Are we (I mean myself and my girlfriend) what people call foodies? I don't like to think so because it sounds pretentious, like hipsters for food or something. But of course she is a cooking enthousiast with a food blog (with recipes for food mentioned in fairytales and classic stories). And I can't help noticing that my reports on international record stores in this blog are infested with remarks on local dishes and restaurants. So when I sit down to write about Prague's record stores, I have to try not to comment on the history of Czech pilsner or the difference between Czech and Hungarian goulash (the one is a stew with thick sauce served with dumplings, the other is a beef soup with potatoes and carrots - there I said it! It just came out!). I'll urge you instead to read about Kafka, about the city's Jewish community and the legend of the Golem, and about Prague's turbulent history (the defenestrations, the Prague Spring and the exciting World War II episode of Operation Anthropoid - don't forget to visit the crypt in Saints Cyril and Methodius church where the final confrontation took place).
I know there's too much to do and to see in Prague, but I guess if you're reading this you're music fans and would also like to buy some records while you're there. I did, so I rented a place near the Jewish quarter and proceeded to explore the city. Most of the record stores are situated in the area called Nové Město/New Town, within walking distance from my apartment. Googlemaps showed me that the closest record shop was called Musicland, a shop that didn't exist in most guides. Probably because it is a rather faceless business situated in the second basement of the big Palladium mall. Expect to find the equivalent of the music section of a big department store: clean, well ordered, with a mainstream selection of CD's (200-400 CZK) and LP's (370-800 CZK). To put that in perspective, at the time of my visit 100 Czech Crowns were worth about 4 Euros. The second store I visited was also inside a mall on a very commercial pedestrian street (Na Příkopě), the Černá Růže passage. But this shop is one for the vinyl fetishists. It's called Japan LP and sells exclusively Japanese vinyl imports (mostly 2nd hand). There are a few offers 150-300CZK, but the usual price is 500-700, up to around 1000CZK. Owner is probably a late sleeper, as he opens at noon. At the end of Na Příkopě you can find Bontonland, a shop that advertises itself as "Europe's Biggest vinyl shop". Now that's a big claim if I ever heard one! To find the store you have to descent the stairs leading to an underground passage connected to the Mustek metro station. I'll admit that, for sheer surface, the vinyl department is huge. It hosts only new LP's from all genres (500-900CZK), a wide but far from complete collection. If a vinyl record is recently (re)issued, you'll probably find it here. It reminded me what I've read in a magazine, that Europe's biggest new vinyl records manufacturer is a Czech company whose pressings, I'm sure, are well represented here. The CD department is also big with separate mini-shops for classical, metal, czech music etc. Typical prices 300-400CZK, though there are some offers for half that price. For example, I got a CD (very rare outside Czechia) by Plastic People Of The Universe for only 160CZK. Also has the best opening hours (9:00-20:00, even open on Sundays).
I know there's too much to do and to see in Prague, but I guess if you're reading this you're music fans and would also like to buy some records while you're there. I did, so I rented a place near the Jewish quarter and proceeded to explore the city. Most of the record stores are situated in the area called Nové Město/New Town, within walking distance from my apartment. Googlemaps showed me that the closest record shop was called Musicland, a shop that didn't exist in most guides. Probably because it is a rather faceless business situated in the second basement of the big Palladium mall. Expect to find the equivalent of the music section of a big department store: clean, well ordered, with a mainstream selection of CD's (200-400 CZK) and LP's (370-800 CZK). To put that in perspective, at the time of my visit 100 Czech Crowns were worth about 4 Euros. The second store I visited was also inside a mall on a very commercial pedestrian street (Na Příkopě), the Černá Růže passage. But this shop is one for the vinyl fetishists. It's called Japan LP and sells exclusively Japanese vinyl imports (mostly 2nd hand). There are a few offers 150-300CZK, but the usual price is 500-700, up to around 1000CZK. Owner is probably a late sleeper, as he opens at noon. At the end of Na Příkopě you can find Bontonland, a shop that advertises itself as "Europe's Biggest vinyl shop". Now that's a big claim if I ever heard one! To find the store you have to descent the stairs leading to an underground passage connected to the Mustek metro station. I'll admit that, for sheer surface, the vinyl department is huge. It hosts only new LP's from all genres (500-900CZK), a wide but far from complete collection. If a vinyl record is recently (re)issued, you'll probably find it here. It reminded me what I've read in a magazine, that Europe's biggest new vinyl records manufacturer is a Czech company whose pressings, I'm sure, are well represented here. The CD department is also big with separate mini-shops for classical, metal, czech music etc. Typical prices 300-400CZK, though there are some offers for half that price. For example, I got a CD (very rare outside Czechia) by Plastic People Of The Universe for only 160CZK. Also has the best opening hours (9:00-20:00, even open on Sundays).
Another shop in a commercial passage (Lucerna Passage which also hosts a live stage for pop concerts) is Happy Feet (open 12-18:00). It's a cute shop, very small but unexpectedly good. Some really nice LP's (prog/kraut rock, pop and classic rock) on sale for 200-500CZK. Despite its size, certainly worth a visit. The Suprafon music label is probably Czechoslovakia's most important one. A pre-war classical music label, it was of course nationalized in the country's communist period during which it held an almost-monopolistic position. Its official selling place is Suprafon Music Point, located in a nice square (Jungmannovo 17). It's a rather spacious shop with a big LP collection (400-900CZK) as well as CD's (200-400CZK) - a bit of everything, not just their own releases. But I daresay if an album is released by Suprafon, this is probably the place to find it. Bazar-CD on Školská 36 is your typical 2nd hand record store (thank God for those!). Here you'll find all kinds of music on CD and LP, as well as DVDs. CDs are typically 140-180 CZK, many on sale for only 50CZK. Most pop/rock LP's cost 350-500CZK, some old Suprafon issues 50-80CZK or less. There's a good selection of classic rock and, naturally, Czech music. The owner is helpful and will let you listen before buying.
Aurora (Spálená 53) is a huge antique/used books store which also sells records. Instead of doing the sensible thing and collect all the music in one place, its owners scattered the records about different rooms, so the experience is akin to shopping at different stalls in a bazaar. There are a lot of classic rock and pop LPs available between 200-500CZK, as well as some new reissues on sale for 500CZK. My sources said that Disco Duck was mostly specialized in dance music, so I almost didn't visit it which would be a pity. The shop is in an inner yard connected via a passage to a very crowded touristic street near Charles bridge (Karlova no.12). There are a lot of funk and hip hop records, as well as cheap techno 12's. But there's also a good rock vinyl collection. Used LP's cost 300-800CZK (mostly 500) and new ones 700-800CZK. They also sell nice decorative clocks made of old vinyl records.
Phono.cz (Opatovická 24) is a, slightly underground, vinyl-only store with a good selection of used (250-500CZK) and new (500-700CZK) records. In addition to the usual pop/rock stuff, one can find funk, dub/reggae and East European prog. Towards the southern end of Nové Město (Trojanova 9) you can find Prague's most "alternative" record shop Rekomando. On the outside it looks like a thrift store, but it holds real treasures inside. Especially the front room with its impressive variety of punk, indie and underground CDs (300-400CZK) and LPs (new 350-600CZK). There are many more used records of all genres (200-400CZK) as well as books, usually relevant to underground/ rock'n'roll culture. Back to the center, I went looking for Bazar CD Krakovská, which had a legendary collection. Apparently it merged with punk/metal store Maximum Underground at Jilská 22. Enter the passage and go up the stairs to find yourself in front of the biggest 2nd hand music selection in Prague. Pop/rock LP's cost from 50/100CZK to, typically, 350 and 700 for the more collectible items. If you spend some time, you'll find many good albums around 200-300CZK. The CD collection (100-200CZK) seems almost infinite. Be prepared to spend a lot of time here. Up to now all the record shops mentioned are in the Nové Město district. I only visited a couple of shops outside that area.
One was Gramodesky Letna at the 7th district (Heřmanova 51, opens at 13:00). It had a good collection of classic rock and jazz (vinyl 190/260/420 CZK, CD's 190-260CZK) as well as some cheapos (25-100CZK). A nice enough shop, but hardly worth getting out of your way. In the same district you can apparently visit (I didn't find the time to) Jukebox Records (Funk/Soul/Hip-Hop, Heřmanova 38, open from 15:00) and Garage Store (Veverkova 6) for more rock'n'roll things. Some other record shops I had to leave out, partly because of the location and partly because they deal mostly in electronic/dance music were: Gram Records (Lužická 31), Vinyl Kink (Veverkova 6), and Alien DNA (Seifertova 24). They may be worth your time if you're interested in that kind of music. Last among the shops I did visit on this trip is Music Antiquariat CD LP, inside a passage (Tržiště 22) at the Castle District/Malá Strana. Medium sized with an interesting selection of reasonably priced 2nd hand items. If your walk around the castle and to this store has made you hungry, I suggest a stop at Magistar Kelly, round the corner (Šporkova 5) named after the (in)famous 16th century alchemist who lived in this neighborhood. I've tried their beef goulash, pork knuckle and mushroom risotto, washed down with a light and particularly refreshing dark draft beer. Excellent food, and relatively cheap - there, I did it again! Oh well...
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