Albums you personally enjoy listening to from start to finish

[Laura]

All of this talk about bands and songs with numbers in them got me thinking a lot about music, and how I like a wide range of it, and how there are certain albums that I could listen to on a loop and not feel an urge to skip any songs.

What albums are those for you?

For me (in no particular order):

Todd Rundgren: A Wizard, a True Star
Genesis: Trick of the Tail
Fleetwood Mac: Rumours; Greatest Hits
Pink Floyd: Wish You Were Here
Rush: Moving Pictures; Signals; The Spirit of Radio: Greatest Hits 1974-1987
The Doobie Brothers: Best of the Doobies
Death Cab for Cutie: Plans
The Postal Service: Give Up
Conor Oberst: Conor Oberst; Upside Down Mountain
Bright Eyes: I'm Wide Awake It's Morning
Rilo Kiley: Under the Blacklight
Neko Case: Furnace Room Lullaby
Elliott Smith: Either/Or
Railroad Earth: Amen Corner; The Good Life
The Band Perry: The Band Perry
Brooks and Dunn: Greatest Hits I; Greatest Hits II
Phil Vassar: Greatest Hits Volume I
Taylor Swift: Speak Now
Casting Crowns: The Altar and the Door
No Doubt: Tragic Kingdom
Whitney Houston: The Greatest Hits Disc 1 "Cool Down"

I haven't listened to these for a long time, but used to listen to them on a loop when I was younger:
Incubus: Morning View
Papa Roach: Infest
Linkin Park: Hybrid Theory
3 Doors Down: The Better Life
Creed: My Own Prison
Pink: Can't Take Me Home
Britney Spears: Baby One More Time; Oops I did it Again
98 Degrees: My Everything
NSYNC: No Strings Attached
Backstreet Boys: Backstreet Boys
Spice Girls: Spice; Spiceworld
Hanson: Middle of Nowhere
Every "Now" CD from 1-9
Kenny Chesney: Greatest Hits (his first one from 2000)
Korn: Untouchables

[roadman65]

I used to like listening to any Eric Clapton Albums from start to finish.
Led Zeppelin Houses of The Holy
Supertramp Breakfast In America
Eagles Long Run, Hotel California, Desperado
Tom Petty Hard Promises, Damn The Torpedoes
Boston Boston
Doobie Brothers Greatest Hits Volume 1, Brotherhood
Traveling Wilburys Volume 1

[1995hoo]

All the Gaslight Anthem's albums

A Hard Day's Night (the real UK version, not the butchered US release) by the Beatles
Sgt. Pepper in mono (more interesting than the stereo version)
Third Stage by Boston
Misfits by the Kinks
Les Miserables 10th Anniversary Concert (THE definitive Les Miz album in my opinion due to the cast)
Mott by Mott the Hoople
Funhouse by Pink (this one's in heavy rotation in my car's CD player right now for some reason)
Nassau Night (Bruce Springsteen bootleg, 1980-12-31 at the Nassau Coliseum)
Born in the USA
Springsteen live at Madison Square Garden, 2009-11-08 ("The River Show" where they played said album straight through in order)
Wrecking Ball by Springsteen
Paradise Theatre by Styx
A Twisted Christmas by Twisted Sister (seriously, Twisted Sister made a Christmas album...."O Come All Ye Faithful" sung to the tune of "We're Not Gonna Take It"!)
Quadrophenia
Smile by Brian Wilson
Wings Over America

[kurumi]

Back when I owned albums:
Pink Floyd: The Wall
DJ Shadow: Endtroducing
Led Zeppelin III
Yes: Yessongs
Rush: Hemispheres
Dead Kennedys: Fresh Fruit for Rotting Vegetables

[1995hoo]

Back when I owned albums:

....

How do you get your music now? Regardless of the format (LP, CD, digital download) it's still an "album" if you buy the entire thing as opposed to picking and choosing particular tracks.

[NE2]

thick as a brick

[hbelkins]

Van Halen's debut
Chicago V
Kiss Alive
Ted Nugent's Free For All and his debut solo album
Aerosmith's Rocks
Metallica's Master of Puppets
Rush's All The World's A Stage and Permanent Waves
Led Zeppelin's Physical Graffiti

[Dr Frankenstein]

Dream Theater: Metropolis Pt. II: Scenes From a Memory.
Genesis: Foxtrot.

