Best Record Stores in Los Angeles?

Record Surplus is the best of what's left. Not as good as in years past (less turnover, and for the stuff they peg as collectable the prices have gotten much higher), but still the most fun and the most likely place to find something cool and cheap in terms of vinyl.

IMHO Amoeba really decimated the LA used record store scene. They took enough business away from many of the others, and stole enough of their supply contacts, that they just wilted. Not a win in any sense...

 

It's a rainy day today I think I will head over to Record Surplus and grab a few lps!

 

Rockaway has a big sal etomorrow (12-13)

 

Thanks for the heads up!

 

Did you have a chance to go to Record Surplus. If so what did you get?

 

Yes I did I got a sealed copy of
Gregg Allman- Playin Up Storm $7.00
The Stawbs- Burning For You $4.00 used
Buddy Miles-Them Changes used 15.00
Steely Dan- Aja. 5.00!used
And I got a couple of other misc lps I'm happy

 

Cool. I could never find a copy of the original Mercury label of BM that wasn't distorted/damaged in some way. Hope yours is great.

 

Well it's about a VG the cover us very nice

 

G'day,

Reviving this old thread coz I'm in L.A. ... well actually with the family at Disneyland, but I'm thinking of heading out this evening to a record store or two.

Most of the stores listed above (Amoeba, Rockaway, etc) are on the other side of town. Are there any good stores in or near the OC area?

I was thinking of a trek to Amoeba (since I like the SF store and it would be interesting to check out the LA store) but not if it might take two hours to get there and not if finding somewhere to park is a big hassle.

--Geoff

 

Geoff...
Leave for Ameoba after the morning rush (9:30 am on...) and return before the afternoon commute starts ( varies but about 2pm) and you should be fine... otherwise, you will hit traffic.
Amoeba has underground free parking, so usually no worries there. Much better parking than the surrounding streets. Good luck.
Not as many OC stores anymore worth bothering with. There's only a Second Spin in Costa Mesa and a rare FYE store in Fullerton but... Amoeba L.A. is more rewarding IMO.

 

G'day,

Thanks for the info.

I ended up at a store called Burger Records in Fullerton ... all vinyl as far as I can tell ... had some interesting stuff in the main section, and large $5 and $1 bins. I ended up with 6 records, from out of the main section and the bins, so not a bad night's hunting.

I keep hoping when I scour the bins that I'll find certain obscure 70s Aussie prog LP, but no luck yet. But that's half the fun, I guess.

I'm heading up to SF so I'll certainly hit Amoeba on Haight St, but next time I'm in L.A. I'll check out the Amoeba there for sure.

--Geoff

 

Might have a day or two to shop for vinyl in LA here soon - anyplace near LAX - Santa Monica - Hollywood would be good. Where should I try these days for nice condition used vinyl? All genres - jazz, rock, 60's psych, classical... Anyplace that usually has a good import section?

Thanks much!

 

Hey bud. Try these:

Amoeba/Record Surplus/Rockaway, all good.

 

Thanks much! Those are the ones I keep hearing about.

 

I don't think anyone has mentioned Counterpoint Records and Books yet, 5911 Franklin Ave (not a far drive from Amoeba). They have most genres but seem to specialize in jazz and classical. My husband and myself went on a record buying trip down the coast last month, and this place wasn't on our list but was recommended by the guy who ran our B&B - we came out with a good armload of stuff (but then we were carrying out armloads from every store we visited). Also impressed by Freakbeat in Sherman Oaks and totally overwhelmed by Amoeba (maybe grab a map when you first enter or look at it on their website).

 

Counterpoint is OK. More of a book store than music. However, I do visit there maybe once every 2 months or so as they don't really have much stock rotation.

 

I can add a little something here....

A few shops that were missed in LA:

Vacation Vinyl in Silver lake, a bit expensive and mostly newer "hipster selection" but I have found a number of very cool records there and many times when Amoeb is out of something I call Vacation and they have it. I got some pretty rare Calexico, Radiohead UK originals, etc....

