THESE FORUMS NOW CLOSED (read only)
Fun Stuff => BAND => Topic started by: nescience on 03 Jan 2006, 00:46
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In another thread I recently suggested (only half-facetiously) to another poster that life without Amoeba Records SF is like a life without meaning. This got me thinking: what are other really righteous record stores in the world? Here are my personal top 5:
5. 101 Music, North Beach, San Francisco, California - This is actually two stores diagonally across the street from each other on the corner of Grant & Green. The (edit:southwest, not northeast) store is cluttered with half-working musical instruments and electronics of all kinds, and in the basement there are over seventy-thousand vinyl records, unsorted, in bins that customers can leaf through and buy for $5 a piece, flat rate. I found "Dusseldorf" by La Dusseldorf (normally $30 or so) and Freddie Mercury's solo album "Mr. Bad Guy" in the same bin and I was hooked.
4. Everyday Music, Capitol Hill, Seattle, Washington - Recently added another floor. This Django Music partner features a detailed Electronic section and criminally low prices (an average of $2 less for new than anywhere in California).
3. Rough Trade, Notting Hill, London, UK - The store itself is very small, but features some of the best selection (and best history) I saw in England. Your one-stop shop for dropping way too much money on the newest import 12-inches.
2. Tower Records, Shibuya, Tokyo, Japan - Ten floors tall, this is the only Tower Records I've visited that is an actual tower. The upper floors are mainly of interest to international listeners. Inexplicably has a constant no-wave bent to the displays, which makes me very happy. There is a music venue in the basement. It is a veritable arcology of music.
1. Amoeba Records, Upper Haight, San Francisco, California - The world's largest independent music store. Hundreds of thousands of used CDs. Some of the best Used Prices in California and best selection. My favorites include well-stocked and well-curated Experimental and International Rock sections, new MP3 listening stations, multiple Clearance sections with quality items, large DVD room, and the excellent 20th Century Avant Garde section.
Honorable Mention: Aquarius Records in the Mission district of SF. Arguably better independent-label and experimental selection than Amoeba, but prohibitively priced.
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Everyday does indeed kick ass. As does the Amoeba on the Haight.
And the Rasputin/Amoeba superorganism on Telegraph in Berkeley makes a nice second. Or third. Or whatever.
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An all-Australian list (though I also remember finding a couple of good places in Helsinki). In no particular order:
- Polyester Records (Fizroy, Victoria): my home away from home these past 18 months! I've bought so many C.D.s from them that when I went to buy the Clap Your Hands Say Yeah record, the guy behind the counter said "Don't you have this one already?" If it's indie, they have it.
- LandSpeed Records (Civic, Canberra): similar to Polyester, though without the range. Their original location was the best: upstairs in a beautiful light-filled space, it was like a refuge from the street below. Still, their new store (relatively speaking - they've been there for years) is bigger, so you can't complain. I've bought many a Will Oldham record there.
- Abels Music (Manuka, Canberra): THE record store in Australia if you're after classical music - the range is amazing. Also jazz specialists, and though the jazz range isn't all it could be they've always got something interesting.
- Impact Records (Civic, Canberra): R.I.P. When this shop was recently bought out by J.B. Hi-Fi (a chain store, albeit a very good one) it was much lamented not just in Canberra but throughout Australia. It was Australia's largest independent record store, and with its location right next to the bus interchange it was the first stop on any trip to Civic, back when I was living in Canberra. They also had an amazing range of different types of music, and the sale section had some amazing bargains (at one stage they were selling just about every Tom Waits album under the sun for A$12).
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Perth is somewhat lacking.
We've got 78 Records in town. Short walk from the train station, good range, convenient prices (everything's a multiple of $5).
Other than that theres J.B. Hifi in the city and other places. Not bad range, not bad prices, every store I've seen has been either above or below ground level.
There's probably something in Freo somewhere but that far as hell from where I am.
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Reveal Records in Derby.
I love and hate that shop.
