What Do You Do While Listening To An Album/Albums?

I'm really interested in how other people absorb the music they love.

I have a somewhat short attention span when it comes to albums that I have not heard before. Especially if they were released in the past 20 years where CDs were most prevalent and the majority of albums run close to an hour; sometimes over an hour. I try to force myself to sit down and listen to an album from start to finish, but most of the time I get restless and want to do other things, or move around. Something else other than simply sit there. I don't know if that speaks to the quality of the album I'm listening to, or just my own personal habits. Maybe I just find it extremely difficult to sit down in one spot for an hour and do nothing but listen. This is increasingly difficult if I've recently obtained a few albums that I need to listen to and I go from one to the next consecutively, as I feel like I'm just trying to "get through" them so I've heard them. Do you start the album over right away if you have time and/or like it or go to the next one as well?

Also, I listen predominately on my computer after ripping a CD and my eyes become strained from the computer screen, or I feel the urge to go online and do other things and tend to lack the focus on the album.

So, I suppose my question is this: when you first get an album that you never heard before, what do you typically do when listening to it for the first time? Do you just sit there with it playing on headphones/stereo and listen all the way through completely? Do you read or draw or do something to occupy yourself physically as well to not get bored? Do you listen only in the car or at work? What have you found to be the best thing to do when listening to an album to absorb it fully? Is sitting there dissecting the music a little too extreme for your typical heavy metal album?

EDIT: Also, say you want to listen to a favorite, or revisit something from awhile ago, do you follow the same plan as you would for new albums? Or, do you put on familiar albums when you just need something to casually listen to?

I guess that's a little more than one question! Haha.

It depends. Sometimes I'm playing video games, sometimes I'm surfing online, sometimes I'm driving.

I listen while I Work, Drive, Workout/Cardio, Clean House, just about anything.

I listen to mostly CDs, but use my Ipod when I work out. At home I have my rack system. At work I use my Mac.

Mostly when I'm driving. Occasionally if I play a video game I'll put on music too

Most of the time to kill the boredom like waiting at a bus stop or doing bank transactions, at night while lying in bed and Just about every time when I do nothing, I can' seem to enjoy it while doing something else

If there is a really good album that comes out, I usually give myself a few shots of hard liquor while enjoying every minute of it, usually give it 2-3 full loops to get the hang of it, pretty good trippin' I must say


Haven't listened to CDs in ages, The iPod is truly a music-lover's wundergadget !

I'm about the same way as you, HM. I tend to get restless with albums I haven't heard before, and I prefer album lengths to be between 30-45 minutes. Usually anything longer than that tends to become tedious for me.

Addressing what I do while I listen to music; I usually surf the internet, play the PS3, and clean, among other time consuming activities.

sometimes i go days or weeks without listening to music, but my "normal" state is to be listening to music most waking hours, and that will entail a soundtrack to most of my daily activities. if it is an album that i am unfamiliar with and wish to give extra attention, i will limit my activities to things that will detract far less from my ability to focus on the music (creating art or having a[n IM] conversation versus reading something i need to think deeply on, if im not just taking a break from everything entirely). back before i had a computer, i would sit and do nothing to absorb new cds with my cd player, and that was nice...i dont really have that kind of time anymore, though, nor are new cds as spaced out as back then.

Mostly when i'm driving.

Usually I take a walk\run. Most of the stuff I listen to is perfect for summer mornings/evenings. It also gives a very special feel to a certain albums.

Normally I am driving

driving, working and being online.

Don't listen to punk while having intimate relations with your wife

While driving,working,cutting grass and working out in the mornings

These days, it's mostly in the car on the way to and from work, and in work. I listen through my computer's disc drive, but with big, comfy headphones on. I used to listen through my boom-box, but now I share a space with 2 other designers, so we all wear headphones.

When I'm listening at home, it's usually on my little mp3 player. Unless the wife & kids are out. Then I blast it through the stereo and dance around nude. The neighbors seem to dig it.

depends on what the record is, but I try to have music on 90% of my day/night.

I rarely listen to music around my house anymore. Nowadays it's almost exclusively in my car, or on the little CD boombox I keep on my desk at work.

MetalGuy71 wrote:

These days, it's mostly in the car on the way to and from work, and in work. I listen through my computer's disc drive, but with big, comfy headphones on. I used to listen through my boom-box, but now I share a space with 2 other designers, so we all wear headphones.

When I'm listening at home, it's usually on my little mp3 player. Unless the wife & kids are out. Then I blast it through the stereo and dance around nude. The neighbors seem to dig it.

Um, yeah, I didn't need that picture in my head!


For me - at home on my home system (DVD's/Blu-Ray/CD's and streaming from my networked drive thought the directv box), in the car (160GB Ipod connected to car stereo via AUX jack), computer while working.. I aslo have a small Ipod boom box that I use when I have to go into the office.

Cool stuff, my friends! It seems the car is where most people tend to get their daily influx of music.

Do you all mostly listen to full albums beginning to end, or do you tend to use the shuffle option?

I drive 45 minutes each way to work so I usually listen in the car. If not then, I listen on my laptop or ipod. If I have plenty of time, I slap the vinyl on the turntable.

When I am reviewing an album, I will listen to it at least 3 times through first. Then I start my review and continue listening as I am writing. I definitely try to give albums 5-6 full spins for each review as I think that's only being fair.

Most of my listening is done at home, usually while sitting in front of the computer, which is easy since the computer is the main stereo component in my home system.

I listen to full albums, my music collection is so schizophrenic that when I try to play on shuffle it can be a jarring experience. Most of the stuff I listen to came out in the LP era as well so I'm used to listening all the way through.

HeavyMetal wrote:

Cool stuff, my friends! It seems the car is where most people tend to get their daily influx of music.

Do you all mostly listen to full albums beginning to end, or do you tend to use the shuffle option?

I typically listen to full albums from beginning to end, straight thru in the car or at work. I might shuffle up the playing order if it's an album that I know front-to-back, just for gits & shiggles.

At home on the computer, I'll play a band's whole discograpghy on shuffle or mix-up some playlists.

MetalGuy71 wrote:

HeavyMetal wrote:

Cool stuff, my friends! It seems the car is where most people tend to get their daily influx of music.

Do you all mostly listen to full albums beginning to end, or do you tend to use the shuffle option?

I typically listen to full albums from beginning to end, straight thru in the car or at work. I might shuffle up the playing order if it's an album that I know front-to-back, just for gits & shiggles.

At home on the computer, I'll play a band's whole discograpghy on shuffle or mix-up some playlists.

Me too - I tend to listen to full albums and rarely just listen to a song or two

I too listen while on the computer since i've put all my music on it. Shuffle if i'm in the mood, whole albums when that strikes, I mix it up. I listen when working out, when reading, doing almost anything.

i can't just sit down & listen to music while doing nothing else. i have to be doing something... anything.

thejokeriv wrote:

MetalGuy71 wrote:

HeavyMetal wrote:

Cool stuff, my friends! It seems the car is where most people tend to get their daily influx of music.

Do you all mostly listen to full albums beginning to end, or do you tend to use the shuffle option?

I typically listen to full albums from beginning to end, straight thru in the car or at work. I might shuffle up the playing order if it's an album that I know front-to-back, just for gits & shiggles.

At home on the computer, I'll play a band's whole discograpghy on shuffle or mix-up some playlists.

Me too - I tend to listen to full albums and rarely just listen to a song or two

I,on the other hand, prefer to mix it up. I like to get the variety of artists. Different strokes for different folks and all that.