Portland, Oregon PDX Record Stores

Discussion in 'Music Corner' started by MichaelPemulis, Feb 19, 2014.

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  1. GentleSenator

    GentleSenator what if

    Location:
    Aloha, OR
    they've stocked more recently. i went in last weekend and they had the majority of the newer releases like dylan, band, etc.
     
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  2. oneslip17

    oneslip17 Forum Resident

    Location:
    SE Portland, OR
    Cool! Looks like I may have to stop in there pretty soon and take a look. Thanks for the heads up.
     
  3. Clanceman

    Clanceman Forum Resident

    Location:
    Portland, Or
    Yeah, just thought the Trespass promo with the NM cover might interest the guy looking for Genesis.

    Didn't know, or look close at the Japan Zep. There was a lot of it. Zep IV Japan was 100.00, stating Mint original 1st press.....a boot? I have 2 copies each of the Classic records Zep (one play one sealed), so I just don't look at Zep, unless I see II or HOFTH, just to see if they're RL's.

    My haul today (all minty)....I went back.....the 2 Plant LP's, J. Geils Freeze Frame, Love Stinks.....an incredibly clean and perfect copy of "Who's Last" (I know a lot don't like it, but it was too nice), .......and, I grabbed that copy of Guns n Roses "Lies" off the wall. CD's: original Motley Crüe Dr Feelgood, a Queens of the Stone Age Era Vulgaris Argentina import, and at the checkout counter...I picked up Devo "Are We Not Men?"
     
  4. Clanceman

    Clanceman Forum Resident

    Location:
    Portland, Or
    I love this place. I've bought a lot of "rare" Stones records there. The metal stuff they get in is amazing.
     
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  5. GentleSenator

    GentleSenator what if

    Location:
    Aloha, OR
    yeah! it feels like they might be doing fairly well. also had a bunch of MOV titles too. the shop feels really well stocked and shelves are full of new stuff. also had a good amount of neat used stuck in the bins. grabbed an original german copy of Deja Vu for $13 in NM condition.

    it's also pretty much the only shop in town that you can get sub pop's "loser edition" vinyl if you're into that sort of thing. all of the other places in town seem like they just let their employees buy it instead.
     
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  6. Mike in OR

    Mike in OR Through Middle-earth...onto Heart of The Sunrise

    Location:
    Portland, Oregon
    You picked yourself up some goodies. Forgot, yeah they also had that JPN press you mention.
     
  7. Clanceman

    Clanceman Forum Resident

    Location:
    Portland, Or
    Mike,

    I do agree with you about the grading at "Everyday." I find their grading at all locations is kind of sloppy and inconsistent. I think it's "good" or "fine." I just have to take them out and look them over myself. I saw a "Live At Leeds" copy yesterday that was graded "fine", but had scratches and scuffs all over. I've found "good" copies that look flawless. I think they may have another grade, "fair", but I rarely see it.

    I go to MM quite a bit, but I'm trying to remember....do they even put a grade on the cover?
     
  8. Mike in OR

    Mike in OR Through Middle-earth...onto Heart of The Sunrise

    Location:
    Portland, Oregon
    Well what I see as a turn for the worse is that EM in Cedar Hills seems now to be grading closer to what the other two stores are doing. I used to find so much "fine" (near mint) graded vinyl there, these days you see a lot more "good" (VG+) graded vinyl than anything else. As far as Music Millenium, their selection (freshly put out used vinyl on a regular basis) is such a small amount of vinyl that I don't bother. Their prices on a lot of collectable vinyl is so over priced. That is like strike two, your out for me.
     
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  9. Clanceman

    Clanceman Forum Resident

    Location:
    Portland, Or
    You've got a point.....regarding EM and MM.

    With the exception of RSD, I just don't end up with much vinyl from there....or used CDs for that matter. MM, to me, is probably most useful for new CDs, and even hard to find and sometimes OOP and import CDs.

    EM.....especially the Beaverton location, is always useful to me, because they buy any and everything. They buy when others might not, so it makes sense that they're a good source for used vinyl. I just have to ignore their grading altogether.
     
    Last edited: Feb 20, 2014
    rxcory likes this.
  10. MichaelPemulis

    MichaelPemulis Forum Resident Thread Starter

    Location:
    United States
    Hmmm - so what makes people love Millennium? That is the RS that I most frequently see people cite as their favorite. Seems incongruent with the info in here.
     
