So the way i tend to listen to albums is that i'll listen through the whole thing once (or just the parts i like, e.g., my computer thinks the bends only has tracks 2,3,6, and the last 4, or i always zap ignoreland on automatic and electioneering on ok computer), and then i often go back and listen to a few songs again (like the last 3 songs on automatic, or whatever happens to strike me). This is also generally how i listen to mix tapes.

The weird thing is that when I listen to Alec's mix cd he made for me, which is full of little gems of songs which he knew i liked but which most people wouldn't have known i like, i don't go back for seconds of songs i've known and loved for ages... I go back and listen to:

survive, annie waits, survive, annie waits, survive, annie waits, etc.

And I'd never heard either of those before this mix... Does that make it a succesful mix cause its gotten two songs stuck in my psyche? or an unsuccesful one since I somehow end up that two song loop rather than listening to the whole mix again in your chosen context?