Boxing Day sales are a festive tradition, an excuse to part with your Christmas money and grab some bargains to boot. More famously associated with overnight queues outside fashion hubs, in recent years it has become a day for vinyl sellers across the land to slash prices on their stock.
Sure, the big names – HMV, Rough Trade, Juno – leap to the forefront, but thanks to online selling you can check through the stock of independent outlets across the land.
Bear Tree Records in Sheffield seemed to fire the starting pistol, with their sale opening at 7pm on Christmas Day. If you were slumbering post-lunch / overly competitive Monopoly deal then fear not, there are still numerous bargains to be had.
So, a few notables: ‘Happier Than Ever’ by Billie Eilish is slashed to £19.99 (a saving of almost 15 quid), while Brian Eno’s work on the Top Boy soundtrack is reduced to £24.99.
Here’s a real grabber: Damon Albarn’s beautiful solo set ‘The Nearer The Fountain, The More Pure The Stream Flows’ is available for £9.99.
Check out the full sale at the Bear Tree website.
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Let’s go with a biggie: HMV. Fancy grabbing The Cure’s Greatest Hits for £19.99? Honestly, a top tier singles band. Lorde’s masterpiece ‘Melodrama’ is now £15.99, while Tears For Fears’ majestic ‘The Seeds Of Love’ is a snip at £15.99.
OK, not a fashionable retailer, but we’re after bargains here – find the HMV sale online now.
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Beyond Vinyl are a terrific force in the Newcastle music scene, and their sale is now on. Up to 70% off, too – we’ve spotted ABBA ‘Voyage’ for £13.49, while you can grab De La Soul’s fine sophomore album ‘De La Soul Is Dead’ for £22.99… hip-hop history, right there.
Dive into the Beyond Vinyl sale now.
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A Slice Of Vinyl are based in Gosport, a fine community-minded shop. Some very intriguing selections in the sale rack – we’ve spotted a lesser-heralded Chet Baker album, Clash favourite Poppy Ajudha, and Dan Auerbach project The Arcs. A lot for a fiver, too.
Peruse the racks at A Slice Of Vinyl HERE.
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Rough Trade has evolved into vinyl behemoths, and their end of year sale is always worth exploring. Now with outlets in London, Nottingham, Bristol, and New York, if you can’t get down to the physical store then their easy-to-use site is a must.
We’ve spotted ‘No Thank You’ by Little Simz, the excellent Paul Weller compilation ‘Modern Classics’, Clairo’s wonderfully feather-soft ‘Sling’, and Miles Davis evergreen ‘Kind Of Blue’ in the reduced section. Sure, the latter might be overplayed, but it’s a central facet of any self-respecting jazz collection.
Dive in to the Rough Trade reduced section now.
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Crash Records is a must-visit for anyone close to or passing through Leeds, a record hub since 1985. Fancy a Spiritualized record for £11.99? The Cure’s pop-tastic ‘Wish’ for less than a tenner? You’re in the right place.
It’s an eclectic mix, too – a quick look finds elbow, Kylie Minogue, and Ride’s formidable 4EPs, amongst many others.
Find the full Crash Records selection on their site.
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Juno have long been a must for any vinyl fan, matching equipment against deep (digital… and, you would assume, physical in some location or another) racks.
The end of year sale is now on, and it’s absolutely massive – Depeche Mode’s iconic ‘Songs Of Faith & Devotion’ slashed, Liam Gallagher’s ‘C’Mon, You Know’ dialled down to a little over £12, and J Rocc’s love letter to his roots ‘A Wonderful Letter’ for £17.06… you can’t even get a pizza and a pint of IPA in London for that these days, eh?
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Got a hankering to build your vinyl collection in 2024? Clash writer Gareth James broke down some terrific ways to collect records without busting the bank – revisit his fantastic Just Played guide in the Clash archive.
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