as a band. Unlike the first album each song is distinct from one another…Some are still guitar-chugging rock, some have a Latin-vibe, and others have such awesome beats I feel like I could take on the world with those songs as my background music. The lyrics are really good, too. The second album has the perfect mix of songs- not too sour (like the first) and not too sweet (like the third). The second album is what made me a fan to AAF, it’s just too bad that so few people couldn’t move past the band’s one hit wonder to see all of the good songs they have to offer. ---
**Author:** ![psycat90](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/7ea924/32.png) [@psycat90](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/psycat90)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2008, 4:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/introduce-a-noob-to-your-favorite-music/441195/16 "2008-03-13T04:09:54Z")
Hard! Well, according to my last.fm profile They Might Be Giants are my favorite band, or at least the band I have listened to most often over the past few years on my PC anyway. Are they my favorite band? Hmm. I think no. I might have to give that to Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band, but the Ramones are way up there too. OK hell. Let’s go with The Ramones. Even though I started listening to Bruce before the Ramones, I’ve seen them many, many times live and they hold a special place in my heart. The album - **The Ramones**. Their first release. It is simple and solid from beginning to end. I love it, and I’d recommend it to a first time listener. The fact that it does NOT have I Wanna Be Sedated is just a bonus. (Love the song, sick of people only knowing of or playing it.) It does have Blitzkrieg Bop, which was almost ruined by some cell phone company or something, but was saved by their only using it in small doses. 😉 And for the hell of it. If I were to turn someone on to Bruce, I’d definitely go with Greetings from Asbury Park, N.J. And They Might Be Giants - Lincoln. All 3 of those albums to my ears are perfect in their entirety. I love every song on every one and can (and do) listen to them over and over. ---
**Author:** ![Equipoise](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/equipoise/32/151_2.png) [@Equipoise](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Equipoise)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2008, 4:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/introduce-a-noob-to-your-favorite-music/441195/17 "2008-03-13T04:49:47Z")
You might consider giving [Happy Rhodes](http://www.myspace.com/happyrhodes) a listen (link is to her main MySpace page). Famous Happy Rhodes fans include your girl Tori (who I know for a fact has all of Happy’s albums) and Imogen Heap. Hap has 11 albums, so it’s hard to pick one. I’m partial to **Many Worlds Are Born Tonight** , which is much more layered and lush and electronic than my 2nd favorite, **The Keep** , which is simple and acoustic and awe-inspiringly breathtakingly beautiful. You can download and listen to a large portion of the songs on her first 10 albums [at my Song Samples site](http://wretchawry.com/happy/samples) (which is fully authorized by Happy). Songs from her 11th album can be downloaded at that album’s [MySpace page](http://www.myspace.com/happyrhodesfindme) ---
**Author:** ![Alice\_The\_Goon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ed8c4c/32.png) [@Alice\_The\_Goon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alice_The_Goon)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2008, 4:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/introduce-a-noob-to-your-favorite-music/441195/18 "2008-03-13T04:55:52Z")
Prince, _Sign O’ The Times_. For Pink Floyd, I’m torn between Dark Side of the Moon and Wish You Were Here. The latter may be technically better, although that’s subjective, but I think the former more accurately represents them and their sound. YMMV. ---
**Author:** ![Hey\_It\_s\_That\_Guy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/6f9a4e/32.png) [@Hey\_It\_s\_That\_Guy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hey_It_s_That_Guy)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2008, 5:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/introduce-a-noob-to-your-favorite-music/441195/19 "2008-03-13T05:03:22Z")
Tom Waits, with two perfect albums: _Rain Dogs_ (for a perfect glimpse of the pinnacle of his career, between his boozy, bluesy beatnik and world-weary hobo carny personas) and \*Nighthawks at the Diner \* (an older “live” album playing up his retro-hipster side, with plenty of ballads, spoken-word jazz poetry, and witty inter-song banter). ---
**Author:** ![OpalCat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/8edcca/32.png) [@OpalCat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OpalCat)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2008, 5:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/introduce-a-noob-to-your-favorite-music/441195/20 "2008-03-13T05:12:47Z")
\*\*Jethro Tull … hrm. That would be really hard because they reinvented their sound a zillion times. It would depend who I was recommending them to. Possibly I’d go with _Heavy Horses_ or _Songs from the Wood_ for a more acoustic-tending person… _Broadsword and the Beast_ for more rock? I have puzzled over this before and never come up with a good solution. They’re just too everywhere, style-wise, to really have a good introductory point that covers much. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/introduce-a-noob-to-your-favorite-music/441195.md?page=2)