Probe Records

A tiny store front, I walked right by it several times. Once inside, a nice selection of assorted titles. I picked up a copy of The Beatles «Yellow Submarine Songtrack» LP on black vinyl. I’ve been looking for the yellow vinyl copy, which is getting harder to find.

Probe records is situated in Liverpool City Centre, on the corner of Wood Street and Slater street. As it isn’t on one of the main streets you might never know it was there until someone told you about it, as happened to me.
I spent a long time looking for rare music in high street stores to no avail but as soon as I entered Probe Records I knew I had found the right place.
As you browse through the stock you realise it is devoid of the mediocre «pop» music and instead prides itself on stocking the more difficult to find titles. I found Cd’s I had been looking for in high street stores for a long time but had online found them at a hugely inflated price, if at all.
The Cd’s and vinyl at Probe are not available at the same price as chart Cd’s, but they are reasonably priced, considering the fact that they are less easy to come by. If there happens to be something you cannot find in the shop then the staff are more than happy to order it for you at no extra cost.
Probe also stocks t-​shirts which again are usually difficult to find and more obscure than you would get on the high street. They also stock Tickets for gigs and club nights in the area which can be very useful if you are not able to attend the clubs themselves to purchase them.
Probe will soon be moving to the Bluecoat Chambers so look out for info on this.

So, when I go into Probe, I feel like the guy from High Fidelity that gets harpooned by Jack Black for wanting to buy his daughter ‘I Just called to say I Love You’, I’m definitely not a record collector, but I love rifling through the ridiculously cool range of CDs and wishing I knew a little more about 60s Psychedelic Funk than I do… and generally gaping in awe of the knowledgable place.
But, they also sometimes stock gig tickets here and my friend bought THE last tickets available anywhere in Liverpool for The XX for us here. Thank you, Probe!

Not much to add here on Probe Records, as everyone affirms it’s a real-​life genuine piece of musical heritage in a city where a lot relies on the idea of the ghost of the myth of the beat-​era. Offering a broad selection of punk, post-​punk, indie, funk, soul and reggae on CD and Vinyl, Probe is really the one-​stop shop for music you might not find in HMV. It feels like a real record shop too; blasting a selection of funk and punk cult classics through the speakers, with wooden rack upon wooden rack of records, some with little well-​thought out recommendation cards.
The staff are friendly and surprisingly un-​high fidelity-​y in that a misstepped request won’t be answered with a volley of insults in the direction of your musical knowledge. Regulars are treated well and newcomers are treated like regulars. A few years ago I asked for the new Iron and Wine album (the fantastic, laid-​back «Our Endless Numbered Days») and although it wasn’t out until Monday they let me have it anyway. Brilliant.

On the corner of Wood Street/​Slater Street is the cooooooeeellll independent retailer of underground music specialising in new and reissue vinyl.
They have ‘astounding sounds’ available on discs both large and compact. What is raising the temperature in the shop next month? Moon Duo — Escape, Sun Ra — Sleeping Beauty, The Fall — Your Future Our Clutter, The Doors — L.A. Woman and MGMT — Congratulations.
If they don’t have what you want on the shelf they should be able to order it in for you.
I go to Probe Records because they stock records that other record shops just don’t have.
For those that know and have loved Probe Records over the years. If you go to their website
and then flyers on the right hand side — you will find a selection of Probe Records flyers since 1995. If you click on the thumbnail, you will get an A6 image which you can then download and/​or print off.

Still relevant today as it was when it opened back in 1971, Probe is one of only a handful of independent record shops still operating in Liverpool but luckily they don’t become much more unique and individual than Probe.
Unlike the purely second hand record at Probe or House & Techno heavy choice at 3 Beat, Probe prides itself on offerring a range of genres from new artists and labels such as Warp as well as reissued rareties of 60s Garage, Psychedelia and Funk on 12″ and CD formats and they wont be easily found in your local HMV.
The blokes who work there are very knowledgable chaps and the shop still provides a point of focus for much of the city’s alternative music scene, bands and clubs but, as you would expect from a small group of men who spend much of their time in a dark room, they might not be the most customer service orientated!

What can I say, Probe Records is legendary. It’s a no nonsense, down to earth Liverpool stalwart that’s as old as the hills — well, as old as the 70s. Having always been a major supporter of local bands of an independent persuasion this place is all about the heart as opposed to the business, and is run by true die-​hard music fans as opposed to anybody who knows anything about selling.
I smell High Fidelity…
This all adds to its charm. Liverpool is of course one of the primary cities in the UK for music, and I found myself in a horrendous argument not a week ago where someone dared to infer that down south, DOWN SOUTH?!? was the better place for music. Er, please. Perhaps all the record companies live down there now but nobody cares about that, they care about nostalgia and history, and this shop has it in spades.
Probe has had a massive influence on the industry for such a small place. In fact, the likes of Virgin and HMV and the sadly defunct Our Price purchased a lot of independent stock from here. The infamous John Peel was heavily involved in setting up Probe’s own record label, and would you believe it, not only did Pete Burns work here but so did one of the vocalists from Frankie Goes to Hollywood. Indeed it’s steeped in history and culture, but let’s not forget that it sells a bunch of mighty good records and nothing in the shop is second-​hand. They specialise in re-​issue vinyl, something that’s not easy to find.
Any music fan worth their salt should visit Probe Records, it’s an institution and a must-​see.

A Liverpool institution, Probe was immortalised in Kevin Sampson’s Awaydays as the shop everyone visited in the late 70s to buy the latest punk and no wave singles.
Three decades on, they still have a small selection of Joy Division and Magazine albums but their stock is much more eclectic. Alongside classic funk, soul, dub and electro, there are racks devoted to krautrock, psyche, garage, indie, freakbeat and classic rock. Endearingly, vinyl is the dominating medium rather than CDs with lots of lovingly sourced re-​issues as well as new and original releases. The staff are friendly and knowledgable and more than happy to play records if you want to try before you buy. If only all record shops were like this!
The magnificent Magazine: