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

The first time I listen to a new CD, I like to listen from beginning to end. I'll normally play solitaire on the computer or surf the web while listening to it. Sometimes I'll get on the tread mill and walk for an hour while listening. The more the music draws my attention away from whatever I'm doing, the better I like the album. It's kind of a system. An average album will be relegated to background music. A great album makes you stop whatever you are doing and say, "wow, this is really good!"

It depends. Sometimes I listen while surfing the web, cleaning house or whatever. I do listen while driving to work too. I'm usually more of an album listener but there are times I just listen to certain songs.

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?

from beginning to end. I like to play albums as they were intended.

When its a new release i like to play it when i am alone, in a room reading the lirics or just listening to the music. When its just a record i already played a couple of times i just listen to it when i am playing with my daughter, when i am surfing on the computer, when i am in the car, in the kitchen, having a shower etc...I try to play at least 6 or 7 records a day.

ultmetal wrote:

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

Pretty much me right there. However, I always use my MP3 Player and sometimes my computer. Back in the day I would actually sit down and just listen to music but these days I almost always listen while doing things (even watching shows on TV).

HeavyMetal wrote:

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

I'm an "album guy," always have been. I don't even own an MP3 player. Before I leave for work in the AM, I grab a dozen or so CDs at random out of my cabinet and those are my listening choices for the day.

when on my computer I mostly listen to vinyl. In the car it's CD's. At work or on my bike, it's my iPod or my Creative MP3 player.

My main music evaluation time is in the car on the way to and fro work. For the last couple of years I have been almost exclusively listening to new stuff, because I got too much stuff too fast and did not even know a large percentage of my collection very well. I have been perpetuating that situation by continuing to buy new stuff.

I always listen to an album all the way through. For new stuff, I try to listen a couple times in a row. If I cannot decide if it is good enough to keep, I will continue listening to it, and sometime will revert to putting each track on repeat until I can get a sense of what is going on. sometimes this is rewarding, sometimes not.

I am not sure if I am just getting old and have more trouble comprehending music than I used to, or if there is just a lot of average music out there.

I was rewarded for my trouble in The Faceless - Planetary Duality.

I had no trouble determining that I liked the following recently:
These Are They - Disposing of Betrayers
Assaulter - Boundless
Black Anvil - Time Insults the Mind

I was surprised that no matter how much I listened to an Obscura album, I always came up with the conclusion that I didn't like them, even though I kept wanting to.

I am contantly analyzing music and my opinion of it.

New aquisitions go right from the mailbox at the end of the driveway into the truck CD player, and spin on my way to work (an hour round trip so it works out pretty well). I usually give them about three rotations before they get filed. Good ones go one the Ipod, average ones go into the stacks, and bad ones are sold or given away.
At work I listen to Ipod a lot, full of tried and true music.
On weekends if I have a couple of drinks I'll dig out a classic "go-to" album and crank it up on the big speakers.
I have mix cd's of relaxing music (melodic rock & metal) that I've made, I'll listen to those sometimes on a Wave player as I drift off to sleep.

One advantage to getting old is that there is a lot of stuff I forgot I had, and I've been revisiting lately and rediscovering, it's easy on the budget.

With new music I do listen to it right away all the way through. It's always on my computer. I like to keep listening to new music a number of times during the first week or two, so that I can absorb it and get the hang of it.

Otherwise, like many others here I tend to listen to music by album. Occasionally I'll skip around from song to song, but I rarely use shuffle.

I rarely listen to music and do nothing else. Most frequently I'm studying while I listen to music, and that has been my habit since high school and through several graduate degrees. It'll be interesting to see how my listening habits change when I finally finish school.

housework

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?

99% of the time i play a full album from beginning to end.

Primarily while driving, but it makes the housework a lot easier to tackle.

As far albums vs shuffle, I listen to albums/discographies on shuffle, but tend to avoid the entire iPod on shuffle as the variety in music on it is too varied and what I listen to and when is very mood dependent.

Fat Freddy wrote:

HeavyMetal wrote:

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

I'm an "album guy," always have been. I don't even own an MP3 player. Before I leave for work in the AM, I grab a dozen or so CDs at random out of my cabinet and those are my listening choices for the day.

same here. I normally take 10 cds to work with me.

At work on the computer,at home I'll listen to the stereo while cleaning,on my ipod while mowing grass,in the garage on my boombox.

exact33 wrote:

Fat Freddy wrote:

HeavyMetal wrote:

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

I'm an "album guy," always have been. I don't even own an MP3 player. Before I leave for work in the AM, I grab a dozen or so CDs at random out of my cabinet and those are my listening choices for the day.

same here. I normally take 10 cds to work with me.

I've got a portable case that holds 24 cds. I usually load it up Sunday night, then take it with me for my music fix for the week.

I'm listening to music all the time. While I'm at work, driving to and from work, working out, watching tv (haha, mostly when it's sports), doing housework, etc. I use the shuffle here and there, but I'm mostly playing albums.

I too often listen to music while watching TV (mainly to make up for the music I'm not listening to at work). However, since I started watching my Benny Hill DVDs, I've had to frequently pause it for the musical numbers (which is over 50% of his material).