Record stores in London

Hello-

I searched and found some old threads on London record stores. Considering the sad state of them, I figured i should get an updated list.

I am looking for good new record stores (Virgin I assume or is there a better one around)?

Also, more importantly good used CD stores for rock and pop and a vinyl store here and there for rock and pop. I am staying at Earl's Court and will just walk or take the tube. Locations and what the tube stops are would be helpful.

Not looking for any good classical or jazz shops. Thanks!

Thanks!

 

Virgin is gone.

On Oxford Street (pretty much half way between Oxford Circus tube and Tottenham Crt Rd tube) is HMV. They have a huge selection of music over two floors. Upstairs is DVDs. The vinyl selection has also increased.

Around the same area you can head into Soho's Berwick Street.

There you will find:

Sister Ray they stock vinyl as well as cds. Some used stuff in the vinyl. This is your place for anything not Top 40.

Revival (or Reckless) Records just down from Sister Ray. They sell used lps and cds. Not a bad selection.

Further down you have Music & Video Exchange which also sell used cds and lps. I find them to be a but pricey but take a look.

Next door to Music & Video Exchange is shop specialising in dance music but they have funk and soul lps and cds (I think).

Just off of Berwick streat on Broadwick St there is Sounds of the Universe. Excellent for world music and soul/funk, hip hop techno loads of stuff really execpt rock. They are affiliated with the Soul Jazz record label I believe.

Also in the area off of Oxford St is a small street called Hanway St. On the corner is a Cafe Nero (walk down Oxford St from HMV towards Tottenham Crt Rd and you will see it). There are two used record shops in there that are pretty good. Nice lps.

In the Notting Hill area there are two shops I remember. One is a branch of Music and Video Exchange and the other is http://www.intoxica.co.uk/. I've been to Intoxica years and years ago and it was a pretty cool place.

Lastly there is Rough Trade by Spitafields. WOrth a visit. They sell cds and lps but new. Your place for anything not top 40. Excellent selection IMO.

I am sure there are more but that is all off the top of my head.

If you are into dance music then there are a lot of shops in Soho that cater to that as well.

Eddie

 

...another thread worth reading...

http://www.stevehoffman.tv/forums/showthread.php?t=162091&highlight=record+stores+london

 

If you're into reggae :

Dub Vendor
Main shop on Lavender Hill, Clapham Junction and a smaller one on Ladbrook Grove. Covers a wide spectrum of reggae music. Good for new JA pres. One of the best record shops in London. Now has a worldwide mailorder service.
274 Lavender Hill, London SW11
Tel: 020 72233757
www.dubvendor.co.uk

There are a few others in the Brixton area...

Otherwise yes, Berwick street should keep you busy for a while...
Yes you KNOW Berwick Street :

 

Fopp on Cambridge Circus is always worth a look for some bargain new CDs / DVDs (they may even have some vinyl?)

 

Also there's FOPP at 1 Earlham Street, just off Cambridge Circus near Covent Garden. Brilliant for decent new bargain CD's and DVD's (I got the 'Help' deluxe set for less than 20 quid!) Plus they have a growing vinyl section. There's three floors in a very compact site. I really recommend a visit, especially as a tourist you will definitely pass close by if you are walking up Charing Cross Road from Trafalgar Sq, heading towards Oxford St.

http://www.foppreturns.com/stores/

 

Hey you posted at the same time I was writing mine!!! Great minds

 

Last I went to fopp I'm afraid the vinyl section was gone !

 

And of course there's my old bedroom in London, a veritable vinyl Aladdins Cave full of 20 years + rock (yep every kiss album up til The Elder), prog (lots of Rush, Genesis and Yes) and 80's pop! You just have to persude my 76 year old Dad to let you in haha.

 

I was back home in May earlier this year, and the vinyl was still there then as I bought a truck load. Dunno what happened since though I must admit. It was all up on the first floor by the stairs!

 

Maybe you're right, it used to be in the basement wasn't it?

 

Fopp is all you need!

 

Didn't there used to be a Reckless in Berwick street (okay, that was 20 years ago, but...)?

Okay, answered my own inquiry - Reckless is now Revival, in the same location. Any good?

 

Yup it's up stairs. Saw it last week Not a bad selection but its fairly small.

Decent selection at Revival records and there are always people in there looking through stuff.

Can't beleive I forgot to list Fopp though. Yes one of the better new shops around. Library titles can be had for as little as £3. If I didn't already have most of the stuff I'd be spending all my money in there!

Eddie

 

I think that FOPP were in danger of shutting down at one stage but were 'rescued' by HMV!

 

I LOVE FOPP - but my 20k baggage allowance doesn't!!!

 

Wow I thought the one Virgin store that would be left would be London's. That's sad. So HMV is the only big chain left? That's nuts.

 

I think that Virgin sold to a store called ZAVVI - who already had shut up shop when i went back in May. It was recession central! But great for picking up bargains if you are cashed up I've also been to those ones in Berwick St and in that Laneway off Tottenham Court Road (near Sainsburys I think - or is it Tesco??) that Eddiels mentioned and agree with his comments. I got a really nice copy of the Pet Shop Boys Introspective 12" vinyl set in the music exchange for about £10 - and Joni Mitchell's For The Roses for about £1!!. Its an interesting shop. I'm not back home until Christmas, so report back on any updates after your trip.

 

Which HMV store location is the biggest in London?

 

I think its the HMV near Oxford Circus. I don't know if they have much vinyl though. They do have some good bargains. I got the whole set of Alfred Hitchcock DVD's for about £20 in HMV. So make the most of the recession in the UK. Don't take too much luggage and shop large when you are there. Go to Primark too, for some dirt cheap clothes as well! (sorry if a bit off topic but it is such a good store!) I also think that ASDA the supermarket (part of Wal-Mart) does some very good prices on CD's - so if you are food shopping bear that in mind too

 

You could mail some of your stuff back home. Students do that here.

 

Fopp did go bust, but HMV bought the name and the brand, they kept a few of the shops and have since opened one or two others, if you didn't know it's hard to tell any difference between the pre and post HMV Fopp's.

The original founder of Fopp has now opened a new shop in Bristol called Rise, it's along similar lines and is currently full of cheap Concord Jazz CDs, lots of filler, but some good OJCs amongst them.

Fopp, (in Bristol), currently has some very cheap Doctor Who DVDs, but not a lot of really great music bargains, at least for me.

 

I looked into that option last visit home to UK - I almost collapsed when I checked the Royal Mails parcel postage rates - it would have wiped out my music savings in one hit! I wanted to mail home a record case and it was like £100+ Some airlines let you have an extra 'unofficial' 5 kilos on top of the 20 kilo you get in economy. But not all! Virgin funnily enough are real jobsworths and try to charge you an exhorbitant rate per extra kilo over the 20

 

I just checked out ASDA's website and they DO have SOME really good prices going on there with free UK delivery. I don't know if the in-store price (or range) is the same but here's the link if anyone is looking for some UK CD bargains.

http://www.asda-entertainment.co.uk/asda/asda/cd/offers/bargain-cds-under-500.list