There’s something about vinyl records that cannot be matched by any other music medium. Maybe it’s because I grew up listening to and collecting vinyl records but nothing quite matches the joy of purchasing a vinyl album.

On Saturday I spent an enjoyable hour flicking through second hand records in a shop in Chester and walked out the proud owner of Exile On Main Street by the Rolling Stone, Parallel Lines by Blondie and Songs To Learn And Sing by Echo And The Bunnymen. Of course I could listen to them on streaming services like Spotify and I already own the CD of Exile On Main Street but seriously who can resist the lure of a 12″ album?

Not only do you get the music you also get the packaging, all those pictures, lyrics, production information. And you also get something to keep for life. A little bit of art that will always be yours. And if you’re like me something of a statement that says these are the artists I like.

Vinyl albums make no logical sense in a digital world, they’re bulky, the sound is subject to vagaries like crackling and popping and you can’t play them in the street or in a car. But when you love music there’s nothing that comes close to owning a vinyl record and I hope that joy never dies for me.