Best CD & LP stores in San Francisco/Bay Area?

Discussion in 'Music, Movie and Hardware Store Guide' started by chazz101s, Feb 15, 2014.

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  1. chazz101s

    chazz101s Forum Resident Thread Starter

    Used to live in SFO, so I love to return and do important things--like shop for music.

    I searched for recent threads and everything seems to be at least 3 years old. Could locals give me an update?

    Amoeba in the Haight is probably my all-time favorite record shop. Is it still going strong?

    Where else would locals or other experts recommend for CDs or vinyl? (The Mrs. indulges me; however, I probably won't be going as far afield as the Peninsula/South Bay. But East Bay, yes. And Marin, yes.)

    Thanks for your advice!
     
  2. katstep

    katstep Professional Cat Herder

    If you're going to Marin, make the extra effort to drive up to The Last Record Store in Santa Rosa, about 35 minutes north of San Rafael. They're a real Bay Area gem of a record store. Lots of vinyl both new and used that is continuously refreshed and a ton of CDs. Very cool and knowledgeable staff too. 1899 Mendocino Avenue, Santa Rosa. And no, I don't work for them!
     
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  3. chazz101s

    chazz101s Forum Resident Thread Starter

    I know Santa Rosa, katstep, but I wouldn't have thought to go there. Thank you for the great suggestion!
     
  4. katstep

    katstep Professional Cat Herder

    IMHO, it's worth the trip, but I'm biased cuz I love Santa Rosa and Sonoma County in genral. I go to the Last Record Store at least 4 times a week cuz they're always getting new batches of used vinyl and I never know what I'm gonna find. I've scored more amazing records there than I can count. Plus, I can walk there from my house!
     
  5. chazz101s

    chazz101s Forum Resident Thread Starter

    Any other advice for buying vinyl or CDs in SFO, Marin, the East Bay, please?

    (Related, has any store in or around Mill Valley taken the music-selling plunge after the demise of Village Music?)
     
  6. katstep

    katstep Professional Cat Herder

    Two more that you probably already know about, both in Berkeley: Amoeba Berkeley and Rasputin. Both good stores. Rasputin also opened a store on Haight right near Amoeba, although I haven't been there yet. I've also found some good stuff at Groove Merchant and Recycled, both also on Haight.
     
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  7. chazz101s

    chazz101s Forum Resident Thread Starter

    Hey, thanks for keeping up wid dis thread. (From the response by others, we coulda been PM'ing, no?) I appreciate your replies.

    Yep, bought LPs at both places in Berkeley--as far back as 1982 (yikes!).

    Different tack--is Amoeba on Haight still the primo place for vinyl & CDs in the Bay Area? (Not wanting to start flame-wars, but hoping to get a local-on-the-ground-type update. . . .)

    Thank you, katstep!
     
  8. katstep

    katstep Professional Cat Herder

    I get to Amoeba maybe twice a year, so I'm not an expert, but they are a mighty fine store. Their prices are a bit on the high side, but it's San Francisco. They don't seem to have gotten the message that fewer and fewer people are buying CDs, thus their prices on them are a little nutty in some cases. Also, it's like they have someone full time on Popsike and Collectors Frenzy vetting incoming material for value, so there are few real deals to be found. That said, it's super common for me to walk in there and find something I've been looking for for a long time. Last trip netted me the Record Store Day Pavement best of set that I missed out on a few years ago. At $30 it was actually pretty reasonable. Also, I love looking at their "wall of fame" and dreaming, but that's where the really expensive stuff goes!
    I travel a lot for my daughter's softball team and always look for the little record stores that seem to be holding out and even popping up new. I've found great stuff in the strangest of places in CA: Stockton, Fresno, Davis, Hayward, etc. Fortunately, my wife is totally tolerant with me missing a game or two so I can make the rounds! :laugh:
     
  9. chazz101s

    chazz101s Forum Resident Thread Starter

    Again, thank you, katstep. Most informative!

    Anybody else care to chime in?
     
  10. vinyl_puppy

    vinyl_puppy Der Weaselschnitzel

    Location:
    Santa Rosa, CA
    I've never been there yet, but Mill Valley has Mill Valley Music. 320 Miller Ave. San Rafael has Red Devil Records downtown on Fourth Street and out west, still on Fourth is Bedrock Music. I'll second The Last Record Store.
     
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  11. chazz101s

    chazz101s Forum Resident Thread Starter

    Thank you, vinyl_puppy. I had found MVM online. However, I'd not heard of RDR. We have great friends in San Rafael. Hope they will indulge my visiting RDR.

    Thanks again, Chaz
     
  12. jfeldt

    jfeldt Forum Resident

    Location:
    SF, CA, USA
    Streetlight Records in SF, San Jose, and Santa Cruz can have some good finds. The Rasputin on Powell hasn't been bad either.
     
