How to keep tracks together in shuffle mode?

Thanks for sharing the link! I agree I think this is what was originally wanted and also what I was looking for. You mentioned it still works in iTunes 12. I am using 12.5.5.5 and it works, but the shuffle option is not in preferences like the forum thread describes. It is in the menu Controls->Shuffle->(then Songs, Albums, or Groupings).

Or...

on your keyboard, use the ALT key, followed by the C key, the S key and finally the A key (that's Menu/Controls/Shuffle/By Albums)

Huh?

• You originally stated "concept albums", which to me, means the album should be played from the first track to the last track, in track order, as the artist intended. Shuffle albums will do that.
• You also mention "complete albums", which, when it comes to shuffle, means the same as "concept album".

Am I to assume that what you actually mean is that you want to play some songs in shuffle mode, then some (from concept albums) in order, and then back to full shuffle? You cannot do that in Shuffle mode. That's why it's called shuffle.

However, what you could do is create a Playlist, and put the songs in to it in the precise order you want them.

Joepiet wrote:

The second tab is calles 'Info' as well. Down under you have the possibilty to mark Part of a collection (Deel van verzameling). It should do the trick but it doesn't. I once tried, but I haven't found out what it does.

In English, that is named as "Part of a compilation" and Google Translates that as "Deel van een compilatie". As far as iTunes is concerned, this means that the album has songs by different artists, albums such as the "Now X" series. It is how iTunes keeps a Various Artists album together.

Joepiet wrote:

I want to shuffle works, not tracks..

Ah! I see what you want now!

Two possibilities that I can think of (number 2 is the better one):

1. Create a Playlist for each "work", by simply adding all the songs from one work to one Playlist and all songs from the next work to another Playlist and so on. Then, if you want to play one complete work, followed by another complete work, you could simply create a further Playlist and add each "work Playlist" you want to this new Playlist. To make the works random, all you could do is choose for yourself as you are adding them. You would need to play this new Playlist in order, not shuffle.
2. If you originally imported this music from a CD, you could import from the CD again. But this time, combine the tracks that make up one work, as one track. iTunes names this as "Join CD Tracks" (or CD-tracks samenvoegen in the Dutch iTunes).

In the screenshot above, I have selected tracks one, two and three and then used the options menu to find Join CD Tracks. This third option will not be visible until you select two or more adjacent tracks, as shown above.

In the screenshot below, I have joined tracks one, two and three as one "work". Then joined tracks four, five and six as a separate work. Finally, I've joined tracks seven through twelve as a third work.

Notice in the screenshot that the Options menu says "Unjoin CD Tracks". That is because the highlighted ones (7-12) are currently joined.

And here it is in Dutch:

With this second method, a work (of several tracks) will always be played as one track (or song). You can then simply add all the individual works to one Playlist, and play the Playlist in Shuffle Songs mode. That way, each work would be played in full, followed, at random, by another work.)

And if you really need to - import the CD this second time with a slightly different album name, so that you then have two copies. One, where each song (or track) is the individual song on the album and the second where each "song" is a work.

Now, lets hope I can get my iTunes back into "English" English, as my Dutch is not too good, even though I'm just the other side of the North Sea from you! 😉

Big Thanks! to "the fiend"

The second method was exactly what I've been looking for.

Cheers!

Fiend,

THANK YOU!!! I've been a Mac user since 1984 - yes, I'm an old fart, lol) and have been using iTunes since Apple created and released v.1 And I always thought (knew?) they had built in his ability to "join" only certain tracks together as a "single" work or compilation so those songs (however many you wanted) would essentially act as a SINGLE song and therefore ALWAYS play one after the other regardless of if you were listening to your music in sequential order or in "shuffle mode" no matter if you were listening to your entire library of songs in order, shuffle, (or playlist songs in order or in shuffle). As Jopiet was trying to do with certain classical works, there are also certain rock songs (I'm a classic rock guy) that were meant by artist and always played on radio one after the other even though they were 2 separate tracks (best rock example that comes to mind off hand is Journey's "Feeling That Way" immediately followed by "Anytime" on their Infinity album. Those 2 tracks just BELONG to be played always one after the other! There are many others of course like on some Pink Floyd albums but I remiss...NOW, wirh your help and explanation, I can FINALLY get these certain songs to ALWAYS play in order as a "single track" no matter where they are or what playlist they're in! Woohoo! Makes me VERY happy to now finally know how the heck to do that which is something I've been wanting to do for YEARS with those certain tracks! Thanks again!!!

I think this is what the OP is looking for:

https://discussions.apple.com/thread/255812?start=0&tstart=0

Still works in iTunes 12.