About

We buy and sell records because we LOVE records: it’s that simple.

“When we were kids, all we cared about was buying records and would do anything we could to make that possible. From selling our school dinner tickets to cleaning peoples cars, having an extra few pounds in your pocket only meant one thing: more records!”

Rise Above Records & Relics opened its doors in April 2021 but the owner of the shop has had a very long history in record collecting and the music business in general. Coventry born Lee Dorrian has been involved in music from a very young age. Being a fan of music from pretty much the day he was born, through to seeing bands such as The Specials and The Stranglers in his hometown at the age of eleven, gave him a taste of what he wanted to do with his life.

At the age fourteen, Lee became a fanzine editor, during which time he befriended many musicians from around the world as a result. Upon leaving school, he felt that his hometown was lacking in underground concerts, so decided to start booking small shows himself, with little or no money to hand. During his time promoting locally, he put on many gigs (primarily punk and hardcore) from bands around the world whilst visiting the UK. Notable acts include Iceland’s K.U.K.L. who featured a little-known singer called Bjork and American band Scream, who featured none other than his friend Dave Grohl on drums.

One of his favourite bands at the time was Napalm Death; a band that were breaking speed records, soon becoming the fastest band in the UK, if not the world. He was asked to join them, having had no previous experience of being in a band. Within months of their debut album released in 1987, Napalm Death became one of the most talked about bands of the day, leading to many tv appearances and regular features in the weekly music press. This was all boosted by the help of the legendary John Peel and his borderline fanatical support for the band.

Due to disillusionment, Lee left the band in 1989 and formed Black Sabbath influenced Doom Metal band, Cathedral. Whilst still in Napalm Death, he started his own independent record label, Rise Above Records, which began with very modest intentions. Thirty-four years (and counting) later, the label has become one of the most revered, fiercely independent labels in the world, responsible for signing the phenomenally successful Swedish rock band Ghost, amongst many others such as Uncle Acid & the Deadbeats, Electric Wizard, Blood Ceremony, Church of Misery and countless others.

Being a serious record collector of all genres, his long-time dream had been to open a record shop. Due to touring the world many times and collecting for many years, Lee had garnered thousands of records, which were just sitting in storage, many of which were very rare and sought-after, collectable items. It seemed logical that these records would one day find a place to be re-distributed, so (along with many doubles from his personal collection) the time finally came to open the shop, which has gone from strength to strength since opening. The shop has had many happy customers from around the world and received excellent print features in magazines such as Record Collector and Shindig.

Being a serious collector himself, Lee understands and appreciates the emotional attachment and personal significance a person’s collection can mean to them, as being a major part of their life. When buying collections from people, there are many things to take into account. We want everybody involved to be happy with the transaction and we are not forceful or presumptuous in any way. We are serious about what we do, so it is not in our interest to mislead people. We pay very well for collections and are happy to come to you for a free valuation, without any pressure or obligation.