Best Record Stores in NYC

Discussion in 'Music, Movie and Hardware Store Guide' started by BigMusicFan, Oct 22, 2015.

Thread Status:
Not open for further replies.
  1. BigMusicFan

    BigMusicFan New Member Thread Starter

    I will be going to New York next week. I am looking for record stores with the best selection of Bob Dylan, Beatles, Pink Floyd, and Neil Young items. Do you guys have any suggestions where to go?

    Thanks!
     
  2. Spanish Prisoner

    Spanish Prisoner Forum Resident

    Location:
    Central New Jersey
    Try Generation Records on Thompson street.
     
  3. Cronverc

    Cronverc Forum Resident

    Location:
    Brooklyn,NY
    IMO typical overpriced "tourist trap". For LP's try "Academy" 415 East 12 St. , though Beatles and Pink Floyd are "popular" now and tend to be overpriced anyway, even domestic pressings (forget about imports - they usually going straight to eBay and Discogs).

    My advice - AVOID AT ALL COSTS:
    "The House Of Oldies"
    "Secondhand Rose"
    "Village Music World"
    Ridiculous triple prices for common stuff.
     
  4. Wally Swift

    Wally Swift Yo-Yoing where I will...

    Location:
    Brooklyn New York
    If going out to Long Island is possible I highly recommend Infinity in Massapequa Park. The LIRR at Penn Station to the Massapequa Park stop. It's right across the street. Takes about 1 hour from Penn.
     
  5. Shak Cohen

    Shak Cohen Forum Resident

    Location:
    United Kingdom
    I'm vacationing in New York at the moment and am dismayed by the lack of CD/record outlets! I was ideally looking for CDs more than records as I traveled with a small suitcase that is already pretty full; the only place I've seen in around Broadway/Times Square/34th Street etc. is Urban Outfitters with some LPs for the 'hipsters'.

    Academy (on 18th Street) is a good store, I picked up some nice 1980s issue CDs (Paranoid, Tales, Wind And Wuthering for $2.99) and will probably go back to pick up some more titles - they have some minty original Hendrix and Deep Purple compact discs as well as some nice Classical SACDs, some cool DVD box sets, and Blu-Ray titles - but is this really all the choice I have around the city center, without venturing out to the suburbs??
     
  6. Spanish Prisoner

    Spanish Prisoner Forum Resident

    Location:
    Central New Jersey
    If you're looking for "imports" you should head down to Generation Records.
     
  7. NotOneStraw

    NotOneStraw Well-Known Member

    go to Brooklyn

    NYC (Manhattan) sucks, sorry
     
    Shak Cohen likes this.
  8. Shak Cohen

    Shak Cohen Forum Resident

    Location:
    United Kingdom
    Yes I did at the weekend. I checked out Ear Wax records. They have some good new releases (especially indie) and even great used gear like a Marantz 1060 amp, Luxman turntables and JBL speakers.

    There was one or two indoor market places that had some decent used 60s/70s LPs too. I think there is a Rough Trade store in the area as well, though I didn't go in there (I was with relatives:rolleyes:)

    I did eventually find a couple of Barnes & Noble stores in Manhattan, both selling new LPs, and a reasonable selection of CDs in the other.
     
    NotOneStraw likes this.
  9. Mr. H

    Mr. H Forum Resident

    Downtown Music Gallery for great Avant Garde / Free Jazz / Experimental.
     
  10. Shak Cohen

    Shak Cohen Forum Resident

    Location:
    United Kingdom
    I was in Greenwich Village today and went into a couple of stores, including Bleecker St, which had a pretty sizable selection.

    After that I went round the corner to Jones St, to see where The Freewheelin' Bob Dylan cover was shot:righton:
     
    George P likes this.
  11. Spanish Prisoner

    Spanish Prisoner Forum Resident

    Location:
    Central New Jersey
    The Village and St. Mark's Place used to be great places for CD and record shopping, but most of the stores have closed. It's pretty sad.
     
    Shak Cohen likes this.
  12. George P

    George P Notable Member

    Location:
    NYC
    Better yet, take the NJ Transit to Princeton and go to Princeton Record Exchange. They put NYC to shame, both in price and selection.
     
  13. George P

    George P Notable Member

    Location:
    NYC
    Indeed it is.

    I was sad about J&R closing as well.
     
  14. George P

    George P Notable Member

    Location:
    NYC
    Secondhand Rose is one to avoid for sure. Prices are obscene.
     
