Get Your 12” On

There are so, so many jokes to be made about vinyl records, and we’ve failed miserably in doing so. On the other hand, we have done quite a good job of rounding up the best places to find these large slabs of artistic heaven, so burn that iTunes gift card (only Velvet Underground fans should inhale the fumes though) and stroll on through…

Unlike most entertainment formats which seem to last as long as a Newcastle United manager before being usurped by slicker and more capacious competition, the veteran vinyl seems to have survived decades of format wars and technological advances to remain the format of choice for many audiophiles. The combination of a large, often beautiful physical product and superior sonic quality over many alternatives gives the LP and its smaller 7” friends plenty of excuse to brag, and with a stupidly large choice of USB and conventional turntables available at your disposal, it’s only fair we let you know how to get in on the action.

Amazon

Amazon sells a seriously large amount of stuff, we’re guessing they probably stock everything ever made in the history of the world, so it’s only inevitable that they provide a sizable outlet for new (and, through their marketplace, 2nd hand) records. Free delivery over £5 and some excellent prices on new albums (Editors for £8 anyone?) from a range of over 250,000 makes Amazon an essential website to check out first.

HMV

Although HMV’s high-street stores are stocking fewer and fewer oversized analogue discs, their website provides a refreshing parallel retail universe in and wisely divides their range into re-issues, 12”s and even carries an admittedly pricey selection of 7” singles. Whilst HMV often expose the financial sacrifice made with moving into records, when the moon turns blue they can be found pushing some reasonable deals, assuming you’re obsessed with Doors and The Smiths that is.

Vinyl Exchange

Whilst not strictly limited to selling vinyl to any degree, Vinyl Exchange guards over a unique and extensive range of rarities you wouldn’t have much luck in finding elsewhere. Stuffed in between the CD promos and signed EPs is an eclectic range of almost exclusively second hand vinyl which is quality-graded and will likely prove to be a vacuum for your wages once you realise how many Stones Roses releases you don’t own.

Bleep

Simple and slick in its design, Bleep is the music website that knows it’s in a digital age and doesn’t give a toss. Rivalling Pitchfork in its selectiveness when it comes to approval, Bleep offers a slightly more limited range of offerings in an expansive choice of formats, allowing you to pick the appropriate medium without shopping around. There’s a lot of Dance filling the catalogue and you get the feeling it’s detached from the rest of society, but it’s by far the coolest of the bunch.

Rough Trade

Being the poster-boy of indie record labels meant Rough Trade couldn’t not support a niche format, and the clunky website is aptly akin to flicking through a dis-organised and cramped record shop. Caveats aside, it’s quite easy to get lost in the accommodating variety of genres and featured items- we dare you to click on ‘The Wall’ and not end up buying anything. Go on.

ebay

Like a 2nd hand Amazon, ebay sells far too much for its own good and is a seriously unhealthy goldmine for vinyl old and new. Most recent releases can be bought for a fair price and 7”s with free delivery are in abundance for those who prefer to buy a single at a time. There’s little point in over-hyping ebay’s usefulness for record collectors as the experience follows the site’s usual protocol; if you think it exists, ebay it first.

Record Shops

Take yourself to the outskirts or back alleys of any town centre and you’ll more than likely come across a haven with boxes and shelves stocked full of records being lustfully touched up by the most hardcore of music geeks. Such an environment might appear intimidating but rest assured, record shop owners are human music-discovery systems who can, given a list of scoff-worthy ‘popular’ acts, can direct you to an array of similar artists that none of your peers will know. Given that roughly 90% of my record collection comes from an Oxfam music outlet, it’s quite clear that good vinyl still feels most at home when lost in a sea of Abba compilations and Jazz boxsets, and only requires persistence and copious amounts of flicking action to be re-discovered.