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Sydney record shops

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I’m in Sydney for 3 days in a couple of weeks, any record shops recommendations to stock up on Aussie issue vinlys? Actually any decent record shops centrally?

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  5. Well it depends what you’re looking for! A lot of the ones on that “definitive guide” are hipster inner-west indie places with stuff I have personally never heard of.

    Birdland is essential for jazz, Mojo is great for 60/70s stuff and Title is great for soundtracks and vinly (and books).

    The only general record store chain left is JB HiFi which does have heaps of back catalogue and recent releases, often for bargain prices. Horrible atmosphere but well stocked

    • JB Hifi’s music content seems to be shrinking. They removed it altogether from the one in Galleries Victoria, never put it in the one on top of westfield mall on pitt st. The main one still carrying music is the strand arcade basement branch on pitt st mall, but i think vinyl is pretty limited, although it is close to dymocks, Red eye and mojo.

      The other JB hifi place to check is not too far away in the Broadway mall (near Glebe and Newtown), but i think that will be less interesting than Red eye and Mojo, and will have similar limitations to the strand arcade one.

  6. As per the article referenced above, Red Eye and Mojo are good, and Egg in Newtown is worth a visit. It’s not far from the station and you’ve got the rest of newtown to play with. Great food, funky shops, great bars…and that map shows a couple more vinyl stores very nearby, although i can’t vouch for them.

  7. Yeah Red Eye first, Birdland for jazz, Lawsons in Pitt St ( opposite end to the harbour) is a classic old store with stuff everywhere new and second hand, CD and vinyl. In fact Lawsons and Mojo are sort of across from each other in paralllel streets. There is a JB in Strand Arcade that is close to the Dymocks building where Birdland appears to be – I wondered where they went.

    Mojo have a mixed hisotry . Ended up with a container of second hand records from the States that weren’t in very good condition and overpriced. Think they are stocking new stuff at the usual exorbitant rates.

    The guy that started Mojo , Neville started up this shop in Glebe http://www.therecordcrate.com.au/whatwedo

    • That’s a bit misleading @Junior-Wells about the location of Mojo and Lawsons, they’re quite a long way from each other – several blocks walk or train from Town Hall to Central. Buses in the Sydney CBD are a bit horrendous at the moment..

      On another note, I didn’t realise Lawsons still existed! There used to be a bunch of secondhand record stores clustered in that area. Many years ago (we’re talking late 80s here) I was burgled and the bastards took all my albums. I called in the cops and made an insurance claim, and then set out with a list to see if they’d sold them to any of the secondhand shops. Sure enough they had, the guy in the shop (not Lawsons) recognised the name Frank Zappa and we, er, did a deal, which involved, as he said “let’s not get the police involved with this”. So I got the important records back (he’d only taken the Zappas and a few other rarities), and insurance $ to replace the rest.

  10. Mojo is now The Mojo Record Bar and is in York St. Pick up a slab of vinyl and a sup on some fine micro brews.

    Egg records in Newtown is great, particularly when they get several crates of goodies all at once. Hum in Newtown is also good for new stuff.

    Lawsons has beefed up the vinyl. Not as cheap as Ashwoods before its demise.

  11. Alcohol…

    Sorry, I’d completely forgotten I’d already posted this question, first time I’ve had decent internet for yonks. Thanks all, will be checking out all you recomendations.

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