What, exactly, is a headphone album? Well, the definition changes depending on who you are.
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For audiophiles, a headphone album is a work that is so exquisitely recorded that it demands you listen to
What, exactly, is a headphone album? Well, the definition changes depending on who you are.
For audiophiles, a headphone album is a work that is so exquisitely recorded that it demands you listen to each beautifully recorded note under a sonic microscope. Miles Davis’ Kind of Blue fits that bill.
For others, a great headphone album is one that makes an intimate album more intimate (such as Bob Dylan’s original mono recordings), or a loud album louder (Rage Against the Machine’s debut album).
We’re an unsubtle and hyperactive bunch at Guitar World, so our favorite headphone albums are those that have a lot of activity in the stereo field. As dumb as it sounds, we love it every time a guitar solo takes a shortcut through our skulls as it zooms from one ear to the other.
If you don’t know what we’re talking about or you’ve never experienced any of these great albums under the influence of some high-end ear buds, we suggest you go home, put on your best set of ‘phones, turn out the lights, turn up the volume and prepare to have your mind blown sky high.
The Jimi Hendrix Experience, Electric Ladyland (1968)
If you haven't taken LSD, the good news is you don’t have to. Save your brain cells and listen to this masterpiece under a good set of headphones to get the complete psychedelic picture. On Electric Ladyland, Jimi Hendrix and his brilliant engineer, Eddie Kramer, create a wonderful, three-dimensional sonic world and invite you to step in. This album is not necessarily stoned, but it certainly is beautiful.
Pink Floyd, The Dark Side of the Moon (1973)
TICK TOCK, TICK TOCK. DING DONG! BRRRRRRRANG!!!! WIIRRRRRRRRLLLLLLYYYYYY WHIRL…HA HA HA