I know what John means when he bemoans the fact that recently released film music discs often take listening preference over "tougher" concert works; it is a trap I have to watch and attempt to balance in my allotted time spans for musical appreciation. In the same way I deliberately spend some evenings playing only LPs -(I have so many, and lots have not yet made it on to CDs),- I will also frequently concentrate on just those composers/works demanding a fuller audio commitment, as it were.

As I type this I am listening to a BBC programme on Radio 2 : jazz and popular fare, for me ideal as background music. I really couldn't do any justice to putting on heavier, say, orchestral music -be it of the concert or film variety. Such works demand my complete attention, otherwise the finer points are lost, at least until the next "outing".

The point is that these days there are so many entertainment media to engage us; TV, radio, hi-fi, videos/dvds, computers, books/mags; it goes on. It is often too easy to combine one or two (or more!) in these busy times, and in so doing, miss out on them all.

Also, on a musical level, I find it easier to listen to familiar works, often with themes or tunes which predominate, when attempting more than one of the afore-mentioned; but if I need to have a fix on a William Schuman or Shostakovich Symphony, then lghts out: turn up the volume: time to concentrate!