Rat Records

Awesome place. I knew as soon as I walked in that this place rocked. You better love vinyl. Even if you don’t have a turntable though, there is a great selection of used CD’s.
My only gripe about Rat Records is the size. It could take up a shop at least twice the size.
The guys behind the counter are super cool. The prices are great. I knew when I walked in and saw the B-​52s, Michelle Shocked, The Who and The Jam straight away that this place was the real deal.
I left my CD collection back in the States. I will re-​build it with the help of Rat Records. You guys rock.

Discretely tucked away at the entrance of Camberwell New Road (Camberwell Green entrance), there hides a little treat for record geeks. When you first see the faded blue and yellow sign that simply says «CDs», you could almost be forgiven for mistaking the second-​hand record store Rat Records with the cheapo discount stores that stock multiple variations on 80’s hits compilations, or «Songs That Your Nan Used To Sing»; but, as you will find out, one shouldn’t be so dismissive.
Having known Camberwell for quite sometime now, Rat Records has become a little perk every time I visit. Although the décor doesn’t really dispel the myth of the faded sign, and perhaps you could say it is a little «cosy» at best; if you are willing to invest some time rummaging through the broad selection of honestly priced vinyls, you will soon find something that will turn these «quirks» into «nice little character traits».
In true audiophile fashion, albums are neatly filed under handy sub-​genre based headings, such as; «UK Psychedelia», «US Indie», «Hip-​Hop», «Classic Rock», «Jazz», and so on. However, despite the sign’s invitation, Rat Record’s selection of CD albums is somewhat limited. I think it’s also worth a mention that, if you’re like me and like to «try before you buy», be sure to have £10 to pay the deposit to borrow the headphones.
Barring these factors, Rat Records makes for an excellent little store; you may also want to try your luck selling them some of your own old records, as thet always seem interested to see what you’ve got.

Rat Records is a fairly small record shop in Camberwell. It’s got a small but ok selection of CDs and a fair number of vinyl. It’s quite cheap and you can pick up a good album for around £4 and they don’t tend to sell anything over £8, so if anything that catches your eye is £8, it could well be worth a lot more. Good to pop in to but not to spend much time in.