Reg--

Couldn't let the Jeff Lynne/ELO comment go by without chiming in.

I definitely agree that the old vinyl record still has a lot of charm, and though I don't often buy or play vinyl any more, I'll take a Neil Postman-esque view of the rise of digital media. It is, like the rise of any technology, a Faustian bargain. And I'm not even talking about sound-related issues, as that stuff is over my head.

With the rise of digital media,

You get: speed, compact-ness, ease of access.

You lose: those glorious vinyl packaging schemes (ala ELO), the physical experience of putting on a vinyl record & feeling the needle slip into those supple, subtle grooves . . .

Wasn't the new "Out of the Blue" a great listen though? I did not try to put together the spaceship, but once, years ago, I did successfully suspend one from the ceiling with a paperclip and a bit of string. What a great time it was, watching that thing shift each time the oscillating fan sent a draft its way, while the old turntable wore down the grooves over multiple listenings.

Herring405