Guide to London Record Shops
The capital
has enjoyed a tremendous resurgence in record shops in recent years. Previously
it had been decimated by closures. The big chains such as Tower, Virgin and Our
Price all closing. The area once known as the Golden Mile of record shops
around Soho lost more than 20 record shops since the 1980s. It is heartening to
report that the area is thriving again. Within close proximity to each other
you can visit Sister Ray, If Records, Sound of the Universe, and Phonica.
Between them they can satisfy all your vinyl needs.
Areas once
unfashionable such as Dalston, Hac, Hoxton, Peckham, Deptford,
and Norwood all now have shops selling vinyl.
North
London is not covered as well as it should be and there is still potential for
more record shops to open there. Don’t miss the opportunity to visit Brixton. A
wonderful few hours can be spent visiting Lion Vibes, Pure
Vinyl and Container Records which are all within a few minutes walk of each
other. Take a break for some fantastic food either at Brixton market or the
Container Village. No trip to London for vinyl fans would be complete without a
visit to one of the Rough Trade shops.
Audio
Gold *Donate your old hi fi and raise
money for charity*
308-310
Park Road, Crouch End, N8 8LA
0208 341
9007
Monday-Saturday
10am-6pm
Sunday
11am-5pm
Established
1992
Stock:
Vinyl, Pre-owned, HI- Fi Equipment, Turntables
Nearest
station - Highgate
If you are
thinking about buying hi-fi equipment and are based in the London area, Audio
Gold is the shop to check out first. Owned by Ben Shallcross, the shop stocks
an incredible selection of new and pre-owned record players ranging from wind
up gramophones to recent models. Ben is happy to advise and will recommend what
system is best for you based on the budget you have. The shop is packed with
product, so much so that record display cases are hanging from the ceiling, to
free up space on the shop floor.
Ben started
off as a motor engineer and was keen to move into something more music
connected. So he got a job in the shop repairing hi-fi equipment. Ben assured
me the skills are similar.
In 2002, he
took over the business, but it was not until 2013 that they started selling
vinyl which came about by accident. Ben had been called to a house to bid for a
pre-owned hi-fi. The owner told Ben she had a vast collection of vinyl to
dispose of and would he be interested in purchasing that too. Having picked up
on the vinyl revival, Ben decided to give it a go. Most of the vinyl sold
quickly, and from then on selling vinyl has been an integral part of Ben’s
business.
It is
amazing how many people purchase a record player in the shop, then also buy a
selection of records from the racks. The shop is in quite a wealthy area. One
gentleman came in and told Ben that he had heard that vinyl was cool, so he
wanted to purchase a top of the range hi-fi and would Ben pick out 100 records
for him that would impress his friends. Ben was delighted to oblige and is
always happy to recommend the best records along with the best hi-fi system, if
requested.
Ben’s
passion is to convert people to listening to music on the best quality
equipment they can afford. He finds it frustrating to see so many places
stocking budget record players which do nothing to enhance the listening
experience. Ben can put a deck together that will create a high-quality sound
for as little as £200. He also has a green ethos and feels passionate about repairing
and recycling equipment in our world of throwaway consumer durables.
The shop
has a couple of lovely touches. If people donate them hi-fi stock, then the
money raised from the sale is given to charity. Each month a different charity
benefits from this kind gesture. Ben buys job lots of pre-owned vinyl, and any
titles he feels are not worthy of a place in his curated racks, he puts in
boxes outside and encourages people to take, free of charge.
If you are
making a visit to Flashback in Crouch End, then you must not miss out this
shop. It is a mere 10-minute walk away.
Banquet Records “Banquet
is the best record shop in the universe.” Frank Turner
52
Eden Street, Kingston upon Thames, London KT1 1EE
0208
459 5871
Monday-Wednesday
10am-6pm
Thursday-Friday
10am-7pm
Saturday
10am-6pm
Sunday
12-5pm
Established
2002
Stock:
Vinyl, CD, In-stores, Tickets
The
borough of Kingston upon Thames is the birthplace of musicians John Martyn,
Steven Wilson, Dave Swarbrick, Rat Scabies (drummer with the Damned), Peter Cox
(from Go West) and Richard Butler (singer with the Psychedelic Furs). These
days the town’s musical connections extend to being home to one of the UK’s
most innovative record shops, Banquet Records, which rose from the ashes of the
Beggars Banquet record shop chain, formed by Martin Mills and Nick Austin in
1977. In that year zero for punk rock, Martin and Nick quickly decided to start
releasing records themselves, the first being “Shadow” by Uxbridge band the
Lurkers - a song now regarded as a punk classic. I always thought the band
should have been called the Petes, since the line-up included Pete Stride, Pete
Haynes and Pete Edwards. Maybe the name did not sound punk enough. Or maybe it
was due to the fourth member of the band being called Nigel. The label went
from strength to strength, achieving worldwide success with artists including
Gary Numan, the Cult and the Charlatans, and eventually the shops were closed,
the last one standing being the Kingston branch.
Former employees Jon Tolley and Mike Smith
bought the Kingston business, which at the time was in a sorry state. With the
help of Jane Unwin, they have transformed it into one of the most creative
record shops in the country. The numerous in-stores they put on have featured
such top acts as Laura Marling, Frank Turner, Babyshambles, the Maccabees, the
Cribs and the Foals.
In
2016, the shop showed its solidarity with the NHS by offering all junior
doctors a free album of their choice (up to the value of £20). It also dishes
out free veggie burgers to people who queue outside the shop the evening before
Record Store Day, and sponsors the local football team, Kingstonian FC. The
shop has its own five-a-side team. They don’t make any claims to greatness but
would be happy to have a game against any other record shop.
Jon
works as a local Liberal Democrat councilor, and in 2015 polled more votes than
all other parties put together. It was music that started him on the journey
into local politics. Already disillusioned with the council’s attitude to
closing venues, it was the cancellation at short notice of the Kingston
Carnival in 2014 that proved the final straw. It was galling for Banquet as
they had booked the bands, and Jon could get no clear answers on why the
successful carnival had been pulled when other years had gone so well. His
experience of promoting records through social media was, he found, easily
transferable to local politics.
One inspirational
decision Banquet took was to stop using carrier bags. Please check out the
video on YouTube under the title No More Plastic Bags. This is a huge
undertaking, but I hope it inspires other independent shops to do the same.
Let’s not stop there. If you are reading this, and work in a retail company,
share the video with your fellow employees and make a difference.
Banquet have
involved themselves in as many ways as possible with the locals and customers
who travel from far and wide to visit this unique shop. They are a community
record shop and in 2017 were voted Best UK Independent Record Shop in the Music Week awards. Banquet is a record
shop with a conscience.
Book &
Record Bar *The record shop with its own
radio station*
20 Norwood
High Street, West Norwood, London SE27 9NR
0208 670
9568
Tuesday-Saturday
10.30am-6pm
Sunday
10.30am-5pm
Established
2013
Stock:
Vinyl, Pre-owned, Art, Coffee, Food, In-stores, Licenced
Nearest
station - West Norwood
Only a
minute walk from West Norwood station and on the site of an old pub is where
you will find this quirky emporium. From the outside, it looks like the Queen
Vic (the fictional pub in EastEnders)
so it is a bit of a surprise when you step inside to be greeted with a huge
selection of vinyl and books with the walls decorated by art from local
artists.
The pub had
an incredible history and was named The Gipsy Queen after a remarkable woman
from the 18th century, whose skills at thievery and fortune-telling became part
of local folklore. Margaret Finch was well into her nineties before she could
no longer travel and settled down at last in the gypsy community based in
Norwood. She was a formidable sight, with a long nose and curved spine, and could
usually be found sitting on the ground, chin resting on her knees, smoking a
pipe, with her faithful dog by her side. She earned money by telling fortunes
in the local hostelries where huge crowds would gather to hear what the future
held for them.
Her body
became so contorted that when she died in 1740, she had to be crammed into a
specially-constructed square coffin. It was claimed that she was 108 when she
died. Her funeral was paid for by the local publicans, whose coffers she had
greatly swelled, and the first recorded pub was named in her honour in 1870.
I am no
fortune teller, but I am convinced the future is bright for this historical
venue thanks to the hard work of current owner Michael Johnson. The Gipsy Queen
closed as a pub in 2007 and lay derelict over the next few years. Squatters had
moved in and the interior was badly burned by fire. It was a huge job to turn
this shell into Michael’s vision of an atmospheric shop, café and venue.
Michael was
a semi-legendary local record collector and house DJ. His collection of more
than 8,000 vinyl records helped stock the shop when he opened. He is a music
expert who helped to compile the Rare
Records Price Guide, and music fans visiting will enjoy chatting with him.
If you are a fan of ambient, electronic or psych music this is the shop for you
as these genres are Michael’s great passion and he has lots of listening
recommendations.
Michael has
spent all his life involved in music. In the 1990s he was DJ at many house and
rave parties all over London. One regular event he deejayed at was held in a
closed down pub. It had no neighbours and the promoter would cover all the
windows with blackout curtains to prevent unwanted attention. The regular
events were extremely successful until Michael received a phone call from the
promoter informing him that that evening’s gig would have to be called off. The
previous day the pub had received a demolishing order and was now in the
process of being knocked down. With that evening’s event completely sold out,
this was a catastrophe.
