When I was a teen and into my 20s, the record store was shopping at its best, I was addicted to going to various ones several times a week, not always buying a disc, but hunting, looking, browsing.

Here is a clip I found recently, Elton John in the mid 70s with the same addiction, but a much bigger bankroll. I heard about his shopping trips back then, but I have never witnessed it, even though I have been in Tower Records on Sunset Blvd numerous times (the best record store I have ever been in).



I read that he sold his original collection for charity in the 90s, but got back into collecting afterwards. In a Goldmine interview a few years back, he stated he has not approx. 120,000 CDs and 15,000 vinyl LPs.

This reminds me of the series on Youtube by Amoeba records in Hollywood. Various artists record shopping and discussing records. Here is Danny Elfmann as an example

There is a very good record store in Anchorage, AK. I went there at least monthly, when I lived there. It's pretty small, but the owner goes above-and-beyond, making sure all genres are represented. He also sells some new and used equipment. I don't have a decent shop near where I live now, unfortunately. The ones around here aren't as close to me, and aren't nearly as good as that Anchorage store. Obsession Records is the name of the Anchorage shop.

The modest Audio-technica LP3 turntable I use to this day was purchased from that shop.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: KSGM,

When I was a kid getting into music, I bought a lot of records at a little shop downtown. The place was tiny, but I probably bought a record a week and they always had current releases. I would bike there and juggle the LP on my way home. Looking back, I suspect they might have sold other stuff to keep their business thriving.

Years later after getting my license, my buddy and I used to drive into Boston/Cambridge and browse the Harvard Coop for records. We felt like such grown ups being in the city and among all the cool hippie people. Little did I know at the time, those people would try to destroy our country.

ETA, I'd like a look at Elton's list.

We still have a great local record store. The owner is a year older than me, started in a tiny rented space and a decade later bought his current building. When downloading really caught on, he and his wife added a coffee bar at the back of the store. It has been very successful.

The resurgence in vinyl has been very good for them and today they have a great selection of both CD's and records. They also sell guitar strings and drum sticks. It's a great store and we are fortunate to have it.

My cousin has an estimated nine thousand albums, wow.
I bought a turntable and powered speakers for my 29 year old son for Christmas.
I'll give him my several milk crates full of rock from the 70's and 80's.
I'm glad he likes the music I grew up with. I've been listening to my albums I
haven't heard in forty years. I may buy a turntable for myself.

AMEN!!!…in the early 70s my beloved late wife and I would frequent local record stores (on highway 41 in Marietta, Belmont Hills Shopping Center in Smyrna…and sometimes even downtown Atlanta after we left the Varsity after chili steaks, chili slaw dogs and their delicious onion rings…it was a treat)…I just wish I could have those times back knowing what I know now …those were the “Salad Days” in my life …never take the good times for granted!

I shopped at one of the Peaches Records and Tapes stores in Denver. My collection was stored and transported in their iconic wooden crates with the logo label on the end. I don’t know what happened to the crates, now my records are alphabetized on shelves. I distinctly remember that at least for some period of time albums sold for $2.99 at Peaches.

I was surprised, but pleased, to see that my local Wal-Mart had a section of vinyl records for sale. From my short perusal I saw pretty decent span of time - '80's to present day.

quote:

Originally posted by TMats:
I shopped at one of the Peaches Records and Tapes stores in Denver. My collection was stored and transported in their iconic wooden crates with the logo label on the end. I don’t know what happened to the crates, now my records are alphabetized on shelves. I distinctly remember that at least for some period of time albums sold for $2.99 at Peaches.

I used to have two of those crates in college holding my album collection in the dorms. I jettisoned them as the collection grew, now I also have them on shelves in alphabetical order, about 9 feet of 12" vinyl and 2 feet of 7" 45s. Most of my CDs are kept in custom pull-out drawers in cabinets and the rest scattered around the house, approx. 1500 discs.

By comparison, here is again Elton John, photo taken about four years ago. The guys in the Steve Hoffman forum determined the photo shows the "C" and some of the D" portion of his current collection.

Probably the closest thing to an old-school dedicated record store left is the FYE Music & Movies chain, itself composed of defunct record store chains. Even then there are few actual records in it. There is one, for example, in a mall in Kingsport, TN, and that mall itself, like a lot of others, is barely hanging on.

I frequent two different record stores in my area. Both have solid inventories in vinyl, both used and new.
I'm on a once a week stealth purchase of classic rock which I never owned in my youth.
Both store owner/managers have commented on how the resurgence of vinyl has been a game saver for them.

I ran my own store for many years and worked at 4 additional. It was literally a way of life.

