headphone songs

[Shellhead]

I was just listening to some music on headphones, and discovered to my delight that an otherwise so-so Cake song sounds pretty interesting on headphones. What are some neat headphone songs that you can recommend, where the production of the song did funny things to how the music comes through on headphones?

A few that I can think of:

Whole Lotta Love/Led Zeppelin
Moving in Stereo/the Cars
Cool Blue Reason/Cake
Hello Caller/Matt Wilson

[Buried Alien]

I've found that Cream's entire discography sounds *twice* as good when listening to it through headphones. Through speakers, it's a thick, distorted guitar slush (not that there's anything wrong with that, mind you). Through headphones, there's more subtlety.

Buried Alien (The Fastest Post Alive!)

[leonaozaki]

"The Prophet Song," by Queen

Most things recorded after about 1978 or so seem to be recorded better (or at least with better technology), so headphones aren't as helpful.

rob

[Ontir]

Not Afraid ~ Kinky
Lava Lamp ~ Duran Duran
In a Funny Way ~ Mercury Rev
In These Shoes ~ Kirsty MacColl

[howyadoin]

Moving in Stereo/the CarsGood call, Shell.

And the immediate answer I thought of is "Radar Love", because of the way the sounds bounces back and forth through your head.

[DWEarhart]

Early Steve Vai
Any Devin Townsend album.
The last Slipknot album.
Any Chroma Key album.

[Ilash]

Definitely agree with Buried Alien about Cream.

Also, can't believe no one has mentioned Pink Floyd yet. Dark Side, in particular, sounds a hundred times more interesting through headphones.

Jimi Hendrix's later stuff, where he really plays with stereo effects is also more effective through headphoes.

The Who's Quadrophenia sounds great through speakers but somehow even better through headphones. Also, their Isle of Wight CD actually sounds good through headphones, not so much through speakers. And yeah you get a whole new appreciation for Live at Leeds through a good set of headphones. Oddly enough though, the band's 60s singles actually sound quite a bit better when they're played through speakers.

And yeah, I agree with Leonazaki's implication that music from before the late seventies in general sound better, often significantly, when played through headphones.

[Ontir]

Rock Lobster, Meopotamia, Private Idaho, & Channel Z ~ B52s

[Albert]

Edgar Winter's "Frankenstein" sounds amazing with headphones. It dopplers and ricochets all through the cranium. And, if you're a pinball afficianado, there is (or was) an awesome pinball game of the same name that makes good use of the song during Multiball.

[elheffe]

"Shoreline (7/4)" by Broken Social Scene is a headphone must.

[Eric D.]

Pink Floyd - The Dark Side of the Moon

[Eric D.]

I make me crazy.

You said it, brother.

[mailedbypostman1]

Apparently, Porcupine Tree (http://theclassicrocksociety.blogspot.com/2007/12/porcupine-tree-nominated-for-grammy.html) songs.

[howyadoin]

You said it, brother.Hey, that's what happens when you spend 1 hours everyday to listen only songs.

[berk]

This works with lots of stuff for me, but a couple come ti mind in particular:

I never really appreciated Robbie Robertson's guitar playing on much of Blonde on Blonde until I happened to listen to the album on the headphones one day.

And Steve Howe's amazing guitar all through Siberian Khatru from Yes's Close to the Edge can really be heard best only through headphones. Playing some really nice licks that blend perfectly with the rest of the band in the background through most of the song. It was like a revelation when I first listened to this album, which I already loved, though headphones and heard all this stuff I didn't even suspect was there.

[jessecuster3]

There are tons of songs that work, usually when they have an acoustic or a capella opening and then crank the music.


The Weeks - Buttons is one I am immediately thinking of.




Also, everything that RX Bandits makes sounds amazing in headphones, they just have so many instruments going on.

[Reptisaurus!]

I didn't know that. I virtually never listen to music through headphones.