Just to name a few.

[ET21]

Pink Floyd
-The Wall
-Dark Side of the Moon

The Alan Parsons Project
-Every album except live versions

Eminem
-Recovery
-Marshal Mathers Part II


Quantic
-The 5th Exotic

Green Day
-American Idiot

Queen
-A Night At The Opera

Rush
-2112
-Hemispheres
-Fly By Night

Scorpions
-Love At First Sting
-Lovedrive
-Lonesome Crow



Plenty more, but just a few

[cpzilliacus]

Anything by the Who.

Anything by Steely Dan (or Donald Fagen).

Anything by Yes.

Anything by the Beatles.

[signalman]

A few of my favorites have already been mentioned by others, so I won't be redundant with those.  Here are some more of my favorites that haven't yet been mentioned:

Green Day: Dookie
Metallica: And Justice for All, Kill 'em All, Ride the Lightning
Paul Simon: Graceland
James Taylor: any of his albums
Nirvana: Unplugged
Alice in Chains: Jar of Flies, Unplugged
Jimmy Buffett: any of his albums

[adventurernumber1]

I like a lot of older music for the most part, and actually, the only thing I really listen to from today is country. But anyways, heres some albums:

George Strait: Strait Country, Carrying Your Love with Me, Always Never The Same, & Love is Everything

Alan Jackson: Here in the Real World, Don't Rock The Jukebox, Drive, and his gospel music

U2: The Unforgettable Fire, The Joshua Tree, Achtung Baby, & All That You Can't Leave Behind

John Denver: Rhymes and Reasons, Poems Prayers & Promises, Rocky Mountain High, & Back Home Again

Blondie: Blondie, Plastic Letters, Parallel Lines, & The Hunter

KC & The Sunshine Band: KC & The Sunshine Band, & Do You Wanna Go Party

Other artists/bands I enjoy: Jimmy Buffett, James Taylor (Ya gotta good taste in music signalman  ), Frank Sinatra, Elton John, The Allman Brothers, Eric Clapton, etc.

[allniter89]

Pink Floyd: Dark Side of the Moon
Carlos Santana: all his albums
Outlaws: Lady In Waiting
Led Zepplin: all their albums
Golden Earing: The Continuing Story of Radar Love
Patsy Cline: 12 Greatest Hits
Deep Purple: Burn

[Henry]

Here are my Top 10 artists (and yes, I love all their albums as well):

(Male Solo) Bruce Springsteen, Elton John, Garth Brooks, Joe Cocker, Michael Jackson, Paul McCartney, Phil Collins, Stevie Wonder, Sting, Tim McGraw

(Female Solo) Alanis Morrissette, Aretha Franklin, Celine Dion, Faith Hill, Madonna, Mariah Carey, Norah Jones, Pat Benatar, Shania Twain, Whitney Houston

(Group) Aerosmith, Beatles, Bon Jovi, Chicago, Doobie Brothers, E Street Band, Earth, Wind & Fire, Journey, Police, REO Speedwagon

[kurumi]

Back when I owned albums:

....

How do you get your music now? Regardless of the format (LP, CD, digital download) it's still an "album" if you buy the entire thing as opposed to picking and choosing particular tracks.

I purchase the occasional track online and stream a lot of stuff for discovery (Grooveshark, Pandora, KFJC (a great college station that rarely plays anything twice), KSCU (similar)). I used to have about 200 CDs but have donated most of them to the library. 90% of my CD player usage is in the car, with "intro to $LANGUAGE" CDs from the library.

[Duke87]

Every album I own. Listening to an entire album from start to finish is THE way I listen to music. To the point where when I am with someone else and they start skipping songs or putting things on shuffle it annoys the shit out of me. Music that flows consistently (such as over the course of an album) helps me focus, but having constant abrupt and jarring changes in what I am listening to is distracting as all hell and mentally wears me out.

[hbelkins]

Every album I own. Listening to an entire album from start to finish is THE way I listen to music. To the point where when I am with someone else and they start skipping songs or putting things on shuffle it annoys the shit out of me. Music that flows consistently (such as over the course of an album) helps me focus, but having constant abrupt and jarring changes in what I am listening to is distracting as all hell and mentally wears me out.

