How do you listen, individual cut, full album?

I too usually listen to the entire album.
However, since I mostly listen to vinyl, that is pretty much a given. (In fact, I consider that a plus to listening to vinyl, as it almost forces me to listen to the non-hit cuts on the LP.)

With CDs, I usually listen to the entire album, however, I occassionally pick out a few cuts if I am either limited in listening time, or really only like a couple of cuts on the album.

Since, I don't own a MP-3 player or an Ipod, and nor do I really have much desire to own one, I can't contribute to the discussion for those formats.

My two cents worth.

Interesting question -

I am 100% hard drive based and find myself alternating between modes. With classical I tend to listen to the whole piece, and I also do it with a lot of Jazz albums - especially live performances where there really is some context.

But I also really enjoy making playlists and listening to a variety of cuts. As an example I have a smart playlist called Smart Blues... Anything I rip with Blues in the song title automatically goes into that playlist. There's something like 450 songs in there by everyone from Al Lee to Louis Armstrong to Julie London to BB King. It's really a fun way to explore the nooks and crannies of a collection that is too big to listen to any other way.

BTW I can't imagine doing this with vinyl... or even CDs - you'd have to spend too much time moving the physical assets.

Thanks for the input. As stated I grew up on vinyl and listening to the entire album seemed the way to get the full impact of whatever an artist was doing. One thing I noticed with the advent of cd and it's 74? minute length was albums became longer. This is not always a good thing as they can sometimes be 25% filler that's not worth the effort. I actually prefer when cds are 45 minutes or less, that has to come from the ex-vinyl habit.

I couldnt imagine how many great songs I would have never heard had I not listened to entire albums, alot of times the songs that never were released were the best cuts on an album. Case in point Counting Crows "August and everything after" great albun from start to finish.