Remembering Record Stores

[elroy]

When I lived in SoCal, there was (maybe still is) a place called “Mr. C’s Records” on Glasell in Orange. He had pretty much any single you might want. A couple of the nearby antique stores also had record sections.

There are two fairly good vinyl stores in Boise, so I’m not screaming for a fix just yet. Last year there was a vinyl show and I dropped a couple of Benjamins there.

I should have a working turntable in my room by August, the way things are going.

I live 10 minutes from there and it appears to still be in existence! Will have to go this weekend!

 

[Soundfield]

In the late 60’s I bought several albums from a record store by mail order that was in England. It was the Heanor Record Center, 41 Derby Road, Heanor, Derbyshire. I still have a dollar off coupon. Always wondered if it is still there.

Unsurprisingly, no. Google street view shows that the address you give is now home to an Indian Take-Away:

 

[fredblue]

Unsurprisingly, no. Google street view shows that the address you give is now home to an Indian Take-Away:
View attachment 86573

i just put in an order for Korma Chameleon, Vindaloo Sunset and some Paperback Raita hope it comes soon i'm Hank Marvin!

 

[artwwweb]

I don't own this image - its a Getty - it is Neil Diamond and his wife signing autographs at Tower Records in 1986. Pretty cool!

Funnily enough, they only seem to be selling Neil Diamond albums!

 

[DuncanS]

In the late 60’s I bought several albums from a record store by mail order that was in England. It was the Heanor Record Center, 41 Derby Road, Heanor, Derbyshire. I still have a dollar off coupon. Always wondered if it is still there. Maybe some of our England members have been there.

I found this website British Record Shop Archive which looks like it is closing down in April 2023

Heanor Record Centre
which closed down in 2008 HEANOR RECORD CENTRE LIMITED - Free Company Check

 

[Clement]

This post isn't so much about a specific record store, but about prices, though i will reference some stores, many of the names of which i have forgotten! I graduated from high school in 1979, and i commuted to the U of I Chicago for the first two years (as i must have noted elsewhere, it was still called Circle back then; the administration was making a big push to drop that label, so many students [ever the contrarians] insisted on calling it Circle–ah, youth). Any hoo, i recollect waiting to make batch purchases when i could find a $5 coupon in the Chicago Reader. I think the store was Rolling Stone Records--it must have been down Washington, a few blocks east of State Street--and they would often advertise that $5 coupon. I would head over to Rolling Stone Records (they had another great store on West Irving Park that i sometimes hit when i visited my aunt in Elmhurst) and score as many records as i could afford. I stayed in the western suburbs before moving downtown my third year at UIC, and i would also hit a small record and denim store near the Burlington Northern depot in Hinsdale, one a few blocks from the stop at LaGrange Road, and another store in a strip mall near Yorktown shopping center. I would try to score records for $5 at those stores as well, though i do recollect grudgingly paying $7 if there were a release i dearly coveted. All of those stores had used records as well, and those went for $3-$4. Okay, long post to say that with my recent spending spree, having been sucked back to "the dark side ," a quick Google search lets me know that $5 back in 1980 is roughly $18 today, and $7 back then equals $25.29 nowadaze [sic] . . . so those have become my buying guidelines. Stay Surrounded, Comrades . . . and Spin On!

 

[Sonik Wiz]

This post isn't so much about a specific record store, but about prices, though i will reference some stores, many of the names of which i have forgotten! I graduated from high school in 1979, and i commuted to the U of I Chicago for the first two years (as i must have noted elsewhere, it was still called Circle back then; the administration was making a big push to drop that label, so many students [ever the contrarians] insisted on calling it Circle–ah, youth). Any hoo, i recollect waiting to make batch purchases when i could find a $5 coupon in the Chicago Reader. I think the store was Rolling Stone Records--it must have been down Washington, a few blocks east of State Street--and they would often have that $5 coupon. I would head over to Rolling Stone Records (they had another great store on West Irving Park that i sometimes hit when i visited my aunt in Elmhurst) and score as many records as i could afford. I stayed in the western suburbs before moving downtown my third year at UIC, and i would also hit a small record store near the train depot in Hinsdale and another store in a strip mall near Yorktown shopping center. I would try to score records for $5 at those stores as well, though i do recollect grudgingly paying $7 if there were a release i dearly coveted. Both of those stores had used records as well, and those went for $3-$4. Okay, long post to say that with my recent spending spree having been sucked back to "the dark side ," a quick Google search lets me know that $5 back in 1980 is roughly $18.06 today, and $7 back then equals $25.29 nowadaze [sic] . . . so those have become my buying guidelines. Stay Surrounded, Comrades . . . and Spin On!

Thanks for the most interesting comparison about past costs and current inflated values. I don't remember the comments or even my own take on LP vs CD prices at the digital dawn. I do remember a lot people negatively commenting on the high costs of those new fangled DVD's. They cost ~$15 and many were used to paying a third of that for VHS . Myself I was used to paying $30 > $40 or more (thanks a lot Criterion) for laserdiscs so DVD prices looked pretty good to me.

