One ear in front of the other???

Ana´s translation sounded convincing, but apart from "he hasn´t got a good ear for music" or "he´s tone deaf" I don´t know whether there´s another common expression. While I was driving home, the expression " as deaf as a post" sprang to mind, but that´s for hearing (or lack of it) in general. How about "he gave me an earful"; what do you think it means? See you!