It steals all my money! :(
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Amazon.com. There are no record stores out here.
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indipendent records is the only place that has any good music where i live, and its ironically owned by a major company now.
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Spillers, Cardiff, UK. (http://www.spillersrecords.co.uk/)
est. 1894. Oldest record shop in the world? and independent of course.
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My favourite record store is the library ;)
Seriously, it is, they have just about everything, except brand new stuff since they can't lend it out right away. And if my library doesn't have it, I can order from somewhere else, and I get an email from them saying it's arrived ASAP. When you are a penniless student like I am, it is truly fantastic. Only downside is that if you don't get to keep them... psychically at least. And you can get tickets for delivering them back too late, but otherwise it's fab.
God bless the danish librarians!
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The great thing about college towns is the plethera of indie record stores. My personal favorties are Albums on the Hill and Bart's Record Store on the Pearl Street Mall.
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And the Rasputin/Amoeba superorganism on Telegraph in Berkeley makes a nice second. Or third. Or whatever.
Indeed, but only the two together, two blocks away from each other, for the purposes of comparison shopping. Each on its own is rather weak.
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Fopp. I dunno if it's a chain or not, but it's fucking awesome. Loads of CDs for £5. Loads of rarities in there, nothing's second hand, allsorts of variety and stuff - it's just brilliant. I'll go in there with £40 and come out with 8 or 10 CDs.
edit: also, they had Radiohead's My Iron Lung EP AND Wilco's first album in there, so they have my infinite respect.
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5. 101 Music, North Beach, San Francisco, California - This is actually two stores diagonally across the street from each other on the corner of Grant & Green. The northeast store is cluttered with half-working musical instruments and electronics of all kinds, and in the basement there are over seventy-thousand vinyl records, unsorted, in bins that customers can leaf through and buy for $5 a piece, flat rate. I found "Dusseldorf" by La Dusseldorf (normally $30 or so) and Freddie Mercury's solo album "Mr. Bad Guy" in the same bin and I was hooked.
1. Amoeba Records, Upper Haight, San Francisco, California - The world's largest independent music store. Hundreds of thousands of used CDs. Some of the best Used Prices in California and best selection. My favorites include well-stocked and well-curated Experimental and International Rock sections, new MP3 listening stations, multiple Clearance sections with quality items, large DVD room, and the excellent 20th Century Avant Garde section.
Honorable Mention: Aquarius Records in the Mission district of SF. Arguably better independent-label and experimental selection than Amoeba, but prohibitively priced.
Fuckin A', those are my regular haunts.
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A little records shop infamous for snooty clerks and indie concert tickets called Rotate This. You can pretty much find what you're looking for in here on both vinyl and cd. Watch out however, even on the website, they inform their customers that they do judge you on your requests, purchases and concert choices, they're usually nice to me though!
EDIT: Forgot to mention, it's in TORONTO.
The other place is in Amsterdam but I can't remember the name of it, it is somewhere in my vacation photos because I took a picture so I'd know where to go if I ever went back to the Netherlands! It had its own section fro trip-hop and a wicked selection of kick ass bands. I even found an on sale Pavement cd! If anyone knows what it's called, let me know!
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Iowa City has a couple decent record stores in the form of Real Records and Record Collector, though they're nothing to write home about. Some of those places Nescience wrote about almost sound like they'd almost be worth going on vacation to visit. Spillers in Cardiff is certainly a nice store, though I didn't make much use of it when I still lived there.
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Amoeba SF is worth a plane ticket.
If you're in Japan, Tower Shibuya is worth a shinkansen ticket.
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Sorry guys but I am a whore of HMV. I like it there because they seem to have a bunch of the music I like consolidated into one general area.
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Tower Records, Shibuya, Tokyo, Japan
Yep that's the first that came to my mind...
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The HMV closest to me makes me want to cry. I walked in there on a Tuesday and they were listening to a Mark Knopfler comp the day it came out. What's the point of listening to another Dire Straights greatest hits on the day it comes out? What's the point of working at a record shop if you can't spell "The Flaming Lips" correctly?