Yep, I worked at a record store after High School as an asst. Manager for a year or so.
Loved it.
After moving to Houston, I met my wife who was managing a Sound Warehouse store here.
It was always a great time cruising the record aisles looking at records and... umm.... the gals working there.

Some of some interesting movies were High Fidelity and Empire Records from recent memory.

I got rid of a lot of LP about a year ago. But still kept a shelf length 31" long.
Not playing them much anymore. My McIntosh and B&O are not getting much use anymore. Most records I bought at the Chrystal Ship in Eugene.

quote:

I got rid of a lot of LP about a year ago.

I have been culling some of mine in recent years too. I represent a younger generation of vinyl listener. I grew up listening to them because my parents did, and I bought some of my own then as well, but the bulk of my musical taste was developed on tapes and CDs, and I didn't touch a vinyl record for many years.

My renewed interest in vinyl was prompted more by the collector feeling than a listening motivation. I bought a few LPs and EPs from a favorite band just to have; I didn't even have a turntable at the time. A few years later I got a turntable again, and began to listen and buy more. I frequented the record shop in Anchorage, used Bandcamp, and purchased from vendors on Discogs.

Lately though, I have been listening to the albums that have gotten fewer "spins" over the last three or fours years, and deciding to rid myself of many of them. My tastes have changed a bit, and some of them were just poor purchase decisions in the first place. I don't care to have a collection populated by albums I don't really REALLY like.

I suppose I should clarify that, when it comes to vinyl, I am an active listener. I put on the headphones and am tethered to the receiver. I don't listen to vinyl "passively" (other than using a computer while I listen, as I am now). So, that drives my small collection mentality. I am not going to make the active commitment to an average album. Music that's really just "OK" can get a pass, when it's in the background of a circumstance that is getting the majority of your attention. You catch a good riff here and there, and are satisfied with the music as an accompaniment to your activity. That same album likely won't hold up on a dedicated listen, and almost certainly won't make the repeated-dedicated-listen cut.

We had to really good record stores in the small town I grew up in. I used to spend hours buying the latest albums and 45’s

When I moved to LA the first store I hit was A-1 Record Finders and it was paradise

I’ve been to Amoeba on several occasions - the last time was just before they closed to get ready to move to their view location.

I haven't bought a platter--vinyl or cd--in some time. I was one of those music addicts that was always on the lookout for new audio experiences. By the time I switched completely over to CDs I had about 1200 or so "keeper" LPs in my hoard, and countless 45s as well. This doesn't include an untold number of vinyl discs that were sold off, donated or traded away. Tower Records got the majority of my business, but small local shops got a fair chunk of my bank account as well. It was in those shops that I found all sorts of imported discs that the domestic labels hadn't gotten around to or were uninterested in releasing themselves. There was also a healthy/unhealthy period of time when bootleg discs were thriving, especially around the stores near campus when I was in college. Then the FBI raids ruined that and whatever I had was whatever I had. Most of it was live recordings of middling quality cut to vinyl, but there were a few gems in there.

Occasionally I will fire up my Denon or Naim table, but it's mostly out of nostalgia than anything else. I rarely listen to any of my discs--vinyl or CD--anymore simply because my hearing isn't what it used to be. Streaming on Spotify is 'satisfaction enuff' nowadays. One of these days the vinyl and CDs will be gone; objectively they take up a lot of space that could be used for other things. But for now I'm of the mindset that they're not doing me any harm so why not just leave them alone, and save the Great Purge for another day.

Tower Records started in the old Tower Theater in Sacramento. They had a branch store in Davis, CA when we lived there in the 80's. As a classical music listener, they had a great collection. And of course this was long before one could buy anything online. I still have most of my vinyl records; and have brought my Dual turntable out of storage. Just bought a Shure V15 Type 5 cartridge and a JICO stylus from Japan for it. After the first of the year I'll get this set up and give a listen, purely for nostalgia's sake.

My hearing has gone to hell--sudden sensorineural hearing loss in the left ear, not recognized and treated quickly; so I'm left with a big notch in mid-frequencies in addition to the high frequency loss of older age and exposure to loud sounds without hearing protection when younger.

Still, music sounds great to me; I'm curious if I will still be able to distinguish my Rogers LS3/5Al speakers from newer Audioengine speakers. In the old days my wife and I both loved the detailed sound of the Rogers speakers.

There's a local record store I visit looking for gently used gems, mostly one dollar deals. I thought about getting the new David Gilmour LP bit at nearly $40 I'll pass, for now. I hope this store is successful with the nostalgia train, and the anemoia phenomenon.