Wrecka Stows – 7th Level Music

Wrecka Stow: Tone Deaf Records – Chicago, IL

If you like punk, post-punk, electro, shoegaze, and dark wave, then Chicago’s Tone Deaf Records (4356 North Milwaukee Avenue) is the place for you.

The amount of post-punk, industrial, shoegaze, and just…odd stuff here is great.

Ozzy Osbourne next to Memphis Slim on the top shelf.

You could dig through crates here for hours and come out with a ton of cool stuff. I love that they include crates of “Weird” records for super cheap prices as well.

On top of all this cool vinyl, the walls are covered in cool, odd artwork and concert posters for obscure bands.

I met three members of two different punk bands while I was there who were just hanging out on a couch and talking about weird 1990s bands. They had a gig that night at an all-ages club. That’s the kind of place Tone Deaf Records is: cool records and weird people hanging out. It’s also next to a cool comic book store, so you can’t miss.

Keep your mind open.

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Wrecka Stow: Crocodisc – Paris, France

Located at 42 Rue des Écoles (across from the Collège de France), Crocodisc takes up two store fronts and both are jammed full of records and discs.

“Don’t be afraid to ask what you’re looking for!” – Good advice. There’s *a lot* to dig through here.

That’s just one wall. One of the storefronts is mostly rock and electronica. It has sections for stuff from the U.S., the U.K., and, of course, Europe.

The other storefront is full of cool jazz, soul, reggae, afrobeat, and funk records from all over the globe.

All of that in just one corner of the store.

I was lucky to walk out of this place with only a few electro CDs (Portishead, St. Germain) and not spend all the euros in my pocket here.

Make sure to not have any pending appointments if you go there. You’ll be digging through bins for an hour at least.

Keep your mind open.

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Wrecka Stow: Grace Records – Gilbert, Arizona

Found in an upscale shopping center at 2200 East Williams Field Road, Grace Records is a nifty place with a good mix of vinyl, CDs, shirts, and other oddities to peruse in the Phoenix suburb. It’s a simple layout, yet full of stuff to search.

Video games, mystery boxes, claw games, vinyl, CDs, and a “bloody Ric Flair” shirt all in one place.

They had a good collection of import stuff as well. This back wall is covered in good i import stuff ranging from anime soundtracks to punk rock.

One of my favorite parts of checking out all these record stores is seeing the fun, weird mixes of stuff on display, such as…

Want to do some crate digging? Then dive into bins like these…

They have some fun oddities, too, like this box set that I didn’t know existed…and didn’t purchase.

I instead walked out with a used five-disc CD box set of an eight-hour DJ set by John Digweed at a Brooklyn show for a mere twenty bucks. I was stunned at the bargain.

Also, the Mexican place at the other end of the block is pretty good.

Keep your mind open.

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Wrecka Stow: Record City – Las Vegas, Nevada

Located at 300 East Sahara Avenue in Las Vegas, Nevada, Record City appears on the outside to be a simple brick building near some prime real estate but is like a TARDIS once you open the door.

The amount of stuff in the store is amazing. I don’t know if there are more vinyl records or DVDs in the place. There was a good amount of CDs, too.

I knew I was in a fun place when I looked left upon entering and saw these crates.

A Cramps import version of Songs The Lord Taught Us next to that cool Siouxside and The Banshees record? Come on! Their new wave section was also impressive.

The variety in the place is excellent. Check out this mix of records for example.

L-R: Can, Ian Dury, Sheena Easton, Frankie and The Knockouts

Another highlight of the place is their collection of neat soundtracks and movie scores on vinyl on display above their massive DVD collection.

That “Judgment Night” soundtrack alone is worth the purchase price.

It’s a fun place, full of bins and dusty boxes to explore. One box I found on the floor had vintage Escape from the Planet of the Apes loose trading cards in it among various picture of Elvis Presley. I almost bought them, but opted for CDs from Cypress Hill, A Tribe Called Quest, and Satan’s Pilgrims instead.

Don’t miss it if you’re in Sin City.

Keep your mind open.

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Wrecka Stow: JL Records – West Lafayette, IN

JL Records at 380 Brown Street in West Lafayette, Indiana claims to be “Lafayette’s Largest & Best CD Store.” It must be, and probably is the largest and best in the entire state. Their inventory is astounding.

That’s just one corner of the store. The place is full of CDs packed into racks and boxes and shelves everywhere you look.

They also sell VHS tapes, DVDs, vintage video games, and plenty of box sets and collectible items.

That’s a great example — a super rare collection of Ann-Margret‘s singles that I’d never seen until I visited this place.

Don’t worry, vinyl lovers, they have an entire loft of records for you.

It’s amazing that I spent less than $100.00 here. I walked out with CDs by The The, Johnny “Guitar” Watson, TV Priest, and more. Be sure to have a couple hours to spare if you go there. You’ll need it.

Keep your mind open.

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Wrecka Stow: Le Laboratoire – Toulouse, France

Don’t pass up this place if you’re ever in Toulouse.