  11. Clanceman

    Clanceman Forum Resident

    Location:
    Portland, Or
    It's pretty cool inside, lotsa memorabilia, CDs to no end. They get a lot of all new stuff....cd and vinyl. Live performances. "Keep Portland Weird" stuff, cool music DVD n bluray section. Probably more jazz, classical than elsewhere. Dedicated Blues section. RSD is awesome and organized there.

    My take.

    However, what Mike says above....I agree with re: used vinyl, and their prices. I find 2nd ave, EM, and even Jackpot on most, to be cheaper. They do have more sales though, and automatic 10% off if you spend over $150.
     
  12. MM has been there forever.

    My purchases end up being equal amongst all the stores in downtown. I've found gems everywhere.
     
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  13. There has been a big turnover in staff at Cedar Hills. A lot of new faces there in the last 6 mos.
     
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  14. George Blair

    George Blair Senior Member

    Location:
    Portland, OR
    I would ignore the part about grading vinyl, I just look at the record and grade myself. Nothing wrong with Music Millenium, they have a nice vinyl room with separate street entrance. There is some loyalty as they have a long history in Portland, but not necessarily the best in town. I'd suggest going to as many stores as you can and decide for yourself.
     
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  15. Clanceman

    Clanceman Forum Resident

    Location:
    Portland, Or
    Yeah, and some nice, new kids. I was there when one of them were having their 2nd interview. They have a long quiz. To get to a final interview, he was asked to name at least 3 Rolling Stones members, another question: name the original Beatles drummer.

    I'm not sure how many the kid had to get right. He answered both of those.

    Pretty cool that they make an effort to even do that. To make sure the kids can talk music, at least a bit.
     
  16. Whoa ? Really ? Wonder what the rest of the questions were ?
     
  17. scalanca

    scalanca Forum Resident

    I worked at Everyday for 3 weeks. What a bummer place to work at, but it's very Portlandia because some people work there for 10 or 20 years and make $11/hr
    Ugh...
    Also worked for Isaac at Jackpot for almost 2 years. First at Hawthorne store and then downtown. They suffer because Isaac is a control freak that prices every single record at both stores. If you work there for 10 years you still can't price vinyl. Only King Isaac. He is a psychopath.

    But I haven't heard anything about the best record store in Portland.

    EXILED RECORDS on SE Hawthorne and 45th Ave

    They are the only store that really really gets it right. Perfect selection of vinyl which makes up 90% of the small store. Grading and quality is the best and prices are so low. Don't be surprised if a lot of the stuff is unknown to you. They specialize in the obscure. But that is why I love them. I can still "discover" new music there.

    Also, really blown away by my first and only visit to BEACON SOUND Music on NE Prescott and 15th ave. Super nice guy with great taste and a lot of vinyl variety for a small shop. Can't wait to go back.
     
  18. Dragonwell

    Dragonwell Forum Resident

    Location:
    Portland, OR, USA
    I do like Exiled - I've picked up some great stuff there. My only complaint with them is the same I have with many record stores in town : it seems they place more importance on having a cool, hipster-oriented selection than stocking quality vinyl. I see tons of bootlegs, 4 men with beards, vinyl passion and other crap reissue stuff on the shelves, not only at exiled, but at jackpot, music millenium, etc. I guess many people just want vinyl, and either don't know or don't care if it's decent quality.

    The reason I like Crossroads is that it's all used and all original. While this definitely cuts down on the selection, if you find it there, it's usually worth buying.
     
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  19. Clanceman

    Clanceman Forum Resident

    Location:
    Portland, Or
    Never been to Exiled. I've gotta check it out.
     
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  20. Clanceman

    Clanceman Forum Resident

    Location:
    Portland, Or
    I don't know, maybe scalanca can expand on that.

    I had no idea they did that, but I thought it was pretty cool that they cared enough to have something like that in place.

    I asked the mgr. about it, he said they just have to have people that know about music working there, and that I'd be surprised at all the applicants that flunk some basic questions, like not being able to name 2 Beatles.
     
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  21. Fullbug

    Fullbug Forum Resident

    Location:
    Seattle
    Hawthorne is Vinyl Central. I have a house there and am there three days a week. I like my Oregon Time better than my Washington Time. I'm sure, unbeknownst to either of us, I know esteemed poster Lord Hawthorne.
     
