[Kyle]

Originally Posted by Stu

What Nathan said.

Tends to be older releases I buy though, with decent artwork. Vinyl mostly. Not because I'm a hipster or anything but because ... well ... I have a vinyl player and I prefer the sound. I can also kinda DJ so I amuse myself by mixing stuff that shouldn't be mixed - like seeing what happens when you bang An Unforgettable Fire up against some Marco V.

It doesn't help the illegal downloading industry that for years now artists have been putting out horrible CD packages with thin inlay booklets and daft "this is me with jewelery on me and paint in the background" style homogenized album covers.

Part of the draw of vinyl in the old days is that you weren't just paying for the music, you were paying for an item of aesthetic pleasure. You had your record, the awesome smell inside the cardboard, nice big liner notes, beautiful artwork.

Now it's just a big face with 'ARTISTS NAME' in sharp font.

I still find with CDs from groups in the 80's they have decent album artwork and booklets. Talking heads and Level 42's booklets have interested me and I got a big one with the Joy division box set.