John Wray dropped me an e-mail asking me if I’d be interested in a record shopping guide to Berlin for the website. Naturally, I was very, very keen and his article did not disappoint. I did a little research before putting this back up. After all, the E111 health form he referred to at the end of the article (something Brits could use to access emergency healthcare in Europe without landing high bills) no longer exists. Happily, all the links John included are still live, so hopefully so are all the shops.

If you’re reading this site then I assume that you’re an avid collector of as many Krautrock CDs and LPs as you can get your hands on. It’s not too difficult, is it? Sites like ultimathulerecords and less specialist ones like amazon, GEMM and netsoundsmusic mean you can order without leaving the house and if you settle for CDs you can more or less get your hands on anything at reasonable prices. Personally I only, with few exceptions, buy vinyl and I prefer the outdoors hunting and gathering approach. I live in London and although it can be pricey I’ll buy as much of the original vinyl as I can get my hands on from the second hand shops, subject to silly prices not being demanded, although that‘s not always put me off.

The prices aren’t the only drawback though. Availability is very limited seeing as much of the stuff wasn’t originally released in this country and even recent vinyl reissues can be hard to get hold of. On the other hand it can be amazing what turns up in your local charity shops. I recently got 3 original Kraftwerk albums for 30p each in one and an original Ougenweide for 50p in another so it‘s not all unrewarded searching or expensive thrills.

But if you really want to maximise your chances of picking up bargains and avoid having to lay out serious money then a trip to Berlin for a day or two is your best bet. I’ve done this a few times in the past few years. It’s not as expensive as it may sound if you book a flight weeks or months in advance. I’ve even done day returns, out early morning and back late at night, but that’s tiring and you may as well have a holiday while you‘re there and get to as many shops as you can. And see the sights while you’re there.

I recently got back from a two day visit, going out early morning Tuesday and coming back late on Wednesday night. If you do book well in advance and travel mid-week you can pay not much above £30 for a return flight although add on your costs to and from the airport. And hotel. And spending money. Plus take a credit card, so forget what I said about cheap but you’ll get more for your money. I went from Stansted to Berlin Schonefeld with Ryanair but I think Easyjet fly there too from Luton, Bristol and Newcastle. Or you can do it by train or coach but you’ll spend a lot longer travelling obviously. Also, note that winters can be seriously cold and snow could leave you stranded if the airports are shut down so don‘t go much after November or before March or you‘ll be running a risk. I was there one December and the cold Siberian wind gave you migraines within seconds.

However and whenever you get there, there are loads of second-hand shops and even after four or five visits I’ve not been to them all. But if you can get there I’ll generously pass on my recommendations, for what they’re worth. I only buy Krautrock stuff when I’m there as it seems a bit pointless to bring back something that I could buy at home so my views on individual shops are limited to Krautrock.

The first thing to do on arriving is get yourself a Tageskarte, a daily travel card that’ll give you unlimited 24 hour travel on all public transport in Berlin. You might as well get yourself a street map while you’re at it as you‘ll also be doing some walking. The transport system is excellent as well as cheap. Schoenefeld airport, built I think by the Russians after the war, is down in the south east of the city. For under 6 euros you can ride about in zones A and B all day. Buy one and validate it in a machine on the platform before your first journey. The S-Bahn will take you right into the city in little over half an hour. There are no barriers onto and off platforms from the street but controllers check tickets on the train and will fine you without a ticket. I was caught once and bluffed it by pretending to be French, knowing they could speak English and hoping they couldn’t speak French. It worked, some feat given that I was born and brought up in Barnsley, but it’s not worth the risk really.

Normally my first stop would be Pandoras Box in Friedenau in the south west of the city but it doesn’t open till 1.00pm - also, note that it’s closed on Mondays - so it’s easier to do some of the other shops first. However it’s the best shop for Krautrock and other less mainstream forms of rock. They have the best selection of Krautrock CDs I’ve seen and even reissue some themselves on their own label, Second Battle both on CD and on vinyl. A look at their website www.collectorrecords.com will give you an idea but they only seem to update it once a year and it doesn’t give you any idea of the range of second hand and new reissue vinyl they do. I’ve never walked out of there empty handed and this week took home some Harmonia, Gila, Amon Duul and Message. It’s to be found on Stubenrauchstrasse just south of Friedrich-Wilhelm-Platz U-Bahn.

To kill the hours before Pandoras Box opens there are three shops close together a few miles north in Charlottenburg. This week I paid my first visit to Pedro’s Records on Tegeler Weg, five minutes walk west of Mierendorfplatz U-Bahn. This was a laugh. I’d read web correspondence about this place and it lived up to its expectations. Its owner, as he told me, grew up in the former East Germany learning English from listening to rock music. He even has a Scottish friend who used to play with Paul Kossof in Back Street Crawler. The biggest laugh though is that his Krautrock albums are about 20 feet off the ground on the eighth shelf up. For access you use a tall ladder and have to balance precariously at the top while inspecting the condition of the vinyl. The selection is good and I walked away with some original Jane, Floh de Cologne and Wallenstein. He very generously only charged me 5 euros for Jane’s Together on the original green Brain label which was a fraction of the price I saw elsewhere. I shall be back but with a parachute. That reminds me - get yourself an E111 form from the post office.

