[greedrex]

Hi there (Stu? Genteel?)
I'm going on a three-day love trip to London (no kids yay!!!!!) next week and i intend to go shopping for records (mainly vinyl hopefully, but cool cheap indie second hand Cds will do too).

Would you please direct me to yr places of interest in terms of indie record shopping.
A good place where i can buy lots of new /up to date vinyl
but also good second-hand stores that are well kept (not the sort of place where there's messy old vinyl all around and you don't know where to start, can't stand these rotten places, places that are WELL KEPT and easy /relaxing to hunt cool records.)

Not looking for anything too dark/experimental, i have a list of records i'm looking for either in CD or vinyl (mainly indie /post punk/ some Reich/ Arvo Part ...), i need a kind of Ameoba but it's too far away lawlz.

Thanks in advance!

[Dr Chocolate]

as in the England version of London?

[blunderbuss]

Just walk up and down Berwick Street (off Oxford Street) - Sister Ray is down there, plus two reasonable second hand places. Also nearby (as in they're on roads that branch off Berwick Street) are Sounds of the Universe (Soul Jazz label's shop) and Phonica.

In Notting Hill you've got a good secondhand place near the tube station, plus Rough Trade just off Portobello Road.

There's a bigger branch of Rough Trade in East London.

And there's Kristina (which only does vinyl) in Dalston, not all that far from Cafe Oto.

www.sisterray.co.uk
www.soundsoftheuniverse.com
www.phonicarecords.com/
www.roughtrade.com/
http://kristinarecords.com/
www.mgeshops.com/

[pad_023]

If you want good second hand stuff Rat Records is great value and always has a fantastic selection.

It's located in Camberwell, South London not too far from Brixton. It's best to get there on a Saturday though as that is when they put out the stock.

[greedrex]

Thanks dudes. Locating places on the map right now! Great!

[blunderbuss]

When are you in London?

[greedrex]

from this coming Tuesday midday until Thursday beg of evening!

[blunderbuss]

You might find it worthwhile looking here for gigs: http://www.londonears.com/

I would suggest that you go to the David Bowie exhibition at the Victoria and Albert Museum, but there are no tickets available.

[blunderbuss]

Oh, and there's a big funeral going on in town next Wednesday - expect a heavy police presence and the probability of rioting.

[Genteel Death]

The Music Exchange in Berwick Street sometimes stocks the Slovenly Recordings records you seem to like. Don't ask the staff what you're buying though, they are mostly a bunch of losers and the occasional guy into drone or electronica who can't help you with anything.

[greedrex]

o i know what i want. However i'm kind of sceptical about record buying in London. I get good deals on the web via discogs or else, and records in GB don't seem to be that cheap.... I may end up with just about nothing in my bag. But thanks , yr recommendations do help.
So there's no big massive record shop Ameoba-style in Central London?

[Genteel Death]

Where do you think you're traveling to? The Americas?

[greedrex]

yeah i know... Expectations are set way too high... Will check out these places Blunder suggested anyway. Will keep u updated on my finds...or not!

[Toilet & Bowels]

Yeah, there are no big Amoeba style places here. Also should mention Rough Trade East, off Brick Lane. It's about as good as any of the other record shops mentioned. Also as a person (presumably American) coming to shop for records in London: be prepared for high prices.

[greedrex]

I'm not American but French and yeah i'm getting prepared to come back w/just nothing in my bag. And most definitely going to RoughTrade East in fact anyway.

[Toilet & Bowels]

I don't know what you're looking for but the second hand shops on Berwick St that blunderbuss mentioned are a little expensive but not unreasonable, and you can find good stuff.

[blunderbuss]

Report on the trip, please?

[Matt]

I was in London for my birthday a couple of weeks ago and each time I go there seems to be a record shop or 2 less than the last time..it was the music exchange in camden this time that had gone

[greedrex]

meh!!!!!
Went to Sister Ray which i found no good at all. Doesn't make records look good at all with photocopied covers...
Went to that second hand shop next door and found nothing interesting either , VERY expensive and random "filing". Impossible to find anything unless you have yr whole afternoon to flip through random records...
went to HMV for a laugh... and had a good laugh.
Went to Rough Trade West. Second hand downstairs was pretty shite and upstairs was kind of random too and just too small. Not many records and then more randomly sorted expensive cds...Enjoyed Portobello Road with the gf though.
Finally went to Rough Trade East ( that was far axay....) and that was by far the best record shop i went to. Found a couple of cool Lps i was more or less looking for for a very reasonable price but this is it.
On the last day we went to Camden and lots of cool second hand record shops seem to have vanished since my last time there (er 15 years ago...)
found a couple of little shops in the Lock which stored terrible Mexican Joy Divison pressings (CLOSER in Fluoresent YELLOW!!!!! JUST HOW IRRELEVANT IS THAT????????) and some cool stuff that i found too expensive. so yeah lots of shops and two records bought, but hey i kind of knew it.
Would gladly go back to Rough Trade east though, I really enjoyed that one. Lots of books, I'll go back on my own one of these days.
Super cool love trip btw. Well-deserved and a great time in that cool hotel near Hyde Park just off oxford. Went to the Tate Modern (which was shit too but hey wanted to go there for a while too.... Had some uber cool pub food and cider&black. Just a great little trip.
Thanks for the tips everybody.