This is one of the most iconic and legendary music shops in the UK if not the world. They've been…read morearound since the late 70s and I just love stopping by when I'm back in Manchester. Even if I'm just browsing and not expecting to buy something, I usually do. Folks here know their stuff. Their knowledge of music goes beyond compare. And it's no wonder, this is Manchester after all. It's just so cool to go in a chat with like-minded folks about music. They have so much available in CD form as well as vinyl. It's easy to get lost in the beauty of it all. So whether you're looking for punk, funk, or disco, they'll hook you up. I wish I could give them ten stars.

Sizzling Soul Fabulous Funk…read moreBrilliant Broken Beats Awesome Abstract Hip Hop Fantastic Free Jazz Dazzling Dubstep Sweeeeeet Lovers Rock Beautifully crooned Country Amazing Americana Classic Chicago House Tantalising Techno Pogo-ing Punk-Funk Perfect Pop Gorgeous Psyche-Folk Blistering Garage & lots of cool Rock & Roll Don't mean to get all High Fidelity on y'all but Piccadilly Records is the Northern equivalent of Rough Trade East. They have aisles of incredible vinyl on 7", 12" and long-players, tons of new and re-issued CDs and listening decks where you can check them all out. Even better, most of the staff are deejays so can give you the lowdown on the tracks that are the most fly. They also host in-store gigs from emerging and established artists. What more could you want?

The WH Smith store at the Trafford Centre is huge. They stock a vast range of books, dvds, cds,…read morestationery, games, magazines and newspapers. It is always well stocked and well laid out with plenty of friendly, helpful staff on hand to assist you. There is usually quite a long queue to be served, even more so at this time of year running up to Christmas. It is a good place to pick up some christmas presents but be prepared to wait!

An improved rating for this branch of WH Smith, it has been refurbished since my last review and…read morethe store does look a lot better on the interior, while it is still let down by high pricing and slow service including staff failing to understand how a coupon works to the point I was so close to walking away empty-handed on a recent visit, it has improved overall as a store. The overall selection is pretty good, especially considering a lack of a rival within the intu Trafford Centre for the stationary part of the business with no Ryman, Paperchase or The Works branches nearby. 3*

I am indebted to Kingbee…read more A few years ago, my brother asked me to deejay at a 30th birthday party for him and his mates. When he casually mentioned it was in 48 hours time and he didn't want me to play the 70s records I already had - Patti Smith, Television, New York no wave, etc - I began to panic. Since I was in Chorlton at the time, I went into Kingbee on the off chance they' might have a couple of records I could get. When I saw they had racks of 70s disco, pop and rock, I could have kissed the owner. Instead, I spent the next hour digging through the racks and checking out different tracks on their turntable. If it had been a Friday or Saturday, I would have had a long line of grumpy record collectors behind me, impatiently waiting to play their chosen records. As it was, I had the turntable to myself and left the shop with two bags stuffed with goodies. Amazingly, the whole lot only came to £30 and the guy offered to buy back any records I didn't want a few days later. What did I get? A couple of mint T-Rex, David Bowie and Roxy Music albums, compilations featuring Abba, The Bee Gees, Hot Chocolate and Sister Sledge and lots of excellent Blondie, Soft Cell, Sylvester, The Specials and Curtis Mayfield 7" and 12"s. Suffice to say, my brothers and his mates danced all night. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qqJk0q4QvZk&feature=related

Kingbee is the only shop in Chorlton dedicated to records (although you can also find quirky retro…read morerecords in Wowie Zowie! on Manchester Road and an assortment of old vinyl in the plethora of charity shops on the Wilbraham Road). As endearing as the vintage yellow Kingbee sign is, I don't own a record player and have been known to buy things because they look pretty, so I tend to stay away from this record shop as it can be quite pricey. I looked at a couple of the Cure's 7 inch singles but at £30 a pop they would make expensive pictures for my wall. If I had the money I'd go wild in this shop. £750 for a signed Led Zep tour poster from 1980? Bargain! It's not just vintage records that Kingbee sell. You can pick up a 7inch limited edition of The Ting Tings' 'That's Not My Name' for £35. All in all, a great place for collectors and serious vinyl fans, but a bit pricey for the rest of us. However, if you've got boxes of old vinyl in your attic, Kingbee may be able to take them off your hands.

The reviews of Paramount really hit the nail on the head. The selection on offer here is excellent…read more- unusually for a second-hand bookshop I have been able to go in with a particular book in mind and actually leave with a copy (along with several others of course.) The owner is a genuine book lover and is happy to talk to you about your purchases. They have a fantastic selection of old Faber poetry editions. The smell of the place is wonderful too; the sweet rot of old books. My favourite thing about Paramount though is not the range of books lining the shelves (or leant against the piano in the west wing of the shop) but the crates of magazines, comics and periodicals stacked on folding tables as you enter. There are girly mags from the fifties, sixties and seventies (like a fossil record of erotic tastes) and well-thumbed compendiums of Sci-Fi short stories (with trippy cover art featuring weeping robots and space dragons.) This is the stuff that makes the shop; the stuff that would have been consigned to a bin a few decades before. Reading through a copy of Action Comics that someone probably hid underneath their pillow as a kid is a rare and treasured thing.