A bit further south (you can get the 109 bus from near Pedro’s) is 2X2 on Pestalozzistrasse near Wilmersdorfstrasse U-Bahn. They used to have a massive warehouse of a shop down an alley round the corner but that’s closed. The same bloke runs it and he knows his Krautrock and speaks good English. The selection isn’t as good as it once was but a copy of Witthuser and Westrupp’s Live album on the original Kosmische Kuriere label is ample reward for a visit. There was some other good stuff although not too much but I‘d recommend it. Also in the neighbourhood Music Train is on Kantstrasse. Ring the bell and on the left is a column of Krautrock LPs. Being a short-arse I had limited vision of the top shelf and I’d already been up enough ladders that day. Some of it looked okay but it was a bit limited. The Krautrcok CDs were even more-so. Only go there if you have time to spare.

After Second Battle head east, first to Hurricane Records on Hauptstrasse in Schoeneberg and then to Kreuzberg and Neukolln which merge into each other. I missed out Hurricane this time but have bought stuff there in the past. The Krautrock stuff is mixed in with all the other rock stuff but just hunt through. You can walk it in about ten minutes from Pandoras Box but take a map. Otherwise it’s a ten minute walk down from Innsbrucker Platx U-Bahn or in my case a thirty minute walk going round in circles.

Logo in Bergmannstrasse near Mehringdamm U-Bahn in Kreuzberg has a selection of cheap second hand CDs and some new reissue vinyl. Kreuzberg’s a great area though, still a bit like Camden and Notting Hill must have been thirty years ago. Better for collectors of original vinyl though are X Tone on Karl Marx Strasse and Comeback on Hasenheide, both near Hermannplatz U-Bahn in Neukolln. The latter has Krautrock vinyl in boxes under the main racks while X Tone has a limited Krautrock section but with other Krautrock bands mixed in with all the other mainstream rock artists so you have to hunt through. I can’t be too arsed wading through all the usual stuff so settle for a copy of agit-rockers Carambolage’s first album. Comeback is easier though so it’s original Kraan and Klaus Schulze from there.

Kreuzberg does have other shops but I haven’t visited them and there’s also some flea market type shops on Bergmannstrasse more or less opposite Logo if you can be bothered to wade through all the usual rock stuff for that Krautrock rarity. A bit further north I’ve been to Groove on Pucklerstrasse near Gorlitzer Bahnhof U-Bahn but the bloke shouted at me once when I was having trouble leafing through the tightly packed vinyl so fuck him. I did get some original Gila quite cheap there once though so will have to swallow my pride at some point.

Now head north to Prenzlauer Berg, part of the former east but now fast being gentrified. Consequently one of my once favourite shops, Da Capo on Kastanienalle near Eberswalderstrasse U-Bahn, has seriously upped its prices as it seems to aim for the well-flushed yuppie collector. Two years ago I got a copy of Brainticket’s Cottonwoodhill there for 25 euros but now it would cost you 45 euros. Original Guru Guru on Ohr would cost twice that and I’ll not tell you what they wanted for Rufus Zuphall’s Avalon And On box set other than that it was more than my monthly council tax. Anything on green Brain is over 20 euros and nothing at all is under 10. The whole philosophy is to seduce you to part with above average sums of money with stickers on covers that say “original green Brain“ or whatever. Just say no. You can always spend your money on other cheaper stuff elsewhere, unless you’re desperate. I might have gone for some Ougenweide for 10 euros but out of resentment I did spend my money elsewhere. It’s the first time I’ve walked out of there empty handed but bollocks to them.

On the same road, five minutes walk west, on the right is the more down to earth Franz and Josef. They have a Krautrock box on the pavement outside with loads of reissue Hoelderlin, Jane, Eloy and Grobscnitt (you’ll find these bands everywhere) for 5 euros each, plus plenty of other stuff. They’ve got loads more stuff inside too. I’ve bought stuff there in the past so if you’ve time make the walk.

By this time you can be fed up of wading through racks of vinyl so for a break head down to Oranienburgertstrasse near Friedrichstrasse and have a drink in somewhere like cafe Zapata or wander round the collapsing tenements that double as squats and treble as art galleries. Or if it’s a bit of open space you want there’s a nice walk in the grounds near the Spree behind Charlottenburg Schloss which itself is only short distance from Pedro’s. But I’d recommend most of the city. It’s got a sense of history that only the constant changes of its past and present can provide. Public transport is so good you can get about really quickly.

For more information on second hand record shops in Berlin log onto www.steptown.com and choose Schallplatten in the Multi Media section. It’s a bit out of date - some of the shops have closed and others aren’t listed at all - but it’s useful for advanced preparation. Some of the shops have their own websites although most just give their address, contact details and opening times. If you do plan to go then do some advance background planning - especially addresses, transport details and opening times - but be prepared that some of the details may be out of date.

The hotel I stay in is the Bogata on Schluterstrasse just off the Kudamm in Charlottenburg between Uhlandstrasse and Konrad Adenauer Platz U-Bahns. You can get a single room for as little as £30 a night including breakfast unless you want an en suite bathroom. It’s basic but well positioned and has the advantage of not offering MTV. You can reserve on their website and it never seems to be full. Other places are cheaper and in trendier areas but it’s alright if you only want to eat and have breakfast there. I hope to be back there no later than autumn. I may see you up a ladder somewhere. Don’t forget that E111.

Written by John Wray

Some useful links:

General site on Berlin record shops:
http://www.spirit-of-berlin.de/musik/Platten/platten.htm

Berlin Record Shops
http://www.hurricanerecords.de
http://www.platten-pedro.de
http://www.number-nine-records.de
http://www.grooverecords.de
http://da-capo-vinyl.de