Most people who know me, and, I may not actually be unlike too many people, know that I usually like to listen to music when I'm doing something, whether it be when I'm reading, during dinner, or when I'm driving.

Helps me concentrate and relax, if not focus on what I'm doing. But, you know, that often means the music just fades into the background; often, it just seems like I play music just so it can fade into the background.

But, lately, I've been trying to actively listen to the music, and actually appreciate it, especially with regards to game soundtracks. You hear the music in-game, and you say, "Damn, this's some of the catchiest stuff I've ever listened to! I'm SOLD on the soundtrack purchase!"

And then you get the soundtrack, and maybe you file it away, or you listen to a few tracks off of it whenever you want, but never actually listen to the WHOLE thing; you end up skipping through some of the songs halfway, because you already know how they go, or think you remember how they go.

I encourage each and everyone, to actually just take an hour out of the day, sit back, and just listen to one of your favorite albums, that you may have never actually listened through the entire thing before.

By doing this, I think you'll end up relaxing like you never have before...feel free to have yourself something to drink or eat while listening, but try to focus on the music, and tune everything else out...

Last time was probably with Xenogears some years ago. I just listened to it without any other distractions. Shit was pretty cash.

I am a man riddled with ADHD, though. I somehow lost the ability to just sit there and listen to music without doing something ancillary. I've tried to go back; it just drives me crazy. Whether it's moving around, studying, cleaning, or building gunpla (something I haven't done in forever, sadly), I gotta have music so that my mind can concentrate on more than one thing at once. It doesn't have to even conform to a uniform standard; My palette is so vast that almost anything goes (save for the mundane shit that mysteriously gets radio airtime. I hate you, Beyonce).

if youre asking just laying on your bed saturating and focusing yourself on the music??
probably not since high school 18 years ago...

now i like to listen to music while im packing up doll orders,, it helps me keep a pace like when exercising

although while driving to my sister's husband's parents for turkey day (about 60 miles) i listened to the entire Cure- Disintigration cd. i hadnt played that cd in probably 7-8 years, but it was perfect for absorbing on a cold grey dreary winter day.

-mike (6 days of fedex left and counting...)

Yesterday, Foobar + folder shuffle decided by fate to blast Vagrant Story's second disc. Still so brilliant. And I just stood there and listened the whole gem.

Most recently, Uncharted 2.  Doing those direct in-game recordings requires a really careful ear, given the complex way they mix, loop, and manipulate the soundtrack in the game.  The editing process on getting the strongest and best variations has been my own personal circle of hell.

Having said that, I've been enjoying the music on an absurdly elevated level.  Listening to all of the nuances has made me realize that Greg Edmonson has crafted a gorgeously layered score.

I'm a performer. It's pretty much all I do.

Listened to Chrono Trigger and Final Fantasy VII today.

Holy crap, I miss those games, but I played the shit out of them back when I had them...

I never actually listened to these soundtracks straight through before, I'd only queued up certain tracks I just wanted to listen to before...of course, back then, I didn't have an MP3 player, or a computer to use as a jukebox...

I can tell you about the future. I got Ys I and II Chronicles, along with Ys Seven today. I quickly encoded them to mp3 for playback on my comp and in my car. While rearranging various items in my condo I let the music play and was rather astonished by the new compositions and arrangements. I suppose it's safe to say that these are my new friends.

As for actually listening and not doing anything else, that was most recently Darius Gaiden -The Last Kiss-.

Ohh, man...I sooo want to get those...I've yet to pick up Ys Oath in Felghana, or Ys Origin, yet...stuff's almost $40 each on Kahori's site...

No matter how busy I get, I always try to set some time aside each day to just listen to music. It doesn't always work, but my philosophy is that if you can't take some time out to enjoy beautiful things now and then, there's something that you're doing wrong.

I ordered them directly from Falcom and the price with shipping turned out to be $85.

  Price (Japanese-yen)
   2,980 yen :M048 YsI&II Chronicles OST
   2,980 yen :M049 YsSEVEN OST
   1,680 yen :shipping and handling
-----------------------------------
   7,640 yen :total

  The email for ordering from them changes periodically and here's the new one: order_h19@falcom.co.jp

You want to detail how an English-American person orders from a Japanese Japanese language site?

I mean, one side would have to know how to read the other's language...

i just lie down in bed with my headphones sometimes and enjoy the music actively, without any distractions.

the bad thing is, i fall asleep sometimes doing so

I do that before going to sleep. Otherwise, I'm always doing something else while listening to music, be it cleaning, walking, browsing, etc...

YES. This's the best way to concentrate on music, especially when you're listening to it for the first time, and trying to acclimate yourself with it.