When I was in Edinburgh last month, I had to visit some local record shops and Vinyl Villains was the best one for used vinyl IMHO. You walk in and are surrounded by records. The better stuff is hung from the ceiling so I naturally had to ask the gentlemen to grab a few of them so I could look at them, which I ended up buying. (As soon as I left Edinburgh, I regretted not buying something!) The prices were pretty good as well, which is always a huge plus. But the gentlemen was nice and was fast with everything. I would definitely go back to Vinyl Villains if I'm in the area again! read more

Incredible selection. Great staff. Found an early Siouxsie & The Banshees record. Layout and ambience was very cool

When I was in Edinburgh, it was only for the day, so I had only a little bit of time to record shop. Vinyl Villians was one of two stores I checked out. Vinyl Villians is a close walk from Waverly station (a big pro if you're coming from the train), and a decent sized shop. Browsing the stock in their bins, I found the sort of stock you would expect to find in your standard record store. This was mostly bigger name artists, with a few independent artists mixed in here and there. This was the case for both their LPs and 7"s. However, when you're there, don't forget to look up towards the ceiling and walls for some of their rarer goods. While I didn't see anything I was looking for (or didn't already have), they did have a few slightly obscure titles available. So while I wouldn't say this is a must stop for record collectors, if you're in the area, you might find something worthwhile. read more

Thousands of vinyl and CDs of: Classic rock Hard rock Heavy rock Old skool rock Prog rock Post rock Vintage rock Emo Ethereal Metal Death metal Speed metal Indie Jazz Blues Hip hop & Rap read more

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Vinyl Villains is one of the few music stores I've come across in Edinburgh that actually sells Vinyl records. They've been at the location for over twenty years, and the owner amusingly told me that whilst he's got a good memory of it's beginning and the last few years, his recollection of the years inbetween is a bit hazy. This store also sells used and new Dvd's as well as the dying breed that is the music CD. They'll even buy them from you, but with business being a bit slow I'm not sure how much they would be willing to pay for. I was a big fan of the music that was playing while I was there, and I feel any fans of 60s/70s classics would definitely find something in here. read more

Vinyl Villains - Vinyl Records Near Me - Edinburgh, EDH

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As I was strolling down Elm Row towards Valvona and Crolla this shop caught my eye. Its window display had vinyl covers from albums by the stones and also by a large amount of eighties indie bands! For any true music enthusiast you just had to give this place a go. Inside, the shop is not that big, but it is full of vinyl and also has a range of CD's and DVD's. I spent, what felt like an age looking through the selection of 12's (I love looking at the album art work). Apart from your normal vinyl albums, this shop also had picture disks and some rare live bootleg albums. It had a large range of vinyls from Metallica for some bizarre reason, but more importantly had a great range of Ramones, Siouxsie and the banshees and Sex Pistols albums. I wasn't looking to buy anything but I ended up walking out with a bootleg live album of the Smiths, well worth the £14.99 I paid for it (For some people this might seem a lot, but any music enthusiast, paying this much for a rarity or boot leg album is well worth it). As I left the shop, the indie shop assistant didn't speak but just gave a very cool nod, acknowledging, I think, my good music taste! Vinyl is coming back into fashion, and this shop is great for anybody wanting to build up their vinyl collection. This shop also buys unwanted vinyl, so it is a great source for finding that rare vinyl record you have been wanting. It also provides fantastic plastic bags, brilliant art work! Apart from the plastic bags, Vinyl Villains was a great find, and any record collector will fall in love with it! read more

Vinyl Villains - Vinyl Records Near Me - Edinburgh, EDH

First of all, nobody better buy that Master of Puppets LP in the window, you've been warned. Second, this is a cracking wee shop. Great selection of old and new, don't go in here with money because you'll lose it. Unfortunately the store does attract the following 2 people. 1) Vinyl Wanks - People that never bought a CD player. 2) Student Wanks - That know nothing about music, or Vinyl, but like to pretend they do. These two specific groups are hyper critical about whatever record you decide to pick up and make their opinions of about the band vocal. Simply ignore them. The staff went out of their way to make sure I found what I was looking for, so for that they get 5 stars! read more

Vinyl Villains - Vinyl Records Near Me - Edinburgh, EDH

Vinyl Villains looks dark, underground and has cool graffiti on the front of it. I'm visually inspired, so I didn't need any more excuses to go in for a browse. The guy behind the desk looked very industrious and cool when I walked in - he gave me a Fonzie nod of acknowledgement. It's a small shop and he doesn't make you feel pressurised to buy, but is very helpful if you want to enquire about anything! The stock is varied, well preserved and alphabetically laid out in here. They have a decent collection of DVDs and cheap as chips second hand DVD's (including some very recent movies). But undoubtedly their speciality is vinyl, as the name suggests! All records are in fantastic condition and they seem to have everything, from Joan Armatrading to Pink Floyd and Metallica as Stuart said. Some of the records are fairly expensive but I'm guessing it's only because they are good as new! If you're a collector you wouldn't mind paying that bit extra for obscure and rare records of this quality. Some of them were over 30 years old but you'd never guess. Vinyl obsessives will be thanking their lucky stars for the Villain's existence! read more

