Below is a list spices which I view as immediate necessities. These are listed in decreasing order of importance. The original spice. This may horrify some people, but salt is a flavor enhancer, and while it shouldn't be used lavishly, it shouldn't be ignored. Throughout the fifties, salt and black pepper reigned as the king and queen of the spice cabinet.
Pepper comes in many varieties, black, red , and white being the most common.
Fresh ground pepper is far superior to pre-ground, so buy whole peppercorns and get yourself a pepper grinder. This is a jar containing a combination of herbs that are associated with Italian cusine. Normally the mix is parsley, oregano, basil, rosemary, and thyme. The beauty of this is that if you want to flavor something, but are too lazy to put any effort into it, you can add some Italian seasonings, and it will give you a not unpleasant result. The downside is that unless you diversify, you will find that everything you cook tastes very similar.