Total Absorption

I’ve rediscovered the joys of headphones.

Lately I’ve the need to escape the day to day pressures of working for a newspaper (just google “newspaper troubles” and you’ll see why) and the best way to zone out is to connect a good pair of headphones to the old iPod, imbibe in your favorite beverage and let the music take you to another place. Other than seeing a band live, headphones are the best way to experience music. With no outside distractions you’re free to let the music take charge of your brain and decimate the days trials and tribulations. Little nuances appear that were too subtle to hear on your car stereo, the bass sounds fuller and, in the case of your more psychedelic offerings, the full power of stereophonic sound floats from ear to ear demanding your full attention. And it doesn’t have to be a “prog” album, or a “producers” album to be a good headphone album either; many of the great headphone albums I own are acoustic offerings, or bare bones albums, if you will.
Who needs a $14,000 surround sound audio system when one can purchase a good pair of $100 ‘phones? The great audio equalizer, that’s what I say!
Here are just a few of Uncle E’s favorite “headphone” albums. What’re yours?

Dark Side Of The Moon, Pink Floyd
Screamadelica, Primal Scream
John Wesley Harding, Bob Dylan
Sgt. Peppers, The Beatles (natch!)
Tommy, The Who
Moon Safari, Air
Pet Sounds, The Beach Boys
The Great Escape, Blur
Catch A Fire, Bob Marley
Avalon, Roxy Music
Califone, Roots And Crowns
Surrender, The Chemical Brothers
Deserters Songs, Mercury Rev
The Soft Bulletin & Yoshimi Battles The Pink Robots, Flaming Lips
Low, David Bowie
Fun House, The Stooges
In The Wee Small Hours, Frank Sinatra
Grace, Jeff Buckley
Plastic Ono Band, John Lennon
Band On The Run, Paul McCartney
The KLF, The White Room
How I Quit Smoking, Lambchop
Post War, M Ward
Blue Lines, Massive Attack
Kind Of Blue, Miles Davis
Z, My Morning Jacket
CASH, Nasty Rox, Inc.
In The Aeroplane Over The Sea, Neutral Milk Hotel
U.F. Orb, The Orb
Wildwood, Paul Weller
Steve McQueen, Prefab Sprout
A Ghost Is Born, Wilco
Apple Venus, Vol 1, XTC
….and a gajillion others…