Record Stores in New York

funny you should ask that alan, im going for xmas -how about you ?
scotty

There is a massive HMV in Times Square that sells everything.......Enjoy.

wot vinyl too!! handy that as my hotels in times sq.

Going in March. Was there last November but i was a cd man the so wasn't in search of vinyl at the time .

On another forum they mention a place called Bleeker Bob's as being one of the best stores in New York. Apparently if it is still around it is in the Village.

Will do a google.

Found their website but it is getting reconstructed.

Ooohh I have been waiting for someone to ask that question!!

As a vinyl addict who has been living and hunting in NYC for over 20 years I have a few things to add to this subject. Let me just add that I never heard real music till I heard it thru my 82/250/Rega rig. LP12 is in my sights.

OK for starters there is no HMV in Times Square or anywhere else in NYC any more. There is a Virgin store that sells only reissue vinyl and a dismal collection at that in a measly corner of the behemoth store. Forget it. To get the real product, and it exists, you need to get into the neighborhoods.

It depends on what you are looking for but there are some very reputable and well stocked stores that sell ONLY vinyl, used and new and they happen to be in the same, NYU/Greenwich Village area and are easily accessible via subway. And let me steer you away from Bleecker Bobs unless you want paying too much to surly shopkeeps (I mean nasty to tourists and locals alike - sorry Bob) Their is mostly reissues and their used selection is woefully stale.

Ok I HIGHLY reccommend:

Rockit Scientist on St. Marks Place between 2nd and 3rd Avenue. Take the 6 train down to Astor Place and walk east on St Marks (8th Street) Pick up a slice of pizza on the corner, maybe use the bathroom in the pizza shop (you WILL be in there along time) Tell the owner John or the assistant Des that "John from California" sent you and maybe they will hook you up with the good stuff. Regardless, John at Rockit Scientist is a true slice of NY at its best. He has one of the best selections of original psych/prog music in the country and he knows his shit. He will play stuff and reccommend stuff for you if you demonstrate that you are not some @#@$hole off the street there to hassle him and not spend money. His CD collection is to die for too for all you psych fans. Plenty of genres for everyone but be forwarned - dont ask or expect any rap, current pop or classical. He just doesnt carry current popular music. If you want to hear some serious NY style bile about the music business, ask him why. To get him even more worked up, ask him about the NY Yankees. Dont tell him I told you to ask...Honestly, this is one of the last real, honest to god small business owners in NY that still gives a damn. Do yourself a favor and get there. But you HAVE to buy something in exchange for this info.

Secondly up around the corner is Academy Records on East 10th Street and 4th Avenue. This is a great store for quality (clean, well preserved and cared for) used records at a fair price and a healthy bunch of sealed reissues (ala sundazed etc.) They have an amazing Jazz section and a decent rock and soul section, but the reason to go there is for the new arrival section, which is about 4 bins (about 600 titles) of fresh used records to flip through, and two turntables with headphones available to listen to your hearts desire. Teddy and the owner Woody could not be friendlier. Do yourself a favor and get there. They also have a store over the bridge in Williamsburg Brooklyn, that is a new hipster neighborhood (think The Shins) but I leave that to the more adventurous. Post me if you want to know more about that. Actually easy to get to but it takes a subway and a bit of a walk. On a rainy day it could suck. They also have a classical only store a little more uptown, but if you want to know about that I am not your man.

Finally if you are in town on Friday, Saturday or Sunday, there is another cool basement shop on East 5th Street between 1st and 2nd avenues called Gimme Gimme Records that is only open on those days. It is smaller but has all the same attributes as Academy - great new arrivals, clean well preserved product, listening station, friendly owner. I find it is just a little higher priced.

For another quick little foray, you might check out Kims Video, across the street and down from Rockit Scientist. Downstairs is the best collection of Indie CDs in the city, and upstairs is a fair collection of used and new vinyl, leaning towards indie. The product is a little less well kept. Great video collection there!!

Places to go only if you are desperate for a title (in that case wait till you are home and get it on evilbay)

1. House of Oldies on Carmine. Nice old guy who likes to sell REO Speedwagon albums for $50 to unwise tourists. He does have an amazing collection, and supposedly has half a million titles in a wherehouse in brooklyn. I used to get hard up for a title, go there and bleed myself, and hate myself for it afterward. Not in 7 years again.

2.Bleecker Bobs, Golden Disc, Degeneration, - all in the village, all pretty much a waste of time for the reasons mentioned above unless you are desperate for a title (they most likely wont have)or are interested in bootleg CDs that you can get online for free anyway. And dont forget the snarky, rude people behind the counter. They know it and marinate in it.

There is more, but it will require some great patience and willingness to get your hands dirty. I will proffer if this info is not enough...

Let me know what genres you are looking for and I can try to point you in the right direction. I.e. if you are looking for dance/house/techno 12" there is a plethora of storefronts in the same general area, I just dont know them well since that is not my thing.

Also if you are going to the SF Bay area, LA area, Houston, or Boston, I can help you out there too.

With pleasure

John

john,
thanks for the heads up, i appreciate it.
regards, scotty

Anyone here know if the Princeton Record Exchange is worth the 1 hour drive from Manhattan ?

