The Record Shop

This is an amazing small (isn) shop specialising in selling second hand records the sort of place I spent most of my days in 20 yrs or so ago. I drove over from Swansea to visit D vinyl and The Record shop. Unfortunately after spending nearly 2 hrs and most of my money in D vinyl I was a bit vinyl weary by the time I walked round to this shop. however I can’t wait to return and this will be the first place I visit next time.

Well I suppose «The Record, Record Player, CD & Tape Shop» would have cost a lot more to have done down the sign shop. But for years I thought this place was strictly vinyl only, but no! There’s a healthy selection for the devotees of other mediums of music. People always go one about the wondrous crackles and pops of vinyl but never have a positive word for the lovely, gentle, warm hiss inherent to tape. Bah!
Anyway tucked down one of the side roads off Albany Road, this bright blue shed-​like building will enthral music lovers of every generation with crate upon crate of tunage. Need an original 7″ pressing of Pat Benatar’s biggest hit (and who doesn’t? Love IS a battlefield) or the final cover mounted mix CD from MUZIK magazine to complete your collection? Then this is the place for you.
Less claustrophobic than D’vinyl round the corner, The Record Shop is one of the true gems of Cardiff.

A does-​what-​says-​on-​the-​tin alternative to nearby D’Vinyl, The Record Shop is a mini-Aladdin’s cave of second-​hand CDs and vinyl minus the off-​putting clutter of its aforementioned competitor. The proprietor is as friendly as they come and anybody looking to sell records will likely get a better deal than at D’Vinyl or, a stone’s throw across on Albany Road, Cash Generator. Bright as the blue shop-​front is, The Record Shop easily missed, squirreled away down the side of the Tesco Metro, yet that only heightens the relative chances of an exciting find. Bargain racks are situated outside, allowing for some al fresco browsing, too. So come prepared to spend some time digging through the racks.

Oh God… I don’t want to write this review.
Just like my review for Troutmark Books, I have been putting this particular review off for a long while. The reason for this is the same as Troutmark; these stores are relatively quiet and unknown. These places are my little secrets in Cardiff.
Now, I would love nothing more for the places I love to succeed beyond their owner’s wildest dreams. For all the great things I’ve gotten from these places, they deserve it. But in the back of my mind is the thought that maybe, by telling other people, I’m letting them get all the really, really good stuff before me.
My level of paranoid devotion to The Record Shop should give you some idea of how absolutely amazing it is. This is a place to waste a few hours scouring through the boxes and old racks to get some fantastic albums you may have never considered before. And despite my distaste for the things, they have a vinyl section that impressed even me.