Unfortunately, most of the albums I own (and I own a metric crap ton of vinyl, CDs and even a few factory cassettes) have one or more songs that I just have to skip over.

I can't tolerate the "Memories of Love" suite on the third side of Chicago II. I usually skip over "The Lemon Song" on Led Zeppellin II. Those are two that come to mind almost immediately.

[Laura]

Every album I own. Listening to an entire album from start to finish is THE way I listen to music. To the point where when I am with someone else and they start skipping songs or putting things on shuffle it annoys the shit out of me. Music that flows consistently (such as over the course of an album) helps me focus, but having constant abrupt and jarring changes in what I am listening to is distracting as all hell and mentally wears me out.

Unfortunately, most of the albums I own (and I own a metric crap ton of vinyl, CDs and even a few factory cassettes) have one or more songs that I just have to skip over.

I can't tolerate the "Memories of Love" suite on the third side of Chicago II. I usually skip over "The Lemon Song" on Led Zeppellin II. Those are two that come to mind almost immediately.

Anthony, I know what you mean, to a degree. When I was in middle school, it would really upset me if I was with friends and they were just skipping around to the hit songs of my favorite pop groups. "But all of the 98 degrees songs are good! Why do you only listen to the three hits?" Now as an adult, I understand why I used to feel this way: often the "weaker" songs are the ones that become the hits. Pretty much every musician and/or band has this story: the album is complete but it needs one more song, so let's just put this throwaway on. Sales are slow; record company suggests throwaway song as hit release. Musician and/or band protests; song gets released anyway and becomes a smash hit. Everyone listens to that one hit; a small minority listen to the rest of the album - the good stuff.

HB - yep. I feel like my list is missing so many albums because there is that one pesky song that I just have to skip.

[Pete from Boston]

Every album I own. Listening to an entire album from start to finish is THE way I listen to music. To the point where when I am with someone else and they start skipping songs or putting things on shuffle it annoys the shit out of me. Music that flows consistently (such as over the course of an album) helps me focus, but having constant abrupt and jarring changes in what I am listening to is distracting as all hell and mentally wears me out.

For me, this places too much control of my experience in the hands of artists and producers that may not always have the best of judgement.  I long ago gave up on the idea that every album is a work of art that should be respected as a whole.  Not everyone puts out a whole album of good songs, but this is no reason to throw the baby out with the bath water and skip the good ones.

That said, I listen to small-time radio primarily, and to the too many thousands of songs on my phone secondarily, and can't remember the last time I started an album and let it play.   I would guess the most recent ones may have been Electric Six, "Fire," VU's "White Light/White Heat" (which I think is only like 35 minutes long anyway, half in one song), or Talking Heads' "More Songs About Buildings and Food" (every song about three minutes, and every one a gem).   

[vdeane]

The Trans-Siberian Orchestra albums are specifically designed to be consumed as a complete album.  They even have narrative in the booklet (and concerts).  The band even prefers to think of themselves as "rock theater".

[geocachingpirate]

I've got a very easy number one.
Alison Krauss and Union Station: Live
It's amazing listening to this bluegrass album driving to Beckley, WV from NC on I-77.

Simon and Garfunkel: Everything
Paul Simon: Graceland
John Denver: A Celebration of Life and Poems, Prayers and Promises
The Alan Parsons Project: Eye in the Sky
Cat Stevens: Greatest Hits
ELP: Trilogy
America: History
The Beatles: Everything

[billtm]

American Idiot by Green Day
Night Visions by Imagine Dragons
Those two are my favorites.

[hbelkins]

I would personally disqualify compilations and greatest hits albums from such a list, but if we include them, then "Chicago IX: Chicago's Greatest Hits" is definitely one for me.

[Kacie Jane]

Nassau Night (Bruce Springsteen bootleg, 1980-12-31 at the Nassau Coliseum)
Born in the USA
Springsteen live at Madison Square Garden, 2009-11-08 ("The River Show" where they played said album straight through in order)
Wrecking Ball by Springsteen

High Hopes.  That one stayed in my car's CD player for at least a month after it came out, and it was probably a dozen play-throughs or so before I skipped one of the slower tracks for the first time.

[Roadrunner75]

The first album by the Cars is pretty much a 'greatest hits' - every song a hit or at least played on classic rock stations.  And yes, I still enjoy listening to it from start to finish...