The movie "High Fidelity" was set in Chicago — but the novel was set in England, where record collectors are even more maniacal than those in the States. In the likable documentary "Sound It Out," we meet the vinyl hounds who prowl around the last record shop in a corner of northeast England. The chorus of characters would have a wider dynamic range if we heard more about the store owner himself. But then again, in the world of vinyl, it takes a hole in the middle to make the music go 'round.

An easygoing everyman named Tom Butchart runs the independent Sound It Out record store in the depressed city of Stockton-on-Tees. Tom knows the whereabouts of almost all the 70,000 LPs and CDs in his inventory, but he says that his virtually all-male clientele craves either heavy metal or a speedy dance genre that the yobs in Stockton call makina.

We meet several of the weekend DJs and headbangers who loiter in the store, and since there's little else to do in the town, we can understand the sense of community that develops there. But curiously, we learn less about Tom's musical taste and managerial strategy. If he showed director Jeanie Finlay his favorite album or his balance sheet, the bonus footage would make the DVD a collector's item.

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"Sound It Out"

Three stars (out of four) • Rating Not rated • Content Some strong language • Run time 1:20 • When 7:30 p.m. today through Sunday in Moore Auditorium at Webster University.