Located in the lovely Greenwich borough of London, England, Casbah Records is a cool shop full of great stuff. You could easily spend a couple of hours there. They make a good use of the limited space and have a lot of different genres to choose from among the records, CDs, and DVDs.
A section just for “Rare Blues” there.
They had a lot of good box sets, both for CDs and LPs. The sheer amount of neat collections they had for sale was impressive. You can see a great Neu! there on that shelf among other neat sets.
Choosing just a few things was difficult, but I went for these.
That Studio One Space-Age Dub Special looked too cool to pass up, as did DJ Format‘s Psych Out. I haven’t heard either, but they’re bound to be wild.
As is Casbah Records. Don’t pass it up if you’re in Greenwich.
Located in the Mountain Mall at 611 Parkway in Gatlinburg, Tennessee, The Rhythm Section is one of the smallest stores in the entire mall, yet it makes the most of its size by jam-packing the shelves and bins with a lot of browse.
That’s just one wall of this place. There’s another wall full of CDs just like this. There’s also a lot of vinyl and DVDs, and an especially large collection of horror, cult, and sci-fi movies.
There’s plenty of fun stuff there, and a lot of fun gems if you take the time to dig through the shelves, crates, and boxes. I mean, who wouldn’t be tempted by stuff like this?
I snagged a CD copy of Acid King‘s Live at Roadburn album there. I probably would’ve bought a lot more (especially from those shelves of cult movie DVDs) if I’d had more time there.
Located at 201 North Court Avenue in Tucson, Arizona, Old Paint Records is in a shopping center full of art stores, cafés, and interesting shops. It’s a small space, but they have a lot to like, especially if you’re looking for vinyl.
I love how they have a bunch of retro glow-in-the-dark posters for sale, too.
And check out that vinyl edition of “The Doll Squad” soundtrack!
There are cassettes and CDs as well, but the selection is limited. Still, it’s worth a look, as is the whole store and many other shops in the area.
This is the second of the three Reckless Records locations I’ve visited in Chicago. This one is in the Loop at 26 East Madison and is a great way to kill some time if you’re downtown with extra time before your train leaves (as it was in my case).
The place has plenty of LPs, CDs, DVDs, and other stuff to tempt you, and I love how they mix up stuff in the same sections of the store.
Richard Marx next to Punk / Metal / GarageJohnny Cash next to the “Harold and Maude” soundtrack and Yard Act’s “The Overload”
The variety of stuff there in the relatively small space is impressive. There are bins of LPs, stacks of 45s, shelves of DVDs, and boxes of CDs.
Check out that vintage Naked Raygun poster!
There’s also plenty of collector stuff, too, for all you vinyl lovers.
Yes, that is a first pressing original copy of Mariah Carey’s Christmas album up there.
I feasted on their boxes of 99-cent CDs and came away with a bunch of gems.
Two Esquivel albums,a collection of Orbital singles and rarities, a greatest hits compilation from Sade, a Sugar album, The The‘s classic Infected, and that collection of rare tracks and live tracks from The Last Four Digits alone was worth the trip.
Again, if you’re looking for a great way to spend some time in the Loop, check out this store.
Located at the corner of 7th and Hoff, Wooden Tooth Records is a cool place for vinyl, CDs, cassettes, books, and other groovy stuff in Tucson, Arizona.
I love that they have a small section of books that includes local zines and underground comics. They have a bunch of wild stuff on vinyl, too, such as these gems I spotted there.
Calling Dr. Freud.Seriously, I might need this.And this.
That’s a great, and yet small example of their eclectic wares. Krautrock, electronic, ambient, folk, and children’s records in the same area!
The Salt Shed, the newest venue from 16” on Center, the team behind the Empty Bottle, Thalia Hall, Evanston SPACE, Beauty Bar, and The Promontory, today announces The Shed, the indoor performance space at the historic Morton Salt Building, and unveils its first wave of shows, the first of which is Friday,February 17. The Shed’s initial announcement features The Flaming Lips celebrating the 20th anniversary of Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots, Bikini Kill’s first Chicago show since reuniting in 2019, a three night King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard residency, Guatemalan-American house producer/DJ Gordo, and the “Godfather of Punk,” Iggy Pop. A full schedule, also including The Roots, The Hold Steady, The Mountain Goats, Tove Lo,Third Eye Blind, Fever Ray, Viagra Boys, Boy Pablo, and more, is below.
Tickets will go on sale on Friday, November 18 at 10am CST on The Salt Shed website.More shows are to be announced.
“One of the things that really excites me about this project is continuing to work with the artists we’ve grown up with,” says Bruce Finkelman, Managing Partner of 16” on Center.“These are musicians that started at the Empty Bottle, grew to Thalia Hall, and we now look forward to hosting at the Salt Shed. I remember the Flaming Lips at the Empty Bottle way back in 1994, stopping their show mid-set to walk across a sea of fans and play a solo set on a rinky dink piano that I think came with the bar. I have never experienced a crowd so captivated, and it’s a moment that reminds me why I have the best job in the world. It’s just one of the many stories of live music magic that make our places so special.”
