Authored by Carl and Tim
| Address | Church Street Records, Corner of Church St and Birchin Lane, Manchester M4 |
| Opening Hours | TBC |
| Phone | None |
| None | |
| Website | None |
| Sells: | All types of CDs, Vinyl, DVDs, cheap as chips…. |
Stop Press!
Church Street Records is no more. New fixed market stalls are being built on the site but as far as we know the Record shop will not be returning.
“Cheap? Why Not” it says on the roof. Why not indeed, alas we have been reliably informed that this ramshackle old place is due to close down soon so if that’s true just get the next bus and go and bottle some of that Church Street vibe before its gone for good.
Its basically a permanent market stall, we’re not sure if they were offered a pitch in the fancy new covered market across the road or whether they were happy to remain a fixture where it has always stood since time immemorial. The place has a rather “weathered’ appearance, it’s full of junk, its damp, its kind of been scribbled all over by an amateur signwriter in the style of Vic Reeves cartoons. Some of the records have undoubtedly been heavily “loved” and a bit battered from all that browsing, but in amongst all that Perry Como and Alison Moyet is your next undiscovered Break…possibly.
It goes without saying there is no listening post, although with such cheap prices you can probably afford to buy stuff on spec, we’re talking pence rather than pounds in many cases. Despite the sign advertising “Swing, Pop and Folk” they do pretty much any genre from Marching Bands to Madchester.
Carl has been flicking through the racks here for years and on occasion pulled out a real plumb. Its not the kind of place for any pretence or fancy ways and you get exactly what you see, racks of very cheap vinyl and CDs. If you find some gems then we heartily doff our hat to you but this place is about far more than that and truth told it will be kind of sad when/if the shutters finally come down for good. Ladies and Gentleman….lets hear it for Church Street Records and as one of the many shop signs says: “Part EX OK! ID please!”
