What is your favorite way to listen to music?

[Prettymaid]

Do you like listening to music in the form of albums and playlists, the shuffle feature on your audio device, or the randomness of radio?

Sorry for the typo in #3!

[Freypower]

I shuffle the iPod except when I'm in the car, when I play CDs in the proper order. Sometimes I do playlists on the iPod, about once a month. Every November I play every Glenn track I have on the iPod, shuffled, for his birthday.

[TimothyBFan]

I need an All Of The Above choice. It depends on my mood. I do a lot of playlist on my iPod but I listen to Sirius satellite more than anything lately so I chose the radio choice.

[Prettymaid]

Yeah, that's why I put the word favorite in there. I know how you Borderers are, always wanting to pick more than one answer! ;-)

[lizzyplays]

LOL

Good poll question, PM!

[Brooke]

I like the shuffle feature on the ipod of the artist I've chosen most of the time.

[Henley Honey]

It depends on if I'm home alone. If so, I blast the Bose playing CD's that are not on my ipod. If hubby is home, it's ipod and earbuds -- usually on shuffle -- just to mix it up.

[moniquebliss]

I love music so everyday I usually play music in our house or anywhere. I shuffle the music in my Ipod and play it everyday but sometimes stick on the arrangement of my music in my list and play it as it is.

________________________
acapella sheet music (http://choralworksinc.com/)

[Grey Sadler]

I wish there was an All of the Above choice, too, TBF!!

I'm a "serial shuffler" though...I have been known to painstakingly line up songs for mix tapes & discs, only to hit the Shuffle button frequently!! :hilarious:

[Prettymaid]

Although all three have their appeal, my favorite seems to be the same as Brooke's - shuffling my favorite artist at the time. Sometimes I shuffle my entire iPod library. Occasionally I'll hear a song come on and I'll rush over to skip it, then I wonder why I have it on there in the first place. :rolleyes:

Oh, and welcome to The Border Moniquebliss!

[Ive always been a dreamer]

I voted for option 1. I listen almost exclusively to CDs both in the car and at home. Actually, I'm one of the 10 people left in the world that doesn't own an Ipod. Back in the day, I LOVED the radio because that was about the only way you heard new music, but now I almost never listen to it.

[TimothyBFan]

Actually, I'm one of the 10 people left in the world that doesn't own an Ipod.

:hilarious: This just cracked me up!!!


Yeah, that's why I put the word favorite in there. I know how you Borderers are, always wanting to pick more than one answer! :wink:

I want it all!! Is that a bad thing?:)

[Brooke]

Actually, I'm one of the 10 people left in the world that doesn't own an Ipod.

Dreamer, that's funny! I resisted the ipod for a long time and when I finally got one it dawned on me just what they can do for you and your music! I just couldn't quite 'get it' until I got it! :lol:

I recommend you get one.....immediately! Really!

[Troubadour]

I picked shuffle, although I quite often choose a longer playlist and shuffle that. Lately I've been using the Genius feature quite a bit, which is fun. It is nice to hear some songs I haven't heard in a while.

[sodascouts]

Sometimes I shuffle my entire iPod library. Occasionally I'll hear a song come on and I'll rush over to skip it, then I wonder why I have it on there in the first place. :rolleyes:!

lol! That happens to me, too!

While I don't always use shuffle on the iPod, typically, that's the way I listen to my music.

[Freypower]

I picked shuffle, although I quite often choose a longer playlist and shuffle that. Lately I've been using the Genius feature quite a bit, which is fun. It is nice to hear some songs I haven't heard in a while.

I tried to use Genius briefly; but I decided I didn't want it to pick the songs for me. If you chose one artist it would then tend to populate the playlist with that artist & that wasn't necessarily what I wanted.

[Troubadour]

I know what you mean, but I find it a useful tool because I can sometimes get into a rut where I listen to the same songs over and over. As much as I love those songs, when I branch out and hear some unexpected tracks from different genres, I really enjoy it.