Following this past summer’s launch of the outdoor Fairgrounds space, the newly renovated indoor Shed will feature multi-level grandstand seating, premium experiences with access to balcony opera boxes, custom bars, and expedited entry. Quality of sound at the Salt Shed, for both audience and artist, is prioritized. The venue will feature an L-Acoustics sound system designed specifically for the space to give fans throughout the venue the same great sound experience as the world’s leading tours and festivals. Alongside concerts, the Shed will eventually host a comprehensive food, beverage, and retail experience, with plans to incorporate indoor markets and other creative events that celebrate Chicago’s artistic community into the programming.
“I have spent most of my professional life doing two things,” says Craig Golden, President of Blue Star Properties and partner at 16” on Center. “One, renovating and repurposing some of Chicago’s obsolete and historic buildings; and two, collaborating and creating a number of music venues and restaurants throughout the city. Having the opportunity to combine both passions in the presentation of this iconic Salt Shed, turned music and events venue, is truly a dream.”
As both indoor-Shed and outdoor-Fairgrounds performances continue in 2023, the Salt Shed is excited to welcome key partners into the fold: Grassroots, the official cannabis partner of the Salt Shed, will help bring an educational and forward-thinking cannabis experience to both artists and guests in 2023. Wintrust, the Salt Shed’s exclusive Banking Partner, is bringing a spotlight to local charities and nonprofits by way of customized, uniquely illustrated murals. Living on the exterior wall of the Salt Shed, this fixture aims to positively impact and bring awareness to many in the Chicago community.
Located in the Tlaquepaque Shopping Center in Sedona, Arizona, Alt Books and Records is a neat little find amongst all the art galleries, high-end gift stores, and eateries. It’s on the second floor and has a neat collection of books and rare vinyl.
This is the first thing you see when you walk in the door.And then there’s all the vinyl.
The place has plenty of stuff to intrigue you. The store’s owner was playing The Jam‘s Setting Sons album at a good, loud volume while I was there. He has plenty of collectible records for you hardcore collectors, too.
The B-52’s debut album signed by Fred Schneider, no less.A promo copy of a rare Flamin’ Groovies album!This seems like a steal, even for that price.
Not into vinyl? How about high-quality prints of Dr. Seuss art? Yes, they have those as well.
And don’t forget about the books. They range on all different topics, from books on the Sedona vortices to ones on shamanism, world history, and, yes, fiction.
Located at 621 Franklin Street in Asheville, North Carolina, Static Age Records is a funky little place along a strip of nightclubs and specialty shops. My girlfriend and I stumbled upon it during a street fair on Franklin Street. The first thing we spotted were a bunch of cool records and artwork.
You can see a stage behind that crate of dark-wave / goth / post-punk / industrial records. This place holds live music shows almost every night. They had a live DJ spinning some obscure Afrobeat stuff when we were there.
$1.00 12″ singles? That’s hard to pass up.
The artwork on the walls was all for sale. A lot of it was paintings and sketches of various rock and roll and country music icons. Then again, there were also portraits of a bloodied Dusty Rhodes on display.
This place is also ready for a zombie apocalypse if such a thing should break out in Asheville.
Check it out if you’re in town. Stay for the live music if you don’t find anything you want to buy (which is unlikely).
Located in a strip mall at 2930 East Broadway Boulevard in Tucson, Arizona, Desert Island Records boasts a lot of cool stuff in a somewhat out-of-the-way location. They love not only music, but also cult films – as evidenced by their decorations you notice as soon as you walk into the place.
That “Elmer” poster alone is worth good money.A framed laserdisc of “The Day Time Ended”!
They have plenty of records, of course. No worries there if you’re a lover of vinyl
Music from “Song of the South?” That’s a big score for a collector of vinyl or Disney stuff.
They also sell a lot of gear for listening to music, both new and vintage.
Located at 5 Place Mondain Chanlouineau in Angers, France, CD-BD is a combination record store and comic book shop. What’s not to like?
The store is in a nice shopping area in Angers, across from a diner and near plenty of other nice little shops and eateries. They sell vinyl and CDs of all sorts, and a wide collection of graphic novels and comic book trade paperbacks.
CDs, comic book magazines, and erotica!
The music genres sold there run from classic rock to electronic music. The graphic novels range from standard superhero fare to historical adventure tales and adults only material.
An entire corner devoted to graphic novels and trade paperbacks.Picture discs!Electro vinyl! 45’s!
I knew we were in a cool store when I heard them playing this.
I mean, how do you not like a store if they’re playing a Teardrop Explodes record?
Be sure to grab some music (and comics) here while you’re in Angers.
