[gtroda]

[TracyJacks]

It really depends on what kind of music do you like. I personally don't care for their 80s and 90s stuff that much (Final Cut, Momentary..., Division...) so I always preferred their period between 1967-1975.
The first album I listened to was Ummagumma and I think most people would scream and run away if they should listen that as the first PF album because it is quite experimental. For me it was fantastic. A Saucerful of Secrets are amongs my favourite PF albums, it is a very atmospheric with some beautiful psychedelic tunes (Remember a day, Set the controls..., See-saw), though it comes nowhere near to their debut release,Piper.
Atom Heart Mother is great,songs like Summer of 68 or If are brilliant.
Obscured by clouds is underrated,it is a good album.

I think you should listen to all of the albums
😎

[Robert Anton Wilson]

1968-A Saucerful of Secrets
Excellent album with some songs which are a must for PF fans such as "Set the Controls for the Heart of the Sun" and the title track. This is an album where the music is more important than the lyrics. The problem with this album is that there are a few ridiculous songs which are tough to accept even for a hardcore fan.

1969-Ummagumma
This is a double album. The first album was essentially live renditions of the must PF numbers from their post-Syd early era, when they were a trippy space/acid band. These live versions are a MUST for any PF fan. The second album is split in quarters with each quarter composed by only one member on its own. It is very unequal and highly exploratory. It is because of those exploratory bits that some people disfavor this album but the 4 live songs still make it a MUST.

1970-Atom Heart Mother
This is a unique album in the PF canon which stands on its own and therefore it is difficult to predict whether you will like it or not based on how you like other PF album. Those who like it, like it a lot and those who do not like it do not hate hate it but are mostly indifferent. There are a few standard songs on the album (e.g. IF, Fat Old Sun) but what sets it apart is Allan's Psychedelic Breakfast and the title track. It is integration of a classical orchestra playing a PF composition. If you like classical music and other PF albums, then the odds of you liking it are higher, if you hate anything classical, you might hate it.

1972-Obscured by Clouds
Musically an excellent album. Lyrically weak because it is a soundtrack and therefore there was not much room to be free lyrics wise. The main reason this album is less favored is just because it came between Meddle and the huge success that the song Echoes was and the DSOTM. In and of itself, this is a very good album which is up to the standard of the best of the PF. it just does not have any stand out song that everybody talks about and recognises - music is often a social passion and this album fails on that front, but if you want to experience the music in and of itself without ever being able to share with somebody else how great you find that album, then do not hesitate. To use another analogy this is an excellent book with a crappy cover that required a last revision to be a shiny diamond but the meat and content was there. A diamond in the rough by a band who is recognised from putting out polished diamond.

1983-The Final Cut
One of the best but a highly personal and moody album. This is more of a Roger Waters solo album. Those who love that album are just as passionate about it as any other masterpiece. However, this is not a party album. This is to listen to alone in your room while paying attention to the lyrics. Hard to get into which is why it is often disfavored, this is not an album for everyone but those who get it, get it a lot. I get it.

1987-A Momentary Lapse of Reason
I always found it worked because this was their first album without Roger Waters and they did not try to hide that fact. They lost their lyricist and their main composer and accepted it and realised that the only way this could float is by being something different. This is different. So if you are looking for more of the same you will not like this album. Then again, this is one of the thing that always characterised PF, to do albums which are different. This is a good album but can be obtained later in a PF fan career because there is no point knowing that album if you do not know the live versions from Ummagumma or Atom Heart Morther. Taken out of context of the PF career, it is a decent neo-prog album with just a few low moments. If it would have been released as a Gilmour/Mason album, everybody would hail it as a great solo album, as a PF album, it is at the bottom of the pile.

1994-The Division Bell
I just cannot get into that album but it is all based on personal prejudice and judgement. I am a fan of Roger Waters first. While I love the other members and I usually love their solo work, this to me sounds like a betrayal of the guys attempting to do a Roger Waters inspired PF album. The people who are not as prejudiced as me and who listen to the album tend to like it. I have tried to give it a go to confront my prejudices. Everytime I do, I just fall asleep on it because it is such a slow developing album.

[nutso42]

The live Ummagumma album is great. The studio, not so much.

Definitely check out the live Ummagumma.
Obscured By Clouds is pretty awesome as well.