OSLO
RAKK & RALL'S - Arbeidersamf. pl.1, - Phone 22-360488
OK, maybe this isn't very central. But RAKK & RALL'S sure is the best shop in town. To start, it's huge, larger than most shops in OSLO. Then, it carries only used Cds (with a singularity: they all have a little tag on the cover with the date it was bought by the store) in a somehow organized way. Prices are really good, ranging from 10 to 12 dollars, and the stock is very good, I mean, it's definitely not another of those used-cd stores where you only find the crap no one wants. After you collect everything you want, there's still time for a last bargain with the cashier. Since I was carrying 8 or 9 cds, he let me choose two more and pay half of the price for each. Don't miss it.
SPIDERMAN - Kirkegata, 32 - Phone 22-410959
Spiderman is located in a small alley just out from Karls Johans Gate, the main shopping street. This store isn't only a cd-store. As you must figure from their name and logo (a mouse wearing Spidey's costume), they also sell videogames, comics and cartoons on video. The used Cds occupy two or three counters on the middle of the shop. Here you'll find very nice prices, but be prepared to browse: the way cds are displayed obbey no known order at all.
THE GARDEN - Storgata, 18- Phone 22-172477
Extra, extra: Henrik-Eidem Kurka from Oslo reports that the shop I visited of The Garden is dead, but their main shop in Tønsberg two hours drive from Oslo is still alive and breathing. This specialized shop used to stand downtown, on the second floor of Carlings, a fashion shop. Although being DJ oriented (it's run by local DJ Cristian Rot), the place had some rock and pop rarities, for which they knew exactly how to charge. If you're curious, why not head for Tøndberg ?
BENNY'S MUSIKK - Stranden, 1 (inside Aker Brygge shopping mall)- Phone/fax 22-837083
Oslo has got a lot of what I've been calling mainstream shops. They all look the same, sell almost the same records, even the offers and bargains are almost the same (and here's something good about them: lots of cds with promotional prices, something that will probably make you think again about considering Oslo one of the most expensive cities in the world). When you're inside one fo those shops, a good hint is to look for the cd singles in promotion: in almost all these shops, they will cost only 2,50 US$. Benny's isn't the biggest of the shops, but it's located on the fantastic Aker Brygge shopping mall, which is one of the must-sees in Oslo.
FREE RECORD SHOP - Karl Johansgt. 6b
If you want to sue them, go on: there isn't any free records in this shop. Actually, it's the same top 40 cds you find in all shops. However, they have a slightly bigger and differentiated selection of promotional prices (around 12 US$ for the Cds and 3 US$ for the CD singles) and are located on Karls Johans Gate, the main street.
PLATEKOMPANIET - Stortingsgaten 22; Bogstadveien 40 and Gronland T-Banesenter - Phone 22-427735
Again, a central-located shop with good promotional prices on various titles. And you can visit them after all the sightseeing: the shop opens during the week from 10 AM to 10 PM, on saturdays from 10 AM to midnight and on holidays and sundays from 1-9 PM (only the Stortingsgaten adress).
AKERS-MIC - Kongens gt. 14 and Akersgt. 39 - Phone 23-000980
Not satisfied with having adresses in all main norwegian city, AKERS-MIC has got an internet adress, where you can find their catalogue. The cds, prices and promotions are the same as Platekompaniet, Free Record and Benny's.
HOT RECORDS - Torggata, 9 - Phone 22-429697
Don't be fooled by the lame cds on the outside of this tiny little shop. Go inside and enjoy the excellent promotional prices of the Cd singles. You can't miss it: it's on this pedestrian-only street, just two steps from Virgin Megastore.
OTHER SHOPS I HAVEN'T BEEN
As usual, I left something for my next visit. Here are some adresses I couldn't check. Some are shops that I went to the door, but found them closed, since it was too early in the morning. The others are hints from collaborators such as Henrik-Eidem Kurka :
* Voices of Wonder Records - Olaf Ryes Plass, 6 (totally off the beaten track) - Opens from 10-18 (unfortunately, since it looked full of surprises from the street-window). The guy who runs the shop, Thomas, is a DJ, so he mantains a very updated stock of dance and dj-oriented music.
* Bjorn Ringstrom's Antiqvariat - Ullevalsvein, on the corner with St. Olav's Gate - Opens from 10-17 - Carries books and paitings as well.
