Oxford Record Stores

Right now I'm posting from my favorite holiday island, Antiparos in Greece. I've been vacationing here for many many years, always very late August or early September to avoid the big crowds. I only have one more item left in my drafts folder, so I may have to take time off from my "busy" holiday schedule and write. We'll see how it goes. Anyway, this is about a previous trip, about a month ago. My girlfriend was supposed to be in Oxford on University business twice in the last years, but the trip kept getting cancelled: the first time due to a snow blizzard and the second time due to the pandemic. So now that we can travel freely once again, we decided to visit even though we don't have business there any more. We got around, seeing the medieval buildings and visiting historic pubs, and cafes. The free tour took us to some interesting places, mostly staying at the yards or entrances. You see, the colleges charge tourists quite a lot for a peak at their famous halls: We paid £7 for a 15-minute visit of Duke Humfrey's Library a.k.a. the library of Hogwarts in the Harry Potter films. And you can't wander around its halls, or even take a photo with your mobile. They just take you to a corner and tell you a few words about its history. And that's only one of the rooms of the old Bodleian library, if you want to see more of it you'll have to pay £18. Now I get that these are educational institutes and that they must do something to curb the flow of tourists, but they could restrict visiting hours instead of this. Every college in Oxford has similar connections to history or pop culture, which they use to attract tourists. I doubt that any of the bright minds that taught in Oxford throughout the centuries would consider the dining hall of Christ Church college to be of equal standing to the Acropolis of Athens, yet visiting them costs the same because the former "inspired" Harry Potter.

But, anyway, the town is well worth visiting - think only of the great fantasy works it inspired: Tolkien (Lord of The Rings), C.S. Lewis (Narnia), Lewis Carroll (Alice In Wonderland), Philip Pullman (His Dark Materials) all lived here. Alas, with a lesser writer like yours truly, you can only aspire for a rather realistic description of the town's record shops. I nevertheless hope that there is a little value in that, too. The first one I visited was the only one that stays open until late (22:00 on Fridays, which was the first day of our trip). That's because Big Scary Monsters Social Club (98 Cowley Road) also doubles as a purveyor of artisanal beer - and triples as a meeting place. Just a few tables and benches to relax, listen to good music, and chat with friends. Nice ambience and a youthful crowd. Its record collection isn't vast, just a few racks of alternative rock bands (new vinyl, mostly £17-22). Just around the corner, there's a beautiful art cinema called The Ultimate Picture Palace. So glad to see a movie theatre that's not a multiplex and plays something other than Marvel movies! On the opposite side of Cowley Road (nr. 101) you can find a regular record store, called Truck Store - although this also doubles as a café, one of a few places that will serve you decent coffee in Oxford. But you'll go there, of course, for the records - and you will find a good selection of vinyl and CD's, both new and "pre-owned" (apparently the word used isn't politically correct any more). New CD's around £12, except for a few offers. New LP's £20+, used ones (classic rock, jazz, funk, indie) usually £4-15. The collectible items aren't cheap, but there are still bargains to be found: good albums that you will enjoy listening, but are just not that valuable or rare. Truck Store also sells concerts tickets, and hosts artists for signings etc. Charity shops are a good place to get CD's (£0,5-5) but LP's are overpriced - once they were the place to dig for vinyl treasure, but that time has passed. 

Worth a visit though, not just for CD's and DVD's but also for books and other items. Plus, you know your money will help a worthy cause. There are some OXFAM shops scattered around the city (17 Broad St, 135 Cowley Rd, 15 Turl St) as well as a British Heart Foundation one (32 Saint Ebbe's St) that you may want to check. At the most commercial street in the city center (52 Cornmarket St) you can find the last survivor of the megastores era, HMV. This stores chain also deals in electronics, DVD's, books, clothes, and all kinds of pop culture items. So not a proper record store, but it still houses the biggest selection of new LP's and CD's in town, on its 2nd floor. Many LP's are on offer 2-for-£40, while there are also some cheaper selected titles (both on vinyl and CD).

A bit to the north (153 Walton Street, in the Jericho district) you can find another independent record shop called Riverman Records. It may look small, but there's a big variety across many genres (jazz, punk, indie, folk, classic rock, world music etc.). New LPs from £15, used starting from £2. You can expect to find some good LP's around £8, although real rarities are expensive. Here you'll also find some cheap 60's originals (rock'n'roll/ British Invasion stuff). Also, during my visit, they had a lot of African records - e.g. around ten different albums by Nigerian Juju artist King Sunny Ade, when bigger shops rarely even have one in their inventory. A couple of other places on the same street that we liked: The Last Bookshop and Opera Café. We quite loved this city, and not just for the record shops; mainly for its history, architecture, atmosphere, pub food etc. If you're ever in London, you should certainly consider an Oxford detour for a day or two.