Headphone Reqirement

I'm of the opinion that most albums should be listened to through a pair of semi-respectable headphones. A stereo or speakers are great, but the intricacies of an album cannot usually be realized in live sound. I suspect this has something to do with the finishing process of most albums; the average recording professional (and therefore many of us wannabes) uses headphones to produce their final product. Almost without fail I appreciate an album more with a good headphone listen.

It is even funnier with a comp album. I'm listening to Organic Culture, put out by Organic Records in 1998, through a pair of $10 Skull Candy earbuds, and it's crazy to hear the difference in the bands. Some have obvious layering, some techniques more effective than others. Some, like Tod Fadel's band Sappo, have very little layering at all. The earbuds make obvious some things that I've never noticed.

BTW, this is a recommendable disc, though its not a world changer. It's 90's era, some overtly Christian, but most are thoughtfully written. Dunno if you'll find it on a shelf anymore, but Amazon probably has most of it.