* Hi-Fi Clippet - Celsiusgatan, 9 - Phone: 654-3535 - it was also closed, but I could see from outside they had cheap used cds. Again, an off-the-beaten-track store.
* Music Maestro - Arkaden Shopping Mall
* HS Records - Mollergaten, 9 - Considered the biggest dance store in Oslo (200 square meters) and the closest to a UK big shop you'll find in town, it includes turntables, well-informed staff, new releases, sofas and finely categorized sections. For more info send a mail to jarl@hsrecords.no.
* Sound of Noise - Youngsgate 11 - Phone 22 20 42 00 - Only Heavy and Death Black metal.
* Shadowland - Universitetsgata 2 (entrance in Pilestredet) - Phone 22 20 22 55 - Gothic, industrial and EBM. The shop will have a web-site pretty soon. Keep looking!
BERGENHOLLENDERGATEN ANTIKVARIAT Hollendergaten, 13 - Phone: 55-326155
Bergen is a lovely city, and in many ways (IMHO) more turistically interesting than Oslo itself. But when it comes to Cd shops, it's unfortunately not the best spot on earth. The best deals you can get in Bergen are on this antique shop that sells comics and books on the ground floor. Head to the back of the store and go underground: here you'll find lots of cds with some of the best prices you can get in Bergen, all second hand, with absolutely no understandable organization for you to browse.(Something strange happened to me here: I haven't bought anything because I found a lot of Cds I would certainly buy, but I already had them all, even some rarities and hard-to-find stuff. I mean, if I came to this shop some years before, I would buy lots and lots of things...)
PLATON MUSIKK - Starvhusgt, 2B - Phone: 55-311040
Besides the usual Top 40 stuff, PLATON offer some good opportunities with low prices. But if you wish even lower prices, here's a hint: go down to the basement, where prices go down as well. But again, don't expect any alphabetical order...
CD 1000 BUTIKKEN - Strandgt. 9, - Phone: 55-901617
This is Platon Musikk's sister, owned by the same company, this time on the underground of a cloth store. The Cds equals the cloth the store sells: nothing special. There are some bargains, but either of bands you already have all the discography or with ones you never heard about.
KIPPERS - Markveien 9 - Phone 55-329960 - Mon-Fri, 11-17; Thu, 11-18; Sat, 11-15.
Unlike the others, this shop is slightly out from downtown, but if you head for the Aquarium, you'll surely pass by it. They call themselves (in norwegian) "indie-garagerock-surf-psychedelia-jazz-techno spesialist". If you manage to find them opened, you'll be surrounded by lots of imported rarities and promos, most of them in vinyl. A curiosity: their logo reproduces the HMV logo, only with a fish in the place of good old nipper.
MUSIK-MAGASINET - Walkendorfsgatan, 8 - Phone: 55-902230
Now this is a very old shop, established in 1910. Apart from selling musical instruments and hi-fi systems, they carry some cds. I bought a new single by half of the price the others shops were asking for it. But maybe I was lucky. Try it yourself.
FREE RECORD SHOP - Strandgt. 14 - Phone: 55-232710
Bergen's Free Record Shop isn't as interesting as the Oslo one, since there are less cds in promotion. But as their sister in the capital, they'll let you hear whatever you want.
NYE GAGATEN MUSIKK - Strandgt, 75 - Phone: 55-900660
Another shop on the pedestrian street. Nothing special about it.
AKERS-MIC - Markveien, 3
Actually, I haven't entered this Akers-Mic. But give me one single reason to believe this one has any difference from the Oslo Akers-Mic.
COMPACT-HUSET - Haugesund a couple of hours south of Bergen - Phone: 52 71 61 70
- e-mail: arve@compact-huset.no - http://www.compact-huset.no
This was sent by Arve Skogen. Compact-Huset is located in Haugesund a couple of hours south of Bergen. They mail-order and release an complete catalogue twice a year. This catalogue contains over 95.000 titles. It also contains a list of videoes and DVD's. Every month they also mail a newsletter to costumers containing 32 pages of news & interresting stuff.
Well, this is it for Norway. As I said somewhere before, Bergen is far more interesting in terms of tourism than Oslo. But if you go to Oslo, don't miss the BIGDOY peninsula with the folk museum, the Fram Museum and mainly my favourite, the Kon-Tiki Museum. And if you have time to do just one thing in Oslo, make it to the Vigeland Park. It's amazing.
