Hmv in Stratford is easy to find and as usual as with all their stores they sell music,games, dvds…read moreand other bits and bobs. This store is very very narrow which is for the size of other stores a bit dissappointing. But never the less it still holds up quite well. Being narrow means if two people want to pas each other you quite literally have to turn sideways to pass its that small. Once past that problem its clear the store requires more room. The tills are set back to aid with room on the left of the store on the way in. Recent releases of cd etc are at the fron of the store. And as you go further back you find more music, dvds and the game section. Right at the back of the store you will find an area which sells headphones and speakers from makes such as Bose, Sony and philips. I pod accessories are also available too. The store gets 4 out of 5 as the staff being helpful and the amazing amount of stock they cram in makes up for the store being stupidly small.

Based right in the centre of town Musical Goods and Exchange is a no frills vinyl seller/buyer…read more They are close to nostalgia and comics; however the music store is a little smaller in size. I came in here with a tonne of vinyl that I wanted to sell and they took every item and gave me a fairly decent price on what I had. These were the records that I couldn't manage to sell online so I was happy to get rid of them. The staff are not very friendly or helpful; they just keep an eye out for shoplifters and little else. But if you do have a serious question they will give you a serious answer. This place is a must for all vinyl collectors out there and for those that are looking to offload a few records in exchange for cash.

The Music and Video exchange on Smallbrook Queensway is fantastic for any DJ or Vinyl collector…read more They have a huge range of vinyl and it is categorised very well so it is easy to find what you are looking for. A great place to pick up bargains or find those gems you have always been looking for. I recently bought a very rare DJ Sneak vinyl for £3, probably worth over £20. Very recommended.

10 year ago there were one hell of a lot of music/records stores. The larger retailers like Tower,…read moreVirgin Music and HMV have all pretty much gone out of business. Tempest was one of the last greatest independent record stores and that has now gone the same way as all the others. Then smaller independent specialist stores went. Polar Bear still stands on a popular back street of King's Heath, like the one building that withstood the core blast at Nagasaki, it is still in business. The reason of course for the demise of music/record stores is due to the online competition, it doesn't take a brain surgeon to work that one out. However keeping a store afloat in these times is an act as difficult as brain surgery. Polar bear offers lots of vinyl, bootlegs and stuff you can't find anywhere else. It stocks music for people that love music and not those who like music as background filler whilst they work. The staff are friendly and competent and if they don't have anything in store then you can get it online......hang on a minute, did I just say that...... Yes, I did. To stay afloat in today's market, Polar Bear can also fill your orders online. Not surprising since there has been such a shock to the industry in recent days.

Places to buy physical copies of music are hard to find these days in Birmingham…read more The Polar Bear is one of the few record/cd shops still going strong. I've been a Polar Bear customer since I was 15 so I know it pretty well, sadly the amount I buy from there has decreased significantly over the years as I'm sure it has for many others. It's easy to download songs online but there is NOTHING like getting a new LP or CD and reading the sleeve notes, admiring the artwork and holding the record/cd in your hand. It's just better. This current culture of downloading odd songs here and there makes me sad, I used to love discovering an album, listening to it from start to finish and having my favourite tracks change over the years, it's a great experience. The Polar Bear is somewhere that carries on that tradition. They have a great selection of CDs and vinyl both new and second hand. A great place to find jazz, folk, blues, rock, punk, metal, noise and much more. The staff (as you would expect) are very knowledgable, and although manager Steve can be a little grumpy at times it's worth getting on his good side as he's a great story teller and really, really, really knows his stuff when it comes to record collecting. When Steve's not in Nathan (formerly of Tempest) is far more chatty and friendly. Even if you're not into rare cds and records there's a great selection of second hand stuff which includes classic pop albums like Michael Jackson and Madonna - it's not as pretentious as you might expect :) Do expect to get openly laughed at if you walk in asking for the new Lady GaGa or Olly Murs cd.... A great independent business that needs our support - get buying ;)

One of two proper record shops in Harborough, and the more established one, Pendulum is a great…read morelittle shop full of character, with knowledgeable, helpful and friendly staff. They may not be able to compete with the big web retailers, or even the local supermarkets etc, on price, but it is worth paying that bit more for the levels of service offered. They will happily order in titles they don't currently hold in stock, and turnaround is usually within the week. One of the remaining independant stores that makes Harborough the fascinating market town that it is, I hope they are around for a long time to come.

Do you like, NO, do you love music? HMV is a must. Record shops are disappearing as we buy from…read moreiTunes, Amazon, listen to Satelitte or whatever it is that we do. It's a shame, because when you get to a store with an enormous selection such as the one offered here it's really a joy. To me anyway. You browse through, see CDs from artists you may have forgotten about, rare editions, everything! After the holidays there are many offers and we add a few more CDs to an already too large collection. CDs are on floor 4, beneath you can find DVDs, games, accessories EVERYTHING! There is an adjoining shop selling rock tee shirts and memorabilia and it's right on the High St, next to the Bull Ring and adjoining The Pallasades Mall. Great geeking!

