I don't buy totally on spec so much these days: my shelves are groaning with CD's which seldom, if ever, get played. It's so easy to hear new stuff these days: even if it's just an MP3 sample on line, that it's not necessary.

The last CD I bought was Ricky Skaggs' Brand New Strings. I heard the title track on streaming radio, loved it, and bought it online pretty much there and then. And it's 60% brilliant (i.e. a couple of dodgy tracks) but the good ones make it a good buy. A better ratio than some of the totally "on spec" CDs bought in a previous era!