CDs vs MP3s

I'm curious as to how many of you still buy CDs. W/ the ease of things like I-Tunes, I know most of you are probably downloading a lot more than you buy on disc, but I just can't get myself to do that. The idea of paying for an MP3 drives me nuts. The compression is so noticeable to me. I could see paying for a SHN or a FLAC, but MP3s sound so thin and tinny. Then again, the sites that have SHNs and FLACs are usually free live files so while the quality is there, it's harder to find a studio album that way. This only leaves us w/ the traditional CD format... which is fine w/ me. I still dig the packaging & the liner notes so I suppose I'll keep buying them. I'm definitely not buying like I used to though. I remember in high school, getting a new tape or 2 every couple weeks. However, over the last 12 months, I've bought 16 CDs, 2 of which are from local bands, 4 were from garage sales, & another 1 was a discount CD for only a couple bucks @ K-Mart. This leaves us w/ 9 over a 12 month period. It still seems like a lot, but for the most part, they're really good. Here's a quick overview of the stuff I've bought in a roughly chronological order.

Mayflys - Down & In: Super fun local stuff... & I'm thanked in the liner notes. But you knew that already.

Willie Nelson - Country Music: Ironically, it's really not country. It's more of a traditional folk/bluegrass album. It's really good.

Norah Jones - The Fall: I dig her. Stephanie really digs her.It's a good album.

Kris Kristofferson - Kristofferson: This is a pretty odd album. It's not the straight, 70s country I expected. He's even got stuff that sounds like it could have come from the Three Penny Opera.

Neko Case - Live from Austin TX: Not an odd album at all. This is pretty much what I expected... awesome. Her cover of "Buckets of Rain" is great, but the originals are fantastic too. You've probably already heard this though, so you already know this.

Gram Parsons - GP/Grievous Angel: This seems like something we should have had already. It's less glitzy & overproduced than his 2 albums w/ The Flying Burrito Brothers, but I still like The Byrds Sweetheart of the Rodeo more.

Emmylou Harris - Elite Hotel: This is a beautiful album. She's so freaking good.

Phish - Colorado 88: This is a fun 3 disc set from their first trip through Colorado. It's got the acidy circus music sound that they were having fun w/ back then, & it features most of their 1st 2 albums plus The Man Who Stepped into Yesterday stuff. If you're a Narnia/Harry Potter person, you probably need to to hear the Man Who Stepped stuff. You'd dig it.

Norman Blake & Tony Rice - Blake & Rice: This is some great folk & bluegrass. Tony Rice knows how to play!*

The Del McCoury Band - Del & the Boys: A pretty straight forward album. It's nothing too out of the ordinary for them, but the song selection & the playing are both stellar.*

The Flying Burrito Brothers - Close Encounters to the West Coast: This is awesome. A very underrated album. I really enjoy this one.*

Tex Williams & His Western Caravan - Vintage Collection: I'm not quite as into this as I expected. It's traditional Texas Swing, but definitely not as good as Bob Wills.*

Whitey Morgan & the 78s - Whitey Morgan & the 78s: Awesome. Check out the Wikipedia page I started about them (plus the pages about their albums). That's fun times. I think this semester, I'm gonna make one about either Ralph Mooney or Fred Newell. we'll see.

Merle Haggard - 16 Greatest Hits: On paper, this looks like it'd be fantastic... it ain't. I don't know if they're burned from MP3s or remastered w/ an 80s Casio SK1, but the music is horrid. His vocals are fine, but something just isn't right. I guess you get what you pay for from the K-Mart value bin.

Ryan Adams & the Cardinals - III/IV: It's good, but not as good as the other Cardinals stuff. It's clear why this wasn't released when it was first recorded. It's definitely no Cold Roses or Jacksonville City Nights.

Marty Stuart & His Fabulous Superlatives - Ghost Train; This is some quality country, & his band is super tight. I'd like to see his guitarist play w/ Phil some time. That'd be fun.