Union Record Shibuya

Synth-led pop and a folk/funk songwriter

Union Record Shibuya puts new and used vinyl together in PARCO B1. Junichi Inagaki’s NO STRINGS gives one musical starting point. Synthesizers and programming frame mostly medium-to-slow songs: the European romanticism of ブルージン・ピエロ and soul-inflected 愛は腕の中で make this a starting point for smooth vocal pop.

Yosui Inoue’s 氷の世界 takes a different musical direction. The 1973 album moves among folk, funk and Japanese popular song. Inoue described a Beatles-inspired desire to put varied music into an album. Choose this starting point for contrasting songs and a songwriter’s lyric world rather than the more consistent synth-led setting of Inagaki.

Catalogue number, inserts and two condition grades

Check the catalogue number on sleeve and label alongside the album title. The shop’s records identify LP examples such as NO STRINGS 28FB-2013 and 氷の世界 MR-5038. A title alone cannot distinguish a reissue or another format.

Then check whether the obi, liner or lyric sheet remains, and read separate grades for sleeve and disc. Go beyond a grade such as EX to the description of dirt or small scratches. Complete packaging and a copy chosen chiefly for listening can lead you to weigh these details differently. Identifying the music is the first choice; choosing the particular copy comes next.

Animation songs and orchestral cues

Macross vol. II, identified by JBX-25013, offers another way to listen to songs alongside music that establishes a scene. This is the second soundtrack to the original television series: Mari Iijima’s 私の彼はパイロット and SUNSET BEACH sit among short background cues. パッション adds a symphonic, up-tempo break. It suits an interest in scene-setting instrumentals alongside songs, rather than a single singer’s album.

A shorter stop between larger shops

Find it at PARCO B1, 15-1 Udagawacho, weekdays 12:00–20:00 and weekends 11:00–20:00. Allow an estimated 30–45 minutes for arrivals and a genre section. Tower 6F extends the new-release choice; HMV offers a larger two-floor rock-and-club search. A weekday visit before noon does not fit this shop's hours even if other PARCO areas are open.

Read it with

TOWER RECORDS SHIBUYA“Three thresholds for record digging” · Choose a floor

Face Records SHIBUYA“Three thresholds for record digging” · Dig deeper

Before you go

Hours and fees

Shibuya PARCO B1F, 15-1 Udagawacho. Listed hours are weekdays 12:00–20:00, weekends and holidays 11:00–20:00.

Good to know

Weekday opening is at noon. The locator identifies PARCO, not the basement door or floor route.