A welcome addition to Harrogate's Montpellier Quarter!…read more Wall of Sound used to be located in Halifax and was a decent place to find collectable vinyl. Now proprietor Elliot has relocated to a small area half way up the stairs in Space's new multi-stall complex just off Parliament Street. The whole place is worth a look - fun stalls and a cool bar upstairs. But nestling between is a vinyl junkie's mini-paradise. The accent is on older music - 60s and 70s, country rock, psychedelia, blues, bluegrass, west coast... You'll find some punk and indie in here too, and it's worth spending some time browsing through the racks as well as the amazing slices of premium vinyl on the walls. CDs are available but vinyl dominates. You'll also find some cool collectors stuff - there was an AC/DC promo boiler suit last time I looked for instance, and some really excellent posters for various other bands and stuff behind the counter. Elliot is on hand to offer his well-informed opinion - and he knows an awful lot about the music he sells I should add - and remains a music enthusiast who is happy to share a story over a tune or two. If there's stuff you're after give him a list and see how he does. I did that and within a week he'd found me a couple of bits of vinyl I was looking for. Quality service. With a lack of music collector's shops in the area this place was greeted with utter delight my myself and my friends. The stuff inside is really good and with a friendly and knowledgeable chap in charge I just wonder how much of my money I'll end up spending in here as there is always something interesting to buy...

A very busy vinyl collection, particularly 7"s, along with a robust cd section makes this worth…read moreyour while. Everything organized neatly. Good selection of blues and reggae but caters to all tastes. Worth the trip.

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

If it was in the Northern Quarter, Deco would be constantly bustling with deejays and producers…read morelooking for new sources of inspiration. Tucked away in suburban Withington however, it's a bit of a well kept secret. I've only popped in a handful of times myself but each time I spent a good twenty to thirty minutes flicking through the racks looking for treasure. There's hundreds of CDs for the iPod generation and crates of lovely, dusty old vinyl for record collectors. As all the stock is secondhand, the quality varies record to record with the cheapest records usually being the most scratched or warped. Genre wise, Deco seems to have a bit of everything from pop and rock to funk, soul, reggae, hip hop and jazz. You're unlikely to find a rare Ornette Coleman or Karen Dalton album here but you could probably find lots of Ella, Louis and Billie. The first time I went I picked up a Kate Bush album I'd been after and the second time, a mint copy of Johnny Cash Live at San Quentin. Endearingly, Deco also sells the kind of secondhand books you'd find at Record and Tape Exchange in London. We're talking hefty rock biographies, contemporary fiction, crime fiction and the occasional cool comic book. As you might have guessed, I'm a bit of a fan. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N5Ts4M3irWM

One of the things I miss about my South Manchester days is the collection of treasures it threw in…read moremy general direction. Sure, I'm surrounded by this sort of stuff in the Northern Quarter, but the jumble and bargains of Withington were pretty awesome. If you take a trip to the Post Office, bet you'll get seduced by Deco. This shop's achieved its five stars for me because even though I no longer collect DVDs, here they're mostly £3, which is technically cheaper than renting a movie for the night (after all, it is mere minutes from our apartment) - and you get to keep it! They're arranged by genre too which is lots of fun. Good way to test your definition of "horror" against someone else's. I was pulled in by the immense tractor beam of a selection of Cure LPs. I don't have a record player but have often toyed with the idea of obtaining one. Lo and behold, they sell record players. My friend snagged an old Bang and Olufsen treasure, similar to the one my father had. £40 and a fiver for a Cure album? Bargainous. And I never even looked at the books! If you're near Withington, you need to give this place a blast.

One of the last remaining secondhand record shops in Liverpool is Hairy Records. Situated at the…read moretop of Bold Street, it's a gloriously ramshackle shop that has literally dozens of racks of old vinyl. The window is a great indicator of what you'll find inside with well thumbed copies of early Dylan, Neil Young and Van Morrison records alongside old classics by The Cure, The Smiths and The Specials. It's not all rock and pop however, as inside there are literally hundreds of brilliant soul, funk, disco, motown, northern soul, girl groups, reggae and krautrock albums. If you can't find what you're looking for, ask the friendly owner and there's a chance he might have a copy somewhere. I only chatted to him for five minutes and it was clear his passion and enthusiasm for music was infectious. In the week, Hairy Records is quite quiet so you'll have time to look through everything without being disturbed. At weekends however, expect to be elbowed by local musicans like The Zutons and The Coral. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LJrGKqYYfdY

Liverpool's selection of independent record shops is so bad, considering the city's monumental…read moremusical heritage, it's almost laughable. Hairy is one of the few left and is probably the biggest and best known. Its collection of vinyl is tremendous with stacks and stacks from all genres and eras that you can happily spend days rooting through them all. But like all specialist shops - particularly record shops - there is always a catch. Remember High Fidelity? Remember the father innocently asking Jack Black if he had a copy of 'I Just Called To Say I Love You'? Yep, just be careful.