  15. Spanish Prisoner

    Spanish Prisoner Forum Resident

    Location:
    Central New Jersey
    I had some great trips into NYC for CD shopping in the Village and St. Mark's, primarily in the 90's. I stopped going in 3 or 4 years ago after most of the stores had closed.
     
  16. NotOneStraw

    NotOneStraw Well-Known Member

    as do Scotti's in Summit, and Vintage Vinyl in Fords, both pretty close to NJ Transit lines I believe
     
    tubbyslion likes this.
  17. boiledbeans

    boiledbeans Forum Resident

    Location:
    UK
    *bump*
    I'll be visiting NYC in July. It's my first time visiting America.

    Where would I be able to find a large selection of classic rock/pop new CDs at reasonable prices, i.e. something equivalent to HMV or Fopp in the UK?
     
    Last edited: May 10, 2016
  18. bhasenstab

    bhasenstab Forum Resident

    Location:
    Brooklyn, NY
    You will arrive about a week after Other Music closes its doors, unfortunately. For most of the last twenty years, that was my favorite shop, but alas the business climate apparently did it in. The only knock on Academy is their primary focus is jazz and classical. Yes, there is some rock around, and some blues, but they are definitely not the emphasis points for the Manhattan shop. There is, luckily, an Academy outlet in Greenpoint, Brooklyn that is broader, deeper and perhaps slightly more vinyl than CD, but if you are interested in selection that might be a place to add to your itinerary.
     
  19. boiledbeans

    boiledbeans Forum Resident

    Location:
    UK
    Thanks. I shall visit Academy Records in Greenpoint!

    What do you think of Rough Trade at N 9th St, Brooklyn? According to Google Maps, it doesn't seem far from Academy Records, so I could visit both together.
     
  20. Johnny Ryall

    Johnny Ryall Forum Resident

    Rough Trade was nothing to write home about the only time I visited a couple of years ago.
    While you're in the area you could try to hit Permanent Records in Greenpoint or Earwax and Co-Op 87 in Williamsburg.
    They all are within walking distance from each other.
     
  21. George P

    George P Notable Member

    Location:
    NYC
    I think you are being kind. I found the prices and selection to be poor at Rough Trade in Brooklyn.
     
  22. Andrew likes this.
  23. metalbob

    metalbob Senior Member

    Location:
    New Jersey
    NYC record shopping is terrible. Even when it was good, I thought it was overrated. And overpriced. If you can get out to the suburbs for half a day, these three are solid choices, as is Jack's Music Shoppe in Red Bank, NJ. All are a decent train trip outside of the city, but they are all pretty spread out. Three of the four are probably a short walk away from the station, so getting around on foot should be relatively easy once you hit your destination. Vintage might be a bit tricky. The walk might be a bit far, but would be worth it. The store is massive. Tons of new and used vinyl and CDs. Might be worth doing a Google Map to see how far it is to walk. If I had to pick one and only one, I would probably say Princeton Record Exchange. It's the furthest, but covers all the bases genre-wise and prices are typically very good. Lots of places nearby to eat lunch and spend the afternoon there.
     
    George P likes this.
  24. NotOneStraw

    NotOneStraw Well-Known Member

    if you can make the trip out to New Jersey, I highly recommend you visit Vintage Vinyl - they have without question the single largest CD inventory I've seen in this modern age. They're in Fords, NJ, which shouldn't be more than a 45-minute train ride from midtown Manhattan.
     
  25. PBo

    PBo Forum Resident

    Location:
    New England
    Your info about Academy is incorrect. As far as I know there are still two Academy records in Manhattan (I lived in NYC for ten years and moved away back in September of last year). While the Academy on 18th St. does have a large selection of classical vinyl, they do have a pretty constant flow of used rock vinyl, but it is a small selection. I used to work next to that one and found many used vinyl gems on my lunch break for decent prices.

    The Academy in the East Village on 12th St is mainly rock and doesn't carry Classical. I always had better luck there then the larger Academy in Brooklyn. The Brooklyn store always seemed picked over, but I didn't make it out there very much.

    I never liked Other Music and never found it worth the trip. They mainly carried new releases and their prices weren't that competitive.

    Record shopping in Greenpoint can be fun if you want to get a lot in without commuting too much. There should be about 5 records stores all within about a 15 minute walk to each other, including Academy, Permanent, Record Grouch, The Captured Tracks Shop, and The Thing (this store is not for the fain of heart).

    Also, most of the record stores in the West Village suck, so I would probably avoid that area.
     
Thread Status:
Not open for further replies.

Share This Page

molar-endocrine