How essential is the "Album Experience"?

That's the way I've been with albums my whole life. I was dedicated at wearing out rewind and fast-forward buttons back in the day. With me it is a VERY rare occasion when I like every song on an album. Out of the probably 5000 albums I like do you know how many I could name that I like every single song from? Probably 50-100. Most albums I like between two and three songs from and the rest I could care less if I ever heard again. With me it's not about the album, or context or any of that, it's about what pleases my ears. And most songs often don't. When I get a new album I generally pick up on the two or three good/unique tracks pretty quick and chuck the rest. I mean why on earth would I ever want to spend another second listening to a song I don't want to hear? Life is too short for Bull****, let's let the rubber meet the road and rock. And to hell with all the extraneous puff. What you call the "full album experience" is a rare rare thing for me.

BA: A few I can enjoy hearing as a whole

Evolution by Journey

Dark Side of the Moon by Pink Floyd

Houses of the Holy by Led Zeppelin

Close To the Edge by Yes

BA: a couple of collections of great stand alone songs that happen to be albums

Sticky Fingers by The Stones

Endless Skies by Ashbury

Deep Purple In Rock

Powerage by AC/DC

Honestly, I've discovered that the higher rated or more listened to songs of a band (for example, the songs that get really popular and play on the radio all day) are often the worst songs that artist has ever put out, and it escapes me how it becomes so popular. Songs like Scream by Avenged Sevenfold, which is an awful song, plays on the radio while some of their much better songs are never even considered. I dont understand it. You really do have to listen to the whole album, because most people have terrible taste in music and make the worst songs popular

how do you know it's fluff if you don't listen to it?

whose judgement are you trusting re. 'higher rated' and 'less important' ?

thank goodness we haven't reached the stage yet where bands think: 'we won't bother with an album, lets just release one song every month' (go on, tell me that's been done already...)

i can understand the position of 'i only like one song' if you've taken the time to listen to more, but a habit of just listening to a couple of tracks just to tick the 'heard them' box is pretty shallow.

ba: the blurred crusade - the church

ba2: any 'greatest hits' album

I feel it's mainly necessary for concept albums that revolve around a theme and transition from one song to another. But, it's not totally needed for other albums. I, however, choose to listen to all albums front-to-back because it's definitely a different experience from just choosing singles.

BQ: 'Black Saint and the Sinner Lady' by Charles Mingus

BQ2: 'Paid in Full' by Eric B. and Rakim

I only skip the songs ive already listened to be determined as fluff from me. Ill skip the song halfway through too just if its not cutting it for me. But i have to listen throughout the album to actually get an opinion.

BQ: any prog rock album

BQ2: i cant think at the moment.

to a purist, or someone that grew up in the age of the album the album experience is very important. back in the olden days when we had turntables it was a little harder to skip over songs, at least until cassettes came along.

as you stated, technology has advanced so now you can skip, delete, and rearrange the order of songs on albums. in many ways technology has brought us back to the age of the single, and i don't think many people are as into the album experience as in the past.

BQ) Nostradamus by Judas Priest.

It's essential to listen to listen to all its tracks in a serial order because every song is a continuation of the other. It's just like one big song.

To put it this way, I usually listen to albums all the way through in order

Not really all that important to me.

BQ: A Fever You Can't Sweat Out - Panic! At The Disco

BQ2: Take Off Your Colours - You Me At Six