Located at 9 Rue de la Bourse in Toulouse, France, Le Laboratoire Vinyles is a must-stop in France’s fourth-largest city if you’re a music fan and looking to add to your collection. The selection is enormous, and I knew I was going to like the place when I walked in and heard them playing this.

The place is full of great new and used vinyl, and from a wide variety of genres and countries.

All four KISS solo albums next to Daft Punk.

Looking for jazz? They have it. They have blues, electro, punk, you name it.

Adrock and MCA check out the cool jazz collection.

Hawkwind on the left, David Guetta on the right.

Of course, they have a great selection of French artists. I probably would’ve dumped most of my cash in this section if I were a vinyl collector.

Another favorite section of the store was this stunning selection of soundtracks and other film music.

I mean, good heavens, look at that. There’s even a Smurf record on the bottom right. I would’ve been broke between this and the “French New Wave” section.

I walked out of there with two CD compilations: Rockabilly Psychosis & The Garage Disease (featuring artists from Hasil Adkins to Link Wray) and the double-CD collection of The Curtom Story: Curtis Mayfield’s School of 20th Century Soul (featuring not only Curtis Mayfield, but also legends like Jesse Anderson and Fred Wesley). My wallet is lucky that’s all I scored.

Again, don’t skip this place. You’ll love it.

Keep your mind open.

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Wrecka Stow: O’CD – Toulouse, France

Located at 17 Rue des Filatiers in Toulouse, O’CD is a treasure trove of not only new and used music, but also new and used DVDs. The second you walk into the place, you’re almost overwhelmed by the selection of music and films in multiple genres.

I could’ve spent hours in here just browsing through their selection of films, let alone the music. They even had a small section just for peplums.

The music consists of vinyl and CDs, with genres that are all over the place.

I walked out of there with DVD copies of OSS 117, You Can’t Win ‘Em All, and Baron Vampire. I was lucky to escape with just that.

Keep your mind open.

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Wrecka Stow: Welcome Back Records – Fort Wayne, IN

Located at 3019 Broadway in Ft. Wayne, Indiana, Welcome Back Records can be spotted by their great sign outside the building.

Yes, they’re in the old Wildwood Liquors building and I hope they never get rid of that sign.

The staff is great here, and the vinyl collected is well-curated. It has a comfortable vibe as soon as you walk in the door.

Their prices are good, especially when it comes to CDs.

I will shop at your store if you have BOGO on your CDs. I scored albums by Interpol and Gas Huffer from these racks. If you need still more ways of playing your music, they have cassettes, too.

And, yes, they have 8-tracks.

How are you going to listen to all this stuff, you ask? Easy. Just buy your stereo from them.

They pack a lot of neat stuff into the small space, and it’s well worth a trip down Broadway to find it.

Keep your mind open.

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Wrecka Stow: Used Kids Records – Columbus, Ohio

Used Kids Records is an institution in Columbus, Ohio, and their new location at 2500 Summit Street is a definite upgrade from their prior location across the street from the Ohio State University campus.

The space is much bigger, giving them a lot of room to stretch out their collection of seemingly every genre of music under the sun.

That vinyl copy of The New Pornographers’ “Brill Bruisers” is well worth your money.

You know you’re in for something when you walk into the store, immediately see a rack of newly arrived CDs and find one of them is this.

As Matthew Baty from Pigsx7 once said, “If your Uber driver asks if your band is like G.G. Allin, get out of the car because he’s a fucking nutter.”

Their vinyl collection is impressive. You could spend hours and thousands of dollars here if you’re not careful.

Sade and Butthole Surfers on the same rack.

Also for the girls and the gays. Trust me on this.

This was my favorite section in the store. It’s stuffed with lounge, exotica, and other weird stuff.

I’d spend most of my cash here if I were a vinyl collector.

Another fun section was an entire wall of Christmas music that showcased how many different genres of Christmas music are out there.

Sharon Jones and The Dap-Kings next to Dee Snider and Lizzy Hale.

It’s amazing that I walked out of there with just a CD box set of The Who (at a crazy low price at that). Don’t skip this place if you’re in town and looking for a vinyl fix, or just want to browse and find stuff you didn’t know existed.

Keep your mind open.

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Wrecka Stow: Animal Records – Evanston, IL

I stumbled upon Animal Records (624 Grove Street) when I was in Evanston doing research for a book I’m writing. I arrived during their “soft opening” when they were still stocking record bins from the massive collection in the basement.

Despite still bringing out their inventory, and still categorizing it, they already had a good number of customers who were delighted to find a new record store not terribly far from the Northwestern University campus. How could they not be when they could find stuff like this?

*The Hobbit*-influenced music next to Cab Calloway? How can you miss?

Or this?

The selection is vinyl-heavy, but that’s okay when you can find goofy stuff like this.

It’s a fun place. I walked out of there with an Esquivel CD that’s a fun spin. The word is that the basement will be open for crate-diggers next year. Don’t miss that.

Keep your mind open.

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