It’s no question that LP’s are as popular as they’ve ever been, there’s nothing better than spending a day flipping through albums from past and present at one of Victoria’s many record shops.
Today we’re diving into some of the coolest record shops across regional Victoria, and some of their rarest records that are usually sold out and hard to find anywhere else!
Captain Stomp Records
Nestled away in the heart of the hills, you’ll find the small boutique record shop, Captain Stomp. For a small spot pretty far away from the CBD, you’ll find a large range of local and popular records, at prices often cheaper than that of bigger stores, too. They work closely with many local distributors to ensure a low price that can be passed on to their loyal customers.
They are also one of the only Eastern Melbourne stockists for Record Store Day, if there’s something super rare you were wanting to buy during the next RSD in a few weeks. You can purchase their large range of vinyls online, as well as some important care products for your turntable.
Rare Record Pick: Alex Lahey’s Welcome To The Black Parade
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Tourbus Entertainment
Found in the heart of Geelong’s CBD, you’ll encounter Tourbus Entertainment. According to their website, Tourbus endeavours to give their music-loving community a sense of belonging, they want their store to be a mecca for musos and lovers of music alike.
They’ve also got a large range of Band Merch, musical instruments, and of course an absolute bevy of popular and local records. Their online store also has a super fun Cool Shit section, that’s definitely worth checking out and dropping a few dollars on.
Rare Record Pick: Little Simz’ Drop 6 Translucent Blue Vinyl
Prehistoric Sounds
Warnambool’s Prehistoric Sounds started back in 2009 at a small stall at Newcomb’s Mill Market. Then after being one of the only spots providing records and record-related products, they slowly expanded to the heavily populated Kepler St in Warrnambool in April 2019, just in time for RSD that year, which bode well for their business.
They focus on providing records from some of Australia’s best up and comers, and provide their shoppers with a regular list of new arrivals, detailing what they reckon people should check out. Their online store also has a sale section, where you’ll find some of the best newest and classic vinyls at a dirt cheap price.
Rare Record Pick: Donny Benet’s The Don
Black Swan Records
Ballarat’s Black Swan Records doesn’t have an online store, so it’s definitely worth checking out to see what the countless amount of 5-star reviews are all about. They’re a half café/ half music shop; providing customers with a vast range of rare vinyls and CD’s.
The café is known as L’espresso, which more info can be found on here. Their freshly made food and coffee brings people from far and wide who enjoy the friendly staff and community feel of the business.
You can check out Black Swan Records at 417 Sturt St in the heart of Ballarat.
Trash Cult
In the little town of Eaglehawk you’ll find this extremely rare purveyor of vinyl, Trash Cult. The pair who run the shop provide customers with ‘carefully curated rare records, books, films and more,’ so you know you’ll be able to find that thing you’ve been looking for.
A quick glance at their online store will uncover some of the hardest-to-find Aussie and Foreign vinyls from rare or now-defunct labels. They also function as somewhat of a tour promoter, providing fans the opportunity to book in tickets to a show with their favourite local heavy metal bands.
Rare Record Pick: TISM’s The Ballad Of John Bonham’s Coke Roadie
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Bookgrove
An Ocean Grove hotspot for all things wax is best known as a book shop, but also has a large range of cool and quirky records available to buy. They’ve got Vinyl from all corners of the earth, from Jen Cloher to Queen.
Their large range of vinyl in-store sounds like a marvellous way to spend these cold rainy days. Their shop is also one of the beachside town’s only RSD stockists, so you’ll be able to grab something you’ve had your eye during the next Record Store Day in June.
Rare Record Pick: Rodriguez’ Cold Fact
Gifts For The Geek
As the name suggests, this shop in the heart of Geelong offers customers some of the coolest Superhero, Supernatural and Heavy Metal products. They’ve got board games, t-shirts, posters, and of course a bunch of pretty cool records.
Their range of vinyl is more focused on the soundtracks of popular movies, but there’s still a lot records from popular groups like Foo Fighters and Ozzy Osbourne. At some pretty competitive prices, you’re bound to find a bargain or two.
Rare Record Pick: Music From Disney’s The Jungle Book
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Still can’t get over how good vinyl sounds? Check this out.