To the
promoter’s credit the show still went ahead in a hastily-found new venue. With
no social media to let punters know of the change of plan, the relocation of
the event to Clapham became part of the enjoyment of the evening. Any punter
who turned up at the original planned location was greeted by a wrecked venue
and had to follow signage to locate the event’s new home for the evening.
Michael has
retained plenty of his contacts from those days and regularly has his friends
Alex Paterson and Martin Glover in to DJ at the regular party evenings in the
shop. Alex is in effect the Orb, being the only permanent member of the ambient
music pioneers. Martin is better known as Youth the bass player of Killing Joke
whose production and re-mixing credits read like a who’s who of music artists.
U2, Kate Bush, Texas, Depeche Mode and The Verve are just a few of the acts he
has worked with.
Alex, Youth
and Michael are regular DJs both in the shops and on their very own internet
radio station, West Norwood Broadcasting Corporation (WNBC). Alex also hosts an
event called Cake Lab on the first Sunday of each month. Lots of cake and good
music is guaranteed. Shows are recorded in the shop on Thursdays at 12pm-6pm
and Sundays 12-2pm. If you can plan a visit to coincide with one of the regular
Open Decks Evenings you can bring down your own vinyl to be played. The shop
has attracted some big-name DJs to play there. DJ Food, Mixmaster Morris and
Jon More from Coldcut are just a few who have graced the decks.
The Book
and Record Bar is not just a shop but a social hub. Michael is always happy to
chat about books and records or the history of the Gipsy Queen over a cup of
coffee
Casbah
Records *The record shop that began on a
magic bus*
320-322
Creek Road, Greenwich, London SE10 9SW
0208 858
1964
casbahrecords.co.uk;
casbahrecords80@gmail.com
Monday
11.30am-6pm
Tuesday-Friday
10.30am-6pm
Saturday-Sunday
10.30am-6pm
Established
2009
Stock:
Vinyl, CD, Pre-owned, DVD, Books, Comics
Nearest
station - Cutty Sark
Graham
Davis started out on a stall selling records in Greenwich market and was an
avid attendee of music festivals. He noticed at one festival that a big red bus
had been converted into a café. It inspired him to look for a bus to purchase
to sell records and CDs from. In those days to buy a vehicle you scoured the
motor trade magazines. One day he came across just what they were looking for
the only problem being the seller lived 230 miles away in in Hebdon Bridge. Convinced
it was what he wanted he set off to Yorkshire and when the owner agreed to
drive it down to Greenwich the deal was sealed.
The next
few weeks were spent ripping out seats and painting the bus in a psychedelic
style. After agreeing in advance with the market owners that he could station a
bus there, Graham started trading. He named it The Magic Bus after the Who
song. It proved immensely popular and became a tourist attraction for music
fans. To supplement the income, the bus toured the UK turning up at festivals
and universities. The first tour of universities took place in the late autumn
with takings far exceeding expectations. A few months later they undertook the
same tour again, but takings were far less than expected. Graham realised that
on the autumn tour the students had just received their grants but by the
winter the cash had run out. From then on, the Magic Bus tour would only hit
the road at grant time. One thing Graham had not considered was that for
security reasons he could not leave a bus full of records in Greenwich market,
so he had to hire a lock-up which substantially ate into profits. The other
negative was that the bus had to be at the market before all the other traders
set up their stalls and could leave only after all the other
traders had packed up. It was for this reason, Graham eventually decided to
move to a bricks and mortar shop, which enabled him for the first time in years
not to be up at the crack of dawn.
Naming the
new shop Casbah Records, Graham was confident that vinyl sales would grow and
make the gamble pay off. One feature of the store is the various mannequins and
dummies all decorated with wigs, sunglasses and various music accessories. The
shop also has a fine choice of vintage posters and produces its own range of
button badges.
Casbah
specialises in garage, psych from the 1960s, and cult TV and film soundtracks.
Part of the joy of this shop is you are never sure what you will discover.
It is
perfect for clothes shopping too, as within the same building is Retrobates
dealing in vintage clothing and record players from the 1950s to the 1970s.
The shop
describes itself as “small but perfectly formed” and is always looking at fun
ways to promote itself. One of Graham’s favourite promotions was when they had
a tribute to the Rolling Stones when they were playing the nearby O2 Arena. The
staff dressed up and played Stones records all day. The shop stocked an
extensive range of Stones music and merch for sale and advertised it as Stoned
Sunday. To judge from their faces, some of the customers that day interpreted
the concept somewhat differently to the Casbah team.
A fond
memory is of the enthusiastic young girl Graham took on to work in the shop.
She was always keen to improve her music knowledge. One day she was processing
some CDs and came across an unfamiliar name.
“Who is Holger Czukay?” she asked.
“He is in Can,” Graham replied.
“Ooh, I do love the South of France,”
came the reply.
Graham
explained that he was referring to Can the German group not Cannes the French
holiday destination.
It is a
great store for rarities and collectable items many of which festoon the wall.
It is worth a visit just to admire the fabulous giant print of David Bowie
which hangs above the counter.
Container
Records *You won’t be able to contain
your joy*
49 Brixton
Station Road, Brixton, London SW9 8PQ
07977
300074
Monday-Wednesday
11am-7pm
Thursday-Saturday
11am-8pm
Sunday
12-6pm
Established
2015
Stock:
Vinyl, Pre-owned, Tickets, T-shirts
Nearest
station - Brixton
Container
Records is housed in a genuine shipping container in Pop Brixton where all the
traders sell from old shipping containers. It is part of a community initiative
that has transformed a disused plot of land into a ground-breaking space that
showcases the most exciting independent businesses from around the Brixton
area. It encourages new businesses by offering a substantial discount on
renting the containers. It is a brilliant idea that more councils should start.
It is home to 53 independent businesses including restaurants, retailers,
street food traders, designers, digital start-ups, a community barbershop, a
youth radio station and several social enterprises.
Although
the shop is particularly strong on Afrobeat, electronic music, hip hop, world,
grime, house and jungle, most genres are covered. Owner Jack Christie has a
background in music, having traded records online, run his own Techno label and
managed a nightclub in North London. In 2014 Jack started noticing a ringing in
his ears and was diagnosed with tinnitus. It was time to move away from a
career that involved working in an extremely loud environment. Due to Jack’s
condition you may notice the music is slightly quieter at Container than it is
in some shops.
Jack
always wanted his own record shop being inspired by memories of his school
holidays visiting his grandparents farm house near Porthmadog in North Wales.
Those
holidays involved his parents taking him to Cob Records. Having previously
shopped at Our Price, Jack was blown away by the musty crate-digging, archive
vibe of Cob. It left a lasting impression on him influencing his career choice.
Although
not exactly the Sistine Chapel, the ceiling is brilliantly decorated, and it is
by some distance the most atmospheric container you will ever visit. Jack
stocks some eye-catching T-shirts. My favourites are Britain’s Goth Talent, and
one that lists the most whimsical names of local DJ’s including Airdnb;
Beatloaf; Ket Dealy; Pariah Carey; Eighth of Base; Niche Lorraine; Definitely
Moby.
The shop
had only been open a few weeks when David Bowie died in January 2016. Brixton,
Bowie’s birthplace, was suddenly full of news media. Jack received a phone
call from Sky News asking if they could come and shoot in store with
ex-Sex Pistol Glen Matlock. They asked if the shop had some David Bowie
LPs in stock. The idea was for Glen to pick some out of the racks, take them to
the counter were Jack would sell them to him. It was to be broadcast on the
evening news. Jack agreed, but then realised he had nearly sold out of Bowie
vinyl. Much to the dismay of his customers, Jack had to hide the Bowie
selection. Sky News came and shot their story, although they didn't buy any of
the records for real.
You can’t
fault Jack’s commitment. He even has the Container Records logo tattooed on his
leg. He also hosts regular punk gigs at local venue The Windmill. For those
planning a visit on Record Store Day don’t worry about the shop being too
small. Jack hires out the container next door for the day.
Crazy Beat
Records
87 Corbets
Tey Road, Upminster, RM14 2AH
01708
228678
Monday-Saturday
10am-6pm
Established
1991
Stock;
Vinyl, CD, Pre-owned
Nearest
station - Upminster
Owned by
the legendary DJ Gary Dennis, Crazy Beat
Records attracts soul, jazz and funk fans from all over the country. Gary is
one of the most knowledgeable people in the country about soul music and still
attracts big crowds for his DJ sets. A strong mail order section has ensured
that the shop has survived through the bad times and has enjoyed a resurgence
as a place for seeking out rare vinyl. There is a huge selection and if you are
a collector of 12-inch singles, it is well worth a visit.
Eel Pie
Records
44-45
Church Street, Twickenham, TW1 3NT
07817
756315
Monday-Saturday
10am-6pm
Sunday
11am-6pm
Established
2016
Stock;
Vinyl, CD, Books, Coffee, In-stores
Nearest
station - Twickenham
The shop is
named after Eel Pie Island a place with numerous musical connections situated a
few hundred meters from the shop. In the 1960s it held many jazz and blues
festivals, and Pete Townsend, who once owned a recording studio there, named
his publishing company Eel Pie Music.
Based in
the oldest street in the town, and certainly the most beautiful, Eel Pie
Records is a haven. A local bylaw ensures that all the traders have hanging
baskets, full of flowers displayed outside the shop. Eel Pie Records hangs them
both at the front and rear entrance to the shop.
