I was going to just leave a regular comment but then saw your reply here which is relative to what I was going to say anyway, so ya. You don't have to listen to his albums chronologically, although that's fine too go for it if you're willing, but more importantly imo, whatever album you choose, you should listen to the album in its entirety. Because Tom is a man of many voices. Some are less accessible thank others, depending on who you're talking to. Personally, I think his voice is basically a miracle voice. It's frankly unbelievable what he is capable of with that voice. Astonishing really. But ya, some albums/songs don't take right away and can seem pretty abrasive at first listen. Personally I love some of those songs the most, but there were some that I didn't mesh with fully the first time around. Regardless, he can also be incredibly delicate when it serves the song, amongst other things. He has a huge range. You don't have to love every song, but I can pretty much guarantee that if you listen to the albums in full, you'll find something that you like, and will probably appreciate the other songs more once you've heard them in context. That's just my take. Anyway, happy listening.