My two favorite stores in town are X-Ray Records, which is an indepent shop that always has ace stuff on or very close to the release dates, and CD Plus, which has one of the best staff comprised mostly (I think it's close to 50%) of girls named Jen.
Also, in Saskatoon, which is a few hours from where I am, there's a place called the Vinyl Exchange which is a bit of Mecca for vinyl in my eyes. Their stock isn't huge, but it's all good stuff. I can't imagine where else I would find an Undertones LP anywhere close to where I am.
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HM What?
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Australian:
Rockinghorse Records, Brisbane (I miss the old one =/ )
Polyester, Melbourne
Missing Link, Melbourne
Skinny's, Brisbane
Gaslight, Melbourne (Sentimental reasons)
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Reveal Records in Derby.
I love and hate that shop.
It steals all my money! :(
QFT.
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My favourites are a small music/comics/collectibles/DVDs etc. shop specialising in manga, b-movies and alternative music called Sound Around, and my local HMV. They are also interestingly the only record shops in my town.
Not complaining though. The HMV has the fucking 'Draugen' compilation by Burzum. That is under-fucking-ground.
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The best 3 I've been to in my life thus far have been Jumbo Records in Leeds, Piccadilly Records in Manchester and Monorail in Glasgow.
However, Tempest Records and CD, DVD & Video Exchange serve me well in Birmingham. :)
Kate
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Gaslight, Melbourne
Now closed down.
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I like Cutler's in New Haven, Connecticut and Newbury Comics in Boston.
I've been going to Cutler's for a little while now, and I usually don't find anything I went to look for, but I end up walking out with 5 CDs anyway. They also sell used classical CDs for about $3 sometimes.
I've only been to Newbury Comics once, but I found three CDs that I'd never seen in real life before. Their poster selection was incredible too.
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The best record stores in Boston all seem to close down. Mystery Train or whatever the hell it was, in a basement on Newbury Street, had a copy of Trans Am's Red Line on LP the first time I went in and had absolute loads of used records. Mars Music, almost directly across the street, had the Braid live album on LP, a Brad Strider 12", a couple Pavement bootlegs (including the Garrulous 7"), and both Wish You Were Here and The Wall on vinyl for relatively cheap. Both stores are gone now.
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My favourites are Zulu Records (Vancouver) and Ditch Records (Victoria). Zulu is much bigger, but I prefer Ditch, personally, because the staff there always seems much friendlier and actually makes suggestions without sounding like hipster snobs. They're actually helpful.
Not that the people at Zulu aren't helpful or anything like that-- a few of the people there have been super cool-- but the people at Ditch seem a little more... welcoming I guess.
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Everyday does indeed kick ass. As does the Amoeba on the Haight.
And the Rasputin/Amoeba superorganism on Telegraph in Berkeley makes a nice second. Or third. Or whatever.
Don't forget Mod Lange also in Berkeley on University between Oxford and Shattuck. Definitely not the megastore a la Amoeba and Rasputins, but great selection with an indie and local music bent.
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THe Music Exchange - Quite possibly the largest vinyl store in at least the midwest. It's in Westport, Kansas, and it's FUCKING HUGE. Like, massive. If there's something you're looking for on vinyl, you'll find it, with a few hours looking. I mean, they even have a metal section! Awesome. Too bad it's closing soon.
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Vinyl Exchange, Manchester.
Various branches of Oxfam, thoughout the UK.
Tesco.com
Play.com
Amazon.com
Fopp
HMV
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Gaslight, Melbourne
Now closed down.
Serious? I'm in Brisbane for holidays, I had no idea. When did this happen?
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Shit, I forgot the Virgin Records in London. I almost wept for joy when I went in there: basically, I am all too used to the 'metal' section of a record store being filled with arseloads of punk, metalcore and nu-metal, and a couple of Peaceville re-issues.
