I find it so interesting the seeming commonality in so many of our posts on this topic. I almost always listen alone these days. Occasionally my wife will come in and listen quietly for a while if the record is by one of her favorites (Jackson Browne, Van Morrison, particular Tim Buckley or Bob Dylan recordings, the Clash or Flaming Lips). I had a friend who I could listen all afternoon with though he had relatively narrow tastes, Jazz and classical, but he died. I can still spend long hours listening with any of my brothers and sometimes with my sister but they all live in another state,500 miles away, so that is a rare occurrence. It is true that in the 1960s and 1970s I had numbers of friends that would listen for several records at a session, though we were generally stoned at the time.Now I have two rocking chairs nearfield and a couch a bit further away just waiting but really I listen alone. My wife says that it is for two reasons, 1) my tastes are just too catholic and so there will be on any given day a point where something I like will drive all other available humans from the house and 2) most people just don't listen to recorded music in a concentrated way any more. Sad, sad and sad.