The best vinyl record buyers in Blackpool. I have sold to Chris on a number of occasions now,…read morealways impressed by his professional approach and vinyl record knowledge. Also the prices quotes are far more far than the other dealers that I've tried in the area. I will be back in touch when I'm ready to sell some more of my vinyl. Thanks a million.

Very impressed with the service. I spoke to Chris regarding my late fathers record collection. He…read morewas very knowledgeable and gave me a general idea of value, he travelled quite some distance and true to his word he gave me the price we discussed. Contact this company with confidence.

In these days of big companies like HMV and Zavvi (or whatever it's called these days) dominating…read morethe music retail business, as well as the rise of downloading music (whether legal or illegal), it's easy to forget the charm of independent local music shops like Quicksilver Music. Hidden down Market Street, Quicksilver is a small but appealing shop that sells a modest but varied selection of CDs and vinyl, both of which are split quite helpfully and comprehensively into different genres and artists. You do still have to search through them a bit for a few hidden gems, but that's all part of the fun. As well as selling music, Quicksilver also sells a small selection of electric, acoustic and bass guitars as well as a few amps. None of them are particularly expensive models (most are at the cheaper end of the spectrum) but some models there have been discontinued so would be considered quite rare. The selection may be quite small but there is quite a variation and if you're looking for a more original choice for a basic guitar then there are some bargains on offer there. Quicksilver Music might not be for more commercial music fans but if small independent music stores with a bit of character appeal to you, then it's definitely a place to check out and support.

As the name implies, Endless Music is a secondhand music store that sells racks and racks of vinyl…read moreand CDs. Stock is arranged by category with sections devoted to rock, pop, punk, metal, new wave, funk, soul and folk. A lot of the records are too mainstream for my taste - think Madonna to Meatloaf, Bowie to The B-52s - but I was impressed they had about half a dozen early Dylan albums in top notch condition. The owner clearly has an equal passion for film and as a result, there's shelves devoted to film memorabilia, signed posters and photos, videos and DVDs. A note to sci-fi lovers, they also have a bewildering amount of Star Wars figures and memorabilia. Whether or not they'll be happy to part with them however, depends on two things: The size of your wallet and the size of your obsession with all things Luke Skywalker!

Confession: I actually didn't see the original Star Wars trilogy until after I saw the first two of…read morethe prequels. I blame my age. Customers of Endless Music may well want to tell me off for this as they stock Star Wars memorabilia. Ah, when those of the male species really like something they really do go to town don't they. The guys at Endless Music really like Star Wars and they really like records. They have an amazingly named Ebay shop too - blacktiewhitenoise and their website encourages you to have a look on there for some bargains. The shop buys records as well as sells them, and it stocks the artists you want on vinyl. If, like me, you are young enough to love the film Almost Famous despite not having nostalgia yourself yet secretly wish you were one of the characters: Led Zeppelin, the Rolling Stones. That kind of thing. Because lets face it, you can trawl round every Oxfam in the North West but no-one gives away these kinds of vinyl - they sell them.

A Liverpool institution, Probe was immortalised in Kevin Sampson's Awaydays as the shop everyone…read morevisited in the late 70s to buy the latest punk and no wave singles. Three decades on, they still have a small selection of Joy Division and Magazine albums but their stock is much more eclectic. Alongside classic funk, soul, dub and electro, there are racks devoted to krautrock, psyche, garage, indie, freakbeat and classic rock. Endearingly, vinyl is the dominating medium rather than CDs with lots of lovingly sourced re-issues as well as new and original releases. The staff are friendly and knowledgable and more than happy to play records if you want to try before you buy. If only all record shops were like this! The magnificent Magazine: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nImOq_eWHEM&feature=related

Not much to add here on Probe Records, as everyone affirms it's a real-life genuine piece of…read moremusical heritage in a city where a lot relies on the idea of the ghost of the myth of the beat-era. Offering a broad selection of punk, post-punk, indie, funk, soul and reggae on CD and Vinyl, Probe is really the one-stop shop for music you might not find in HMV. It feels like a real record shop too; blasting a selection of funk and punk cult classics through the speakers, with wooden rack upon wooden rack of records, some with little well-thought out recommendation cards. The staff are friendly and surprisingly un-high fidelity-y in that a misstepped request won't be answered with a volley of insults in the direction of your musical knowledge. Regulars are treated well and newcomers are treated like regulars. A few years ago I asked for the new Iron and Wine album (the fantastic, laid-back "Our Endless Numbered Days") and although it wasn't out until Monday they let me have it anyway. Brilliant.

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.

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!