Listening to albums in their entirety...

blakevankirk · 09-24-2010, 09:54 PM

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

Raust · 09-24-2010, 10:08 PM

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".

~~TumorAttitude~~ · 09-24-2010, 11:03 PM

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.

sidewinder · 09-25-2010, 12:55 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Radiohead

Are there any acts with the guts to tell iTunes "it's all or nothing...no single song downloads"?

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

SaintSwan · 09-25-2010, 03:12 PM

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.

Paedantic Basterd · 09-29-2010, 12:05 AM

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.

dswood · 09-29-2010, 09:47 PM

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.

DoctorSoft · 09-29-2010, 10:30 PM

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.

CanwllCorfe · 09-30-2010, 08:19 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Freebase Dali

I'm more or less ambivalent about the whole thing. While I do appreciate albums in their entirety, I guess I'm used to singles as well... having a background in a lot of Electronic music that is often released as singles.
I actually like to take singles by a single particular artist and arrange them into an album of my own making, based on what I think the flow should be, pretty much like a mixtape. It's rewarding but by no means a necessity for me.
I'm likely to put an entire genre folder on shuffle before I'm likely to listen to an entire album if it's not something I just acquired and am trying to get a feel for.

This!

09-24-2010, 09:54 PM	#41 (permalink)
blakevankirk Groupie Join Date: Sep 2010 Location: Pittsburgh, PA Posts: 5	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 __________________ “Music speaks what cannot be expressed, soothes the mind and gives it rest, heals the heart and makes it whole, flows from heaven to the soul.”

09-24-2010, 11:03 PM	#43 (permalink)
~~TumorAttitude~~ Account Disabled Join Date: Dec 2008 Location: Purgatory Posts: 749	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. Last edited by TumorAttitude; 09-24-2010 at 11:40 PM.

09-25-2010, 03:12 PM	#45 (permalink)
SaintSwan Groupie Join Date: Aug 2010 Location: Airdrie, AB Posts: 29	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. __________________ Whine bitch moan, rinse and repeat.

09-29-2010, 09:47 PM	#47 (permalink)
dswood Groupie Join Date: Sep 2010 Location: Canuckland Posts: 25	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. Last edited by dswood; 09-29-2010 at 10:36 PM.

09-24-2010, 10:08 PM	#42 (permalink)
Raust Music Addict Join Date: May 2008 Posts: 1,411	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".

09-29-2010, 12:05 AM	#46 (permalink)
Paedantic Basterd Music Addict Join Date: Sep 2010 Posts: 5,184	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.

09-29-2010, 10:30 PM	#48 (permalink)
DoctorSoft Rocket Appliances Join Date: Oct 2009 Posts: 1,335	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.