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!

Excellent selection and friendly employees that will help you find what you are looking for. Check…read moretheir website because it is updated daily with their current stock. They also have a handy pick up desk downstairs if you order online. It's a good mix of CDs and vinyl so give it a shot when you're in town.

I've lost count of the amount of time and money I've spent in Vinyl Exchange over the years…read more Suffice to say, it would probably mount to quite a lot! Housed in the heart of the Northern Quarter, it's a two storey building solely devoted to secondhand music from indie, power pop, psyche-rock and folk to electro, hip hop, rap, disco, funk, soul and nu wave. Upstairs is devoted to racks of nearly new, secondhand and promo CDs and DVDs whilst the basement is packed with all kinds of vinyl from rare 7" and 12" to albums and box-sets. Prices are reasonable, the staff are friendly and passionate about music and you can trade and sell records and CDs. It was here I managed to track down copies of Mo' Wax Headz 1 and 2, Sonic Youth 'Beat On The Brat' 12" and Miles Davis's seminal Bitches Brew album one lucky afternoon!

A good mix of CDs and vinyl that also tailors to the more eclectic tastes. Friendly employees each…read moretime I've visited. Deals in new product mainly. If you have more eclectic tastes this is well worth your time.

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?

Clampdown record is a well-organized shop with a solid selection of harder to find titles. As I…read morebrowsed through their indie and Manchester sections, I saw a lot of titles that are well sought after. Pricing was fair and the clerk (owner?) behind the counter let my partner and I browse without any of the bother you sometimes get in record shops. I would mark this as a must visit when visiting Manchester and hunting for vinyl.

Great record store right in the heart of Manchester city centre. Small store, but lots of vinyl to…read morechose from & reasonably priced. If you love Japanese or audophile pressings, this is a store you will love. I also found a section dedicated to bands from Manchester like Oasis, Stone Roses, Happy Mondays & New Order ect which is cool to see from a store based in the city centre. If you are after signed LP's you are in look as Clampdown Records features a nice little section dedicated to this type of collectible. Overall this is a great little store that I have visited every week I pop into Manchester & have bought quite a bit of stuff from here. The owner is friendly & very knowledgable about his stuff. I was asking one time I visited about Japanese vinyl as I had heard their pressings are superior when compared to American or UK pressings & pretty much gave me the full rundown of which periods this is true of + things to look out for. Great store with a very honest, helpful owner.

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

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...

Another place of pilgrimage. IYKYK. Ah, what an honor it is to be able to see Pete (owner) & chat…read morewith him during trips to Madchester. It's a used shop that sells vinyl, cassettes, etc. It's like stepping into a library of well-maintained musical archives. I never leave empty-handed and love being able to purchase something pressed in the UK rather than the U.S. It's kind of important when it comes to the music of some of my favorite artists of the area (The Stone Roses, Oasis, and so on). A legendary piece of music history that's simply a must-visit establishment. Prices are super fair.

Great used records, and a superb collection of CDs, cassettes, and DVDs…read more Not your typical trendy record store, so you won't find any newer music here. A true gem for true music enthusiasts. And what a marvelous jazz and country collection btw. Extra points by chatting with the legendary Peter Howard, AKA Mr. Sifter. It was a dream come true to visit this place!

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.

Amazing place that accepts you for being you. *Warning* @ Social Refuge where they treat you…read moredifferently if your not like them. I visited this coffee shop recently and left feeling pretty uncomfortable with how I was treated. From the moment I ordered, the staff came across as dismissive and noticeably colder toward me compared to other customers around me. There were a few interactions that felt unnecessarily sharp, and it gave the impression that I wasn't particularly welcome there. I want to be fair, but as a straight customer, the difference in tone and attitude didn't go unnoticed. Whether intentional or not, it made the experience feel exclusionary rather than inclusive. It's a shame because the space itself has a lot of personality, but the service made it hard to enjoy. I'd hope they work on creating a more welcoming environment for everyone.

I get the irony by starting with the quote "don't judge a book by its cover" but tbh this is…read moreexactly what I've been doing every time I've walked past this place in the past few months... Whether it was because the area of town is a bit random, the building a bit unattractive and me thinking it was more of a bookshop - something just seemed to be putting me off. But today in my meeting with Matt F we decided to give it a go and what a great decision it was! First off this place is huge and a labyrinth once inside - one half hipster bookshop, the other half cool cafe with a real nod to health (check out the menu on my pics). A really lovely environment with working fountain and a variety of places to sit. The food was excellent too - my breakfast pancakes were probably the best I've had in Manchester so far which is saying something. Quick note that they don't do sides - at one stage I thought I was going to turn into Jack Nicholson in '5 Easy Pieces' https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6wtfNE4z6a8 but thankfully the guy sorted us out with a side of toast after I asked nicely...repeatedly... Very friendly staff, great venue. I'll be back soon to work/eat/drink coffee/read a book - or all at the same time!