I just watched BB, so I have a hard time typing this, but let's see.
Frank, you can't go wrong with either Images and Words or Metropolis Part II: Scenes From a Memory. The first is the album that basically defined DT. It has everything that makes them so great. It's metal, it's prog, it's technical, but it's also amazingly melodic, almost radio rock in certain songs (Die Another Day, Surrounded). And then there's Learning To Live, which is an eternal masterpiece. James LaBrie's voice on this album is just ... incredible. Dat C#. I&W is probably the album old DT fans love the most and it has that undelying 90s feel. For newer fans, it all started with Metropolis Part II. It's probably the most accomplished, thought-out and organic DT album to date, as great concept albums tend to be. I wouldn't want to 'spoil' anything, just sit down and enjoy the journey.
From there, you can go anywhere. Six Degrees of Inner Turbolence is kind of a hybrid album. The first half contains 'single' songs (not a great fan of many of those, tbh), while the second is basically a concept album within the album, a 42-min piece separated into eight parts. It explores the stories of six individuals suffering from various mental illnesses and it's one of my favourite DT compositions. Dark Clouds and Silver Linings has the classic The Count of Tuscany. Octavarium has, well, Octavarium, the rest is okay. Awake is one of those albums you for some reason dismiss at first, then it comes back and suddenly becomes your favourite album. Or a very serious contender for the title at the very least. Erotomania is a brilliant instrumental piece, Voices is orgasmic.
Fuck it, I could write all night. Just go for it. And remember: it's prog, it takes some time to sink in, don't expect to like everything on the first listen. Once it clicks though ... there's no going back. Also, refer to my previous post that FF mentioned for some more great stuff from DT.
