...we know Record Store Day was two weeks ago, but, hey, shouldn't we be making every day Record Store Day? We thought it might be fun to turn this blog over to Brad, our senior employee (but don't call him "old," he's not yet 35!), to reminisce about some of his formative record store haunts and what they've meant to him...we'll be back with more Kevin Dunn news, listening lists, and more, shortly. Without further adieu, here's Brad:
So, in between trying to keep the lights on at Casa Nueva, playing in a bunch of bands, keeping my house from falling down, keeping the puppies and kittens fed, keeping up with listening, etc., I wasn't able to make it to a record store on Record Store Day until well past 6pm, when most of the good exclusive items were long gone. Still, I felt obliged to stop in to a shop and pay my respects -- even if I pop into record stores at least 3-5 times a week. Honestly, I remain shocked at how few of my colleagues in the music industry actually make a point of visiting shops any more. It's sad at best, hypocritical at worst. The other day I joked that, if you want to avoid music industry sleazebags, just go to a concert or a record store. They won't be there.
I thought it might be nice to run down some of my formative record shop experiences -- places that I feel shaped the way I hear music and what I chose to take chances on. I owe a lot to 'em...here we go...
Atlanta Fulton County Public Library, Ida Williams Branch - You could check out LPs here (and eventually CDs), and we did. It was a modest selection, but with some key records that I really heard there first. Mostly classical stuff, which I wasn't into at the time, but they had a small pop/jazz section that was kinda random and kinda awesome.
Finds: REM's Murmur, Mel Torme's Round Midnight (fantastic outtakes from his dektette sessions), the Beatles' Revolver...
Current status: Still there, and it's weird modern shoe-box design is still ugly to me (although it has apparently won some design awards)
Camelot Music, Lenox Square Mall, Atlanta, Georgia - I think this place was originally called Franklin Music, then it became Camelot. It was a mall store, but when I went there (late '80s through the mid-'90s) it was an exceedingly well-stocked one, with a wide range of titles, including imports, indie stuff, and some pretty out-there items for a southern mall outlet. Really impressive, looking back. There was also a Record Bar in Lenox, which was never nearly as good, except once they had a copy of Pere Ubu's Dub Housing, the sort of radical experimental disk that you'd NEVER find in the south anywhere. So I shout out to them, too...but Camelot was really quite fine.
Finds: Captain Beefheart's Troutmaskreplica and Safe as Milk, Dead Kennedy's Give Me Convenience or Give Me Death, Nils Lofgren's first album, and so much more.
Current status: Camelot was bought buy Transworld. Some stores were turned into FYE (ugh), some were shuttered. I don't think Lenox has a record store now, which is tragic.
Fantasyland Records, Buckhead, Atlanta, Georgia - I didn't know used records and CDs were an option until I stumbled into this place. Quite a revelation, and to this day, when I walk in, I still find cool stuff. Bootlegs, long-deleted titles, weird indie things, local releases...it's still a bit overwhelming. My first step into the classic record store experience -- quirky, musty, opinionated, brilliant. Also sells DVDs and adult books/magazines/movies, although I always went straight to the music.
Finds: Too many to mention. What comes to mind are the Beatles Ultra Rare Tracks(on vinyl!), David Lindley's El Rayo-X, boots galore (Smiths, Beatles, Beach Boys, etc.), the first Smiths album, The Talking Heads Remain in Light and The Name of this Band is Talking Heads, and...well, the list goes on and on.
Current status: Still there. Go. Nice profile in Goldmine recently, but it's not on their website.
Tower Records, Various Locations (but primarily Atlanta, Nashville, and Boston) - Tower came late to Atlanta, and I had already gotten pretty familiar with the above outlets before they opened shop -- but when they did...the catalog selection was deep and peerless, the prices were fair (not amazing), there was a good amount of rare/indie stuff. Really impressive, and closer to the super-stores of the northeast than anything else we had in the south. When I moved to Nashville, the store there was pretty strong at first, especially for jazz, then slowly faded by 2003 or 2004. The Boston store was also awesome for jazz when I lived there from '97 until '02, but it too slowly declined. Still, a great place...
Finds: I don't know if you "find" stuff at Tower -- you just walk in thinking "I'd like a copy of Empty Glass by Pete Townsend, and they have a copy of Empty Glass or, quite often, three or four. That said, some amazing stuff turned up there...Anthony Braxton's Dortmond (Quartet), Modern Lovers '88, nice world stuff in Boston (Fela, Chico Buarque, etc.)...
Current status: Sadly boarded up after a prolonged clearance sale that reminded me of vultures eating away at the carcass of roadkill. Not easy to watch.
Wax'n'Facts, Little Five Points, Atlanta, Georgia - After seeing nothing but used vinyl through most of my adolescence, this awesome spot reminded me that new vinyl still existed, and was in fact a thriving subculture. Very nicely-purchased CD selection, but vinyl's what won me on this place -- new and used. A digger's paradise, for sure, and conveniently located near another brilliant store, Criminal Records, where I first investigated indie rock. Wax'n'Facts has tremendous vibe, and it is also a handy nexus for cool local music -- I remember buying stuff by DQE, the Coolies, and other Atlanta underground outfits there.
Finds: Oh man...used stuff like Billy Bremner's brilliant Crash, the first Katrina and the Waves album, which changed my life, Kimberley Rew's Bible of Bop; new stuff like Firehose and Minutemen on SST, David Thomas's solo records...
Current status: Still going strong, still well-stocked. I walked in there just a few months ago and got the new Capstan Shafts CD, which you can't even find in Boston (and they're from Vermont!).
There are a lot more great shops out there that made a dent -- Stereo Jacks, Grimey's, Phonoluxe, the Great Escape, Newbury Comics, Rough Trade, HMV, Looney Tunes, Other Music, Twisted Village...I just only have a few minutes today! Check in this time, next year...