As well as
ensuring the shop looks good from the outside, owners Phil Penman and Kevin
Jones have used the natural brick and dark wood of the interior to create an
atmosphere with many eye-catching features. A huge poster of John Peel adorns
one wall, while gold discs are hung on others. I laughed at the sign saying No
Hippies as well as the Paddy Roberts album on display titled Songs for Gay Dogs, a relic from an era
when “gay” meant “happy”.
The shop
shares its space with an independent wine merchant and a Biltong, where pieces
of dried meat are sold; everything you need for an evening of home
entertainment in one place.
Flashback
Records *The owner sold his house to buy
more vinyl*
131 Bethnal
Green Road, Shoreditch, London E2 7DG
020 7354
9356
Monday-Saturday
10am-7pm
Sunday
12-6pm
Established
1997
Stock:
Vinyl, Pre-owned
Nearest
station - Bethnal Green
Mark
Burgess is the Mystic Meg of record retailing. If he ever decides to sell up he
could become a clairvoyant. After ten years of trading, his Islington record
shop was losing money. While most people were getting out of the industry, Mark
was convinced that the future lay in selling vinyl.
In 2006, he
sold his own house in order to finance the takeover of an ailing record shop in
Crouch End. His dedication is commendable and although he has been living in
rented property for more than 10 years, his business is doing better than ever.
Mark has
plenty of experience, having worked at two of the most famous UK pre-owned
record shops: Music and Video Exchange and Reckless Records. He spent many
years making money for other people before taking the plunge to go it alone. He
opened in Islington originally selling vintage clothing in the basement and
music on the ground floor.
His idea
was to change the record shop experience from an intimidating run-in with surly
cooler-than-thou members of staff into an enjoyable way to spend some time,
knowing that the staff will be pleased to assist you, whether your interest is
in Dean Martin or De la Soul.
The shop
has had many famous musicians browse the racks but one who did not quite make
it to the counter was Morrissey. Mark was delighted to see him walk through the
door and was looking forward to engaging with the former Smiths singer about
his musical taste. Before he had the chance, an assistant put a Smiths record
on the deck to welcome him. On hearing the first notes, Morrissey did a U-turn
and beat a hasty retreat from the shop.
In 2014,
Flashback opened a new flagship branch in Shoreditch, the heart of London's
vibrant, fashionable and most happening area. With both Rough Trade and Sister
Ray having branches nearby, this area should be the first point of call for
music fans visiting London. Flashback was voted 17th best shop in the whole of
London in a recent Time Out survey
(that's all shops in London, not just
music shops). Mark recalls a record released on the Immediate label in 1969
called Happy to Be Part of The Industry
of Human Happiness. It was a compilation album featuring the best of the
label, Small Faces, Amen Corner, Humble Pie etc. The title sums up what he
feels about running record shops.
Flashback
has two other branches
50 Essex
Road, Islington, London N1 8LR
144 Crouch
Hill, Crouch End, London N8 9DX
278, Portobello Road, Notting Hill, London W10 5TE
0208 969 9822
Monday-Saturday 10am-6pm
Sunday 11am-5pm
Established 1974
Stock: Vinyl, CD, Pre-owned
Nearest station - Ladbroke Grove
Honest Jon’s has made an outstanding contribution to
modern music both as a record shop and record label. The original business was
started by two friends Jon Clare and Dave Ryner, who rented a property at 76
Golborne Road.
As part of the preparations for opening, Jon hired a sign
writer before he had decided on a name for the shop. He was still trying to
make up his mind, when the exasperated fellow shouted down from the top of his
ladder “What’s your name?”. Jon answered, and the sign was written: HONEST
JON’S. It sounded a bit like a dodgy pre-owned car dealer. Jon liked it.
The original idea was to open the shop only on Fridays
and Saturdays, enabling Jon to carry on with his lecturing work. To get the
shop started, Jon and Dave put their own vinyl collections as part of the
opening stock. They put up a sign advertising that they would pay cash for
records. The shop started off as a second-hand record shop and, being based in
Notting Hill, they soon started buying vast quantities of reggae from the local
Caribbean community to compliment the already extensive jazz and soul range.
Combining the shop with his lecturing career eventually proved too much for
Jon, and he made the decision to leave lecturing and concentrate on record
retailing. The pair opened more shops at other locations throughout London, the
most successful of which was the branch on Chalk Farm Road in Camden Town. The
original shop moved to the location on Portobello Road in 1979.
In 1982, Jon and Dave ended their business partnership.
Dave took the Camden shop, renaming it Rhythm Records (since closed, sadly). Jon stayed on as the
boss at Portobello into the 1990s, when he left to paint, work in analysis, and
run a B’n’B in Hay On Wye.
The current owners of Honest Jon’s, Alan Scholefield and
Mark Ainley joined the business in the mid-1980s as shop assistants and bought
it in 1992. Borrowing off family members to purchase stock, Mark travelled over
to America and went on a buying spree to ensure that when they reopened the
shop as owners, it would be full of exciting and interesting product.
The shop was closed for a week for redecorations and a
large queue waited outside the store on the wet Saturday morning of October 31,
1992, when the shop re-opened. The day is remembered affectionately for the
“red shoes” incident (nothing to do with the Kate Bush album of the same name).
The boys had painted the shop floor red, but unfortunately it had not dried by
the time of opening. Anyone who visited that morning left with a novel souvenir
of red paint on their soles.
For the first year, the shop enjoyed a honeymoon period
during which business thrived, after which, slowly but surely, sales started to
decline. One day, one of their regular customers came in and showed Alan a tiny
hand-held device called an iPod. He told Alan that he now had his music
collection on this little device and that this was the future. Alan was
fascinated but did not realise how much this tiny device was going to hit
sales, which were already in decline thanks to the boom in illegal downloading.
Portobello Road is an expensive location to trade from so the boys knew that
for the shop to survive they needed to diversify.
One of the shop’s regular customers was Blur front man
Damon Albarn, who was always looking for something different and interesting to
listen to. Alan and Mark were always keen to turn their customers on to new
music, and Damon enjoyed the world music they recommended to him, which
inspired him to start playing and recording with many African artists. In 2000
Damon returned from a trip to Mali with some recordings he had made on cassette
and suggested that they start their own record label.
Their first release on the Honest Jon’s label was the
fruit of Damon’s trip to Bamako, Mali
Music. The label has since gone from strength to strength, releasing
eclectic and diverse recordings from as far afield as Lagos, The Bronx, Port of
Spain, Algiers, Beirut, Baghdad, and East Africa.
I regard the Honest Jon’s label as the bearers of the
mantle of Alan Lomax, the great field collector of the 20th Century,
who gathered recordings from all over the world. Lomax himself was carrying on
the work started by his father John A. Lomax who became a famous folklorist and
collector of recordings. During their careers, father and son made more than
10,000 historic recordings. Starting in 1937, Lomax recorded folk, blues and
world music from all over the USA as well as venturing over to Britain,
Ireland, the Caribbean, Italy, and Spain, using the latest recording technology
to assemble a treasure trove of American and international culture. Today,
these recordings are of incredible historical significance. Not only did Lomax
record traditional songs, he recorded some of the most influential artists of
the 20th Century such as Jelly Roll Morton, Woody Guthrie, Lead
Belly, Pete Seeger, Sonny Terry and Muddy Waters. His recordings have been
sampled by many DJs and performers, most notably Moby. Lomax passed away in
2002, but Mark, Alan and Damon have picked up his baton and are continuing to
bring the world interesting recordings from all over the globe.
Like Lomax before them, Honest Jon’s also releases music
by musicians the public are already aware of. One of the most successful
artists for the label has been Candi Staton, who is probably best known for her
1976 UK No.2 disco classic “Young Hearts Run Free”. She was also the vocalist
on the Source’s dance classic “You Got the Love”, which sold two million
copies. Honest Jon’s released the Candi
Staton album in 2004, which was a wonderful collection of her early
Southern Soul Recordings. In 2006, the follow-up, His Hands, was released, with Mark Nevers of Lambchop producing.
The title track, written by Will Oldham, attracted a lot of attention. It was
an enjoyable experience for Candi who, during an eventful life, had endured
marital abuse and alcoholism. Now both her career and life were heading upwards
again as she recorded the album, with her daughter Cassandra providing backing
vocals and son Marcus contributing on drums. Her third album, Who’s Hurting Now? released in 2009
found Candi going back to her gospel roots. Other successful releases on the
Honest Jon’s label have come from Trembling Bells and Damon Alban’s super group
Rocket Juice and The Moon which featured Flea from the Red Hot Chili Peppers,
Tony Allen and Eryka Badu.
Former employees of Honest Jon’s include Nick Gold, the
man behind the World Circuit record label which introduced the world to the
Buena Vista Social Club, among others. Another former assistant was the
influential DJ James Lavelle who in 1992 went on to form the critically
acclaimed Mo’ Wax label. Musicians and music fans throughout the world can be
grateful to the contribution this record shop has made to music culture.
98 Fortis Green Road, Muswell Hill, London N10 3HN
0208 883 5361
Monday-Friday 9.30am-5.30pm
Saturday 9am-5pm
Sunday 11am-4pm
Established 1955
Stock: Vinyl, CD, In-stores, Musical Instruments, Sheet
Music
Nearest station - East Finchley
Les Aldrich Music was established in Muswell Hill more
than 100 years ago, under the name Lester James. In 1955, Les Aldrich took over
and renamed the shop after himself. He was the brother of the successful
pianist Ronnie Aldrich who went on to become Musical Director of the Benny Hill Show.
