Very little of early Fates Warning interested me. As I've said before, it wasn't really until X that I got interested in them. And while I appreciate that not everything needs to be ranked, here is how I look at the parts of their discography that I have:
1. Theories of Flight: Just an absolute masterpiece. This was my album of the year when it came out.
2. Darkness in a Different Light: I was really happy with this album and wasn't expecting them to top it. This was a rare Fates Warning album I could spin from start to finish.
3. Long Day Good Night: The "lesser" of my top 3--it may not quite reach the heights of the top 2, but is in a similar vein and feels like the satisfied sigh at the end of a long, tiring journey.
4. X: As I said, this is the first album that made me take notice of them.
5. Parallels: A few good moments on this one, but it is nowhere near the top 4.
I don't own any other full albums, and don't feel any desire to (I've heard several). I also have a greatest hits package I picked up back when they were touring with DT and Queensryche. There are a handful of songs on that that I thought were decent enough to make me keep it. I also have Live Over Europe, which is great. It really brings a nice edge to songs from albums I don't care for, and rejuvenates them. They are just one of those bands where, while I reall appreciate some of what they do, I don't feel compelled in any way to be a completist, and I just enjoy what I have.