[zumaro]

Debut and Post are both more accessible than Homogenic and both are fine albums, as is Homogenic. Only slightly less essential is Vespertine, which is still very good indeed, and certainly uniquely Bjork. More or less expendable in my opinion are Telegram and Selmasongs. The most fascinating is Medulla but is not a good place to start as it is quite a bit more uncompromising in its experimentation.

I would personally start with Homogenic or Debut - both are nearly perfect albums in my opinion, with Homogenic being the more challenging of the two. If you want just one CD then the Greatest Hits does collect together all the most accessible tracks, being voted for by her fans I believe, and is a superb introduction.

 

[androgeny]

My vote is for Post simply because I find it the most accessible album in Bjork's discography. How can you go wrong with Army of Me,Hyperballad and Enjoy? I also think Post highlights the full range of Bjork's stylistic and vocal talents while remaining easy to listen to (for Bjork).

 

[EdipisReks]

i would get Debut and Post together, then get Homogenic, then get Vespertine and Medulla. Debut and Post make a good pairing, as you can really hear the progression of her style going from a take off from The Sugarcubes sound (with some understandable trip-hop influence, which is understandable considering that hooper was the producer) to getting her own, defined sound in Post. Homogenic is a challenging album, and stands on its own as a statement. Vespertine is probably my favorite album, and the highly produced sound that it has goes very well with the almost raw Medulla. The Sugarcubes, KUKL and the even earlier experimental bands are probably the place to start if you really want to hear where Bjork has come from

 

[technobarbie]

Quote:

Originally Posted by asmox Homogenic is definitely my favorite. It was my first, and I wouldn't hesitate to recommend it as a first to anybody else.

Yep a friend of mine wanted a Bjork CD, because she was curious. I gave her this CD, and now she is a fan. I classify the Bjork CD's I have as the following.

Debut: The least approachable CD IMO.
Homogenic: A good all around approach.
Post: Dance Music.
Vespetine: Most Poetic and Pretty.

 

[FalconP]

Just curious, has anyone compared the SACD layer on the limited edition of Medulla with redbook?

 

[MikeB06]

I picked up Homogenic this afternoon, and have been able to listen to about 2/3 of it between my car and the computer. So far it is very different, but I really like it. Her voice is an instrument in itself and it is a very engaging listen. I am about to go give the album a full listen through. I think I will go with Post and Debut next as a pair. I'll most likely order them through yourmusic.com, and go from there. I can see myself with Bjork's entire catalog before too long

.

 

[megawzrd]

Well upon all the other recommendations for homogenic I would have recommended it first as well. Id have to agree with some of the other posts again and say Vespertine would be good next.

Then id say Post and on to Debut.

I just can't get into Medulla though

On a side note:
Selmasongs: Dancer in the Dark is a very good effort by bjork. Its a soundtrack for an indie film...the music is great regardless.

 

[Davey]

Quote:

Originally Posted by MikeB06 I can see myself with Bjork's entire catalog before too long .

Yeah, I can see that too. She's not done anything that isn't interesting. I'm partial to Post, especially on the excellent sounding pink vinyl that it first came out on, but they're all good. She does a song on the great Hector Zazou Songs From The Cold Seas that is a favorite of mine. In fact I love the whole CD, but you can often find it cheap if you get the itch for even more Bjork, and some other excellent singers like Värttinä from Finland and Suzanne Vega and Jane Siberry and Siouxie and more. Nice album. Kind of like the French version of Brian Eno. Isn't music fun

 

[enjoi_rootbeer]

Quote:

Originally Posted by MikeB06 I picked up Homogenic this afternoon, and have been able to listen to about 2/3 of it between my car and the computer. So far it is very different, but I really like it. Her voice is an instrument in itself and it is a very engaging listen. I am about to go give the album a full listen through. I think I will go with Post and Debut next as a pair. I'll most likely order them through yourmusic.com, and go from there. I can see myself with Bjork's entire catalog before too long .

yes! homogenic, good choice. post then vespertine, etc...then DVD! MUST MUST get the Royal Opera House live DVD, it is absolutely amazing.

 

[MikeB06]

Quote:

Originally Posted by enjoi_rootbeer yes! homogenic, good choice. post then vespertine, etc...then DVD! MUST MUST get the Royal Opera House live DVD, it is absolutely amazing.

DVD? I was not aware of the existence of the DVD. That will be aquired as soon as possible. I'm on my second full listen through, and from the beginning I've been wondering what it would be like to see her live. I think I'll order Post and Debut through yourmusic, and get Vespertine within a couple days at the store.

 

[EdipisReks]

Quote:

Originally Posted by enjoi_rootbeer yes! homogenic, good choice. post then vespertine, etc...then DVD! MUST MUST get the Royal Opera House live DVD, it is absolutely amazing.

yeah, it's pretty awesome. probably my favorite of her live performances on DVD.

 

[MikeB06]

Ok, this is starting to get crazy, I'm finishing listening to the album twice all the way through on my rig and I think my ears are actually demanding to be fed more Bjork. A second CD will be bought tomorrow. Most likely Vespertine. Any reasons why I shouldn't go with this after falling in love with Homogenic? Also, I will be owning all of Bjork's work in the near future, so Vespertine or whatever I get tomorrow will merely be the next step in aquiring it all.

 

[Meifa]

Vespertine is probably tied with Homogenic as my favorite Bjork album. At the same time, it's hard to compare the two directly because, conceptually, they're very different albums.

Vespertine is a "lullaby"/nighttime sort of album... It's very ethereal and beautiful. Delicate, even. As such, it departs sort of sharply from Homogenic's more aggressive delivery. In fact, I think it could be fairly said that all of her work since Homogenic has shown different "sides" to her style. Vespertine is the elegant, gentle album; Selma Songs (Dancer in the Dark soundtrack) kind of harkens back to her earlier work; Medulla is extremely experimental.

Anyway, rambling! Bottom line: I really love Vespertine and I think you should buy it!

 

[androgeny]

Nobody's mentioned Gling Glo? - Pre-Debut, Bjork did a jazz album. Unfortunately, all but two songs are in Icelandic. Regardless, it's a really cool disc. I wouldn't start there, but it's definitely worth it if you consider yourself a Bjork fan.

As for live performances, if you can find her MTV Unplugged (only shown in Europe), you'll be totally amazed. Definitely one to get after you've heard Debut (since that's the timeframe when it was recorded).

 

[boodi]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Meifa A I really love Vespertine and I think you should buy it!

I bought Vespertine only for the cd art , it's been the very first cd of Bjork I've got and I feel lucky discovering bjork from this very work ; I agree on Meifa comments, I'll add I find Vespertine very musical , inspired , still human and very refined , other then higly artistic ; and Medulla is quite on the same line but the "musical" taste that's in Medulla may need some more time to enter in the blood .