albums and running and whatnot

when i run, i like to listen to music. i usually listen to full length albums instead of having some sorta shuffle mode to listen to random songs by random artists. i find there's something about running to an entire album that's sorta cool.... like as i'm running, i'm also discovering the depth of whichever band it is i'm listening to at the moment. plus it allows me to get lost in the music. i've tried running to shuffle mode and it's not the same. most times when the next song begins to play, it'll momentarily take me out of whatever zone i may have been in. listening to full albums allows me to stay in that zone, which i find to be really good for lengthy runs.

and outside of running, it's helped to reinforce how i listen to music. i was a late bloomer to mp3. i had been listening to cd's longer than most people i know. when i first made the switch to mp3, i kinda adopted the shuffle mode. i guess cuz it was something new that wasn't available to me before. but running helped bring me back to listening to albums in their entirety. and as a music fan, i prefer it that way. to really appreciate a band and their sound, i think you have to dig your claws into whole albums instead of a random song here and there.

what concerns me as of late is the effect internet radio has on the concept of listening to full albums. i'm looking for an internet radio station that will play full albums. but i guess that'd sorta be against the point. if i could hear a full album on the radio, why would i go out and buy it? still, i can't help but notice lately that when i'm out and about, most people are fine with playing an internet radio station for parties, get togethers, long drives, and so on. makes me nostalgic for the times when the soundtrack of house parties always included a skipping cd.

maybe i'm just out of touch. i don't know, i'll let you decide. i'm gonna go play with my record player now (yes, i own a record player and records and it's awesome).