Groovy old 1970 pic of Tower Records, San Francisco, CSN&Y "Déjà Vu "just released, only $2.88!

Then...



and now





The facade of Tower Classical across Columbus is still recognizable

 

This is so true. The LP has always been the highest representative art form for music, Goodbye Yellow Brick Road is a stellar example -- the shiny new discs, the attention to every detail on the deluxe packaging, the jaw dropping music. And sharing the physical item never seemed to be a downer (until it came up missing at a dorm party....) Spinning records with friends is still the purest way to enjoy music.

 

We used to go there very Friday and then have lunch on Broadway at Vanessis. What a great time. I can't drive by there anymore.

 

Great post. I didn't get to discover a Tower Records until one popped up in Philly in the late '80s. Still the picture somehow brings back the feeling of walking into even a Sam Goody or Listening Booth in the early '80s. I was a really young kid then, so even their relatively limited selection was a real treat for me. Sadly there are no time machines or ways to truly replicate the feelings I got when I hit a record store as a kid. And as for the Tower in Philly, that amazed me, because at the time I was really into Monty Python and hoped that I'd find at least one record by them that wasn't one of the two that I already had. When I got there, I found that they had every friggin' Python record that was still in print.

 

And the Tower Cafe!

 

What's in the rack facing the cash register? They're square shaped and look like CDs.

 

I used to live at Tower. Spent lots of time at the ones in Campbell, Mountain View, and San Mateo (both the old and the new location).
Remember how good the magazine and newspaper section was. It used to be the only place to find MOJO magazine.
Even made sure to visit the one in London when I visited in the early 90's

 

My last shot at Columbus & Bay

 

All this talk reminds me of the only thing we had in town the came within shouting distance of Tower -- Peaches. We'd ride our bikes there. I remember buying the Columbia 2-LP Exposed samplers at one of my the first trips to the store. It was 4 LPs for like $6 -- It had the liner notes on each band and all this new music. I still have those sets -- And the wood album crate with the Peaches stickers on the sides.

 

Great question for which I have no answer. They appear to be too small to be singles. Perhaps they're 8 tracks but I don't think so. I was a Tower customer in those days but I don't remember anything looking like that.

Speaking of 8 tracks, I don't think I ever bought one there. I don't even remember them selling 8 tracks though they most likely did. Most of mine were bought at specialty tape stores or swap meets.

 

I bought so many singles at Tower Picadilly...

After a conversation with the same sentiment my band just started having "Record Nights". Instead of practise we hang out, have drinks and dinner, and listen to each others' fave records. It's been great.

 

I was introduced to Tower Records in 1988 via the store in Anaheim. I loved it. Later in life, it was the great Tower Records in Mountain View that filled the void.

Before 1988, it was Music+ in Orange that paved the way for me musically.

 

whats 2.88 worth now now 30$

 

Great pictures/thread.
The closest thing I ever got to this was A&B Sound Vancouver or Tower Seattle (5th @ Mercer) in the 80's, but obviously the Golden Age of Records was well over by then. I know I walked by the San Francisco location back in 1988, but decided to hit the Vesuvio just a little way down Columbus (correct me if I'm wrong) for a drink instead. Bad choice.
I always loved that a new release was a cultural event in the nieghborhood; within 3 days every one of your friends had it. There was an acute hunger for music. That's what I miss most.

 

Yes, yes, yes. Back in the good old days, you could go to a record store and feel a part of something. Same with good bookstores, for that matter. Also mostly now gone.

"I don't feel like hanging out here alone" was my motivation to go to Tower more than once

 

Yuck. One looks a whole lot funner than the other.

 

A member has calculated it already: $17

 

I call that communion. It's like the difference between loading your favorite DVD on the player and seeing an extract from it featured on TV in prime time... Excitement!

 

Yeah, but you can't find $17 worth of pocket change in the couch cushions. We used to race to the living room after my parent's house parties in the 70's. Their friends would be staggering out the doors tanked up on hi-balls. We'd usually find a couple bucks in the couch and easy chair. The best take came from the lazyboy...

 

I forgot that!

 

Whenever I'd find myself in San Diego during the 80s & 90s I usually made it a point to stop by the Tower location across the street from the Sports Arena, often spending hours getting lost in that store checking everything out.

 

Nice

 

Yes. I've got a group of bandies/friends that do this fairly often as well. It does tend to inadvertently (well, sort of) lead to tipsily blasting "this ____ record that sounds great!" or random 45s far too loud at 3 am, but that's part of the fun.

Of course, there's other folks who witness it and wonder "why do they just stand around and listen to records" (direct quote) so it's not for everyone. heh.