Kevin's Watch

A few albums I love to listen to with the lights low, the headphones on, and the volume up:


At War with the Mystics - The latest album by the Flaming Lips is perhaps my favorite. It's mixed very loudly, to boot. I love their sound, and it lends perfectly to headphone bombast: thick, juicy psychedelia transmuted through crunchy guitar pop.

Oranges and Lemons - XTC were kings of studio production in the 80s, and this album is about as stuffed and loaded as it gets. Take complete mastery of 80s pop, add melodies and lyrics rivaling the Beatles, and then sprinkle in a bit of Brian Wilson's Baroque pop. Oh, and don't forget to make the final mix uber-loud. Chalkhills and Children is definitely my favorite cut here, but every single one is a winner.

Every Pink Floyd album. Wish You Were Here especially. The production just sparkles; layer upon layer.

Brian Eno's albums. This guy was the innovator in the field of art rock during the 70s, and he also brought ambience to popular recognition. Needless to say, he knows how to make some very interesting and convoluted soundscapes. I especially love Taking Tiger Mountain by Strategy; each song feels like a mini-symphony and stands up to repeated listenings.

Abbey Road. Nuff said.

the Roger Water's solo stuff. Pros & Cons, Radio Kaos, Amused To Death.

Lord Foul wrote:A few albums I love to listen to with the lights low, the headphones on, and the volume up:


At War with the Mystics - The latest album by the Flaming Lips is perhaps my favorite. It's mixed very loudly, to boot. I love their sound, and it lends perfectly to headphone bombast: thick, juicy psychedelia transmuted through crunchy guitar pop.

Oranges and Lemons - XTC were kings of studio production in the 80s, and this album is about as stuffed and loaded as it gets. Take complete mastery of 80s pop, add melodies and lyrics rivaling the Beatles, and then sprinkle in a bit of Brian Wilson's Baroque pop. Oh, and don't forget to make the final mix uber-loud. Chalkhills and Children is definitely my favorite cut here, but every single one is a winner.

Every Pink Floyd album. Wish You Were Here especially. The production just sparkles; layer upon layer.

Brian Eno's albums. This guy was the innovator in the field of art rock during the 70s, and he also brought ambience to popular recognition. Needless to say, he knows how to make some very interesting and convoluted soundscapes. I especially love Taking Tiger Mountain by Strategy; each song feels like a mini-symphony and stands up to repeated listenings.

Abbey Road. Nuff said.

When I listen to Abbey Road thrue headphones,I can hear things that I can not hear over regular speakers.Check out Her Majesty,good call Lord Foul.

any and all Todd Rundgren - the man enjoys production, enjoys it. therefore albums like Initiation, A Capella, Hermit of Mink Hollow...and various Utopia projects.


Mother's Finest Live - probably one of the most underrated funk bands, this rock/funk powerhouse blew one live audience after another away when touring as warm up for bigger names. this cd Live is the testament to that.

OK Computer...just goes without saying but i'll say it anyway.

any and all Roger Waters of course.

any and all Chris Whitley but Rocket House in particular.

Since I listen to music primarily through headphones anyway, nearly all music is great headphone music to my ears. Except mono stuff (shudder). Yes, what a great invention stereo was.

Mike Watt's concept albums
the middleman's second stand
in the engine room

Matrixman wrote:Since I listen to music primarily through headphones anyway, nearly all music is great headphone music to my ears. Except mono stuff (shudder). Yes, what a great invention stereo was.

Agreed. Still, I'd be interested in hearing the original mono versions of the great 60s albums. For example: the current stereo mixes for the Beatles albums were done when CDs were just coming out, and many of the songs suffer from it. Rather than an even mix, some instruments sound shoved in the right speaker, others in the left. I wish they'd either do a proper mix or re-release the original mono versions of the albums. I'm such a Beatlemaniac that I'd buy 'em all again!

Here's an interesting quote from Wikipedia about Brian Wilson:

Though one of the first users of an eight-channel multitrack tape recorder, he shunned stereophonic sound, preferring (as Spector did) to work in monaural — not because of his partial deafness, but because he believed stereo gave an incomplete "sound picture" if the listener wasn't directly between the speakers.

Find the (hard to find) CD Timer by Reverberi--it will seriously blow your mind or get it moving at a new speed!