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  22. Fullbug

    Fullbug Forum Resident

    Location:
    Seattle
    Oh yeah, you're gonna get attitude in Portland. When I shop there, I'm not a hipster. I have blue jeans, maybe a Zep t shirt or just a grey shirt, and running shoes. No special eyewear. No porkpie hat. No bowling shoes. Now and then I get a 'tude. I just don't let other people bother me.
     
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  23. Mike in OR

    Mike in OR Through Middle-earth...onto Heart of The Sunrise

    Location:
    Portland, Oregon
    Yep, I am in there almost daily. There has been some new faces and I can only guess that is why I am seeing a change in the vinyl they put out. I never take their grade at face value, you need to pull out that record and look at it, but that goes for anywhere I shop. What I was trying to say is that the change I see is that it used to be that nearly every record I pulled out looked unplayed. Now, not so much.

    One example, the owner of MM last RSD was the only one in town that scored copies of The Flaming Lips doing The Stone Roses covers on that great looking colored vinyl. He scored ten copies. People were in line at 4am to get their hands on a copy.
     
    Last edited: Feb 21, 2014
  24. CraigVC

    CraigVC Senior Member

    Location:
    Portland, OR
    I'm not sure it's the worst in town, but Jackpot (especially the downtown location; I've only visited the Hawthorne location once or twice) is not a very good record store. The vinyl selection is very limited, and there's a lot of worn/scratched stuff in those limited stacks.

    What I hate even more is the way they stock their used CDs - they remove all the used CD booklets and put them into flat "longboard" sized cardboard sleeves. So there's no way to inspect the back of the CD case, the CD itself, or look through the booklet, until you bring the cardboard sleeve to the register and wait for them to retrieve the rest of the CD/package and reassemble it all for you.

    Once I went to Jackpot in search of early pressings, and brought a stack of 20-30 CD booklets in cardboard sleeves up to the front, then waited for the clerk to retrieve all of those CDs from the inventory. After inspecting each one, I realized they were all mundane remasters or more common/recent pressings. So I walked out without buying anything, having wasted a couple of hours. Never again!

    I do appreciate that Jackpot stocks some paper tickets of upcoming concerts, allowing those who work downtown to stop by Jackpot after lunch and buy tickets without unnecessary "convenience fees," etc. And I used to get some good Record Store Day selections there before that event became too popular/crowded to make it worth the hassle...

    2nd Ave Records is a much more enjoyable record store to visit than Jackpot, but 2nd Ave has some weird quirks to keep in mind. They mix their audiophile vinyl in with their used inventory (and seems like they mix a lot of new and used as well). A decade ago I scored a number of new DCC and MFSL vinyl LPs there for list price, but then for several years they stopped stocking very much audiophile vinyl. Sounds like they might be stocking some again now.

    I haven't been shopping there in years (I'm a less active collector in recent years), but a decade or so ago I would occasionally find used gold CDs (e.g., Blondie DCC for $10) there, mixed in with all the standard CDs, which was always a thrill. They have the quirky hassle of stocking a lot of their CDs of "top tier" artists in boxes behind the counter, so for example if you want to check out all the Bob Dylan CDs they have, you have to request that they pull the Dylan box(es) off the shelf behind the counter for you.

    Everyday Music Beaverton was always my "hidden gem" for years, but now the secret is out. (Years ago I could get there at 7 am Saturday on Record Store Day and be one of only two people there waiting for the doors to open - and the other guy was only there to go through the latest used CD arrivals in the bins! - but last year I tried that and was stuck in a line with 35-50 other people!)

    Music Millennium used to have a location on NW 23rd, but closed it several years ago. It was a very good store, with plenty of quality used stock (CDs and LPs) and a space for in-store band performances, often by some well-known names (similar to what Amoeba and other record stores do). I've only visited the Burnside location once or twice and wasn't impressed. It's out of the way for me to visit there, and I found it extremely crowded and stuffed with products. I do agree that it's one of the best places to find "audiophile" stuff, though rarely if ever below list price (and often priced above list). Occasionally Music Millennium (and I think also Everyday Music) will offer coupons in the local free weekly newspapers for discounts on their used stock, so watch out for those.

    Craig.
     
  25. icirider

    icirider Forum Resident

    Location:
    Athens, GA
    Me too....at least by sight. Always love the music going in Crossroads.
     
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