Thanks John M, some places there i will definetely check out. Music tastes are generally rock,indie,reggae,electro etc. Not a classical man.

What kind of prices are we talking? For both new and 2nd hand? I know this question is a bit difficult with different records being worth different amounts but just a general idea would be great.

Munch - settled is not what I would call it, but I am in SF Bay Area for long periods of time. It has been a difficult move. I still owe you couple of CDs of the Syd Barrett show as promised. I lost a terabyte drive worth of stuff after the move, but I just located this file and will burn it and send to you. Sorry for the delay.

Alan - as far as prices go, I am sure you will find our anemic dollar and the exchange rate a benefit but I will try to find a baseline for you here. Or you can give me a fairly common title, pressing, etc. and I can give you what I have either bought it or seen it for.

I have similar tastes to yours. I can probably give you some fairly reasonable estimates on prices. Almost all the sundazed and psych reissues are $15 - 20. All the Classic Quiex pressings , i.e. Zeppelin, The Who, are $25 - 30. All the various Columbia, Atlantic etc. reissues are about $10. As far as used goes, everything I am talking about is NM+ vinyl and VG+ jacket. Lets say an original or first pressing ZZ Top Tres Hombres (gatefold) goes for $12. A clean Jefferson Airplane Surrealistic Pillow stereo early pressing is about $20. A Bob Dylan pre-70s columbia 2 eye is around $10 - 15. Bob Marley Kaya goes for $5. Neil Young Harvest goes for $6. Tonights the Night goes for $8. Sgt Peppers US Mono and Stones Satanic Majestys Request US Mono both go for $50 - $75. Most Warner Brothers Green Label goes for at least $8 - 10. Reprise Steamboat Label stuff goes for $25+ Obviously this all comes down to how many were stamped and what the condition is and some times the matrix or dead wax codes. Pretty much all 80's stuff aside from the rarer titles is dollar bin fodder, or at most $3.

Overall I would say you would find your average price at $10 a disc, for a clean, great sounding used disc of some collectable, appreciable value. Hope that helps. Oh and by the way we are crazy about English pressings over hear, so you will see a UK on the plastic cover and expect to see at least a 75% markup over US pressings. But why would you buy and english pressing over here?!? You will find some great reggae titles in NY too. And dont forget the 45s!!!!!

To Charlie - The Princeton Record exchange is worth the trip but it is alot of work to find a good deal on an obscure title there. Pretty middle of the road but with high volume and decent prices.

Have fun, ask me more questions. Tell me I'm crazy. Spend too much money!

John

Thanks John. Please keep us posted on any good discs you get to whet the appetite.

Jackie Mittoo - The Keyboard King of Studio One (Double LP) - $20

Truk (Original Pressing) (American boogie band) - $40

The Blue Things (Reissue) - $8

Art - Supernatural Fairy Tales (German Reissue) $20

The Remains (Reissue) (Highly reccommended) $10

The Kaygees - Keep on Bumpin' (Gang records original) $7

Hungry?

Been out record hunting since i last asked John?

Great thread Guys. I probably won't be anywhere near NY in the near future but I'm huntin' with yo'

I am always record hunting it seems. It is a lovely disease. I was in NY last week and just for an update, Academy Records has moved! I do not have the exact address but it is now a few blocks over but still in the east village. Look it up in the phone book. They do alot of ebay sales too. Latest purchases:

Burning Spear - Man in the Hills (US, $8)

Crown Heights Affair - Dreaming A Dream (US, $5)

Irene Reid - The World Needs What I Need (US, Northern Soul, $10)

Fotheringay (US White label promo, $8)

Keith Allison - In Action (US, Columbia original mono in shrink, $10)

Charlie Mussselwhite - Louisiana Fog (US, Cherry Red Records, $15)

The Rugbys - Hot Cargo (US Amazon, $10)

The Association - Birthday (US Warner, Mono, Mint $5!!!!)

Tommy Boyce and Bobby Hart - I Wonder What She's Doing Tonight? (Japanese w/obi, $6!!!!)

Not a bad haul!!

Does the Williamsburg store carry different items than the other? I mean genre wise?

Alan

The Williamsburg store has roughly the same genres, probably not as much jazz. It is more focused on rock and soul. Larger volume as well (if i didnt mention it...)

Just came back from the manhattan store. I shipped my records back, and they are on the way, but if I can remember correctly I got -

Nice (a rare compilation)
Dennis Brown
Augustus Pablo - Red Sea
The Id (original pressing stereo)
Rick Cunha

I also went into Rockit Scientist (my favorite) and got some other tasty vinyl such as

Johnny Rivers - Realization
Stained Glass

and a few others,

John

Less than 2 months to go. Starting to get excited

John thanks for the great tips, looking at getting over to NYC later in the year and was going to ask the same questions 7 or so years ago I spent a few months in Williamsburg, very interesting area, at that stage it was just on the cusp of being "gentrified" and had a influx of youngish alternative people and cool bars flooding in. Preferred it in many ways to Manhattan and had the best Thai restaurant ever - Planet Thai.

Just got tickets to see The Hives playing in New York when i am over in March.

now you are making me jealous!