Wombleton Records - near Eagle Rock. They specialize in 80's/90's UK stuff they also have Brazillian, Reggae and Shoegaze stuff. The prices can be a little high, but they have stuff no one else has. They go on regular record buying spree's across the world. I got that one Sundays record I have been looking for forever here for $20. Love this place.

LA Record - A little hole in the wall shop near Culver City. Only Open Thusday, Friday and Saturday from 12 to 6pm. Lots of Rare Groove, Soul, Funk, Jazz, Reggae etc..not much rock though. Lots of obscure gems here, His trade in values are really high. Prices for rare titles can be high, but the guy is really cool and its a music lovers kind of place, as much a scene as it is a business. Hard to find their info unless you look for it on facebook or myspace. I was able to find some really rare reggae stuff here.

Besides that .....

Amoeba - is the King, You can kill 4 hours there easily if you have to look through all the genre's including the Jazz room like I do. No one has that kind of selection. I always find something good and am usually surprised by the prices, they never price stuff at Ebay level, its usually about a 1/3rd off the high ebay price for a rare title.

Rockaway - is ok a bit pricey but they have some rare titles, also one thing that bugs me is they do not carry any new releases its all Used. But I have found some rather good things there.

Freakbeat - Is a fantastic little shop, I love the mix of titles and the prices always seem real nice. Rare titles, New Titles, again I always find something decent here and more than anything the vibe is right and the guys are very helpful and friendly.

Record Surplus - The new location is much nicer than the old place. They have lots of really inexpensive titles and I always find something that was not on my radar. I am always stoked on the price, although their collectible vinyl prices are pretty high. They do seem to sit on stuff for a while though. This is the only record shop where I leave 50% of the time without anything. But when I do find something it is so worth it, I have found loads of rare cheap Reggae and African records here.

Atomic - Its ok....They really only carry Rock and Jazz and a small stock of other genre's , I have been there maybe 6 or 7 times and bought something maybe twice? Just not my kind of shop. Also the guy seems a little rude on occasion.


Then there are the places I need to hit up still

Soundsations

Origami Vinyl

 

I can share some thoughts...

Freakbeat records is down the road from me, so I frequent there almost every weekend. It's actually kind of a bad thing since I usually find things to spend money on. Selection, as stated, is great and the prices are usually very decent. Turnover rate is average, and sometimes you can find gems. However, when I bought my copy of a US Capitol White Album it was written on the plastic sleeve that it was a late 70s pressing and I've learned that is incorrect. So watch out for things like that.

Amoeba is huge and awesome, their selection is very wide from all decades and artists. Super high turnover, but if you're there at the right place and time you'll find your gold. Prices are all over the place, as they know someone will pay for it.

Rockaway feels to me just like Freakbeat though without a new stuff section.

Went to Record Surplus once, their prices seemed a little high and they had a peculiarly large selection of Beatles that day. Selection seemed OK at the time for rock.

Vacation Vinyl is a shoebox of a store, and I never seem to find anything I'm looking for. They do have a big section of different kinds of metal if that's your thing.


Need to check out Atomic in Burbank one of these days.

 

Long Beach:
http://www.fingerprintsmusic.com/

 

from another thread
very cool info,
didn't want this to get lost

 

Replying to your old post, I agree completely. The first month Amoeba was opened in LA I got some total deals, nearly steals, things I had been watching for on ebay were out in the racks priced too good to be true. The staff was all pleasent and seemed to really love working there. One felt a vibe of a mid-70s California record store when browsing.

Flash forward a few years, and selection is if'y, prices high, and much of the staff is rude. And they indeed helped to kill off some lovely stores that had been in business for decades.

I guess for those that live in cities where there is not a real record store with used vinyl it could be fun to visit. For me living in LA and having access to many stores over the years, not to mention the monthly record shows, Amoeba and the current landscape are both a pale shadow of what it once was.

But I should say that once you already have a large collection of originals and imports, etc. it gets harder to find something interesting. And this is not Amoeba's fault.

I still enjoy looking in Freakbeat, and finding cool things not that over-priced.