Favorite Record Shoppes

They're all still around, except for maybe It's Only R&R. Where was that one located?

Like other NY-area shoppers, I bought lots of LPs at Korvette's back in the early 70s. Also good was Alexander's, they always had good prices on new releases. But how come none of youse NYers mentioned Jimmy's Music World? Yikes, what bargains! Their marketing strategy in the late 70s was to practically give away new releases, while making a killing by buying cut-outs for a nickel apiece and selling them for a couple dollars. Failed spectacularly, but didn't stop me from getting albums like Rumours, Animals, and Heroes for $2.99 and double LPs like Tusk and Songs in the Key of Life for $4.99.

When I started working in NYC in 1981, I discovered Vinylmania on Carmine St., they had a steady supply of promo LPs. Dropped thousands of dollars there in the early 80s.

Now that I buy CDs almost exclusively, my heart (and bank account) belongs to Discorama!

 

It's Only Rock & Roll was a few doors up from Revolver Records they both were on 8th Street...Long gone..The store had a major fire!

 

Rose Records on Wabash in Chicago's Loop & X-File in Shibuya, Tokyo.

 

Billh: Record Surplus is still there on Pico Blvd. (I gave them a call today). It's been nearly 10 years since my last visit. Used to spend loads of time there -- two floors of records! A typical Sunday afternoon with my roommate was Record Surplus for a couple hours of vinyl hunting, early-noon repast at Chicago Pizza Works (just next door) for pizza and beer, and then to McCabe's Guitar Shop a few blocks down.

 

A few years ago I was in the store when a customer came down from the upstairs "99 cent" floor with a clearly labelled MONO Sgt. Pepper's. It was a tad beat up, but still....after the buyer left, the store's owner and one of the guys who worked there engaged in a "discussion" over how it got priced for a buck

 

In Rochester NY, back in the 80s, I used to frequent the Record Archive on Monroe Avenue, which was in a nice old building and downstairs had used vinyl and at least one certified Gabriel freak. I remember buying my first CD there, in the clear plastic longboxes that were impossible to open.

Then there was House of Guitars in the north end of town. Mostly sold instruments, a real labrynth maze of small rooms and hallways with shag carpet. In the basement they had a HUGE LP section that was organized by label, not artist. That was alright but the place was always in total chaos, I remember records being scattered all over the floor in some aisles and they never bothered to clean up. I found some rare records there by just sitting down and patiently plowing through the stacks of old records.

 

('')

Having made the NYC trek w/my "foodie-art junkie" wife, I will attest to Jimbo's gracious hospitality and his VIP status at DiscoRama. Much fun seeing stuff I'll never see down here--and leaving some of my "down-south dollars" in the city.

Speaking of "down here," DiscExchange (2 hrs away in Knoxville, TN) is an excellent indie still thriving on the west side of town. Started as used-only, oddly enough--but is not 90% new.

Strong CD selection in all categories. Pricing only fair to tolerable, but hard to beat the selection outside much bigger cities. Some vinyl, I think--not much.

doug

 

For new things I head off to a couple of Exclusive Companys in Wisconsin. For used stuff I check out New Frontier Records in Appleton Wisconsin.