[Prettymaid]

Do some CD players have a shuffle feature? Just curious.

[Troubadour]

Yes, they do!

[Prettymaid]

Yes, they do!

That's why I used the term "audio device" in opton 2. You don't necessarily need an iPod to shuffle. :thumbsup:

What I guess I'm really curious about is this: does anyone think that there is something to my logic, that listening to albums, cd's or playlists means you tend to like order in your life, shuffling means you like to mix things up in your life and listening to the radio means you enjoy not knowing what's going to happen next?

[Freypower]

I have to say I shuffle playlists too. When CDs first came out & they had shuffle, I was delighted. I just like the unpredictablilty of it. I really don't think that says much about me.

[Tiffanny Twisted]

loud as i dance around the kitchen lol:grooving:

[WalshFan88]

Definitely albums and organized. I hate surprises! I'm anti-spontaneous.

That said I do like my Pandora Radio and whatnot but generally it's albums for me and sometimes just skipping around to my favorite tracks within an album.

[Ive always been a dreamer]

Another reason I like CDs is when you have a fantastic concept album, such as Hotel California, Desperado, or Strange Weather it is especially satisfying to listen to the entire album from start to finish, IMHO.

[Prettymaid]

I agree Dreamer. Some albums just need to be listened to from start to finish. I remember when I was young, that was the only way to listen to music - there was no shuffle feature! To this day,when I hear a Beatle song I can 'hear' and remember the song that followed it on the album.

[Ive always been a dreamer]

Yep, PM - I remember people telling me about that. Of course, I'm not old enough to remember it myself. :lie:

[WalshFan88]

There are very few albums for me I can listen to front to back.

Just a few off the top of my head.

Hotel California - Eagles
Sticky Fingers - Rolling Stones
Back In Black - AC/DC
Toys In The Attic - Aerosmith
IV - Led Zeppelin
Second Helping - Lynyrd Skynyrd

[EaglesKiwi]

What I guess I'm really curious about is this: does anyone think that there is something to my logic, that listening to albums, cd's or playlists means you tend to like order in your life, shuffling means you like to mix things up in your life and listening to the radio means you enjoy not knowing what's going to happen next?
I'm a bit of a control freak, and when listening to music most of the time I like to know what's coming up. I do like to shuffle a selection of CDs - but then I've chosen which CDs are going to be shuffled! 8)

[sodascouts]

Yes, and there used to be great agonizing over sequencing on an album. However, I'd say the importance of album sequencing started to deteriorate because of the CD, when it became MUCH easier to skip songs.

Few people hated songs on an album enough to get up and gingerly move the needle to the next precise groove (careful not to scratch or miss the spot), nor to bother with guessing how long to fast forward on your cassette to make sure you didn't overshoot and miss part of the next song. Instead, they just let the songs play, even if they didn't like them all that much.

However, hitting a skip button was (and is) easy as pie. Plus, many CD players had a shuffle feature as early as the late 80s. I know that's when I first started "shuffling" - when my family got their first CD player in 1989.

Artists miss the days when people wound up listening to the whole album in order because I think they hope that by doing so, people may grow to like songs they initially didn't. There's some truth to that, but I think the higher percentage weren't learning to love a song. They were simply tolerating the songs they didn't really like in order to get to the ones they did because it took too much effort to skip them on an LP or tape. Now, thanks to the CD and then the iPod, we no longer have to suffer through filler. The Long Run without Disco Strangler? Yes, please. lol

[Topkat]

I like to pick the artist I'm in the mood for & then shuffle the mix. There are usually more than one album of the artist & I'm happy with whatever may come up in the shuffle. I don't mind the element of surprise.

Occasionally, I will pick the entire song list & shuffle that. Sometimes a song that I may have forgotten about comes up in the mix, so I like that.

I only listen to a full album when I get a new one, so I can get familiar with it & decide which songs are my favorites.
My most recent album is Don Felder's so I have been listening to that full album lately.

