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I love them, yet they're the sort of band who could easily play an entire set of songs I don't like.

The song you've started off with here is a Tanya Donelly one. You only tend to get two or three of those to an album and they're generally a big lighter than the Kristin Hersh compositions. However, the album it's from - The Real Ramona - is a bit poppier than most and, IMO, probably the most consistent even if it doesn't have any one track of the calibre of Hate My Way or Bea.

The first self-titled album is patchy but when it's good it's amazing. The Chains Changed EP doesn't have a duff track on it. I'm not keen on House Tornado but I see that the current CD/mp3 version has the pretty excellent Fat Skier mini-album included so worth a shot. Hunkpapa is a bit spikier so will depend how you get on with the others.

After Real Ramona, Tanya left the band which obviously changes the dynamic a bit. Red Heaven is pretty solid, especially if you get the version with the live disc included. After that, there are one or two good tracks but nothing I've revisited much.

So, yeah. Get Real Ramona first: if it turns out you only really like the Donelly songs you can always try the first Belly album next.

One of my favourite records of all time, a big fat 10/10 from me. But it's pretty different from the poppy later stuff. I suppose a slightly reductive way to describe it is as the Muses' Holy Bible or Pornography or whatever, it's very hard and bleak.

But yeah, Ramona is definitely the place to start if you want to ease in with the poppier stuff, I probably would dive in with Untitled (available with Chains Changed as In A Doghouse) second, because it really is an incredible record. Then get the records in between.

They were never really quite the same after Tanya left/Kristin sorted herself out, but University is good and I'd really recommend 50 Foot Wave, plus yeah, if you like Tanya's stuff both Belly albums are great.

Try King and Star; they're Belly albums. King is the more pop-ier of the two.

The Anthology that came out last year is a good buy as well. Packed full of stuff.

If you are looking for a relatively easy entry point then The Real Ramona is the obvious choice as others have said, followed by University.
Although The Real Ramona is my favourite Muses album, mainly because of Kristin and Tanya's songwriting, I prefer the spikier style of the s/t debut and House Tornado, in particular. Both were produced by Gil Norton (Pixies producer, which is a clue) and Leslie Langston was still with the band then - great bassist. I picked up House Tornado straight after The Real Ramona and hated it at first but grew to love it. Hunkpapa is the lesser album of this period - slightly folky and the songs seem more sketch-like.
After Tanya left the Muses became a 2-piece, stripped the sound down, went a bit grungey on Red Heaven (not a fave) but then kind of married the style of both Red Heaven and The Real Ramona on University.
I've hardly touched any Muses album after that though.

The way she describes being forced to write songs so they stopped being inside her head is extraordinary. Certainly throws light on songs which may at first seem impenetrable.

but i'd go along with almost everything the cosh said (i like hoouse tornado)

The Throwing Muses compilation Anthology that came out about a year and half ago is worth it for the remarkable b-sides collection on the second disc alone, genuinely including some of their best songs (Red Eyes, Cottonmouth, Handsome Woman).

I love limbo, think it isn't rated that highly generally which i've never understood. it has my favourite bass playing of any album, something I rarely notice

from the Lonely is an Eyesore compilation. That's what got me started on them :)