Vinyl tops the charts in charity shop's sales figures

Vinyl, dumped by a fickle public on the arrival of the compact disc, is enjoying a cult revival.

Vinyl, dumped by a fickle public on the arrival of the compact disc, is enjoying a cult revival.

According to the children's charity Barnardo's there has been such a surge in demand for vintage LPs that it has put out a plea for donations of unwanted albums to its network of shops around the country, where stocks are running low.

The charity believes the renewed interest in vinyl has been sparked by nostalgia, with the albums most in demand hailing from the Seventies and Eighties, including Sgt Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band by the Beatles, the Rolling Stones' Sticky Fingers and The Sugarhill Gang's Rapper's Delight.

John Ellis, head of retail development at Barnado's, said: "Music is a big part of our retail business and as you would expect, demand for CDs has far outstripped vinyl in the past 15 years. However, in recent months, we have noticed a distinct up-turn in vinyl sales.

"Music is becoming so readily available nowadays, so for music aficionados there is real cachet in owning original vinyl. It appears that records and albums from the Seventies and Eighties are proving most popular, and we think that it's part of a wider trend for all things nostalgic."

Phil Alexander, editor of the music magazine Mojo, believes that among some music fans the fashion for vinyl never went away. "There's still an element of fetishism, where people adore getting 1970s records in their original sleeved format because they look and feel so good. There's now a genuine lack of quality vinyl available, because all the stuff that got flogged off when everyone turned to CD has gone."