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Jan 6, 20236 min read

Let's Get Physical ... Pop Preservation Society vinyl now at 11 of Melbourne's finest record stores

Three nights before Santa dropped off Christmas gifts to the good little boys and girls in Melbourne, Pop Preservation Society founder, Victor Stranges, visited some of the city's coolest and most influential record stores. There he found enthusiastic management and teams embracing local Australian talent while they stocked their stores with the label's debut release, the 'Modern Mythology' EP by local indie rockers, Lipstereo.
Pop Preservation Society founder, Victor Stranges at Vicious Sloth Collectables, Malvern

Three days before Christmas Day is not the best time for record company reps to be visiting busy record retailers in Melbourne. However, it was a mercy dash for the label as its debut release, 'Modern Mythology' EP by Lipstereo, recently was named Rolling Stone's Record Of The Week, entered the U.S. Top 10 SubModern Commercial Album Charts, was played on MTV in the US, and broke into the North American Top 20 College Radio Charts. "I had to get this stock out locally as Lipstereo are a Melbourne band!" said Stranges.


With Australia Post and transportation companies at peak Christmas capacity, it meant that deliveries would not reach stores by Christmas. "So one day I hopped in the car with our A & R guy, Frank Apicella visiting stores with stock and paperwork in hand. The next day I went out with our designer, Chiara Stranges," he added.


One may view this week's announcement of the closure of Sanity's 50 Australian stores as a memorial marker of sorts for the industry. Like radio, the good record stores (and the good radio stations) are for the most part, now owned and/or operated by genuine music enthusiasts. There are still behemothic players in both record retail and radio, but independent music is alive and well!


We thank the following stores (in no particular order) for stocking Lipstereo's 'Modern Mythology' EP. Drop in to their patch to show your support and check out the coolest and most rare releases you will find anywhere. Tell them Pop Preservation Society sent you...


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Vicious Sloth Collectables are Australia’s leading mail order specialists in rare records, CD's and music memorabilia and have been satisfying collectors

worldwide since 1987. They source their range from around the world, covering all styles of music, from jazz to punk, from delta blues to progressive rock, from industrial to funk and ABBA to Zappa. They stock the most currently available Australian and New Zealand reissues of sixties and seventies garage, folk, psych, prog rock, boogie-blues and glam favourites.

Phone: (03) 9822 4992

Address: 1309 High St, Malvern


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Dutch Vinyl sources records from all corners of the globe, both second-hand vinyl and new vinyl records. Every year they travel to Holland to acquire Dutch & European vinyl record pressings which are known for their superior quality. They carry a diverse and eclectic collection of VG+ to Near mint records, stocking Pop, Rock, Soul, Alternative, House, Techno, Latin, Jazz, Disco, Soundtracks, Spoken Word, Avant Garde, Electronic, Reggae, Blues and more. They are famously known as the best record store in Melbourne to go digging for weird and wonderful Dutch records.


Phone: 0481 882 219

Address: 269 Johnston St, Abbotsford


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Captain Stomp Records is an Australian based independent record store established in 2018 by people who are passionate about vinyl records and music, specialising in new vinyl records. They stock a broad range of music on new vinyl from popular to rock to dance to jazz to blues and more. Their new vinyl records are sourced from local Australian music distributors and record companies plus directly imported titles from overseas. Captain Stomp also stock mid-priced turntables together with accessories such as record sleeves, stylus and cleaning products.


Phone: (03) 9752 3740

Address: 46 Forest Rd, Ferntree Gully


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Greville Records opened in 1978 because Sex Pistols, The Clash and Nick Cave records were hard to find. Melbourne was dominated by the likes of Brashs and other corporate record chains. Folk, jazz and blues records were just as difficult to find as were punk records. On the same street in the 1970s, AC/DC played their first residency in a local pub there called The Station Hotel (no longer there). Also on Greville Street, The Continental Cafe (also no longer here) hosted local and international acts such as Bill Evans, Paul Kelly, Sheryl Crow, Alex Chilton, World Party, Tex Perkins, Roger McGuinn, Henry Rollins, Rowland S. Howard, Dave Graney, Nick Lowe, Mr Bungle, Colin Hay, Vince Jones, Joe Zawinul and Jimmy Webb. Greville Records' range is as eclectic as these artists and features an extensive mix of second-hand vinyl records and CD's.