The shop is associated with the Kinks. Ray Davies, the
band’s singer, was a regular customer in his youth. His sister Renee bought him
his first guitar at Les Aldrich in 1957. I think the shop is missing a trick by
not applying for a blue plaque to mark this historic event. In 2010, the BBC
filmed a documentary on Ray’s life titled Imaginary Man in which he paid a nostalgic visit to
the shop that clearly held such happy memories for him. It was produced by
Julian Temple and presented by Alan Yentob. At the time, Ray was promoting his
album See My Friends and the shop was
adorned with posters of the record.
Following the broadcast, Kinks fans from all over the
world contacted the shop requesting posters.
Many of them make pilgrimages to the shop to have their photo taken
there. They often tie it in with a visit to the local pub The Clissold Arms
where Ray and Dave Davis performed their first gig in 1957. The pub was the
band’s local and is full of Kinks photos and memorabilia.
The shop has always made an extra effort for their
customers, and never more so than back in the 1970s when the miners had gone on
strike, and in order to conserve coal supplies, the government allowed
electricity to be used only three days a week.
This meant that many businesses only opened for those three days. Not so
Les Aldrich, who fitted his shop out with gaslights and lent torches to their
customers to enable them to see the records.
One genre they don’t have a large selection of is French
music, much to the displeasure of one customer who had misread the shop’s name
as “les Aldrich”, and assumed it specialised in Francophone records.
Les Aldrich Music is the second oldest shop in Muswell
Hill, the oldest being Martin’s, which sells freshly ground coffee with dried
fruit. I am amazed nobody else has opened this kind of shop. The business model
clearly works, as they have been trading for over 100 years. The secret is that
they grind the coffee by the window and the aroma drifting from the shop makes
it difficult to pass.
The current owner of Les Aldrich Music is Ian Rosenblatt
who works at a city law firm during the week and serves in the shop at the
weekend. Graham Coxon, the Blur guitarist, is a customer and the team describe
him as charming. The first time he came in, the shop did not have in stock what
he wanted, so they ordered it in for him. Unfortunately, the member of staff
dealing with Graham - a classical expert with limited knowledge of Blur – got
his name wrong and handed him a receipt made out to Brian Cox. Graham handed it
straight back and explained that he was not the famous physicist.
This part of North London may be a bit of a wasteland for
record shops, but if you are prepared to make the effort to travel there you
will find a wonderful area with lots of interesting independent shops. With
Cheeses of Muswell Hill (one of the UK’s most famous cheese shops), a fabulous
coffee shop, and a must-visit pub for music fans all nearby, it is a great
place to while away a few hours.
Let
It Roll Records
121 Kentish Town Rd, London NW1 8PB
0203 602 3917
Monday-Saturday 11am-7pm
Sunday 12-6pm
Established 2018
Stock: Vinyl, Pre-owned, Coffee
Nearest station - Camden Town
When
successful TV and film editor Kieran Smyth realized he no longer wanted to be a
successful TV and film editor, he turned to the thing he’d always loved: music,
and especially vinyl records.
“I’ve
lived in Kentish Town since 2005 and had always thought it would be great to
have a really good record shop within walking distance of my house,” Kieran
says.
“After
13 years of no-one coming up trumps, I decided I would have to do it myself. I
knew what I wanted the shop to look like and roughly what I thought we should
stock. But I needed help from someone with experience in music retail.”
Which
is where Gary Robertson came in, a former employee of Sister Ray, with whom
Kieran had spent many hours discussing music on his frequent visits to the shop
in Soho.
With
all the pieces in place the shop opened in May of 2018 and has since then
become a well known destination for vinyl and music lovers, offering a wide
range of genres from indie to soul, electronic music, techno, punk, dub,
psychedelia and more. A friendly place
to come and browse or have a good cup of coffee or tea prepared by barista
Deniz Korkmaz. To transcend just selling music and provide more and other
services to its community, Let It Roll
Records also hosts small and intimate concerts and book presentations.
Level Crossing Records *Psychedelic counter made from
recycled plastic bottles*
Established
2018
Stock:
Vinyl, Pre-owned, Cake, Coffee
Nearest
station - Mortlake
“We believe that much like a record spinning
on a platter and the slow drip of an espresso, coffee and music are both
best enjoyed in their most analogue forms.” Mark Buckle -
Level Crossing Records
Mark
and Luisa Buckle’s shop is named after the level crossing just 100 meters from
the shop, which is less than a minute’s walk away from Mortlake station. Mark
is keen to point out just how much extra business the level crossing brings
him. Six times an hour the barrier comes down creating an instant traffic jam.
Many times, he has looked through his window and noticed drivers stuck in traffic
looking at the shop while simultaneously typing details of the shop in to their
phone.
Level
Crossing Records has some wonderful features including an incredible counter
manufactured from recycled plastic bottles that is lit by giant light bulbs.
The location of the shop is in East Sheen village and, apart from a small
Tesco, the rest of the road is all independent traders.
Mark
is also a musician but it is a tough career to make a living from. He has now
found a lifestyle he loves, enabling him to play and sell music, while also
supplying the locals with a great place to meet and sample some quality coffee.
Lion Coffee
and Records,
118 Lower
Clapton Road, Hackney, London E5 0QR
0208 986
7372
Monday-Thursday
8am-5pm
Friday-Saturday
8am-7pm
Sunday
10am-6pm
Established
2014
Stock:
Vinyl, Pre-owned, Books, Coffee, Food, Licensed, In-stores
Nearest
station - Hackney Downs
Lion Coffee
and Records was started by Chris Hayden former drummer with Florence and The
Machine along with Mairead Nash founder of Luv Luv Luv records, a label
dedicated to finding and discovering new talent. The third member of the team
was entrepreneur Lee Rigg. The vision was to have a record shop that served
great food and coffee and also provide an intimate live music venue. The trio
have a wealth of experience in music, both playing and promoting, and have
hosted many big acts including Courtney Love and Gruff Rhys.
As well as
regular gigs and DJ nights they host a monthly open mic night, Clapton
Unplugged, which takes place on the first and third Sunday of the month. They
also hold a poetry and spoken word evening every other Thursday. They are the
only record shop I am aware of who host supper club evenings.
The shop is
magically lit with dozens of tiny bulbs illuminating the vinyl on the wall. The
wooden floor and racking add to the old-world ambience. It is customer-friendly
with new vinyl in the racking on the left as you walk in and pre-owned vinyl in
the racking on the right. The walls of the shop are adorned with work from
local photographers and artists
Make sure
you check out the vinyl outside the shop, as the boxes are full of bargains with
an offer of three-for-£15.
The team
are proud of the fact that they are appealing to such a broad section of the
community from local workers to discerning vinyl junkies all enjoying the
intimate bohemian atmosphere. As well as selling food, coffee and vinyl, they
also put on regular in-store events. All food is sourced from local traders, a
great example of how independent businesses should be supporting each other.
Lion Vibes
Granville
Arcade, 98, Coldharbour Lane, London SW9 8PS
07459
221925
Thursday-Sunday
11am -7pm
Established
Unknown
Stock:
Vinyl, Pre-owned, In-stores
Nearest
station - Brixton
Lion Vibes
owner Matt Downs has been trying to find out when his shop originally opened
but has been told so many different tales that he is not sure himself. One
local character insisted that “It’s been here since records began”. At one
point, it was owned by the reggae singer Alton Ellis otherwise known as The
Godfather of Rocksteady. His portrait still hangs proudly from the wall.
Matt has
done a great job of designing the shop which features wood painted in
traditional reggae colours, where green represents the land, black the strength
of the people and gold the sunlight. Lion Vibe is also a record label releasing
more than 30 7-inch singles. Matt imports pre-releases from Jamaica and has a
vast selection of pre-owned reggae records.
Love Vinyl
5 Pearson Street,
Hoxton, London E2 8JD
0207 729
8978
lovevinyl.london; love@lovevinyllondon;
@LoveVinylLondon
Tuesday-Saturday
11.30am-7pm
Sunday
12-6pm
Established
2014
Stock;
Vinyl, Pre-owned, T-shirts
Nearest
station - Old Street
With a huge
red and white logo (a heart entwined with a record) Love Vinyl is hard to miss.
Describing itself as a mecca for dance fans the shop specialises in all forms
of dance vinyl including house, techno, funk, soul, disco and anything that
relates to the genre. From all their contacts in the club scene they have made
DJs aware that they pay a good price for vinyl collections and have become the
shop with a great reputation for purchasing dance vinyl. The shop has some
brilliantly designed T-shirts and bags featuring the shop logo and name. It is
well worth planning a visit to tie in with one of the shop’s many guest DJ
in-stores.
Phonica
51 Poland
Street, Soho, London W1F 7LZ
0207 025
6070
Monday-Saturday
11.30am-7.30pm
Thursday-Friday
11.30am-8pm
Established
2003
Stock:
Vinyl, CD, Accessories, Books, Bags, T-shirts
Nearest
station - Tottenham Court Road
“Fads come and go but we still always sell good dance music.” Simon
Rigg - Phonica
Phonica has
been at the heart of the vinyl revival and has been a huge boost to record
shopping in the Soho area. To many observers it seemed a crazy idea to open a
record shop in the middle of London in 2003 when vinyl sales had reached an
all-time low. But time has shown that they were ahead of the game and Phonica
has since influenced a new generation of record shops.
