Anyone shop at Sister Ray in London for Vinyl?

Discussion in 'Music, Movie and Hardware Store Guide' started by ServingTheMusic, Apr 20, 2018.

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  1. ServingTheMusic

    ServingTheMusic Forum Resident Thread Starter

    Location:
    SoCal
    I have a business trip planned to London this summer..anyone shop at Sister Ray?

    Quality of selection? Staff? Prices?

    Sister Ray
     
  2. ServingTheMusic

    ServingTheMusic Forum Resident Thread Starter

    Location:
    SoCal
  3. alexpop

    alexpop Power pop + other bad habits....

    Uk has the top 3 most visits stores.

    Number 1, most wanted store to visit Amoeba Hollywood
     
    Last edited: Apr 20, 2018
    hobbes4444 likes this.
  4. alexpop

    alexpop Power pop + other bad habits....

    Some tasty vinyl ( original ),pricey.
    Small shop, basement( more space /vinyl).
     
  5. ServingTheMusic

    ServingTheMusic Forum Resident Thread Starter

    Location:
    SoCal
    thanks for the heads up!
     
    alexpop likes this.
  6. ServingTheMusic

    ServingTheMusic Forum Resident Thread Starter

    Location:
    SoCal
    Amoeba is Youuuuuge!
     
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  7. alexpop

    alexpop Power pop + other bad habits....

    Amoeda?
    What's the condition of the USA titled vinyl ?
     
    Last edited: Apr 20, 2018
  8. JohnS

    JohnS Senior Member

    Location:
    London, UK
    Sister Ray is great and worth a visit - all the vinyl, new and used, is in the basement. You do get some bargain priced CDs too so worth checking those out too.
    Just over the road is Reckless Records, for even more used vinyl/CDs. So don't miss that or you'll be kicking yourself!
     
    LivingForever likes this.
  9. ServingTheMusic

    ServingTheMusic Forum Resident Thread Starter

    Location:
    SoCal
    They have a big selection..usually in great condition..prices are all over the place.
     
  10. alexpop

    alexpop Power pop + other bad habits....

    Big Star?
     
  11. ServingTheMusic

    ServingTheMusic Forum Resident Thread Starter

    Location:
    SoCal
    sure...
     
  12. hobbes4444

    hobbes4444 Forum Addict

    Location:
    Massachusetts
    Yes, I went there when I was in London last summer as we stayed in Soho (at The Soho (Kit Kemp design, Firmdale chain), great hotel fwiw...). Sister Ray was good. Picked up some cheap uk CDs, vinyl selection downstairs was good but nothing worth lugging home. Prices were good, not crazy. Worth a visit.

    There was another store nearby, I think it was Reckless, as another mentioned. Good selection of vinyl, but condition and pricing was a bit out of sync IMHO. Some nice Sabbath titles but the usual worn G+ or VG- and IIRC asking over 50ukp. Guy was nice enough to let me check out 4-5 titles but really chuffed when I passed on them. Understandable I guess.

    There are a couple of other smaller stores in that general area as well. Good neighborhood to spend an afternoon if you aren't staying there.
     
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  13. hobbes4444

    hobbes4444 Forum Addict

    Location:
    Massachusetts
    Amoeba San Francisco is also a great store. Housed in an old bowling alley. Paradise for me when I lived in the city. So I'm a little biased toward that location over the Hollywood store. But for selection, Hollywood is impossible to beat.
     
  14. alexpop

    alexpop Power pop + other bad habits....

    London more eateries now, £10.00 cups of coffee( soon). Record fairs are the way to go.
     
    Last edited: May 3, 2018
    Albiegator likes this.
  15. hobbes4444

    hobbes4444 Forum Addict

    Location:
    Massachusetts
    I didn't pay that much for coffee when we stayed there, but I agree, it is a very expensive city. Record shops just not sustainable in this age in London or any city for that matter. A great music City like Boston has only a handful of stores. Very sad.

    Anyway, still amazed and amused at the London pub life. Wish I was there when I was 20 years younger!
     
  16. Patrick Cleasby

    Patrick Cleasby Hi-Res idiot

    Location:
    London, UK
    Here are my recommendations. Music and Video exchange in Notting Hill and Greenwich. Sounds Original in Ealing. Alan's in East Finchley. Flashback in Crouch End and Islington. That should keep you busy.

    NOT Sister Ray. (Crazy Prices)
     
    LivingForever likes this.
  17. eddiel

    eddiel Senior Member

    Location:
    Toronto, Canada
    Yeah on the money here description wise of the two. If I can afford it, I don't mind paying a high price for something I would like, but it has to be fair in relation to the condition of the item.

    To the OP, you're likely going to visit Soho anyway so you might as well visit these two shops while in the area. But if you have no intention of visiting the Soho area I'd do a search for one of the money London Record Store threads we've had and plan your record shopping around that.
     
  18. alexpop

    alexpop Power pop + other bad habits....

    M&V is not what it was like 20 years ago, upstairs collectors gone, morphed with ground floor stock. DVD shop closed 10 years ago.
     
  19. mantis4tons

    mantis4tons Forum Resident

    Location:
    Denver, CO, USA
    I traveled to London for work fairly regularly a couple of years ago.

    My typical stops were Sounds of the Universe in Soho and Honest Jon's in Notting Hill. My absolute favorite was Cosmos Records on Hackney Road. I'm sure I was just scratching the surface of what's available in the city, though.
     
  20. Chris Treece

    Chris Treece Forum Resident

    Location:
    Haworth, UK
    Preferred their old premises across the road, to be honest. Still a great shop, prices on the high side. Just round the corner from the superb Sounds Of The Universe; my favourite record shop anywhere. Tiny, cramped, but unrivalled for soul/funk/jazz/latin. I've yet to leave there without buying something that was playing on the in-store decks.
     
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  21. dlemaudit

    dlemaudit Forum Resident

    Location:
    France, Paris area
    yes , i miss their older store across the road , bigger selection in my opinion and nicer to browse through
     
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  22. alexpop

    alexpop Power pop + other bad habits....

    New shop: Sister Ray
    I think they should move vinyl upstairs nobody's really interested in CDs anymore. I would have the counter -area at the door as your walking in/ out.
    More sales I betcha.
     
  23. dlemaudit

    dlemaudit Forum Resident

    Location:
    France, Paris area
    exactly , weird configuration
    popped there this week and found some cheap OOP cd's though ( Jonathan Richman and that Australian VU box set for 20 pounds)
     
  24. alexpop

    alexpop Power pop + other bad habits....

    The original SR which was further down the road ( not across the road ) less stock but got all the releases first.
    The one across the road ( large black interior )think was called Select later morphed with Sister Ray was better as well..at least for what I was looking for,
    Record Shops per se in London, internet either killed the shop/closed or killed the stock( lack off).
     
  25. dlemaudit

    dlemaudit Forum Resident

    Location:
    France, Paris area
    yes i was referring to the large Selectadisc shop across the road ( the one on the cover of that Oasis album ) , same staff , that was great both for vinyls and cd's
    the old Sister Ray , where the market stalls were / are , was ok for new indie release indeed .
    so depressing record shopping in London now
     
    alexpop likes this.
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