Wrecka Stow: Hurricane Records – Tucson, AZ

While strolling through the Tucson, Arizona 4th Avenue Street Fair, I was delighted to find a new wrecka stow that was so fresh that it looked like the paint on the sign had barely dried.  Hurricane Records (636 North 4th Avenue) had bins of records outside for sale during the street fair, and plenty of vinyl inside.

The selection there at the time was mostly classic rock, jazz, soul, and interesting soundtracks (note the Saturday Night Fever soundtrack record above).

Check out that sweet Blondie debut album.

There was also this little lounge area where I imagine DJ’s and small bands will play in the near future.

There were CD’s, too.  Most of the discs were in box sets, and I scored a Steely Dan four-disc set for just twenty bucks.  Unfortunately, the first two discs skip near the end of each, but I think I can buff out those scratches.

The Steely Dan box set I scored is the green box in the middle of the bottom shelf. And yes, that’s a copy of “Pet Sounds” on vinyl on the top shelf.

All in all, Hurricane Records seems to be on the right track to being a good place to score vinyl and promote the local art scene.  4th Avenue is a big art community in Tucson and a wrecka stow is a welcome addition there.

Keep your mind open.

[Speaking of hurricanes, you can blow me away with a subscription.]

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Nik Havert

I've been a music fan since my parents gave me a record player for Christmas when I was still in grade school. The first record I remember owning was "Sesame Street Disco." I've been a professional writer since 2004, but writing long before that. My first published work was in a middle school literary magazine and was a story about a zoo in which the animals could talk.

2 thoughts on “Wrecka Stow: Hurricane Records – Tucson, AZ”

  1. Hey, Rich Hopkins from Hurricane Records in Tucson. Thanks for the cool and very surprising review. Are you living in Tucsn? We are officially opening up tomorrow..January 4.
    Sorry about the Steely Dan cd box set…stop back and i will make it right.
    Peace.
    Rich

  2. Visited Hurricane over the weekend because, hey, a new vinyl store opening — that’s always a reason for celebration. Hurricane Records (not sure why they wouldn’t name it Monsoon Records, but that’s just me) definitely has the nicest ambiance of any Tucson record store. The interior and ambiance are inviting, and the guy who worked the counter during my visit was super nice. My only beef: I couldn’t make sense of the pricing, it’s all over the map. I saw fairly priced albums sitting right next to $5-$10 records (e.g. Jackson Browne reissues) that populate the dollar bins at most other stores I’ve visited. I’m saying that as a guy who is all for supporting local businesses, and I happily pay significantly more for a used record in a locally owned store than I would at discogs, but if the discrepancy is completely out of whack (like, $10 vs. $0.99 plus shipping), my loyalty ends. And yes, I get it, Hurricane’s location is smack in the middle of hipster central, so who wouldn’t want to tap into that market? I just hope that the rest of us regular vinyl aficionados don’t get priced out of this place. My plea to the owner: See if you can get your pricing to be a bit more consistent (and realistic in some cases). My plea to the vinyl folks: Check this place out, take advantage of their listening room (not many stores offer this anymore!), and help them thrive. Just do a quick check on discogs before you buy.

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