First of all, go to
TapeOp and start reading. It's a free subscription if you like paper as well.
Oodles of information on the nitty-gritty of recording, especially in the analog domain, from some of the biggest and not-so-big names in the biz. (and read up on Steve Albini for another die-hard analog evangelist, though he can be a bit abrasive at times)
Second, tape is a
physical medium with inherent flaws that we have come to associate with analog sound and actually be beneficial to the overall listening experience,
probably (in my humble opinion) due much to how tape saturation deals with transients and affects dynamic range in a non-linear, not-very-static fashion. I could be wrong, but that's what my ears tell me.
Digital is (for all intents and purposes) a
virtual medium which has the goal of eliminating as many flaws as possible. As good as digital recording is now, it still apparently loses some 'character' in the attempt, and it's flaws can be quite detrimental rather than beneficial. I've used tape saturation and tube emulation plugins, with varying degrees of benefit. Give it a shot, you might find some magic in them 1's and 0's yet...