Shanghai vinyl record shops -- they really do exist

Shanghai isn’t exactly the center of the world for record collectors, but there is an oasis of vinyl here for those of us who thrive on the excitement of finding a rare 1990 Biohazard record, or one of the first Japanese pressings of a Janis Joplin record.

Shanghai vinyl record stores have always been closely guarded secrets imbued with almost mythical qualities, but they do exist.

On a recent trip we found early singles from Beck and Guttermouth. On eBay, a Shins single can go for US$ 40. On Changshou Lu -- RMB 7.

On Weihai Lu near Shaanxi Bei Lu, Broadway DVD is found on the second floor of the only DVD shop on the block. The store is hard to miss, but finding the vinyl is a bit harder. Boxes of records are hidden in an office. Although they know little about the albums or bands, staffers are happy to pull out the boxes for customers.

Run by the same owner -- though apparently without an official name -- the second record shop is found a little farther out on Changshou Lu, behind the Holiday Inn Vista (700 Changshou Lu, near Jiaozhou Lu 上海古井假日酒店,长寿路700号, 近胶州路). From the storefront it appears to be a simple shop selling light fixtures and household appliances.

Venture inside, however, and you'll find stall after stall of pirated DVDs, black market DVDs and CDs from Japan. The real reason to visit is for the old vinyl -- tons of LPs and singles.

Perhaps because fewer foreigners trek out to the location, the selection here is better than at Broadway DVD. Covered in dust -- and in some cases rat droppings -- this collection is a treasure trove of long forgotten and misplaced vinyl.

On a recent trip to this Shanghai vinyl record store, we found early singles from Beck, the Queers, Guttermouth and the Shins. On eBay, Shins singles can go for more than US$40 -- at the vinyl market on Changshou Lu we paid RMB 7. After three hours we had barely made a dent in the mountains of boxes, not even having had a chance to crack the far larger stacks of full-length albums.