Founder
Simon Rigg, who started his music career as a dance music buyer at Virgin, had
a vision for a different type of record shop, stocking product that you could
not get in the mainstream stores. In collaboration with FACT magazine and Vinyl
Factory (who also had a pressing plant), Simon opened the shop in 2003 with
Heidi (later to become a Radio1 DJ) and Tom Relleen (now part of the band
Tomaga).
Phonica
quickly gathered a reputation for carrying a particular kind of dance music
that was becoming popular in the early 2000s, namely the German minimal sound
embodied by the Kompakt & Playhouse labels, which nobody else was stocking
at the time. Phonica captured this niche market and the later electro
house movement, thereby establishing itself as the go-to shop for dance music,
not only in the UK but worldwide. A large percentage of customers are DJs. The
shop stocks all varieties of dance music: rare soul 7-inches, library
soundtracks, big room house, techno 12-inch singles, and much more besides.
The
customer can listen to records on one of the 10 Technics record decks in the
shop before deciding what to purchase. The three-seater sofa at the front of
the shop looking out on to a busy Poland Street is an ideal place for people
watching. Another popular feature is tables that display the new CDs. Each CD
is accompanied by an in-depth review, providing background information about
potential purchases.
In 2008,
Phonica started its own record label. With three out of the first four releases
being by staff members, it soon became an important part of the business. In
2014, they released a triple-disc compilation, Ten Years of Phonica, featuring exclusive material from
established DJs and producers. They now have five labels connected to the
shop. The store is also renowned for its events, including its annual birthday
party in such places as Fabric, Corsica Studios or XOYO. Such success is hardly
surprising when ex-staff members include such notable DJs as Heidi, Hector,
Anthea, Palms Trax (aka Jay Donaldson) and Nic Tasker (who runs the record
label Whities and DJs on NTS radio).
Pure Vinyl
Records
The
Department Store
246
Ferndale Road, Brixton, London SW9 8FR
0203 598 5272
Hello@purevinylbrixton.co.uk,
@PureVinylRecords
Monday-Wednesday
11am-6pm
Thursday-Friday
11am-7pm
Saturday
11am-6pm
Sunday
12am-5pm
Established
2015
Stock:
Vinyl, Pre-owned, Merchandise, T-shirts
Nearest station
- Brixton
“Reggae
music is hugely responsible for keeping vinyl alive and is a massive part of
the current vinyl revival.” Claudia Wilson -
Pure Vinyl
Located
only a minute from Brixton tube station Pure Vinyl Records is owned by
well-known local DJ Claudia Wilson. I guarantee anybody who visits this
wonderful shop will leave in a happier frame of mind than when they went in.
Claudia likes nothing more than talking music and playing customers the latest
records she has discovered. She is especially supportive of the local Brixton
music scene with her enthusiasm being so infectious that it is difficult to
resist purchasing one of the records she will play you.
Claudia is
a Brixton girl. Her parents moved from Kingston, Jamaica in 1958 with Claudia the
youngest of their seven children. Her earliest memory is listening to a pile of
Blue Beat singles her father kept in the Radiogram. By the age of five, Claudia
had taken her first steps to being a DJ by learning to play the records
herself. The house was always full of music as her older brother and sisters
bought loads of records. Her brother would visit the legendary record shop
Desmonds Hip City on Atlantic Road bringing back little brown boxes full of
records. He would take out the titles he wanted and give the rest to Claudia to
play. Her sisters were the ones who introduced her to soul and funk.
Her brother
was a trained electrician and started building equipment in his bedroom in the
1970s. When he was away working she would go into the room herself to listen to
artists such as Big Youth, Dennis Alcapone and U-Roy. They sang about things
she understood and in an accent like those she heard in her community. It was a
tense time entering the bedroom, not because her brother might catch her
listening to his system, more from fear of receiving an electric shock from his
home-made valve amps.
She
practised her DJ skills with her friends and first started DJing at house
parties in the 1980s. By the 1990s she was getting paid to DJ in bars at a time
when few women were on the decks. It was during this period she met her partner
Mark. He was running his Sound System RDK Hi-Fi, which he has continued to do
for the past 30 years as well as establishing the record label Universal Roots
Records.
The 1990s
were a wonderful time for the couple. With young children in tow they toured
Europe, where Mark and other DJ’s would play their booming Sound System at
clubs, festivals and parties. Claudia has fond memories of Rome, Pisa, Geneva
and Salento. This was where she first started selling vinyl to help finance the
tour, running a record stall as well as DJ-ing at some of the events.
Claudia
also had a day job as a care worker, but her ambition was to open her own
record shop modelled along the lines of the many reggae shops in the Brixton of
her youth. Claudia had a residency at the now sadly closed Mango Landin bar
which was at the hub of the Brixton scene. It was here that she played soul and
reggae during a 10-year residence. She started an open deck night in 2011,
naming it Pure Vinyl and is proud that she introduced many people to the joys
of spinning vinyl.
At these
events a constant stream of people kept coming up to her to ask where they
could buy the records she was playing. She decided to bring a few boxes along
to sell on the night. This proved so popular that she opened her own
stall on Brixton market.
Claudia
told me her story and her thoughts on the Brixton scene in general.
“It was
in Brixton that I first realised the impact of gentrification. I knew Granville
Arcade as a child and walked there holding my mother’s hand. Now it had
changed. It is Brixton Village. In the 1980s after the Brixton riots we watched
as many of the Caribbean families we had grown up with left the area
disillusioned with the lack of investment and the hardship of living here.
Places like Granville Arcade had no investment and were no longer the vibrant
markets of my childhood but now as I returned with my record stall in 2013 it
had changed again.
Investment in the form of cheap rents brought in
businesses from outside the area. Brixton Village was filled with brand new
people. More and more people wanted to come here. Local businesses were closing
or being forced away by rising costs. The Music Temple Record Shop was hugely
important for me as I watched the markets change. As a working mother of four
children, money was always tight and I wanted to buy records. To get to the
record shop I had to walk through the new Brixton watching people eating food
as I did my weekly shop in the market. I would get there and the record shop
would be my sanctuary. I knew that I would find something that would make me
happy and a place I knew I would be welcome even if I only had £2 left to
spend.
I opened my own shop in Reliance Arcade. My aim was to
have a local record shop that everyone could enjoy. Everything about it was
amazing I built it from scratch with the help of family and friends and had
inherited the space from the lady who had run the Holy Shop for the past 40
years.
I was an early
pioneer of recycling as I noticed workmen removing windows from a local school
and asked if I could have them. I found some wardrobes that had been thrown out
and a friend, Mattias, made the boxes for the inside of the shop. The outside
was built with the help of Mark and my friend Rex out of wood they took from
skips and of course some I bought.
Reliance Arcade is truly the one part of old school
Brixton that is untouched. The sense of community there is unparalleled in Brixton.
Soon the locals found the shop. The collectors and the DJs came and, as word
spread, so did everyone else. My Partner Mark, who has his own record label
Universal Roots, joined me, and took over for a couple of days a week and
quickly helped to soup up the Reggae selection.
For the black community of Brixton, the shop was
especially important - for the elders and young people alike. For many people
coming to Brixton has become alien. Except for using the market there are few
places many people in the community can go. It is important to have somewhere
to walk into that is welcoming and familiar where you are hearing music you
love and bumping into people you know; the old-fashioned local record shop.
My shop
wasn’t built with lots of money behind it - none in fact - but what I was able
to do was to make a space that would hark back to a time when the music
mattered and where I could engage with people who were curious, happy or amazed
to see vinyl return.
In 2017
while working in my shop I was introduced by a friend, Devon Thomas from the
Brixton Neighbourhood Forum, to some architects who said they were about to
open a record shop in their new building on Ferndale Road in Brixton across the
road from me. They asked my advice about the current vinyl revival. I told them
how vinyl had always been alive for collectors and DJs and that it was only the
popular music industry that had completely abandoned it. Reggae, soul and rock
collectors and DJs had never stopped buying vinyl. We talked about the quality
of the sound and how having something that was tangible enabled you to feel
more invested in the music and how I had designed and built my shop from
scratch. Then something very strange happened. The architects came back and
asked if I would like to move my shop into the new building. After the most
difficult deliberation I have ever had to make…. here I am now!”
If you are
coming to London for vinyl shopping Pure Vinyl is a must visit for anybody
interested in soul or reggae.
Reckless
Records
30, Berwick
Street, London W1F 8RH
0207 437
4271
reckless.co.uk
recklessrecordsuk@gmail.com;
@RecklessRecords
7 days a
week 10am-7pm
Established
1983
Stock:
Vinyl, CD, Pre-owned, merchandise
Nearest
station - Tottenham Court Road
One of the
best second-hand vinyl shops in the UK Reckless Records is easy to spot with
its bright red frontage. As well as second-hand records, the shop also stocks
Record Store Day releases and a small amount of new vinyl. Reckless once had
four shops - two in London and two in the USA - but these days just the branch
in the heart of Soho survives.
The man with the joint best name for a record shop owner (along with James Brown of Vinyl Cafe in Carlisle) Robert Palmer has opened a brand new record shop. Give him your support.
Here in Robert's own words is his story.
Roan Records
12 Church Street
Teddington
TW11 8PB
Roan Records began life in 1980 by a young man who wanted to open a record store, and after forty years of un-careful planning and not even thinking about it, in chunks of several years over this time, it has now appeared out of the mist and has settled in a corner of Teddington.
