Automatic For The People is one album that should be in every alt rock fan's collection; a true classic. After that, I'd skew to earlier albums like Document, Green and Murmur. Or you could pick up And I Feel Fine..., their 'best of' collection from 82-87, instead of the individual albums. (Though some people don't like the way the songs on And I Feel Fine were remastered; too much dynamic compression.)