Visiting from out of town, the set up to this place is unique, only cds on the floor and all the…read morevinyl is behind the counter. I also walked in a minute from closing time at 6pm, and thought I might buy a shirt, but was rudely told that they were closed. Will spend my money elsewhere like Reckless Records who are open until 7pm. Cheers!

Sister Ray is a super cool record store (and conveniently down the street from a few other great…read morerecord stores). My vinyl crazed husband spent some good time in here. So first, this is a two-story store with vinyl downstairs and CDs upstairs. The downstairs is IMPRESSIVELY organized, which just tickled my fancy because I love it when things are organized. All of the sleeves are empty - the records are kept behind the counter downstairs. And even when you walk up with a stack of records, the organization is so good that they can easily locate all of the albums you wish you wish to purchase in a flash. The staff was great and friendly and they really knew their music too. The young man helping us had a deep discussion with my husband about some artists I don't know. It was a really good stop. And bonus points for the cool vintage cassettes painted on the stairwell.

I loved getting to check out Rough Trade Records. As a vinyl junkie, it was like a music pilgrimage…read morefor me while I was in London. I wanted to check out the original location, though I read it was not in the original location/building any more and we were never quite close enough to it while on our trip to make it a convenient stop. So this one became the one for me given that I read it had the best overall selection in the city. Loved this place. Active, vibrant, folks everywhere checking out records. There's a coffee and bar up front so after shopping I sipped a pint and continued to listen to the great music they played throughout. Prices were fair, a lot of new sealed vinyl at "2 for 50 (pounds)" or even 13-20 pounds single. I loved the notes and "essentials" stickers pointing you to different music. I picked up several albums, focusing on ones I don't often (or ever) see on the rack in the states, a book, some rough trade branded merch. I love that they sell quality turntables and stereo gear, etc.--but sadly none of that would fit in my carry-on! The only thing that keeps this from being a "5 star" record shop for me is that if I lived here, it couldn't be my "go to" given that there are no used/trade-in options. I popped in one other Rough Trade location on our trip and guess that is standard, these are sealed/new record sellers only. But it's such a cool spot and I'm glad I went. Saved my Rough Trade cloth bag for display.

Rough Trade js a super cool music store...though I'd argue it's a bookstore and cafe with a music…read morestore attached to it, lol. They have a major selection of everything, books, cds, and records. I perused the books as I'm not much of a hard copy music person and stumbled on a book about J Dilla, which I ended up buying. So, great visit!

Haven't thought of this place in years but it just popped in my mind so wanted to leave a review…read more Spent a week in London in 2010 and felt I needed to seek out something punk while I was there. Left my group that I was with and took off to the other side of the city and found this place. It was perfect. Spent a bunch of time talking to the staff and some other patrons about punk in the US and the UK and got some great local recommendations from them (though wish someone had recommended Frank Turner to me then - I was practically on his doorstep and now I love him lol). Would love to come back and explore again.

Someone just told me about All Ages so this was the first time I've visited on my many trips to…read moreLondon. So glad I know about it, perfect place for those who like punk, hardcore and garage. The fact that you can see a Snazzy Boys poster in the photo says it all for me. Found a nice sale bin of 7"s that were buy 2 get 1 free, can't beat that. A good stop after you hit the market (or before).

Excellent shop, great range of records - and they really live up to their name…read more I visited their shop and like I kid in a candy store ended up buying a large number of records. including 3 and 4 of the collection. "London Is The Place For me. In the chaos of me chucking records from the racks at them they accidently pout the discs for parts 1 and 2 in the covers. When I rang to ask if they could sell me the discs for 3 & 4 in the sleave for 1 & 2, they refused, but just said: " No we will post the correct disks and sleave to make upo the set free of charge. Fantastic place.

If you didn't know, Jon is Honest. He's jsut this little shack in Notting Hill filled to brim with…read morerare music. Mostly Reggae and old skool R n'B, they also hold a collection of local artist nestled in amongst the vinyl and CDs. I was taken here once by a boy, this boy was in a band and it was an oh so cool day out. We mooched around the market and stumbled upon this gem. We even found his records on the shelves, but apparently it's uncool to point that out. In an area that is overwhelmed with the wealthy and tourists this is a hidden gem that shows you what Notting Hill was like before the movie, before Hugh Grant and his stupid hair cut ruined it all. Serious music lovers, don't expect racks and racks for fabulous music. It's a small selection of perfectly picked records that are icon and important and need to be heard. Die hard music fans only.

I stopped in to Revival Records in search of some interesting Prog Rock and Jazz and was not…read moredisappointed. I found a great LP on the Three Blind Mice Label from Japan, the staff was very helpful and even cleaned my record for me, I have visited a few other stores in SOHO and none of them offered to clean the LP, the TBM record I bought was fairly expensive so it was nice that they offered that service.

If HMV is too populist for you, Revival is the complete antithesis and cure for you…read more Of course, you'll need to be old enough to remember vinyl to recognise what those funny round things are! They also deal in CDs and DVDs. They have a huge range from 50s rock and roll to modern drum and bass but probably leaning more towards jazz and reggae. They offer good prices for your second hand vinyl, CDs and DVDs. Worth a browse as you wander down Berwick Street.

Pluses: Decent selection. Not particularly expensive. More or less organized (but could be better)…read more Ability to preview albums on a system. Points deducted for: broken headphones on preview system. Most importantly though, completely unreliable when it comes to whether or not the store is open. Showed up during posted opening hours and it was close. Tired of heading over there just to find it mysteriously closed when it should be open. It's happened several times to me. Worth visiting, but don't bother if you don't call in advance to confirm the store is open.

I come to Alan's for Jake. Jake is a Border Collie. He loves me. I love him. Jake is the shop dog…read moreand gorgeous. Alans has some cds. They are inexpensive at 5 pounds a pop. I found a copy of Beck's Midnight Vultures (I want to defy the logic of all sex laws..la la la ) and I have seen a Kate Bush single in here once. There are some vinyl titles on offer and a few jazz releases. This shop sells used records and cds. Stop in to browse and say hello to the sweet Jake!

The biggest electronic music section I've ever seen, and the gentleman was very nice!!read more

If you're a music lover or a DJ , then Phonica is for you. I can't recommend this place enough. The…read moreStaff is so attentive and will quickly look up what you need and if they have it will be set aside as you do more shopping. Their knowledge and ability to procure rare and new records is amazing. They recently had new pressings I did not know I needed! But a warning! You can spend 5 hours here and not even realize it! If you're coming from the states and need new records go on their website and pre shop ! You will not be disappointed.

I stopped by here to search for some hard to find LPs. Been searching for a cheaper album by The…read moreSundays, but unfortunately couldn't find any. The staff was helpful, though, and suggested that I check out second-hand stores since the stuff I was looking for is already out of print! Selections here are still pretty good. I was able to find some rare records such as Joy Divison and New Order. Stuff you can't find in America. The record store sells mostly pricey brand new LPs, but CDs are still affordable.

I'm one of those people that loves the streaming aspect of digital media, but also miss perusing…read morestores like Tower Records for music, movies and books. When we stumbled into Fopp in Covent Garden, I was immediately in love. Not only did they have a ton of vinyl, band tees and movies on display, they had an impressive selection of really great books at super reasonable prices. I ended up picking up a copy of A Clockwork Orange and American Psycho on the cheap - something that I've been wanting, but now had no excuse. There are multiple floors to explore. Though it's on the smaller side, it still packs a punch!