NYC Record Stores Bleecker Street Records

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St. Louis Record Stores pt. 3 - Record Exchange

This post has moved to: http://www.3313photo.com/2008/05/st-louis-record-stores-record-exchange/

St. Louis Record Stores - pt. 2 Euclid Records

Euclid Records
601 East Lockwood
St. Louis, MO 63119
314-961-8978
www.euclidrecords.com



Euclid Records is another great resource for the St. Louis music community offering large and well-organized CD and vinyl inventories. The store’s history goes back about 25 years with separate vinyl and CD stores that eventually merged into their current Webster Groves location. Vinyl-wise, Euclid is the destination for rare and collectible vinyl. They are also one of the top dealers on eBay for in-demand classic jazz albums.

Hunting strategy: I usually start with new arrivals for a taste of the offerings and move onto specific areas of interest to see what’s floating around. If I find things that fill in some holes at a fair price tag then I’m happy. There will be many things that make my heart a-flutter and then sink upon seeing the price sticker. If you’re in the mood to treat yourself to something special, this is the place to come. Interesting compilations and reissues are a bit easier on the pocketbook and they have plenty of clean staples too.



Strengths: Large inventory, impressive rarities, amazing jazz LP selection, extremely well organized both in the store and on their website. New arrivals are added to the website almost as soon as they come in.

Weaknesses: I couldn’t imagine a crummier turntable to audition $50 records. Prices are overall fair but certainly not cheap, on par with NYC and eBay.

In Summary: The shop in St. Louis for experienced vinyl people but does having everything you ever wanted take the fun out of it?

St. Louis Record Stores - Vintage Vinyl

intro

St. Louis is my hometown and where all this record nonsense started. Either by instinct or simple economic discovery that a used record was cooler and cheaper than it's CD counterpart, I started buying vinyl in high school. I soon made a second discovery: The records that got me exited seemed older, heavier and mustier. Every time I opened the sleeve of a Columbia Miles Davis LP and looked at the label, there were more eyes staring back at me; first two, then six! A record nut was born…

Let me begin with Vintage Vinyl as this is the store that I am usually at within 3 hours of my plane landing and the place where these early music discoveries were made...

Vintage Vinyl
6610 Delmar
St. Louis MO 63130
314-721-4096
www.vintagevinyl.com

hours: Sun - Thu 10AM - 10PM
Fri and Sat - 10AM t0 12AM


Vintage Vinyl has been an anchor of the U-City loop for over 20 years and does a lot for the music community: creating big window displays for current releases, hosting in-store performances of local and touring bands and serving as a general magnet for grungy loopsters. There is a permanent but mild and comforting smell of incense that seeps into everything in the store. I can still smell it on some of the records I've dug up here. The reason this is a good place to shop for records is that interesting stuff floats in with the common stuff and it all gets priced about the same.

Hunting strategies: Delve into the deep x-factor of the store.

Things show up in the used racks that are truly magical - nice James Brown records on King, original Dixie Hummingbirds on Peacock, Don Covay records on Atlantic, Etta James on Argo - all with prices averaging around $10-15. I don’t ever look for anything particular, I just look. You never dip your toes in the same Vintage Vinyl twice.

Strengths: grungy community fixture, takes it’s role as a record store seriously without taking itself as a record store too seriously. Rasaan Roland Kirk serves as their spiritual leader and mascot. Open late.

Weaknesses: no easy way to preview records: gotta hand them to a guy behind a DJ booth, I’ve never bothered. ****UPDATE**** John from VV wrote to tell me that there is now a turntable for private listening, so there you go.

In Summary: grimy, homey musical Zen

coming soon: Euclid Records and Record Exchange...

NYC Record Stores - Rockit Scientist

Rockit Scientist Records
33 St. Marks Place
212.242.0066
www.myspace.com/rockitscientistrecords



Rockit Scientist is one of the few remaining original East Village record stores that do a good job of covering a bit of everything from the 50’s on. It's about as much record store as you can cram into a basement level nook on St. Marks place with records on the floor, every inch of wall space and all over the ceiling. This place is a good resource for the now out of print UK and Dutch imports on Charly, Ace, Mr. R&B, etc. that cover early rock ‘n roll, rhythm and blues, soul and blues. The collectable albums skew a bit more towards rock and psych but I’ve also seen good soul records on the wall. This is also a good spot for CD buyers looking for reissues of out-of-print material.

Where to look: Up! (and also the 50’s Rock n Roll and Blues crates)

Best recent find: Original Riverside Mono pressing of ‘Monk’s Music’, a little water damaged but played great - $20

Strengths: well-versed on a wide spectrum

Weaknesses: a little cramped

Arbitrary Rating: 7.5 / 10