Throughout these forty years, the young man in question grew a year older every year and his love for music grew exponentially and weaved its course through a multitude of genres. A plethora of vinyl was crossing the threshold of his abode, each one, a unique piece of art; every word of every sleeve consumed in great wonder. The ritual of placing the disc on the turntable and gently placing a needle down in order to extract the riches hidden within the grooves. Four songs and twenty minutes later, repeating the ritual while turning the record over.
Then in 1982 … Disaster! The young man walked into a record store with a new section labelled CD’s … There were only six titles, including Dire Straits ‘Brothers in Arms’ (everyone’s first CD purchase). From this moment Vinyl begun a downward trend in popularity eventually clinging to life with a few specialist releases. Turntables were being relinquished and the music industry cashed in on the popular sport of replacing all of your vinyl titles on to the CD format. We are all familiar with the anecdotal tales of those people who contemplate the rueful decision to ‘chuck out’ their old vinyl collections.
In 2008 the launch of Spotify went some way in endorsing the decision made by some, to reject the idea of owning a physical product that required a fair amount of storage space and replace it with a small piece of thin air. As we are all well a way, ‘thin air’ is very easy to store on a planet with an atmosphere. You only require oxygen, argon, water vapor and carbon dioxide, to provide an infinite storage solution for all of your downloads. Efficient it maybe but where’s the authenticity of ownership?
Ten Years ago, Vinyl, from its retirement home in deepest Eastbourne, suggested a comeback. Over this time, it has slowly crept back into our lives and is once again a legitimate and relevant format. A format that is also being embraced by those too young to have met vinyl during its previously unrivalled glory years.
Over the last ten years the sale of the vinyl format has increased year on year and now most releases are available on the viny format. That young man who has during his lifetime witnessed the demise and the return of vinyl, finally open his dream ambition in the guise of Roan Records.
Come in and say hi! Enjoy the coffee and imbibe the allure and charm of all thing’s vinyl.
Ask! … and If he ‘hasn’t got it, he’ll get it (Non turntable owners also welcomed)
Rough Trade East *The
record shop every music fan should visit once in their life*
Old Truman Brewery
91 Brick Lane, London E1 6QL
0207 392 7790
Monday-Thursday 9.00am-9.00pm
Friday 9.00am-8.00pm
Saturday 10.00am-8.00pm
Sunday 11.00am-7.00pm
Established 1976
Stock, Vinyl, CD, Books, Cassettes, Coffee, Food,
In-stores, Licensed, T-shirts
Nearest station - Aldgate East
Based in an area of London associated with Jack the
Ripper, but nowadays better known as the best place in London to go for a
curry, you will find the most renowned independent record shop in the world.
Rough Trade has made a significant contribution to independent music for more
than four decades. The story began in 1976, when Geoff Travis, a Cambridge
graduate working as a drama teacher, took time out to visit America. In San
Francisco, he discovered the well-known independent bookshop City Lights, which
published the kind of edgy books that mainstream publishers steered clear of.
It was a was a meeting place for poets and the art community.
The independent ethos and alternative spirit of City
Lights made a considerable impression on Geoff. In those days, the exchange
rate favoured visitors from the UK, and vinyl records were a good-value
purchase. A committed music fan, Geoff took full advantage and brought hundreds
of records back to England from the record shops he had visited on his travels,
without any clear idea of what he was going to do with them.
With the help of a loan from the Bank of Dad, he opened
his first premises with perfect timing in 1976 at 202 Kensington Park Road,
Notting Hill. The punk revolution was starting, and the shop quickly
established itself at the hub of the movement.
Like many record shops of that period, Geoff started his
own label. The first release on Rough Trade was “Paris Marquis”, a single by
the French punk band Metal Urbain with the catalogue number RT001, quickly
followed by releases by Stiff Little Fingers, Swell Maps, the Raincoats, and Cabaret
Voltaire. The label quickly became a key influence on musicians and music fans
alike.
Geoff has had an amazing career in the industry, having
been involved in the signing and development of acts including Babyshambles,
Belle & Sebastian, The Fall, James, the Libertines, the Strokes and, most
famously, the Smiths.
.
Rough Trade originally specialised in US and Jamaican
imports as well as being an outlet for the punk scene. It subsequently became a
pilgrimage point for anyone buying or selling DIY new wave records and
fanzines.
What followed was a period of swift international growth
with branches of Rough Trade opening in San Francisco, Tokyo and Paris. When
the decline in record shop retailing took hold, the shop closed down these
global outposts and went back to its London roots. The shop and label
businesses separated in 1982. Nigel House, Pete Donne and Judith Crighton, who
were all Rough Trade employees, bought the shop and moved around the corner to
130 Talbot Road. Geoff, meanwhile, continued to run the record label.
In 1988, Rough Trade opened a second store at 16 Neal's
Yard, Covent Garden - a hip courtyard just off Monmouth Street, which was full
of quirky shops and cafes. In 2001, they celebrated their 25th anniversary with
a series of gigs and the release of a commemorative 56-track compilation box
set featuring artists such as the Smiths, Joy Division, the Buzzcocks and Nick
Cave among many others. The same year, they received an award from Music Week in recognition of their
unique contribution to the British music industry.
In 1996 Stephen Godfrey joined the business and was
instrumental in launching the Album Club, a premium music recommendation
service aimed at those people without the time or opportunity to visit a store
who require an honest recommendation of exciting new music. The club came about
after a gig by the Gotan Project at London’s Festival Hall. Rough Trade had a
stall and before the gig had even started they had sold out of all their Gotan
Project CDs. This inspired Nigel to think that there must be thousands of
people who love this type of music but can no longer purchase it, many would be
ex-customers who had moved away from London and could no longer find the time
to flick through record shop racks anymore. As people marry and have children,
they often find they have less time, but this does not mean they have lost
their taste for music. Each month, members receive a parcel through the post
with the shop’s recommendation. This is a perfect solution for music fans who
wish to keep up with new music but can’t make regular visits to the shop.
The criteria for music being chosen as an Album Club
recommendation is simple. The staff must love it. The idea is to give exciting
new music the chance to be enjoyed by people who appreciate something more
stimulating than chart music. Customers choose what genres they like and decide
if they want the release on CD or vinyl. Other benefits include exclusive
goodies such as rare bonus recordings alongside invites to member-only gigs. To
sign up, check out the website.
One innovation that is impressive at Rough Trade is their
“counter culture”. Piled high on the sales counter are a selection of CDs
recommended by the staff. When a customer purchases a CD, the staff will often
recommend a similar title that they feel the client would also appreciate.
2006 was a big year for Rough Trade - their 30th
Anniversary, commemorated with the release of a double-album: The Record Shop - 30 Years of Rough Trade Shops.
This was also the year they launched their digital store.
In 2013, Rough Trade fulfilled their international
ambitions when they stunned the world of record retailing by announcing that
they were opening a shop in New York at 64 North 9 Street, Brooklyn, NY11249.
This magnificent store is housed in an old film prop
warehouse with more than 15,000 square feet of space which also houses the
Brompton Café and Melville House bookstore. The shop is spread over two floors,
in which old shipping containers are cleverly used as part of the design. The
second floor houses a particularly quirky container which has been deployed as
the Guardian Green Room. The room is fitted with touchscreen displays
that visitors can use to read articles from the British newspaper. It would be
intriguing to know what USA fans make of this innovation.
The building also houses a music equipment store, a
lounge space, an installation gallery, (for temporary art exhibitions) and an
impressive concert venue with a bar. The venue space will comfortably hold
around 300 people.
Such is Rough Trade’s reputation, the calibre of artist
they can attract for in-store appearances is unrivalled. Bands that have played
at Rough Trade in London include Arcade Fire, Belle & Sebastian, Blur,
James, The Libertines, and Sufjan Stevens. Most days somebody is performing so
check the website before you call in.
Rough Trade also has its own magazine which was first
issued in 2015.The magazine is a cracking read for those wanting to know about
new music. It has features on artists, labels, background to the shop’s Albums
of the Month and even runs a horoscope. One feature called Ask Jonathan gained
cult status. Featured in the first 18
issues, it was written by musician Jonathan Richman, who answered questions
sent in by fans. The only problem was Jonathan did not own a computer so Liv
Siddall, the editor, would email the questions to Debbie Gulyas of Blue Arrow
Records (Jonathan’s label) who would ask Jonathan and email his answers back.
Rough Trade also has its own radio station where you can
check out features, mixes and some chit chat with artists who have played in
the shop or have records released. You can listen on iTunes or via SoundCloud
at souncloud.com/rough-trade
Do not leave Rough Trade East without recording your
memories of your visit in the shop’s photo-booth. You can add your photo to the
thousands displayed on the wall surrounding the machine.
Look out for Rough Trade pop up shops which can be found
during the summer at the Green Man and End of the Road festivals.
In 2014, Rough Trade joined forces with the highly-rated
Bristol-based chain Rise which had been started by Lawrence Montgomery. The
first store opening was in Nottingham in the city’s Creative Quarter at 5 Broad
Street, NG1 3AL, 0115 896 4013.
December 2017 saw the opening of a Rough Trade shop at 3
New Bridwell, Nelson Street, Bristol, BS1 2QD. 01179 290383.The store is spread
over 4,500 square feet and has a venue at the rear of the shop. Local band
Idles performed on the opening evening.
If you have never been to a Rough Trade store, it is time
to pay them a visit. If you are planning to open a record shop, make sure you
visit Rough Trade for inspiration. You won’t be disappointed.