At work, I can sometimes use my ipod, so I put on the radio, just to see what they are playing:grin:
It's all good

[TimothyBFan]

I can only think of a handful of albums I will listen to the whole album-- The Long Run, The Cars Heartbeat City, Van Halen's Fair Warning and the whole Zeppelin discography. So I have a habit of not loading certain songs on my ipod when loading cds.

As far as record albums and skipping songs--- hubby and I bought a laser turntable in the 80s that scanned the whole album side and then you could pick what track you wanted and it would go directly to that track. You can even program it to play them in whatever order you wish. :thumbsup: I love this turntable and we still use it!

[Brooke]

Another reason I like CDs is when you have a fantastic concept album, such as Hotel California, Desperado, or Strange Weather it is especially satisfying to listen to the entire album from start to finish, IMHO.

I still like listen to entire albums on the ipod and I usually listen to the songs in the order they are on the album. (cd!) I guess that's because I came from the old days of listening to vinyls. Of course, I have playlists too, but when I'm in the mood for a certain album, then I listen to the whole thing. (on the ipod, dreamer!)

Now my husband likes to pick his songs. He rarely listens to a whole album. It drives me crazy that he won't listen to them and I think he misses out on a lot of good music. He says there is too much filler. I disagree and like the deep tracks. It's an argument we've come to agree to disagree on. lol

[Freypower]

The last time I listened to an album in sequence on the iPod was After Hours, in LA. In the car, as I say, I do listen to them in sequence (currently Expando) but even albums like Dark Side Of The Moon or Sgt Pepper or Desperado, it doesn't bother me whether they're in sequence or not.

[Prettymaid]

I'm like TK. I hardly listen to an album in its entirety unless it's new. After I've learned the songs I start shuffling!

Here's an exception: Jackson Browne's For Everyman is a favorite album of mine because some of the songs flow together without a break. For example, Take It Easy, the opener, flows right into Our Lady of the Well and Sing My Songs to Me flows right into For Everyman, the closer. I really enjoy that on that particular album.

[Glennsallnighter]

I tend to listen to the radio in the mornings on my way to work, while on the way home 'After Hours' is the order of the day most days. I don't really mnd whether its on 'shuffle' or not. Sometimes, depending on my mood I also put on the 'repeat' button. Particularly on the title track. Its the perfect antidote to a busy stressful day!

[zeldabjr]

it's funny....I have never used the shuffle on my iPod....never think of it I guess

[Brooke]

As long as I pick the artist I like the element of surprise by using shuffle. Once in a great while I will shuffle everything-then it's really a surprise!

[Outlawman13]

I have random on the songs (in my ipod) so I pick an artist, and listen to it like that. I love not knowing what song comes up next, but I listen to the whole, entire list.

[Freypower]

The only artists I have played the entire catalogue on the iPod (always on shuffle) are the Beatles, Led Zeppelin, Dire Straits, Mark Knopfler, the Eagles & Glenn. I play the Eagles catalogue around Don's birthday & Glenn's catalogue on his birthday. I suppose I should do the Rolling Stones & Elton John. I have a lot of Van Morrison but if I tried to play all his stuff I'd get tired of it. Also the artists I mention, I have their entire catalogues, whereas the others I don't.

[sodascouts]

This is a bit tangential, but it's about music formats, so here goes!

My father bought me a new turntable when he and my mom were visiting. It allows you to rip the LPs directly to CD instead of going through the computer as I'd been doing before.

At first I was excited, but then I started actually playing my records... and I had an EXTREMELY frustrating time. Inevitably, no matter how well I'd taken care of and stored an LP, it had skips and scratches. I mean EVERY SINGLE RECORD. Indeed, almost every SONG!

Meanwhile, I have CDs from 1988 that play perfectly, as do audio files I ripped or downloaded in 1999.

So, other than gazing at the nice big artwork, I found myself having a very unpleasant listening experience. "SnapCracklePopSKIPSnapCracklePop." Me no likee. Thank goodness for CDs and audio files!

