HAVING acquired a turntable a couple of months ago - 40th birthday present from the wife, thanks for asking - I have rediscovered the joys of my vinyl record collection.

I held off from buying a CD player until it became almost impossible to buy vinyl from most record shops simply because I liked the old style of albums too much.

It's not just about the quality of sound (although I still maintain that vinyl with all its scratches, hisses and crackles is better than CD or digital). It's about having something substantial for your money, and being able to look at and appreciate the cover artwork or read the lyrics without a magnifying glass.

I didn't wait quite so long to get into downloading MP3 files from the interweb but that's because I like buying loads of old stuff and this is the easiest (and cheapest) way to do it.

Anyway, the last few weeks have been a paradise of vinyl rediscovery.

From the classic (anything by the Jam, the Beatles, the Smiths or Elvis Costello) to the guilty pleasures (albums by ELO, Supertramp, Abba and A-Ha) to the downright bizarre (three BA Robertson singles, albums by M and Diesel Park West, and Terence Trent D'Arby's second album) - they've all had a play recently.

And it's all great. Not because everything I bought from the ages of 12 to about 25 is great - but because it's all packed with memories.

However, all of this nostalgia has had precisely zip effect on the kids. Junior is into Outkast so I've tried to play him my Prince albums. Nothing. Junior Junior likes guitar bands and has developed a sudden affection for Kasabian so I've tried to introduce him to Led Zeppelin. Blank stares.

Is it so uncool for your dad to be playing you his record collection, urging you to "listen to this bit, it's a classic"? Definitely. I'd have hated it.

So I've shown them how to use the turntable, disabusing them of the notion that you have to push the record into a slot somewhere to get them to play, and left them to it.

That's how I first discovered the likes of the Beatles, the Small Faces, T-Rex and David Bowie - by listening to my dad's records when he was out of the way.

Maybe they'll do the same.

It can't be 50 Cent and McFly forever can it?