Rough Trade has a smaller branch in London, known as
Rough Trade West.
130 Talbot Road, W11 1JA,
01892 653451
I recommend you check out both East and West, but if you
only have time to visit one “go west” (to quote the Pet Shop Boys). The shop
has been trading at the Talbot Road address since 1982 and has some amazing
authentic posters of artists such as the Clash and the Sex Pistols. Don’t think
of it as a museum though. Rough Trade is still at the forefront of new music
and the shop has a buzzy atmosphere.
Top tip - If you wish to
read the full story of Rough Trade check out Neil Taylor’s excellent book An Intimate History of Rough Trade.
Sister
Ray *The owner became a soccer coach because he knew the offside law*
75 Berwick
Street, London W1F 8RP
0207 734
3297
Monday-Saturday
10am-8pm
Sunday
12-6pm
Established
1987
Stock:
Vinyl, CD Pre-owned, In-stores Merchandise
Nearest
station - Tottenham Court Road
Sister Ray, named after the 17-minute track that closes
the White Light/White Heat album by
the Velvet Underground, has been a fixture of Soho and more importantly Berwick
Street since the late 1980s. The owner, Phil Barton is one of music retail’s
great survivors. The shop, which was originally opened at 94 Berwick Street by
Neil Brown, has seen three incarnations: a merger, a remix and now comes with a
bonus site in Shoreditch. Phil has steered the ship through turbulent waters
for nearly two decades and only now with the revival of vinyl are the retail
seas slightly calmer.
As a kid growing up in South London, armed with a WH
Smith tape recorder and a pile of blank BASF tapes, Phil developed an early,
eclectic taste based on the Wombles, the Who and Elvis Presley. Moving to
Whitstable in the mid 1970s broadened his diet somewhat and the Moody Blues,
Colosseum and Judy Collins were lifted from his parents record collection.
However, as with most teenagers of that time, it was the advent of punk rock
and new wave that hastened his demise or salvation, depending on whether you
were his parents or not.
A brief stint at Nottingham Trent Polytechnic led Phil to
the door of Selectadisc, the iconic record shop owned by Brian Selby. Working
as a singles buyer in the Bridlesmith Gate shop was a revelation. The gateway
to music was opened and Phil stepped through enthusiastically embracing gigs, pop
culture and the vinyl record.
Phil's was poached by Island Records where he became an
area sales rep. At the age of 21 he was driving his mates round in a Volvo
Estate crammed full of records, mistakenly believing that he could do anything.
This explains a brief hiatus in the USA where Phil became a soccer coach based
purely on his understanding of the offside rule.
Returning to London, he took a series of jobs in the
Music Industry for MCA, Parlophone and Andrew Lloyd Webber. In every job he
encountered leaders, ground breakers and pioneers who influenced him. John
Walsh, Tony Wadsworth and Malcolm Hill at Parlophone. David Field at Capitol
Records. Tris Penna at Really Useful and the indefatigable band members of
China Drum, the band he managed and on whose behalf he negotiated record,
publishing and merchandise deals on both sides of the Atlantic.
While working for IT Records, the in-house label for
Andrew Lloyd Webber's Really Useful Group, Phil was promoting a tour by the
newly signed band My Life Story. The tour had reached Brighton and he popped
into Rounder Records, the town’s leading independent store, and was offered the
shop by the owner, who was seeking a quick exit. Phil accepted and went back to
his retail roots.
Importantly, the knowledge gained from those early days
at Selectadisc was still relevant. Dealing with reps, staff and red tape. Having learned how to buy overstocks from
Selectadisc legend Jim Cooke, looking after customers and providing a great
retail experience all helped Rounder Records thrive again. From there it was
inevitable that the record retail Mecca that was Soho, would come calling.
Through a series of openings and closures the Sister Ray
name is now proudly trading from 75 Berwick Street. There were tough times too,
closing Rounder, buying and closing Selectadisc was both uplifting and
demoralising. Phil recalls that the Selectadisc situation came at the wrong
time. Record retail was carnage and he wanted to save Selectadisc, a shop so
close to his heart. The truth was it was on its knees and the country was in
recession.
There used to be 20 record shops on or near Berwick
Street in Soho. There are now five. They are the tough guys and Sister Ray is
one of them. I think of Phil Barton as the Rocky of independent record
retailing. Like the Sylvester Stallone character, he has been on the ropes,
many times, but came through the winner in the end.
A visit to
Sister Ray will always start with a smile. Lovingly framed and prominently
displayed in the window will be one of the worst album sleeves of all time, a
feature which changes every month. On recent visits, they have featured
“Diamond Lights” by Glenn & Chris, the former England footballers Glenn
Hoddle and Chris Waddle (why not Hoddle and Waddle?) whose extreme mullet
haircuts are a sight to behold. Another star of the series was the sleeve for
“Hev Yew Gotta Loight Boy”, the 1967 hit by the Singing Postman (aka Allan
Smethurst) who may have influenced Slade with his approach to spelling, but not
with his gormless postman image.
The shop
itself is customer friendly, neat and well lit. Stencil graffiti adorns the
wall with an impressive display of sprayed-on giant cassettes of albums by acts such as
the Sex Pistols, David Bowie and Kraftwerk. These images would not look out of
place in the Tate. Upstairs you will find new product, where key releases are
displayed with the shop’s review. Downstairs is the pre-owned and collectable
stock. Many of the more valuable pieces are displayed on the wall.
Sleeve
Notes
16,Richmond
Hill, Richmond Upon Thames TW 6QX
0208
9188111
Sleevenotesrecords.com,
info@sleevenotesrecords.com,
@sleevenotesrecords.com
Tuesday –
Thursday 10.30am-6pm, Friday-Saturday 10am-7pm, Sunday 10.30am-5pm
Stock;
Vinyl, Pre-owned
Established
2019
Nearest
station - Richmond
Situated only a few hundred
meters from the only view in the UK protected by an Act of Parliamant you will
find this beautifully designed shop. To access the view turn left out the shop
and head up the hill for a majestic view of Richmond Pak and the Thames. It is
a must do though I suggest time your visit to watch the sunset.
Ken Marshall grew up in
county Sligo. Throughout his life he had watched film of London and was curious
on what it would be like to live in what seemed such an exciting place. On leaving
school he headed off to find work in the big smoke.
Soul
Brother *Backing singer stands in for Bobby Womack at PA*
1 Keswick
Road, East Putney, London SW15 2HL
0208 875
1018
Monday-Saturday
10am-5pm
Sunday
11am-5pm
Established
1991
Stock:
Vinyl, CD, Pre-owned, In-stores
Nearest
station - East Putney
Laurence
and Malcolm Prangell were brought up in the 1960s in a large house in Watford.
Laurence’s first memory of music was courtesy of the next-door neighbours, a
West Indian family, who played their reggae music very loud and into the early
hours of the morning. This tended to annoy most of the neighbours, but not
Laurence who lay awake enjoying the beats.
After
leaving school Laurence went to Cambridge Technical College to train in
accountancy. To earn a bit of extra cash, he started his own business, Record
Enterprises. As well as studying, he bought and sold records wherever he could;
at gigs, parties, college and eventually from a converted chicken shack.
Without
references or paying money upfront he somehow managed to open accounts with all
the major record companies. Studying during the day while working as a DJ and
selling most evenings, Laurence realised he was working too hard when, at a gig
at an American air base, he fell asleep in front of the enormous speakers.
After
leaving college he found work with an office supply company but kept up his
music related projects. He started a mail order service called Soul Brother,
and in 1980 he sold Record Enterprises as he had got engaged to Doreen and the
couple used the money towards their first flat. From then on, he concentrated
on building up Soul Brother.
Laurence
took the first of many trips over to the USA to purchase vinyl in 1992. The
visit coincided with the first day of the Los Angeles riots. When he stepped
off the plane, it looked like a scene from Blade
Runner as plumes of smoke rose above the city, where an 8pm curfew was in
force. He headed for the East Coast instead and, despite his initial problems,
the trip was a success, perhaps too much so.
When the
shipment arrived at his house in London, Laurence realised he had
underestimated how much room the records would take up. His wife Doreen came
home from work to find every bit of space in the house, including the bathroom,
had been filled with records. Laurence needed to get selling. With the help of
his brother Malcolm, he printed the first Soul Brother catalogue and posted it
out to customers all over the world.
A couple of
days later Doreen called Laurence and told him to get home as soon as possible.
The phone had been ringing all day and they had taken more than 50 orders. When
posting the catalogue to soul fans all over the world, Laurence had not taken
into consideration the different time zones in which their potential customers
were located. In those pre-Internet days, they soon found themselves receiving
phone calls from customers in Australia at 3am.
After a
family meeting, it was decided that the brothers would give up their day jobs,
acquire suitable premises and, along with Doreen, devote themselves to selling
records. In March 1994 Soul Brother opened for business and quickly established
itself as the UK’s best-known soul music shop. Malcolm was already writing for Echoes magazine, reviewing lots of the
titles they were stocking and to obtain more publicity they started advertising
on Jazz FM.
This
brought in lots of new business and Laurence and Malcolm were asked if they
would be the sponsors of Robbie Vincent’s radio show and then, later, Johnny
Hayward’s show. Both DJ’s were pioneers of the jazz, funk and soul scene. Jazz
FM was available to more than 15 million people in the London Area. When Johnny
Hayward was taken off the air the shop received nearly 100 complaints, many of
them abusive, from listeners who assumed that Soul Brother were behind the
decision. Many listeners assumed that, because the shop sponsored the show,
they had some involvement in who was presenting it, which was never the case.