[Brooke]

I'm having to go back to cds since my ipod has quit. Now it seems that every cd I have has scratches. Why? I've taken care of them! I've cleaned the cd player......? Makes me mad.

[Topkat]

I can't even imagine what my LP's would sound like at this point. I wanted to get a turntable to play them, but I have a feeling they would sound very scratchy & I would be very disappointed, which is why I still haven't gotten a turntable. I probably still have pot seeds floating in some of those albums... But the artwork on those albums is priceless!!! Compared to seeing a cd, it just doesn't even come close. I think I may someday get some of those album frames to hang them on the wall because I probably won't be listening to them! Sad:-(:-(:-(

[VAisForEagleLovers]

I can't even imagine what my LP's would sound like at this point. I wanted to get a turntable to play them, but I have a feeling they would sound very scratchy & I would be very disappointed, which is why I still haven't gotten a turntable. I probably still have pot seeds floating in some of those albums... But the artwork on those albums is priceless!!! Compared to seeing a cd, it just doesn't even come close. I think I may someday get some of those album frames to hang them on the wall because I probably won't be listening to them! Sad:-(:-(:-(

It is sad, but I'm right there with you. On top of all that, I had the LPs stored in my attic for at least two summers (not on purpose!). So I'm not sure any of them would play.

There's a lot of people who are fond of all the pops and clicks and say how much richer the music sounds on vinyl. I can't hear the music for all the pops and clicks. It distracted me in the 70's, it irritates me now.

[bluefox4000]

I usually have in my head in advance the albums i want to hear that day. And i'll make my own playlists.

Mick

[Jonny Come Lately]

I'm very much an albums guy - I like to listen to albums from front to back. That doesn't mean I don't listen to songs separately but if I never play an album in full there's usually a good reason why not.

There are also albums which I think are quite simply best listened to in order as they are tied together by a concept or a common theme. Pink Floyd's concept albums (The Dark Side Of The Moon, Wish You Were Here, Animals and The Wall) are the most obvious examples in my collection, and it's the same with Desperado. There are also albums which are worth listening to in order simply because every track is great (I consider HC to be in this category, alongside albums like Led Zeppelin IV, Wishbone Ash's Argus and Fleetwood Mac's Rumours) or because the whole is better than the sum of its parts (Neil Young's After The Gold Rush stands out to me in this regard).

There are one or two albums where sometimes I deviate from the usual front to back, take Pink Floyd's Meddle for instance where sometimes I start with the epic 23-minute long Echoes (which took up the whole of side 2 on the original LP) before then going on to listen to side 1, while I've also listened to the electric side 2 of Neil Young and Crazy Horse's Rust Never Sleeps before playing the acoustic side 2.

Having said all that, I have recently created a few iPod playlists which have a 'pool' of songs which are then played at random, usually in the car.
- Acoustic & Ballads - Mainly a softer, quieter collection of songs, probably more acoustic folk or country songs than ballads in truth.
- Rock, Rhythm & Blues - A collection of harder rockers or blues-inspired songs. My Dad loves this playlist but my Mum isn't such a fan (I deliberately put most of the songs she doesn't really like but I wanted to include on one playlist so I could play the others around her).
- Other Favourites - Pretty much anything else goes here, the only real criteria being that it's not too off the wall or too long. I think of it as the middle playlist of the three.

All in all the playlists have been fun to listen to, I sometimes like the songs to be random although I dislike total randomness - I've never been much of a radio listener, sometimes songs I like do come up but quite often they get cut which usually annoys me. The lack of classic rock stations in the UK does not help either.

The Eagles feature prominently on all the playlists as they have such a wide range of material, the same isn't true of other acts - for example most of the Led Zeppelin songs I've included are on the rock playlist whereas my Fleetwood Mac songs are mainly on the other two with just a few on the rock one. All of the Neil Young songs on the acoustic/ballads playlist are solo and the ones on the rock playlist are with Crazy Horse, with the middle featuring songs by both.