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It all starts with a beautifully adorned sleeve, which gives way to reveal the almost impenetrable blackness of a perfect round black disc of vinyl.

With the crackle of needle, there is the merest hint of a delay before it is drowned out by the song in which you have invested a week’s hard-earned pocket money.

“That's the moment I love,” said Windlesham resident Paul Murphy, curator of the Framed 45s exhibition which opened at Woking’s Lightbox gallery and museum on Tuesday.

Framed 45s showcases the 7-inch vinyl record format, which this week celebrates its 65th anniversary following widespread adoption in 1950. The 7-inch was the favoured format for new singles for almost 40 years, until digital formats such as CD, and later, mp3, replaced what was deemed an outdated format.

But vinyl has enjoyed a recent resurgence, thanks in part to booming popularity among collectors and audiophiles, plus initiatives like Record Store Day (April 19), for which many artists commission special pieces.

From Sinatra to the Sex Pistols, via Dean Martin, Kraftwerk and Elbow to name but a few, Mr Murphy’s ‘wall of sound’ is a tribute to his passion for the format, especially its often-iconic artwork.

Paul, 56, has been buying vinyl since he was a boy but started collecting in earnest in the new year.

“Some record sleeves are just too good or too iconic to sit in a box unappreciated,” he said. “When we think about records, we think first about music. But singles should be a musical and artistic statement. Some still make the hairs on the back of your neck stand on end years later, perhaps even decades later – your first date, first dance, raves, romance. They capture moments in time.

“Album artwork is historically well appreciated so it’s strange no-one has exhibited 7-inch vinyl art before.”

Mr Murphy said his earliest memory of 7-inch vinyl was listening to his uncle’s copy of 50s classic My Boy Lollipop. He reduced his collection of more than 200 pieces down to just 37 vinyls for the exhibition, covering a 50-year period from 1955, with Dean Martin’s Swinging Down Under to 2005’s Elbow record Forget Myself.

Giving the News & Mail a sneak preview on Monday, Paul spoke about Robert Wyatt’s 1983 Falklands protest song Ship-building, written by Elvis Costello.

The song made number 35 in the charts but it is its sleeve, taken from a series of Second World War illustrations by painter Stanley Spencer, that is most striking, considering the song’s anti-war sentiment.

Among a pantheon of rock ‘n’ roll royalty – The Rolling Stones’ Respectable, David Bowie’s Modern Love, fellow Windlesham resident Brian May’s Driven By You – are pop classics such as Madonna’s Hanky Panky.

“The cover art was my first consideration,” said Paul. “I wanted to pick a selection people could identify with. It’s been brilliant revisiting some of these pieces. Singles often spawned new artwork which was an opportunity to make a statement.

“Despite the fact it’s a largely bygone format, there’s still a buzz from rifling through a box of old vinyl in a record store or a charity shop, even if they’re already a little well-thumbed.

“Times have changed, but I still think vinyl sounds better – especially loud. I love the crackle of the needle, each spin is a whole new experience. It’s that excitement and anticipation that makes 7-inch so exciting and enduring.”

Framed 45s runs until May 11 with all items on display available for purchase.