They had a seperate metalcore section. They had every Edge of Sanity record including Cryptic and Evolution. They had Theatres Des Vampires EPs!
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Anyone notice how most record stores may as well have the same damn names? There are probably three dozen "Vinyl Exchanges" out there in the world. Probably because there are only so many names you can come up with that say that you have vinyl and that you wish to sell it.
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Anyone notice how most record stores may as well have the same damn names? There are probably three dozen "Vinyl Exchanges" out there in the world. Probably because there are only so many names you can come up with that say that you have vinyl and that you wish to sell it.
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Anyone notice how most record stores may as well have the same damn names? There are probably three dozen "Vinyl Exchanges" out there in the world. Probably because there are only so many names you can come up with that say that you have vinyl and that you wish to sell it.
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ratatat: Gaslight closed 'round August last year. Bummer, huh?
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Shit, I forgot the Virgin Records in London. I almost wept for joy when I went in there: basically, I am all too used to the 'metal' section of a record store being filled with arseloads of punk, metalcore and nu-metal, and a couple of Peaceville re-issues.
They had a seperate metalcore section. They had every Edge of Sanity record including Cryptic and Evolution. They had Theatres Des Vampires EPs!
That's why i love Streetlight Records (small chain, 3 or 4 stores in the Bay Area) in my hometown of Santa Cruz, it's not a huge section, but punk and hardcore had a giant section, goth and industrial had their own section, Black Metal had its won section, Doom Metal had its own section, and beyond that there was a decent sized metal section.
I moved to SF and I was spoiled by Amoeba and Rasputin, but still. Oh and the streetlights in san francisco seem to be less expansive than that of the one in santa cruz, well, except for the techno section in the one on the castro. That just makes me smile.
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My favourites are Zulu Records (Vancouver) and Ditch Records (Victoria). Zulu is much bigger, but I prefer Ditch, personally, because the staff there always seems much friendlier and actually makes suggestions without sounding like hipster snobs. They're actually helpful.
Not that the people at Zulu aren't helpful or anything like that-- a few of the people there have been super cool-- but the people at Ditch seem a little more... welcoming I guess.
Zulu's probably one of the most well known and accessible places in Vancouver, but I agree with you. I get so hella intimidated in Zulu, people there don't talk or laugh enough.
Where is Ditch located exactly? I'll make sure to check it out next time in Victoria.
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I generally do most of my shopping at JB's, they're pretty good, they don't have anything too obscure, but you can't beat the prices, and its a pretty decent selection. I wouldn't be listening to Iron Maiden or Zeppelin today if it weren't for their $10 CDs.
Also, Rocking Horse is pretty good, but it appals me that their punk/hardcore section is bigger than their metal section, and all the prog metal is in the general population area, I guess because maybe it offends all the spider children that need to get their Cryptopsy there or something. I'm kind of used to the new location by now, I had to rack my brain for five minutes to remember where the old location was.
Skinny's is alright but I always wind up blowing my money on all the crap they have behind the counter, like Alice Cooper dolls and Mr T bobbleheads, instead of buying CDs.
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That's why i love Streetlight Records (small chain, 3 or 4 stores in the Bay Area)
I agree with this. I agree that the Streetlight in Castro leaves a bit to be desired, especially with Amoeba, Aquarius, and Streetlight all close by. I've never been to the Santa Cruz store, though I've been wanting to travel down to check it out. My favorite Streetlight is the on in San Jose, though I don't get down there too often now that I'm not in school near it anymore. Plus the supermarket I used to frequent near there doesn't carry my fave beer (YEBISU!) anymore. Still, nice store chain.
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Dude. I've never been to the San Jose store (i uh, tend to avoid san jose as much as possible)
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Anyone notice how most record stores may as well have the same damn names? There are probably three dozen "Vinyl Exchanges" out there in the world. Probably because there are only so many names you can come up with that say that you have vinyl and that you wish to sell it.
That, in conjunction with the triple post, was brilliantly post-modern.