Phone: (03) 9510 3012

Address: 152 Greville St, Prahran


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Oh! Jean Records is a general record store with new and used vinyl, and with a specialised NZ section. They love talking music, NBA, and anything in between! RRIOT House, a rad little takeaway coffee bar serving up Coffee Supreme also shares the space. Oh! Jean Records frequently has live bands in-store for gigs on their sweet stage, so keep an eye out with the link on their homepage for anything coming up. Bands such as Camp Cope, Chastity Belt to Jess Ribeiro and Kim Salmon and Die! Die! Die! have graced the stage in the past.


Phone: (03) 9416 4768

Address: 276 Nicholson St, Fitzroy, VIC 3065


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Record Paradise is an independent record store in Brunswick owned and operated by music lovers, Paul Allen and Renae Maxwell. They have a large selection of new release and reissue vinyl including local independent releases from some amazing labels including iT, Cousin Wills, Flightless, Efficient Spaces, HOMELESS, Chapter, Mistletone, Poison City Records, MILK, Aarght Records, Caroline, Inertia, Remote Control and many more. They also stock styli, belts and vinyl cleaning accessories. Record Paradise was established at St Kilda in 1955 during the transition from 78 records to vinyl and have ridden the wave of a resurgence in vinyl culture for the past 10 or so years.


Phone: (03) 9388 9056

Address: 159 Sydney Rd Brunswick, VIC 3056


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Rocksteady Records has lots of new and secondhand vinyl, local independent releases and they are PBS/RRR Member Discounters. "Passion, not fashion..." is their motto. Its founder, Pat Monaghan, is a musicologist from way back. Cutting his teeth in Perth at Dada Records, he did long stint at Au Go Go in Melbourne during the 1990s and put in a solid 14 years from 2003 at Melbourne's Basement Discs. The vinyl range includes reggae, funk, soul, rock, jazz, hip hop, indie and new wave. Rocksteady Records also carries turntables, CD's and books too... "all with a fierce local focus."


Phone: 1800 760 070

Address: Level 1, Mitchell House, 358 Lonsdale St, Melbourne CBD


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Vinyl Revival is an independent record store and turntable/hi-fi specialist on Brunswick St, Fitzroy. They are stockists of the world’s leading turntable, amplifier, and speaker brands as well as local handmade vinyl-orientated furniture pieces. With decades of experience in the audio playback industry, they are dedicated to curating the most authentic vinyl experience for their customers. As their website bio states, "Vinyl Revival isn’t simply an attempt to embrace the public’s resurgent love for vinyl records, it’s our bid to take back the way music enthusiasts purchase and refine their love for music. We want to know who you are, what you listen to, how you listen to it, and help you enjoy this most beloved art form as much as we do."


Phone: (03) 9419 5070

Address: 405 Brunswick St, Fitzroy VIC 3065


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Licorice Pie Records are secondhand vinyl specialists with well over 20 years in the industry. Carrying a love for music of all styles, their passion and focus is on the buying and selling of pre-loved vinyl records of most genres and vintage hi-fi equipment.

Established in 2002, Licorice Pie recently moved to a new premises located at the Collingwood Arts Precinct. They are now stocking more records than ever in their spacious new store, and there’s always a fine selection available via their Discogs Page which incidentally has a 100% customer rating.


Phone: (03) 9510 4600

Address: Collingwood Arts Precinct, 35 Johnston St,

(Alternate Entry via. Perry St), Collingwood

Website: licoricepie.com


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The Searchers Records was established over 10 years ago on 93 Smith St in Fitzroy. They describe their approach in having "... a strong focus on the shop being a proper digging spot - a place to find an LP you've always wanted or something you have never heard before... searching is always the best part." The Searchers Records has an eclectic range of used records including hip hop, prog, psych, dub/reggae, experimental, kraut, African, world, synth/minimal wave, disco, house, electro, jazz, blues, soul/funk, punk, metal, rock & pop. They also stock new and reissued records and have a carefully curated online store.


Phone: (03) 9939 0096

Address: 93 Smith St, Fitzroy


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Vinyl Space was founded as a labour of love by Mick Smajdor. The store has a large collection of records, sourced both locally and internationally. Stock lives in cabinets which Smajdor built himself. A large selection of vinyl is second-hand, though the number of new pressings is growing. Also on offer are CD's, books and cassettes. Genres include Indie, New Wave, Punk, Metal, Funk, Soul, Blues, Jazz, Dub, Prog Rock, Psych and Pop. With over 4000+ records in store with new stock arriving weekly.


Phone: 0415 640 520

Address: 119a Johnston St, Collingwood

Website: vinylspace.com


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