Phillip Glass Fans

Koyaanisqatsi
Glassworks
The Photographer
Einstein on the Beach

are all good places to start

The soundtrack "Northstar" (sometimes called "Etoile Polaire") was Glass' crossover breakthrough for rock fans. If you're coming at his music from that angle, this is a good start.

I saw his ensemble perform the piece live sometime in the '70s and took away one message:

Play this loud!

If you're not coming at this from a rock fan's perspective, Stvecham's choices are spot on-
Glassworks and the Photographer being the prettiest music (to my ear) and
Einstein being the most ambitious.

Enjoy!

Marty

PS For a further rock music connection, Glass collaborated with the band Polyrock on their first LP. This is a great rock record that strongly echoes some of the themes heard on North Star.

I have a Sharper Image Plastic Fan. It works great.

Einstein on the beach is one of my favorites.

if you're getting into philip glas koyanisquatsi is a film you MUST see. it's all visuals and score. the greatest film ever made

if you like Glass
also try Steve Reich

music for 18 musicians
and others

Well, that narrows it down! (LOL)
All good suggestions. In addition (just to confuse you) he did the music for a Jean Genet play, "The Screens," in collaboration with Foday Musa Suso. Absolutely terrific CD. I saw the two of them perform it a few years ago.
I also saw Glass with an ensemble perform with Robert Wilson doing a 3D film in the background -- very cool!

Thanks everyone for your informed suggestions! Audiotomb, you mention similarity to Steve Reich; in reading a bio of Glass, I understand that Steve Reich and John Adams are also key players in the minimalist music school (along, of course, with Terry Riley--the namesake for The Who's "Baba O'Riley"). Can you tell me anything about Reich or Adams?

I like: Songs From Liquid Days

fun but still has the trademark Glass sound

I have all of the following and like them all.

Koyaanisqatsi (I also have the movie DVD)
Powaqqatsi (I have the movie DVD for this too)
The Photographer (on Vinyl)
Songs From Liquid Days (On Vinyl- Great!)

Reich uses more mallet instruments and sparser instrumentation
Music for 18 musicians is a great starting place
Peter Gabriel's San Jacinto has Reichian flourishes

I saw Glass in Detroit around 83
his consort was playing at Rock volumes
at one point I was dead tired and bored
then it was like the sky opened up and passages varying slightly overlapped in a way that was totally mesmerizing
performers used to bitch about his repetitive parts until they were in the midst of the full score

an odd tidbit, Glass was working as a cab driver in the early 70s to make ends meet before Einstein

Glassworks is the most accessible Glass piece
Einstein is fun
Koyanisquatsi is a must have film and you get the soundtrack gratis

I've heard Adams but not enough to comment,
enjoyed it

if you enjoy these try Brian Eno's Music for Airports

Dracula soundtrack

I get the same effect from letting my damaged CD's skip

Audiotomb -

I had to smile at your description of the PG Ensemble live:
it is almost word for word the way I've described it in the past;

Nearly asleep, then BAM! (apologies to Emiril) like it's almost a physiological effect. You certainly walk away appreciating the impact that music at high spls can have.

If I recall, the music press was calling it "trance music".

Marty

The soundtrack for "Mishima" is beautiful as is the "Photographer". The "Low" symphony is one of Glass's most understated and, IMO, best compositions. Gosh, I just counted and I have 44 Glass Cd's! I've been a fan since Eistein on the Beach. On the simpler side, some of Glass's solo piano compositions are stunning. Because of the signiture "big" sound of much of his classical music, I have found that some of his music has been badly recorded creating a muddy "wall of sound" result. However, there are certainly more excellent recordings than bad.

I have his face on my wall... via Chuck Close, but his music hasn'r really grown on me.

Check out what he did with Bowies music

Thanks Elizabeth for the Aguas da Amazonia recommendation. I just picked it up and it is wonderful!

Einstein on the Beach is amazing.. try to find the original 4 LP set with the book.

I also love the Kronos Quartet Philip Glass album, but I don't remember the exact title.

Galeriehughie, I also have Glass on my wall courtesy of Close. Mine is on silk.

Aguas da Amazonia is nice. It has a dreamlike quality, less noisy than some of his albums...

Phillip Glass is BIG arpegio dude. Every piece sounds like musicians practicing arpegios of different kind, minor, major, suspended, diminished, pentatonic, quadratonic -- whole composing career is pure arpegio etude.
I guess he's somewhat similar to Chopin, but Chopin used a lot more practicing scales than just an arpegio. 

To me, Glass sounds like someone trying to pass  an entry  class exam for
Composition 101 at a Bible School .And failing .

Glass is my son's source of inspiration.  I always tell my son that, whatever junk he composed on our home piano, it sounds better than Glass's.

No mention of Akhnaten? 
His music on piano is like playing 'Czerny Studies', very repetitive. 

A bit late to the party, but as mentioned, Koyaanisqatsi is his most seminal recording; it should be paired with the movie for full effect. However, whenever I go into Walmart, I usually have this album in my earbuds as a survival strategy.

Glassworks and Northstar can also serve as a good introduction. Einstein on the Beach - based just on its thematic complexity and scope - should best be saved once you’re familiar with Glass’ style.

I have several of his symphonies, but they never seem to have reached the visceral impact as those other three recordings. YMMV.

As for you Phillip Glass haters; well, critics critique; they don't create. It's easier to knock down a sandcastle than it is to build one.

@Schubert - I can't remember the last time I heard you say anything positive about any musical artist who wasn't a dead 18th century white guy.

I perosnally would not mention Glass in the same sentence as Chopin. I like Glass, Chopin is in a totally different class though......IMHO.

Interestingly, "Jacob's Ladder", by Rush, has a center instrumental section that is completely inspired by Phillip Glass.
Also, if you're not a Phillip Glass fan, you can always enjoy his cousin, Ira Glass, who hosts "This American Life"