Soon people
were queuing to get into the shop on Saturday afternoons. Laurence was going to
the USA on regular buying trips. Customers would ask when the stock was being
delivered, and before the shop opened there would be up to 30 soul fans waiting
to look through the new stock.
Laurence
had many adventures on his American tours. His trips would combine visits to
wholesalers, record shops, dealers, record fairs and even meeting up with a
bunch of taxi drivers in Washington who would fill up the boots of their taxis
with records and meet him in the city. One record dealer known as Fat Tony was
based in one of the less salubrious parts of Philadelphia where he ran an
indoor market. Laurence was chuffed when Fat Tony said that he had something
for him, assuming it was a piece of rare vinyl. Instead, Fat Tony handed him a
gun, informing him that he would need it for protection in the
neighbourhood. Laurence declined the
offer, so Fat Tony kindly lent him his own personal minder for the visit
At a record
fair, one of the dealers suggested Laurence should pay a visit to someone known
as The Count who had an amazing record collection. The directions Laurence was
given were not clear, and Laurence found himself in a menacing, unlit area of
town asking people on the street where he could find The Count. Eventually a
group of youths pointed him in the direction of a three-story house. As he
approached the door he noticed the house was lit by a deep red glow. He rang
the bell and the door opened. Standing in the doorway, swathed in a big purple
cape and looking like a version of Bela Lugosi, was The Count. “Come in,” he
beckoned. Laurence stood there for a few seconds wondering whether The Count
was about to sink his teeth into his neck, before tentatively stepping inside.
The large
room he entered had no furniture, no paint on the walls and was filled with
records. Laurence presumed this must be the storage room. The Count summoned
him to come upstairs. Again, the second floor was just records. Laurence
guessed that the bottom two floors were used for storage and the top floor was
where The Count lived. Imagine his shock when he reached the third floor and
found it was the same. The Count had no TV, chairs or tables just three floors
of records. Over the years The Count became a regular supplier for Soul
Brother, but Laurence will never forget the first encounter.
Soul
Brother has successfully brought international soul artists to England to
promote their latest releases. They arrange gigs and signings in the shop.
Laurence pointed out that while it was a lot of fun working with soul artists
who are all extremely talented, organisation and timekeeping were often not
their greatest strengths.
This was
brought home to him after he arranged a signing session with singer and
producer Leon Ware, who had worked with many top artists including Michael
Jackson, Marvin Gaye and Minnie Riperton. In the hours leading up to the
signing Laurence had heard nothing from Leon and was beginning to get a bit
worried. A queue was forming outside
the shop, so Laurence drove to the hotel Leon was staying at. Sure enough, Leon
had forgotten all about it. The two men rushed back to the shop and the story
had a happy ending as Leon had a great time meeting up with his fans.
Not so
successful was the occasion when soul legend Bobby Womack agreed to do a
signing at a record fair held at the Hilton Hotel in Birmingham. Well over 100
fans turned up. But Bobby was feeling unwell and sent one of his backing
singers to do the signing in his place. It was not a happy occasion for Laurence who had to explain
to the people in the queue that the reason the person signing the albums did
not look too much like Bobby Womack was due to her being a different sex. Bobby
Womack had sent Alltrinna Grayson one of his female backing singers who seemed
to be having a ball signing her name on the albums the fans had brought along
for Bobby to sign.
According
to Laurence, Jazz FM’s rebranding to Smooth FM in 2005 was a major factor in
the decline of the shop’s sales at that time. The station’s playlist changed
from playing the music that Soul Brother sold to a more commercial sort of
music that could be heard on other stations. This compounded the key problem
for Soul Brother, which is a lack of media coverage for the music they sell.
They receive support from Echoes, the
black music magazine and numerous internet stations, but on national radio
Gilles Peterson is the only DJ championing their sort of music. The station
that has been the saviour of the shop is Solar Radio where Laurence has an
extremely popular show that has been running for 18 years.
Soul
Brother is a family business and a friendly shop with a great vibe. In
Laurence, Johnny and Alex, who runs the mail order operation, you will not find
anyone more knowledgeable or happier to share that knowledge. Sadly, due to
health reasons Malcolm only works Sundays these days. Through the shop, gigs, mail order, the
record label and Laurence’s writings in Echoes
the family work tirelessly to share their passion for soul music with the
nation. If soul is your music, then make the pilgrimage to Putney.
Sounds Of
The Universe *The home of the Soul Jazz
label*
7 Broadwick
Street, London W1F 0DA
0207 734
3430
Monday-Saturday
11am-5.30pm
Sunday
11.30am-5.30pm
Established
1993
Stock:
Vinyl, CD, Pre-owned, Books, Clothing, Merchandise
Nearest
station - Tottenham Court Road
The first
thing you notice is the washing line hanging above the racks displaying
the iconic T-shirts of Sounds Of The
Universe. The shop is owned by Stuart Baker who also owns the London reissue
label Soul Jazz Records. Starting off from a market stall 25 years ago, SOTU is
now one of the must-visit record stores in the capital. The shop is
particularly strong on grime, reggae, African, dubstep, funk and soul,
Brazilian and hip hop. Upstairs you will find new product with plenty of
listening posts to test out potential purchases. You will also find Soul Jazz
bags for sale in 7-inch and 12-inch sizes, and a unique line in old-school
vintage tracksuits.
Downstairs
the basement is packed full of pre-owned vinyl, including some extremely rare
albums and surprises. You would never expect to pick up a copy of The Best of Lynn Anderson, but I noticed
a copy in the well-stocked pre-owned country section. Do make the effort to
look in the boxes under the racking as plenty of well-priced stock is located
there.
You will
normally find the shop’s main buyer Jonathan Burnip sitting in the corner
behind the counter downstairs. He has a wealth of experience and is always
pleased to recommend releases. The shop also has one of the finest selections
of new and used music-related books I have come across. Gilles Peterson, Jamie
Cullum and Martin Freeman are among the regular customers, but a big highlight
for the shop was the day Prince walked in.
89-115 Mare Street, London E8 4RT
0203 745 2607
@StrangerThanParadiseRecords
Tuesday-Thursday 11am-8pm
Friday-Saturday 10am-8pm
Sunday 10am-6pm
Established 2018
Stock: Vinyl
Nearest station - London Fields
Tuesday-Thursday 11am-8pm
Friday-Saturday 10am-8pm
Sunday 10am-6pm
Established 2018
Stock: Vinyl
Nearest station - London Fields
Ex-longtime
Rough Trade employees Noreen McShane and Phil Adams used their experience to
start their own shop. They named it after the 1984 cult film Stranger Than Paradise which starred
Sonic Youth drummer Richard Edson and jazz saxophonist John Lurie, who also
wrote the soundtrack. A vinyl copy stands proudly above the counter.
This
is a vibrant, well-designed shop in a lively area. The shop is housed inside
the buzzing, noisy Mare Street Market. It is easy to find thanks to the
fabulous neon sign. The building is soundproofed, so all you hear when entering
is the music they are playing. You could easily spend a few hours here as the
market has plenty of cool options for eating and drinking. There are lots of
quirky outlets to look round but none so quirky as this must-visit record shop.
World of Echo
128 Columbia Road, London,
E2 7RG
worldofmusic.com, natalie@worldofmusic.com, @worldofechomusic
Thursday 12-5pm Friday/Saturday
12-7pm Sunday 10am-5pm
Established 2018
Stock; Vinyl, Pre-owned
Owners Stephen Pietzykowski
and Natalie Judge’s shop is named after the cult 1986 album by Arthur Russell.
The shop is a must visit for
fans of genres such as krautrock, electronic, industrial rock, and industrial
jazz as the stock reflects the owner’s tastes.
The lead up to the shop opening and it's first day of trading feature in the film 'The Vinyl Revival'. It includes a comic opening ceromony when after cutting the ribbon and opening the champagne they find themselves locked out.
The lead up to the shop opening and it's first day of trading feature in the film 'The Vinyl Revival'. It includes a comic opening ceromony when after cutting the ribbon and opening the champagne they find themselves locked out.
This piece is taken from the book The Vinyl Revival and the Shops That Made it Happen, which features more than 220 independent record shops.
The books
of Graham Jones are available in record shops or online. The latest book The
Vinyl Revival and the Shops that Made it Happen has been turned in to a film.
It has just been released on DVD and is available in record shops or
online. Distributed by Proper Music.
Each
week I record The Vinyl Revival Record Shop Podcast. It contains lots of funny
tales from the crazy world of record retailing. It
is also available on Spotify.
Twitter: @Revival_Vinyl
For
film screenings and talks contact Graham.
As the person who has visited more record shops than any other human, I often get asked my advice on buying turntables. I always say do not purchase a budget model. What is the point of buying one that costs the price of a few albums? The sound will not do the recordings justice. For a long time, I have recommended Rega Turntables as they are superb quality at great prices. They got more brownie points for sponsoring 'Record Store Day' and manufacturing limited editions just for record shops.
As the person who has visited more record shops than any other human, I often get asked my advice on buying turntables. I always say do not purchase a budget model. What is the point of buying one that costs the price of a few albums? The sound will not do the recordings justice. For a long time, I have recommended Rega Turntables as they are superb quality at great prices. They got more brownie points for sponsoring 'Record Store Day' and manufacturing limited editions just for record shops.
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