Shopping for Music in the North West of England
Skeleton Records has a long history, opened by John Weaver in 1971 – and described as a patchouli scented Head shop that specialised in rare imports , underground press and hippy paraphernalia. The name of the shop was apparently taken from a Syd Barrett song – If It’s in You (“Skeleton Kissed a Steel Rail”). […]
OK I should declare an interest – Dig is owned by some very good friends of ours – but if it was no good I’d tell you *and* them so take my word for it! For a city that is steeped in musical history, and relies on music-related tourism for a large chunk of its […]
With thanks to Record Shop City reader Mike (who also provides the pictures) writes: “This lovely couple (Dave and Margaret) have been going since 1983 in Hyde buying and selling records at great prices. There’s a big collection of 50p albums and a good selection of £1 and £2.50 items and then some dearer […]
Moving further afield into Greater Manchester, Tameside we thought was the only GM borough that didn’t have at least one place to buy music, however it turns out we were wrong! Music and Movies Exchange operate out of a small unit in the Clarendon shopping centre in Hyde. The shop has been trading for 18 […]
Soundwaves is one of 3 record retailers now situated in Afflecks Palace- a former department store and since the early 80s a shopping mecca for all things alternative, heady and patchouli-scented. Dub Merchant and Vinyl Resting Place being the other two…if only they had installed an escalator as those stairs are no good for my […]
Described by legendary Liverpool music writer Paul Du Noyer as “the semi-official control room of Liverpool music” – it’s probably a bit of cliche to describe Probe Records as a Liverpool institution but…it really is. Founded by Geoff Davis in 1971, Probe has supplied Liverpudlians, nervous students and unsuspecting tourists with their musical needs through […]
Just around the corner from Oldham Street you’ll find Vinyl Revival. They’ve been here since 1997 and sell a mixture of new and secondhand records on CD and Vinyl, plus DVDs. They sell all sorts of stuff but they also specialise in Manchester music from the 1960s to present day – so you’ll find plenty […]
This shop, of course, takes it’s name of course from an old Smiths tune. Mozzer grew up on Kings Road, a short cycle ride of Stretford Mall where this shop is located, and the song references a fountain – stocked with live fish – that once graced the mall in the 1970s. Stretford Mall (formerly […]
If you’re on a Northern Quarter Vinyl pilgrimage you’ll doubtless pass the iconic Afflecks Palace, epicentre of Manchester alternative culture for decades. This was the former Affleck & Brown department store re-purposed in the early 80s as an indoor marketplace of vintage clothes, head shops, vintage memorabilia, posters, skateboards and places to get yourself tattooed, […]
A bit futher afield, but well worth a visit is X-Records of Bolton, Lancashire. You can get to Bolton by train in about 15-20 minutes so you could easily do a quick detour during your Manchester record-shopping frenzy. The USP of this shop is its massive stock of back catalogue. There is a database on […]
