I love albums that tell a story all the way through ... Wale's newest album comes to mind, but today that is not really what artists are doing and it sucks. I generally listen to entire albums, but not at once. My roommate will get a new album, listen to it all the way through, then put the songs he likes on his ipod. I like that

That's the whole point in purchasing an album. It's a collection of songs that you can bask in and listen to and thoroughly enjoy them from begining to end. That's how albums should be listened to, in there "entirety".

When I listen to the same album over and over again the way it was intended to be listened to, I can appreciate the artist's vision and how they put it into practice.
But sometimes I feel like I'm taking the music more seriously then it was intended, which makes me feel old.

I seem to remember hearing about a band or two having this policy. Wasn't Radiohead one of them?

When I first buy and listen to an album I always cherry pick to see if there are standout songs on the cd. One reason, those standout (as in easily accessible) songs make wanting to listen to that album easy and for another I usually listen to a cd on the way home from the store and so at most I have time for only a handful of songs and at that point I'm not looking for depth.

But when I'm listening at home while working on the computer I just let the album play out in its entirety and over many listens songs that did not stand out on first listen become my very favorites on that album. So much so that when someone says there only two or three good songs on a given cd I just blink at them in wonder because as far as I was concerned there wasn't a dud in the bunch.

I am a firm believer in full-album experiences, and usually listen this way, and never forgo it on a first listen. I feel as though songs are equal to chapters in a book, and it ruins my experience to read them out of order.

Probably not offering anything new here, but my thoughts none-the-less:

The theory of the full album experience is one that appeals to me very much - there are few things I find quite as enjoyable as throwing on a pair of good headphones laying back on my couch or bed and just get lost in the sound and my own thoughts for an hour or so.

I'm a storyteller by trade, so any time I can extend the three-minute tale to something bigger and better, I'm in.

The reality of the full album experience is not all albums are built that way... the more recent the album, the more likely it is it's a mix-up of singles and a few b-sides, I would say.

Not to say it's dead just increasingly rare.

When I shop for new music, I'm kind of looking with that in mind - what can I add to a mix-tape. When I shop for old music, I am far more likely to be looking to that full album experience.

Sometimes I listen to an album in it's entirety and sometimes I just play my favourite songs on the album. If I'm in the mood for a full album I make a big deal out of it: I lie down on my bed, turn off all the lights, put my earphones in, push play and listen to the whole thing, no breaks. But if I'm on the bus or something I just listen to whatever songs I'm in the mood for.

This!