Best Albums for a beginner

Hi,

(Welcome to the Board)

I agree ... in most cases in my experience it has been the "surprise" factor that has gotten someone else involved in the progressive side of things ... if your friend is one of those folks that goes about chewing a toothpick and humming the beat, you might as well not bother (I guess!!! Never know!).  But if the person is a serious listener, that appreciates music, not just a song or two on each of the albums you mentioned (ask him!!!), then I say ... go for broke ... he probably has no idea how far music goes and can go.

I took a friend of mine that has a massive collection of progressive music, from the 90's mostly (I mean everything!) and it took me a couple of years to get his attention to hew music ... I started by playing the first cut from Pineapple Tree's Deadwing album full blast on my freshly re-conned speakers, and it got his attention. Then this and then that and then this ... today, he has no issue hearing the strangest, the weirdest and the craziest stuff, although I have not pressed MAGMA on him yet, but he knows I went to see them twice here in Portland ... so I think he has heard it ... but all in all, the best way ... is rip it at the top and don't choose ... DON'T CHOOSE ... unless you know things well, but otherwise, I would make a long poster on the wall and look for the albums listed and mark them on the wall ... and start at the beginning (around King Crimson likely!) and such, and see how he takes to it ... I remember that folks hated 20TH CENTURY SCHIZOID ACIDHOLE .... but 40 plus years later, many folks will be disappointed to go see KC if they do not play it! How times change!

I don't think there's anything good for "beginners" in general. People's connection to music is individual, what scores with one person may not score with another.

With love for Pearl Jam and the Chili Peppers he may get more easily into Cardiacs than into later Genesis or WYWH. More psychedelic stuff like Hawkwind or Amon Düül II may be worth a try, the Ummagumma live album, or even Can. Already mentioned: Porcupine Tree In Absentia and Deadwing, maybe King Crimson Red or Discipline...    

Try... 

Izz - Don't Panic

Big Big Train - English Electric Part One

Spock's Beard - V

Echolyn - The End is Beautiful

Sieges Even - Paramount

The Aristocrats - Culture Clash

Mike Keneally - Dancing

Dream Theater - Scenes from a Memory

Frank Zappa - One Size Fits All

My recommendation: Pawn Hearts.

 

Some may say their music is not accessible enough for the beginner, but I don't buy into that viewpoint.

 

 

Is he a fan of all Rush or 80s/90s Rush? You might consider tossing in a listen to A Farewell to Kings or Hemispheres to bridge over to classic prog. 

Then will familiarity with Collins, go with A Trick of the Tail as a prog Genesis starter.

Cristi wrote: ^ Does he want to get into prog? Because if not, it looks like you are forcing your taste onto him. Nobody likes that.

 

We are playing the music that each of us likes to see if our horizons can be expanded

If you don't mind me asking how old is your dad(sorry I'm a demographics freak ;)). He's probably around my age and most people my age weren't exposed to much prog unfortunately and so often don't discover the genre at all. Anyway, I would suggest for him to dig deeper into Floyd(the more obscure stuff ie pre Dark Side), older Rush(70's stuff), earlier Genesis(PG era and pre 80's in general)and also Yes(the band called Yes)especially their 70's material and also maybe ELP. So basically explore the "basics" first. 

To the more modern bands I mentioned earlier I'll also add Marillion to the list(even though these days they are technically hardly "modern"). He possibly knows the song "Kayleigh" so maybe the misplaced childhood or clutching at straws album from them.

Edit:

Essential prog listening for the beginner:

Yes - Close to the Edge

Pink Floyd - Wish you were Here

King Crimson - In the Court of the Crimson King

Rush - Moving Pictures (or hemispheres)

Genesis - Selling England by the Pound

ELP- same

Jethro Tull - Thick as a brick (or aqualung)

Kansas - Leftoverture (kind of an odd recommendation since it's not that common but I'll mention it anyway especially since Kansas is a band who are often unfairly left off these kinds of discussions)