  13. nancybrooke

    nancybrooke Not quite Senior Member

    Location:
    Seattle, WA, USA
    Grooves on Market St. is kind of cool in a dusty slightly disorganized old-school way (I bet there were way more stores like this in SF pre-Amoeba). It's in a weird part of town, not quite the Haight or the Mission or Castro (at least to this out-of-towner), but easily accessible on the F muni line.
     
  14. jimbutsu

    jimbutsu WATCH YÖUR STEPPE

    How is the SJ Streetlight these days? I used to live in that place back when it was in the old house, before it moved the the old Quement building (anyone else miss Quement?). Last time I was there a couple years back they were a little lighter on selection than I remembered them.

    I'll be back in the South Bay for a visit later this month, planned to hit the Santa Cruz Store, but is the SJ store still worth a trip?
     
  15. jfeldt

    jfeldt Forum Resident

    Location:
    SF, CA, USA
    I miss Quement. The SJ Streetlight is not as good as it used to be and I don't go too often anymore now that I moved to San Frwncisco, but I'll often leave with a couple of finds still. If you're nearby I'd say check it out
     
  16. jimbutsu

    jimbutsu WATCH YÖUR STEPPE

    Remember when Rowe's was right down the street? That guy was an interesting character... Is that still the Record Barn, and is it worth checking out?
     
  17. jfeldt

    jfeldt Forum Resident

    Location:
    SF, CA, USA
    I have to say you're beyond my knowledge now :)
     
  18. vinyl_puppy

    vinyl_puppy Der Weaselschnitzel

    Location:
    Santa Rosa, CA
    Bumping this one for Chazz. I've not been to this place yet either, but in Cotati there's Amazing Records.
     
  19. chazz101s

    chazz101s Forum Resident Thread Starter

    Thanks, v_p! Not sure that I ever visited Cotati, back in the day. . . . (Hm, now then, where was the Blue Moon Cafe? I remember seeing Bobby Murray there, once upon a time.)

    Best to you,
    Chaz
     
  20. pahrumpf

    pahrumpf Well-Known Member

    Last time I was in SF I still saw plenty of people buying CDs at Amoeba et al. (myself included). I'm glad Amoeba still stocks so many of them, and gets a lot of good stuff in (at least, last time I was there). I don't buy vinyl/styrene/etc. records, so I'm finding I'm having to turn to ebay increasingly often to get anything. Been quite a drag...
     
  21. jimbutsu

    jimbutsu WATCH YÖUR STEPPE

    Quoting myself, I know, but I was just out there in May and the answers are, in order:
    Yes, it is... and no, it is not.
    Streetlight was painful to go to as someone who knew it in the old days... it is a shell of what it once was, and that made me super sad.

    Side note: I had to go out to Marin on business a couple weeks ago (never got further south than SFO), and we stayed in San Rafael-- really wanted to check out Red Devil but just never made it... if I have to go out that way again, is it worth the trip?
     
  22. vinyl_puppy

    vinyl_puppy Der Weaselschnitzel

    Location:
    Santa Rosa, CA
    Even if Red Devil ends up not being worth it for you, go there anyway. New place to just check out. Its definitely not in Amoeba's class size wise but you never know. They could have one of those elusive records you may have been searching high and low for...
     
  23. MLutthans

    MLutthans That's my spaghetti, Chewbacca! Staff

    Thanks for this thread! I've been to Amoeba in Berkley before and plan to go back there tomorrow, but now have some other worthwhile stops. (I'm hoping to make it up to Santa Rosa -- that sounds fantastic.)

    Anything in Oakland or San Jose???? (Thanks in advance.)
     
  24. jimbutsu

    jimbutsu WATCH YÖUR STEPPE

    Whoa, that's so weird... I'm in a hotel room in Sunnyvale right now. San Jose-wise, things have fallen pretty far. If you don't have allergies and want to dig forever, check out Big Al's on Bascom, then his Streetlight down the road a ways (which is very disheartening because it's a husk of its former self). I was out here with my wife in May and we did some very fruitless South Bay hunting, so much so that if we get to a shop, great, but we could take it or leave it. North Bay is still reputedly pretty good, as is SF and Berkeley (again by reputation).

    OTOH, if I'm wrong and there's still legit good shops in the South Bay, please post them here before the weekend is out, as I will wedge them into the itinerary!
     
  25. MLutthans

    MLutthans That's my spaghetti, Chewbacca! Staff

    Yes, please. :)

    I only made it to Rasputin Music in San Lorenzo today, and just go there about 20 minutes before close. Pretty impressive selection, I must say! One odd thing: Their "vocals" section consists of basically anything "easy listening,' be it instrumental or vocal. Gordon Jenkins and Neil Hefti albums really don't belong in the vocal section, unless, of course, they are accompanying somebody with their orchestras.

    Cool store, though!
     
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