Yeesh, San Jose. I work in Menlo Park, but that doesn't mean I *like* South Bay and environs.
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Amazon.co.uk is where I get most of my music at good prices:
For example two CDs on my next order:
Ok Computer by Radiohead £6.97
Sonic Firestorm by Dragonforce £7.99 and thats only just been released.
Record stores generally suck, over-priced and generally only sell crap. Although where I live there is Crash and Jumbo who do some decent non-mainstream stuff.
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I'd say..Criminal Records and Longplayer because you tend to find some very random artists. You can also blag a free album advertising poster every now and again and they both sell tickets for a tiny but most awesome venue down the road.
Tunbridge Wells- Kent- UK
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There used to be a Sanity Records store (awful, awful generic chain 'music' store) in Civic, in Canberra, which would have the weirdest random stuff. Like, 99.9% of their C.D.s were by the likes of Madonna and Britney Spears etc. etc. (as opposed to the 100% that makes up the stock of all other Sanity stores) - but every now and then I'd find something like The Early Year by the Scud Mountain Boys in there. When no other shop in town was stocking it.
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Monorail in Glasgow.
Kate
Good store but in Glasgow my favourite is either Missing Records or Avalanche. Good selection of vinyls,cds and dvds,new and second hand,for awesome prices.
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i uh, tend to avoid san jose as much as possible
Mmmm, understood. When I lived down in the peninsula I would only go down to SJ for: (1) Streetlight, (2) imported Japanese beer, (3) metal shows at muffler shops. San Jose is depressing.
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other than vinyl exchange, we don't really have "record stores" around here (manchester, if anyone knows of a good one, please tell me)
we just have HMV and virgin
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Spillers, Cardiff, UK. (http://www.spillersrecords.co.uk/)
est. 1894. Oldest record shop in the world? and independent of course.
Yes! It is indeed a pretty damn good store and I'm sure the other guy on here from Cardiff will back you up too. Also good for tickets.
When I was in Canada I went to a combined entertainment/electronic goods shop. I can't remember what it's called but it's just down the road from the Hilton in Vancouver. My music taste wasn't that great at the time but it seemed to have a good selection. I think the main reasons I liked it was the girl who served me and the fact that the prices were roughly a third of what I would have paid in England.
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i uh, tend to avoid san jose as much as possible
Mmmm, understood. When I lived down in the peninsula I would only go down to SJ for: (1) Streetlight, (2) imported Japanese beer, (3) metal shows at muffler shops. San Jose is depressing.
I'm glad I didn't offend.
It's like the biggest city with absolutely nothing to do in it, in the history of ever.
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You can't beat Bootfairs.
They may not have the latest stuff and be full of loads of rubbish but it's full of really intersting people. There is little to beat the thrill of rummaging through endless boxes of CDs and finding an album you've wanted for ages, or finding a stall holder who likes the same music as and gives you advice. I met a guy who mixed a dashboard confessional album that i bought off him (i'm not sure if that's classed as cool on here but i think it is).
Also it's cheap, ican't afford record shop prices.
Saying that there are a few shops i like to wander around wishing i
could afford to buy all the stuff i want and find new stuff i've never
heard of before and wished i had it:
Plastic, St Albans- it's this really cool vinyl shop near me that sells
loads of DJing stuff and hip hop that i have no clue about and some
indie vinyls
Both the rough trade records - they fell really nice to be in and i love
the little cards they have that tell you about certain albums and stuff,
also they are both cool areas
The Picadilly Circus Virgin Megastore - It's huge i keep on meaning to
brave the Jazz section and buy some stuff
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Aboveground Records, Martha's Vineyard
the best record store ever. i make a point to go there whenever i go home to pick up all the albums i can't find other places. awesome staff, i can just say to them "what should i get?" and they recommend something awesome. i miss it.
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(post from Sydney)
I do most my CD shopping at JB Hifi - cheap, and great range.
I prefer Redeye Records though. Awesome store.