For reasons that elude me entirely, this little gem of a record shop is tucked away in a corner of…read morewhat seems to be the food section of Birmingham's Indoor Market - you have to walk past stalls selling bags of frozen food and piles of chicken feet to find it. The focus here is quite clearly reggae and it's various off shoots, like dub and rocksteady. The sign promises cds, dvds and vinyl - the vinyl selection was looking a bit thin on the ground when I last went in but there's a healthy selection of cds and an intriguing selection of DVDs, some of Jamaican reggae concerts and others of movies with names like "Obdeah Wedding". (I'd love to be able to tell you what "Obdeah Wedding" is about, but all I could fathom from the cover is it's got something to do with a haunted wedding ceremony). The shop also sells tickets to reggae events up and down the country. If you're a reggae enthusiast, you should definitely make a visit as the proprietors really know their stuff and shops of this nature are what help keep the reggae scene going.

My first experience of Summit records happened completely by random. I was out with a friend and we…read moredecided to go for a stroll. Although they seem to specialise in reggae music which isn't my cup of tea, I could really feel the enthusiasm and passion for music from the shop assistants. They really appeared to love being there and sharing their knowledge with potential buyers. I didn't buy anything on this occassion but if your into this kind of music then you should definitely go down and give it a try.

This HMV store is located inside Intu Potteries in Hanley, Stoke On-Trent. It is quite a nice…read morestore, it is a good size and a good selection of dvd's and cd's. I mainly come in to take a look at the cd's, especially albums from Englebert and Frank Sinatra, I noticed a wide selection of CD's, in some form of alphabetical order, yet I found it to be disorganized, it was arranged into categories and then alphabetical order, hence became confusing, and I didn't realize that until I got all the way through the alphabet a good 2-3 times. The layout of CD's really needs sorting, as it did seem confusing, as they was such a big selection it always would be hard arranging them, but they didn't seem to do a job here. Prices for me seemed a little pricey, a little expensive but still some of them were on par with Amazon's price for new, but considering what used CD's can be bought for and from other sellers new on Amazon, it was a little pricy. For example, as CD's are going out of fashion, they should be much cheaper, and I still was hesitant about paying £6.99 The signal in this store is weak, so it can be hard to price-check on your phone. As this store appeals to a younger market, selling entertainment products, this is one of the stores that doe and should have some sort of wi-fi, or at the very least some 3G/4G signal, and considering even Lush has free wifi, HMV should too! The staff here seemed okay, although he seemed hesitant about signing me up to the loyalty scheme and telling me it wasn't free, as I thought it would have been, which is a little bit of a rip-off and makes it less of a rewards based system, and more of a punishment. I decided not to subscribe as I rarely visit HMV. The range of all other items was okay / good, but still the prices remained poor / satisfactory, even the offers were confusing, for example Alvin and the Chipmunks: Chipwrecked can be bought for £5.99 or £2.99 for any purchase, but still it remains £3 to buy on Amazon and it sells for about that, making it not much of a savings. The 2 for £5 / £10 offer also was confusing, it was on cheaper albums that were not really worth much online, and only few of them. Overall, it is just too pricey here and they make the prices seem great by using "Special Offer" promotions which is a little misleading, considering this factor, an issue with the arrangements of the CD's, the staff being merely average, I feel I can only give this HMV store 2 stars.

HMV in the Potteries Centre has a very large selection of DVD's, CD's, video games and consoles…read more The prices tend to be quite good and they regularly have special offers such as 3 DVD's for £20 or cheap games console bundles. The store layout is very good. Everything is arranged into different categories with special sections devoted to things such as the current top 40 singles so it's easy to find the what you are looking for. The staff are friendly and even though there is sometimes a large queue, they are very fast at dealing with people so you don't usually have to wait long.

This must be the Council's smallest park in the entire city. Small is beautiful. Beautiful things…read morecome in small packages. When you first get here there is no indication of the wonders you are about to experience. My trip begins with a short amble down streets full of smart but similar looking Four Oaks houses and then the surprise hits you. Water gushes into a large pond as Swans, Canada Geese, Mallards and Moor Hens all jostle for the bread you may have brought with you. Park Life! My favourite time of year to visit is during the spring when the former mill pond is full of newborns, as chicks of all descriptions bob on the water, or cling to the small island in the centre. Be careful though, the geese and swans will let you know who's boss if you get too close to their young. The protective swans think nothing of lashing out at even the biggest dogs enjoying a country walk with their owners. We usually pick up little Frecks as she can get a bit scared. Recently the Council have redeveloped the wooded area to the rear of the park of these giant birds. By opening up a series of bridges, locals can now walk the entire circumference of the pond. However, tread carefully because things can still get quite muddy after a downpour. On a sunny Sunday, local cricket can even be enjoyed from this location as the woods border Four Oaks' field. This is England and its countryside at its very, very best!

I'd never seen the site until a few months ago and couldn't believe I'd never known of its…read moreexistence. It was only when friends moved in nearby that I was introduced to a little oasis in the middle of a residential estate. I can't believe it exists; it's perfect and feels like a secret you've been let in on. It's not so much that there's loads there, just that it exists at all. The water is surprisingly large and around it is a trail you can navigate; it's clearly marked but not particularly formal so you need to be reasonably sprightly. That said, an appeal of the area is that it seems very natural and not undone by self-conscious, over-landscaping. You should see an array of water birds and it's little wonder that this site, owned by the council and maintained by wildlife groups, is featured in organised nature studies, including bat walks in late-summer. Nothing touches Sutton Park locally of course, but this is a better bet than the Plantsbrook equivalent at Pype Hayes or New Hall Valley Country Park. Delightful.