Like I've said before in other reviews of record stores, I simply like looking at the sleeves and thinking about what might look good next to my Aerosmith cover that currently adorns my wall. I haven't found anything yet. The records vary in price from cheap to right expensive, but it depends on the condition and the rarity of the records. Fab for anyone who is vinyl obsessed but for me, just a wee browse will do fine. read more

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Vinyl Villains is great, but sadly not quite as great as it looks from the outside. This isn't the shops fault, more a problem with the fact that the once popular hobby of vinyl collecting seems to be slowly dying out, much like the mainstream usage of the medium did in the mid to late 80s. They keep up with the times by doing secondhand DVDs and CDs, and the vinyl they do have is often very sought after, and always in good condition, I just fear that over the years the amount of it will steadily dwindle. I do miss the days of flicking through a stack of 12"s. read more

Ok, I'm DEFINITELY not cool or edgy enough to be in here, but I'm here nevertheless. Apart from the staff all appearing to be Gorgeous, it's all pretty average in here. It has a job to do - sell music and dvds, and it does it. Nuff said. I don't think m fuscia y pink jacket and blue pumps fit in here... The price is pretty decent though, if you're into this sort of things then I'm sure you can spend hours browsing, but I felt a bit out of sorts. read more

Just off loaded the last of my vinyl, given a very fair price by Andy. Great quick service and I hope they find a good home for my old records, and these new to vinyl enjoy owning them. Can't recommend this shop high enough!!!! read more

There really aren't enough record stores in the UK, but Edinburgh isn't indicative of that lack. Avalanche is fantastic, but now only one shop instead of two; Fopp is a bright and clean alternative to HMV; and Unknown Pleasures is just as geeky and indulgent as its name suggests. There's also Vinyl Villains, a lovely, dark record shop with a great range of vinyl as well as cds, tapes and a surprisingly good range of dvds (including music documentaries and films). In many ways, it's like the heavy metal-loving brother of Unknown Pleasures: a bit meaner, and a bit dirtier. I'd recommend it particularly if you're a collector of 70s and 80s rock LPs, and if you're looking for a t-shirt emblazoned with your favourite band's name. There are several. read more

Today I went to Vinyl Villains with my dad to take pictures of the White Stripes inspired dress I made for art. We phoned ahead and we got the go ahead. When we arrived, we found the store quickly because of it's fabulous graffiti sign and found that the closer we got, the more remarkable it was. When inside, I asked if it would be possible to change into my dress and the man running the store let me go back into the stores bathroom to change which was very kind of him. Back out front, whilst photos were taken I got to see more and more vinyl- old and new- all over the walls of the store. The store stocks the likes of Nirvana, to Sonic Youth, to David Bowie, to small bands. Any vinyl you wanted, you were sure to find it and more there and at great prices too. I found a Nirvana vinyl which was £90 in one store at only £15 in Vinyl Villains- reasonable and great value for such a classic. After my photos were taken, the man searched and found me a White Stripes bootleg album and I found an audio version of Alex James' autobiography read by the man himself. I went to the counter expecting to pay the £20 I owed him for both and he told me I could have the CD for free! I have to say, it was absolutely lovely to meet such a lovely and enthusiastic man who clearly started up Vinyl Villains because he is so passionate about music and vinyl. The store was magical, like a step back in time to a vinyl store in the 90's, full of reasonable (in some cases, very cheap as the vinyl starts at 99P for some LP's) priced vinyl, memorabilia and great staff! Intend on going back again soon to get more vinyl for my collection, because the store was full of music by my favourite artists at great prices and I would like to continue supporting the vinyl industry and this fabulous store! So major thanks to Vinyl Villains for letting me take my pictures and for the amazing discount. I really appreciate it and can't wait to come back next week. read more

Wander into vinyl villains and look upwards! All the best rarities hang from the ceiling alongside a selection of band t shirts. Been going here for 25+ years and probably spent a small fortune buying up second hand records and cds. Staff very helpful and don't bite a la "high fidelity." Prices very good. They know the value of rarities but keep prices at the lower end of the spectrum. read more

Subsequent to my previous review I have now bought a brand new vinyl copy of dark Side of the Moon elsewhere at only a marginal premium over the price of the second hand stock in Vinyl Villains shop. I will not be back read more

Yesterday was the first time I had been into vinyl villains for a long time as iv been living abroad for work and I was so happy to find the vinyl revival in full swing, the shelves were stocked, the back shelves looked bursting with new stock to be put out and the shop was busy read more