Places – 7th Level Music

Wrecka Stow: Rolling Stones – Chicago, IL

Located at 7300 West Irving Park Road, Rolling Stones is a massive store featuring a ton of great stuff. The place is almost overwhelming. I mean, you walk in and this greets you.

There’s an entire wrecka stow behind all this. I immediately saw a large section of rare soundtracks on CD as soon as I walked in, so I knew I was in a good place. The soundtracks led to world music, which led to blues, then to country, and the genres kept going around the perimeter of the store, eventually reaching the impressive metal and industrial selections.

Next to this is an odd section titled “Oldies,” but it’s not racks of 1940s and 1950s pop hits. It’s a weird mix of any genre or album seemingly released before 1990.

You see a lot of soul and R&B there (Etta James, Al Green, Marvin Gaye), but also records by New Order, Midnight Oil, Missing Persons, NRBQ, and more. I had made it to this section when my stepdaughter walked up to her mother and, somewhat stunned, said, “He’s not even to the rock section yet.” That takes up a good chunk of the middle of the store.

I walked out of here with a great score of various genres.

A Franćoise Hardy compilation, Frankie and The Witch Fingers‘ Data Doom, Black Moon Mother‘s Illusions Under the Sun, and a rare Ennio Morricone crime film score, and all of it for about forty-five bucks.

Be sure to stop by Rolling Stones if you’re in the northwest part of the city. Just be sure to give yourself extra time in your schedule. You’ll need it.

Keep your mind open.

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Wrecka Stow: Hi-Voltage Records – Tacoma, WA

Located at 2714 6th Avenue in Tacoma, Washington, Hi-Voltage Records is a great stop for vinyl, CDs, books, and more.

The books there range from music biographies to weird books about cats. More than half the store is full of vinyl records. The selection is impressive.

That’s just the punk section. You can see a big bin of folk records on the left, and a bin of 78s on the right. I rarely see 78s in wrecka stows. You’re more likely to see overpriced cassettes or 8-track tapes. Don’t worry, fellow CD lovers, they have plenty of those, too.

I walked out with a stack of six CDs for a little over forty bucks covering multiple genres. It’s a fun place with a lot to see and in a neat part of town with multiple cool vintage stores.

My Hi-Voltage score: Two bhangra-inspired electro albums, a classic Captain Beefheart album, a Jon Spencer Blues Explosion remix album I didn’t know existed until I stopped here, a rare Run-DMC collection that includes “Christmas in Hollis,” and Wall of Voodoo‘s Call of the West, which I never could find on CD until my trip to Tacoma.

Keep your mind open.

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Wrecka Stow: Hyde Park Records – Chicago, Illinois

Located at 1377 East 53rd Street, Hyde Park Records is one of the best places to visit if you’re looking for jazz, soul, R&B, funk, and stuff that might be off your radar. The place is stacked with cool material.

That’s just the stuff behind the main counter. Not only is that a stunning collection of high-end rap, soul, funk, dub, and Afrobeat albms, but there are also buttons, action figures, hand drums, African art, and even Funko Pops for sale all in one shot.

Vintage gear? They have it. This place is like walking into the coolest thrift store you never expected to find, and yes, there are plenty of records.

Prince, The Miracles, Tears for Fears, Duran Duran, Anita Baker, Ray Charles, “The Wiz” soundtrack, and more.

As seen above, they have plenty of CDs on hand as well. This whole rack was full of new releases from a wide variety of soul, rap, and jazz artists. The place is a buffet of cool albums, such as…

It also wouldn’t be a proper Chicago wrecka stow without some vintage house music available for you.

I walked out of there with three CDs – two funk and soul bangers and one weird French experimental library music compilation.

Be sure to seek this place out if you’re in this part of the city. It’s well worth it and you’re sure to find a lot of good stuff there.

Keep your mind open.

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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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