THE VINYL SOLUTION

Rumour has it that somewhere up on The Ropery is a warehouse stuffed to the brim with old vinyl discs awaiting loving homes. I found out about this mythical Aladdin's cave of untold treasures one day when I wandered into that jeweller's opposite The Little Angel.

At the back of the shop are a couple of boxes of vinyl. I thumbed through to see if there was anything of note, but it was the usual stuff. U2, Leo Sayer, Neil Diamond, that sort of thing.

The guy behind the counter asked what I was after, and I told him I'd been looking for some Kraftwerk since a couple of LPs mysteriously vanished into a black hole some years ago. I think the black hole was Mark Watson's bedroom.

He made a phone call and I was told that Computerworld and Electric Cafe were in stock and he'd have them in the shop tomorrow. £11 for the pair!

I know they sell a few in Oxfam, but there don't seem to be any second hand record shops any more, so for me Al's Tracks was a godsend. The stuff is mostly fairly mainstream, but they do have stock that isn't on the website, so its worth asking if you're after a particular record.

Granted its not as satisfying as thumbing through racks of dusty albums before turning up a forgotten gem, but if you live in Whitby, its the next best thing!

Click here for a link to Al's Tracks. Happy Hunting!