Record Paradise

Record Paradise
15 Union St
Brunswick
http://recordparadise.com/

This shop was a real surprise, it seemed from the outside to be one of those record warehouse type places which are only open P.R.N. and when you do manage to find them open you find a disappointing collection of dusty old L.P.'s from the 80's. However I couldn't have been more wrong and was happily surprised to find mature and sophisticated collection of new and used vinyl available behind this modest looking refurbished factory frontage.


The shop/warehouse is new to Brunswick having moved across town from St Kilda, where according to their logo it was established in 1955 and you can tell that they have spent those decades building up an outstanding catalogue. The move across town is a huge boon for Brunswick as the shop contains a large collection of vinyl spanning practically the whole spectrum, is arranges in easily manageable sections and managed by friendly and knowledgably staff. I was awed to find 7 foot high shelves around the walls containing a broad range of second hand albums arranged in alphabetical order, so much content where to start? While in the middle of the room were the genera specific  racks covering all the usual suspects. All records were well priced, $10'ish to $30+ and all in goon condition.

I ended up picking up the Fuck Buttons' new album 'Slow Burn', I haven't listened to these guys much before and was impressed at the depth and intensity of their sound. I also picked up V.Spy V.Spy's album 'A.O. mod TV', a truly great Aussie garage band and Ice House's 'Flowers' album which the shop manager said never stays on their shelves for long (nothing like dusty ol' records from the '80's). All up a great shop and well worth regular revisits.

The Search and Lost and Found

The Search 93 Smith St
Fitzroy.
99390096

The Search was a pretty cool shop and appeared committed to the vinyl medium with a solid range on offer including, soul, blues, jazz, a pop-rock section and a small Australian section. There was a mixture of new and second hand albums and pricing was average to high. There was also a large selection of books with a lot of the artistic coffee table style books available which no one ever reads.
It was a nice surprise to find 3 techniques 1200 turntables which looked in great nic for sale.
All up, worth a drop in, especially as it is around the corner from Northside Records (my first post back March).








Lost and Found
1-5 Perry St
Collingwood
(03) 9419 4477

Lost and Found on the other hand was more lost than found, similar to 222 Retro and Vintage which I visited back in June but with just  more care and attention given to the vinyl (they had their own table rather than being stored on the floor!).
However there was still only a small collection of vinyl squirreled away amongst the tonnes and tonnes of second hand junk, aka vintage/retro clothing, kitsch and my fave 'industria'.
I wouldn't really bother from a vinyl perspective but an interesting shop all the same.

Vinyl Solution

Vinyl Solution
Shop 5/10 Park Rd.
Cheltenham
(03) 95850133
www.vinylsolution.com

 Vinyl Solutions is a big shop, spread over 2 shop fronts there is serious amount of vinyl on offer.
The vinyl was arranged in crates on the floor and on tables in the middle of the space with DVD's, CD's and other paraphernalia of to the sides.
The shop was similar to Essendon Records in that the catalogue appeared to reflect the taste of the denizens of the surrounding suburbs but different in that the collection reflected the owners obvious good taste, passion for music and attention to detail. Testament to the power of curation to pick the gold from the sand.

The crates were arranged starting with the early decades 50's and 60's then by genera; pop, rock, synth, punk, Australian, Jazz, Blues, sound tracks etc, with further alphabetical organisation including separate tabs for many artists .
All vinyl was stored in its own plastic sleeve and all the records I looked at were in very good condition, in fact the Human League album I picked up looked as though it had never been played, sweet! Prices were also in the sweet category with most records tagged between $10 and $20. There was also a few new vinyl's available and even some turn table parts with a selection of styli behind the counter. 

All up a solid shop with a huge collection which would reward repeat visits, they also have an online presence which might help a specific search.

Goldmine Records

Goldmine Records
(Specialists in pre-loved music)
369 Nicholson St.
Carlton North,
Victoria 3054
(03)93470882

For a shop promoting itself as a 'specialist in pre-loved music' it was disappointing to see this did not extent to the vinyl. With primarily new vinyl on offer and only generic rock at that, the main focus was on CD's and DVD's. The second hand vinyl albums they did have were restricted to a few crates located on the floor (man I hate looking through crates on the floor).

