Dear hunters and collectors,
"Black Diamond Records" has been closed for good on August 24th, 2022.
(still, the store will probably exist further on, but with a new owner and maybe different musical styles)
american english version
howdy folks,
welcome to the website of the worlds greatest, largest and best recordmegastore. Here you will find every record ever pressed in pristine condition at a next to nothing price. Psychedelic and Prog Originals for five bucks, Blue Note Deep Grooves cheaper by the dozen, Kraut Rock and Kraftwerk in the bargain bin on the fourth floor, because we have so many of that shit. Come and visit us in Cologne in the Ritterstrassen Mall and be sure our cheerleading team will do everything to make your stay an experience never to be forgotten.
british english version
Dear Ladies and Gentlemen,
welcome to the website of this rather small and rickety record boutique. We apologise for the shabby conditions in which we present to you our very humble collection of three scratched ABBA records, although we sincerely hope to extend our collection in the very near future when that gentleman with the Chris de Burgh records is released from hospital. We will nevertheless do our very best to welcome you in our humble abode, also known as "that small record store with the leaking faucet in the Ritterstraße".
(german english version)
Hello,
vellcome to zee website of "Black Diamond Records" in the Ritterstr. 48 exactly in Cologne (Köln) in Germany. Our aim is to sell used record albums to the general public. Ve try to do that by offering quality clean records in the best possible condition at a rather good price. You know ve germans are not the cheapest, like the chinese, but we like to think we´re the best, although we would never admit it ofcourse. So, come and check it out. And if you
don´t mention the war, you might even be treated sort of nice.
(general english version)
Okay folks,
lets cut the cultural stuff. If you´ve read as far as here, you are a diehard record collector, wanting to dig in crates of old vinyl, maybe even 78´s. O.K., this is a place where you can do that. We´re not saying this is the best, or the cheapest, or the greatest or the one where the salesgirls have the biggest knockers (in fact we don´t have salegirls). But it is a pretty decent recordstore, where we do our best to present you good quality clean records at a reasonable price. 98% is secondhand, we only have a very small section of new stuff. In Jazz there is a pretty good CD selection too. Otherwise it´s more or less vinyl. And ofcourse we try to get really rare stuff as much as we can.
We are more or less specialised in Jazz and Classical music, but you will find a decent Rock section well up into the eighties. You´ll find Blues, World music, Lounge and Easy Listening, Male and Female vocals, Country, Singer / Songwriter etc. We have a small to middle bunch of dedicated regular customers who snap up the really, really great stuff, but usually there are always interesting records coming in. We simply HAVE to bring in new stuff every week to acquiesce our regulars, so you do stand a good chance to find a couple of treasures, if you pay us a visit. Records are usually in VG+ to Mint condition, many are cleaned on our In Store VPI Disc Cleaning machine. But you will also find bargain bins with prices ranging from €-,50 to € 2,50, where you might hit on some incredible finds. Whether it´s a badly bruised Led Zeppelin Original or a Mint Neil Diamond 70ies pressing, take your pick.
We right now do NOT have an internet store, and we do NOT sell on eBay, Musicstack, Gemm or anywhere else on the web. This is for two reasons: one, we don´t have the time, and two, if you put the really good stuff online and only have second rate stuff in the store, the collectors will stay away, since they expect first rate interesting records.
We sell record sleeves, brushes, and other paraphernalia. We offer a disc cleaning service for € 1,- per disc on our VPI.
We are located in Cologne, Germany in the Ritterstraße No. 48 (just off the Hansaring). This is roughly speaking on the northern side of the inner city. Walking distance to the cathedral or the main railway station is about ten minutes.
The tube or metro station is "Hansaring". From the station it´s a 50 metres walk. By local train the stop is also called "Hansaring" (one before or after the "Hauptbahnhof" depending from which direction you come), but you have to walk about 200 metres.
If you come by car, it´s not that complicated to get to the store, but if you need directions, please call beforehand. If you use a navigation system, please be sure to enter the right Ritterstrasse! Ours is the one in the center of town (Neustadt Nord) or postcode 50668. And please enter number 48 as well. The parking situation is for a mega city like ours pretty relaxed. If you come during businesshours you might even find a spot right in front of the store or in shortest walking distance. Alternatively you can use the "SATURN" Parking garage, From there it´s 200 metres on foot. Which is even convenient for japanese or russian dealers, who buy a box or two of records.
Anymore questions? Send us a mail or give us a quick call!
Hope to see you soon!