I read an article a while ago about how mp3s have changed how music is listened to in that they've started to eliminate the idea of an "album of songs" and replaced it with the notion of a "hit single".  Obviously hit singles aren't a new concept, but the article suggested that albums are becoming obsolete.  I think I agree, but I don't like it.  When I used to download music, I would download a song or two from an artist and call it quits after that.  In some cases, I would download whole albums, but when listening to the songs, I wouldn't listen to them in the order they were found on the album.  And I think this presented a problem:  Albums are recorded and produced in a certain way for a certain reason.  Artists work hard to put together a bunch of music, and producers work hard to put that music on an album in a way that flows or conveys some sort of meaning.  You can't listen to "Any Colour You Like" from Dark Side of the Moon without listening to the whole album.  It just doesn't make sense.  On its own, it's kind of a weird song, unlike most others in Pink Floyd's repertoire.  But in the context of the album, it's just awesome.  And I think that idea is true for a lot of bands and a lot of albums. 

A major benefit of getting whole albums is that you get to hear all the good songs that weren't chosen as singles.  If I had only heard Jet's "Look What You've Done", I wouldn't have bought the CD.  That song is poppy and uninteresting, and it's totally unlike half of the rest of the album (though the other half of the album is quite similar to it).  Lots of albums are like that, and so much music is left un-listened-to because certain songs don't pass the test of becoming hit singles (I'm not quite sure how that magical process works). 

In conclusion, buy the album.  It's worth it. #entertainment