I did manage to turn up a very funky Alex Gopher 12" for $2 and a couple of other nice 'new' albums (Joan Baez and a Suicide's first album)

Rathdowne Records

Rathdowne Records
420 Rathdowne St
Carlton North

Located on the sunny side of Rathdowne street, one of the nicest streets in Carlton I.M.H.O., Records Records is a shop within a shop being located in a back room of a little DVD shop called Small Screen.
Up front is a solid collection of videos including some note worthy titles from directors such as Jarmusch, Spike Lee and a Corbijn, while out the back is 'Rathdowne Records' where you will find a good selection of vinyl records laid out in crates on tables and on the floor.
Jazz was strongly represented and from the look of the albums on the walls a favorite of the owner, there was also a good collection of classic pop, and a nice clutch of punk records and even a token electronic section with some nice old 12"s. Primarily second hand records, but all in good nic and prices were very reasonable ranging from your $5-$10 good quality bargains to your $50 choice picks such as a copy of 'Milo goes to college' by the Descendants.

I ended up picking up Jonny Greenwood's first solo album/OST 'Bodysong' and an old moog album. Over all a great little shop with friendly assistance, lots of character and much to explore.

 

Heartland Records

Heartland Records.
Now at:
420 Victoria St,
North Melbourne 3051
Ph: 93299636
having just moved from
61 Peel Street,
West Melbourne, opposite the Victoria Market.

Visited Heartland Records yesterday and was really impressed with its modern new premises and broad selection of vinyl on offer. 
Initially it was located opposite Victoria Market and has just 6 weeks ago moved into a new shop around the corner on Victoria St, apparently the old shop and building are being demolished (more apartments probably).
The new double fronted shop is spread over 2 rooms with all the juicy vinyl out the back. The shop is fresh and light and makes for a very pleasant browse/search experience. The vinyl is arranged loosely according to genre, with Metal taking pride of place, then Punk/Hardcore and Indie/Alternative. All sections are very well stocked and arranged in A-Z and with the usual suspects carded by name. There was also an older 'decades' section and some miscellaneous but choice second hand records including some nice collector pieces.

All albums are presented in their own Polypropylene sleeve and the prices are pretty reasonable, especially considering the choice nature of a lot of the stock i.e. picture discs, colour discs and limited editions. I ended up picking this sweet Lost in Translation soundtrack picture disc and Sleep's final opus on purple vinyl, just to reprise my Om concert experience. 

All in all a solid shop and definitely worth a revisit.

222 Retro and Vintage

Retro and Vintage
222 St Georges Rd.
North Fitzroy

Dropped into this shop today mainly to tick it of my list.
I'm about half way through my tour of all of Melbourne's Vinyl Record shops and have just about covered all the good shops on this side of town. With the remainder on the shops are south of the Yarra I'll have to be a little more strategic with my trip plans.

Retro and Vintage bills itself as stocking 'Vintage clothing for guys and gals, retro and industrial furniture and a large quantity of LP's'. However there was nothing boutique or retro or vaguely interesting about this place, just mildew and mothballs, dust and worn-out furniture.

It had rained heavily overnight and there was a lot of moisture in the air, so it was sad to see the 3 or so crates of very second hand looking vinyl strategically placed near the open back door and even on the ground leaving them directly exposed to the moist air, dirt and dust. Consequently on flipping through the first few albums you could feel that the cardboard jackets were soft and damp.
Now for some items and in some circles a bit of wear and tear might add character and history but for me a record is and artifact, something which if you look after it, it will reward you with years of listening pleasure. 
These albums on the other hand looked crap and to see them treated like this was like Buzz and Woody watching Sid take to a new toy with his pliers.

The $20-$25 per record asking price was a bit of a joke too. Although there was the odd decent album the lot probably cost the owner $5 -$10 per crate at some deceased estate... forget about it!