I have to give a major shout out to Paramount Books - a fantastic independent bookstore nestled in…read morethe sometimes overlooked and forgotten Shudehill area of town. Ok so there may be a million KFC ripoff takeaways and a few random shops that have seen better days around it but Paramount stands out as a well looked after 2nd hand book store with loads of character! I was pulled in on a wet and windy Monday by their comic book sale - in fact there's a whole area in the back dedicated to rare comics and graphic novels (fantastic selection) - inside there's a fantastic selection covering everything from music and film to politics, history and philosophy - really good to browse and possible pick up a tome to take home (wow that rhymes...) The best part of this place is the owner who basically is exactly what you'd be looking for if casting this place in a Hollywood movie. With glasses dangling from his neck and a scholarly look as he sorts the shelves - the classical music in the background makes you really feel what a unique place this is in the world of chain stores and amazon. Make sure you check out Paramount soon and enjoy a slip back into yesteryear!

Northern Quarter, you're spoiling us with all your record shops! Next thing we know we're not going…read moreto be able to choose one! Like Piccadilly Records, Eastern Bloc, Vinyl Exchange and so on and so on, Vox Pop offers a ton of records for your inner DJ. Or your outer one, be that your profession. Shifting between mainstream and obscure is its forte and if you can't find that coveted rare 70s disco compilation elsewhere, chances are it'll be here. The website's pretty amazing too, you'll find a hand-picked collection suggestion from that epic Manchester stalwart Mr Scruff and you can even order online. But why would you when there's a treasure trove on Oldham Street just waiting to be unearthed? Spanning across genres, the shop's repertoire is darn large and stopping here is a must for any discerning music fan. If you're a collector or even just looking to liven up your musical life, I couldn't recommend Vox Pop more.

If you're a music lover and record collector you won't want to pass this gem of a store by. Vox Pop…read morehas spent a decade winning our hearts by stocking hard to find records from just about every significant music genre to have graced our ears in the last 40 years. From Hip Hop, Rock, Punk, Dance, Soul and obscure Disco, there is a record in here waiting for you to find it, whatever your style. Luckily for Vox Pop aficionados who spend hours upon hours lost between aisles of audio bliss, there's some light relief in the form of deli Love Saves the Day where you can refuel on coffee and snacks to keep you going well into the afternoon.

Whilst Vinyl Exchange and Piccadilly Records stock an incredible range of music from americana,…read morepsyche-folk and rock to blues, soul and punk-funk, Vinyl Revival is more of a specialist store that deals with everything related to Manchester's musical history. We're talking rare and hard to find posters from The Hacienda and Factory Records, limited edition 12"s and promo pressings of early Stone Roses, Smiths and New Order and every album by A Certain Ratio, Durutti Column, Buzzcocks and Magazine. If you're after something in particular - like Barry Adamson's* brilliant imaginary soundtrack album Moss Side Story - just ask and there's a chance they might have one or know someone that can get you one. It's that kind of store! * Who's Barry Adamson? The charismatic bass player in seminal post-punk band Magazine, early member of Nick Cave and The Bad Seeds and now a full time solo artist and soundtrack composer of course!

A smaller shop but always has choice vinyl and CDs. A large selection of Manchester artists and a…read morelot of really cool artwork on the walls. All of the employees I've encountered are too guys who are there to make sure you find what you're looking for.

That's Entertainment is a small chain of video game/dvd/cd stores, owned by Music Magpie with 29…read morestores across the UK. With my "regular" store on Market Street in Manchester City center closing I decided to visit this slightly smaller branch in Oldham, which as I recall is my first time visiting the That's Entertainment franchise outside the now closed Manchester branch, This store is quite new to Oldham and it does look nice to brighten up the Spindells Mall but sadly it seems to not do anything more than that, as inside it is like a dumping ground in a way especially for the decor. The cases and stands used to hold the CD's, seems to be cracking and falling apart and it was hard to get your game out etc because of the layout of the shelves, which was quite frustrating. It was quite hard to find games such as for the Xbox too due to the layout of the store really not being very good to be able to find your way around, without having to look at everything else first, a staff member pointed me in the right direction, they didn't seem too welcoming or friendly and eager to do more to help. This store in a way can seem to be forgotten, being tucked away into that corner of the mall and sadly it doesn't seem to be doing anything to block that from happening, when I visited the store it just seemed like they didn't care, which was a shame. This store is dwarfed by the selection and customers in CeX nearby especially for used gaming, so sadly I don' feel this branch has done enough to stand out or even be worth a second visit for me too meaning I sadly feel it deserves a single one star.

Stones Throw Breakin' Bread…read moreSoul 7 Soul Brothers Kay Dee Prime Numbers Jazzman Ever since 1993, Fat City was one of Manchester's premier music stores for funk, soul and hip hop fans. Originally based in Afflecks Palace, it soon gained a reputation for selling dope tracks and moved into a bigger space on Oldham Street where they could display more stock. Run by a team of dedicated deejays and b-boys, Fat City decided to start their own label in the late nineties with the purpose of releasing more quality hip hop, funk and soul. Alongside dozens of 7" and 12"s, they released a handful of great compilations like Mystic Brew and Stars on 33. Around the same time, they hooked up with local hip hop label Grand Central and began running their own successful club night Friends and Family - with deejay sets and live performances from guest producers and artists. Sadly, the recession hit Fat City in 2009 and they decided to close the shop in August and concentrate their energies on their website and club promotion instead. I still prefer shopping for vinyl in person but if you're a deejay or record collector looking for quality funk, soul, hip hop, rap, reggae, disco or electro - Fat City is well worth a look. Their prices are reasonable and they have lots of stone cold classics! Personally, I'm waiting for them to get more copies of Sexual Harrassment's awesome no wave album I Need A Freak. Haven't heard it? Man, check it out: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rLGy6UHpCaQ&NR=1