Notting Hill: Nirvana of Rare Albums.

There’s Buckingham Palace, Big Ben and the Queen. And there’s a record store in Notting Hill.

Right out of the Notting Hill Gate underground station, go for a two-minute walk up the main drag and you’ll find three record stores in a row. The middle one, Music and Video Exchange on 38 Notting Hill Gate, is where you walk into. In this nice neighborhood away from the crowds of Central London and all of the sight-seeing attractions is this chill store to buy all your musical indulgences.

This record store has been around since the 1960’s and has two floors and a basement packed with albums. There are rare, obscure, and famous bands all present with an incredible spectrum of variety. Genres from blues to gospel to psychedelic, and from rock and pop to indie music are all well represented, including live music albums.

Even the most pretentiously persnickety of clientele would be aptly satisfied. The store has a steady, yet calm flow of customers leaving you to browse at your own pace. The Music and Video Exchange has an immense selection of vinyl, LP’s, and CD’s. Most vinyl sells for around 15 pounds.

The cashiers and store workers are gracious, diligent, friendly, and never over-bearing. The collection upstairs is a nirvana or rare albums.

- Text and image by Mark Lauterbach.