Searching for a hard-to-find LP

It used to be that telling a friend you listened to LP records would elicit a reaction either of confusion, as if the person were trying to jog distant memories of a long-lost music-listening format, or of pity felt for someone who was so poor they hadn't yet upgraded to CD or digital files.

But perceptions of traditional vinyl record have been changing and a small batch of new and old stores around town are catering to a growing number of curious listeners and a small community of longtime collectors.

The stores in Taipei are scattered around town and, for the most part, are hidden in the most unlikely places -- in basement- level knick-knack stores, on the top floor of a downtown office building, on the second floor of a ramshackle building in an unfrequented alley.

"It's definitely a niche group of customers that seeks out vinyl records and is willing to pay the relatively high prices for them," said Hou Hung-yi of Jazz Town record shop near the Taipower MRT Station.

His store is one of two shops in the city specializing in second-hand original pressings of classic jazz and blues, with prices on even fairly common Blue Note releases running at several thousand NT dollars.

The serious collectors of Jazz and classical music in town also head to Audio Joy and Hsiao Song Records (小宋唱片), both near Ximending.

Hsiao Song has arguably the largest collection of vinyl for sale in town, with a staggering amount of second-hand classical releases that sell for about NT$500 per record.

The store has lovingly placed all its records in protective clear-plastic sheaths and its owners ask that shoppers remove their shoes when entering the store. There is also a collection of several thousand 1960s, 1970s and 1980s pop-music albums which would take hours to peruse thoroughly, but on a recent brief look yielded an original 1969 copy of the Beatles; Hey Jude for NT$450, less than the typical opening bid for the record on eBay.

Thanks to its cozy layout and display, Joy Audio is vastly user-friendlier than Hsiao Song, though its collection is smaller and more exclusive -- albums sell for between NT$1,000 and NT$3,000. It's also made the leap into e-commerce with a fully English Web site.

But not all vinyl records in town sell for premium prices. A number of used bookstores near National Taiwan University (NTU) have rows of bins against their walls with dust gathering on collections of classic Motown recordings and 1960s and 1970s bootleg issues of Western classic rock, some with hilarious misspellings on their covers.

Also near NTU, White Wabbit Orange (小白兔橘子) in the live-music complex The Wall sells a small assortment of up-to-date vinyl recordings of Japanese, North American and European indie rock. Prices can be a bit dear for these imports, but being the only place in town to pick up such titles, it's here or order online.

The new generation of vinyl listeners who tend toward hip hop and dance music now have a few outlets in town where they can buy the latest DJ-oriented vinyl EPs. Dance-music buyers head to Species Records (有種唱片) and M@M Boutique, both in the trendy East District along Zhongxiao East Road.

Collections are small and new releases, which arrive with little more than a couple weeks' of their releases in Europe or the US, are typically snatched up within a couple days by the professional DJs in town. A word to the wise: new batches of records tend to arrive on Tuesdays.