Interesting timeframe...
... as I recall, 25 years ago places like HMV were basically having fire sales of vinyl, clearing the shelves to make space for CDs. I bought more than a few LPs for a couple of quid each at that time. It was nice to walk into a store with £20 and come out with a pile of records (INXS, diVinyls, etc.).
Declining stock, shifted cheaply, then for years a near-absence of vinyl in the big-name stores, so it's not really surprise that things have improved since that low point - only a short time before then it seemed it was the law that every CD system came with a free copy of Brothers in Arms in an effort to shift stock.
My 1991 Pioneer separates system turntable still works fine, even on the original drive belt (though it is a bit slack and ought to be replaced). MrsT's vinyl collection includes a lot of unusual titles that I'm sure would be possible to find in other formats, just not as visual as coloured/picture disks.
Biting the hand that feeds IT