 

[par4ken]

I remember records costing about $6.00 each, in the stores. That was a lot of money for me back then so I purchased mainly from "The Record Club of Canada" where records were more like $2 to $3 and shipping was still cheap. I also joined "the Capitol Record Club". My brother joined the "Record Guild of Canada". Sadly all of those went belly up rather quickly. Capitol was sold to "Longines Symphonette" and then to rival "Columbia Record Club". I quit when they wouldn't honour my coupons from "Longines".

For the most part I browsed the record store cut-out bins where records were about half the price. Also loved the "Quadraphonic" section of the stores that had one. I didn't mind spending $8.00 (or more) for a Quad release. I did purchase some/many records at full price but I remember most fondly the bargains.

Then there were the used record stores. A great place to get rid of your unwanted vinyl and to pick up something new (new to you). I got all my "Roxy Music" LP's that way and I don't think that they cost me a dime!

Due to the high inflation of the seventies and early eighties I think that records were now about $12.00 each in the stores. Then the CD's came out, all pressed in Germany or Japan and selling for $25.00 each. As with my quad reel tapes I started to purchase them before even getting a player.

Along came "Columbia House" once again with lower prices for CD's. Then "BMG Music Club" who practically gave them away. Sadly that didn't last long.

At first I didn't want to replace my vinyl with CD's but merely to add new releases as CD's, but with cheaper prices I started re-purchasing much of my collection. At some point I came to realise that many of the CD's just didn't sound right. After investigation I found out that without exception the bad discs were brickwalled. That brickwalling went largely unnoticed at first but as new releases came out with ever more compression CD's became unlistenable!

I remember Video tapes costing about $30-$40 each both VHS and Beta. I think that they were about $100 for new releases! Too pricey for all but avid collectors, so came the "Video" stores with cheap rentals. I just knew that business could/would not last long!

 

[barfle]

When I was in the Army stationed in a tiny place called Pruem, records were $2.50 in the PX and 10 DM (virtually identical) in town, so I picked up a good selection for the time (1968-69). If memory serves, LPs cost about $4 when I got back to California, then the ‘70s inflation hit.

 

[Sonik Wiz]

The only record club I belonged to was BMG. I loved looking through their catalogs. But our area had a good amount of record stores to choose from and the store of first choice was Capers Corner. I have mentioned that elsewhere. Record shopping was a a group experience... always go with a few friends. That's the best kind of Record Club.

I remember Video tapes costing about $30-$40 each both VHS and Beta. I think that they were about $100 for new releases! Too pricey for all but avid collectors, so came the "Video" stores with cheap rentals. I just knew that business could/would not last long!

Video tapes were crazy expensive at introduction here in the US of A. My very first VHS purchase was The Last Starfighter (STEREO!!) at $89.00, marked down from $129.00 retail. The rental store kicked the crap out of that business model.

Eventually VHS was everywhere: at grocery stores/drug stores/truck stops. At crazy low prices. Those that hunted the extreme bargains were not discriminating purchasers. But if you wanted to buy The Best of Benny Hill or Grand 'ol Opry, you could do it for about $5.00.

Last year QQ member @bracelis started a similar thread. Many good & interesting comments there as well:

https://www.quadraphonicquad.com/fo...sacds-dvd-as-from-in-the-good-old-days.30393/

 

[Marplot]

My first VHS was an $80 Apocalypse Now we had rented and my dumb ass buddy placed on a space heater ... turns out they would not accept the melted tape as a return.

 

[jaybird100]

When I was in the Army stationed in a tiny place called Pruem, records were $2.50 in the PX and 10 DM (virtually identical) in town, so I picked up a good selection for the time (1968-69). If memory serves, LPs cost about $4 when I got back to California, then the ‘70s inflation hit.

I was in Bremerhaven in the mid 80's. The prices for records was still pretty much the same in the PX. CD's were just coming out then, and we had a great selection of them available in town, at reasonable prices. But a basic Yamaha CD player, one that would, just a few years later, would cost almost nothing, was $600 at the Rhein-Main Audio Club. At that time, it was worth the drive from B'haven to get it.

 

[mandrix]

When I was in the Army stationed in a tiny place called Pruem, records were $2.50 in the PX and 10 DM (virtually identical) in town, so I picked up a good selection for the time (1968-69). If memory serves, LPs cost about $4 when I got back to California, then the ‘70s inflation hit.

Was that the air base that closed some years ago?

 

[barfle]

Was that the air base that closed some years ago?

I believe so. I recall, perhaps not correctly, that there was a news report about a race on the runways of a former US air base in Bitburg. I haven’t been back, though.

 

[GOS]

and my dumb ass buddy placed on a space heater

Beer must have been involved...

 

[Marplot]

Beer must have been involved...

I wish ... but the only thing involved was knuckleheadedness

 

[mandrix]

I believe so. I recall, perhaps not correctly, that there was a news report about a race on the runways of a former US air base in Bitburg. I haven’t been back, though.

Yeah that is or was more common than you might think. My bud at Giebelstadt said weekend drag races on the airstrip taxiway were a pretty common event and locals were invited. That was early '70's though.

 

[mandrix]

Army/Air Force Px's (Post Exchange) often had, depending on size, a bewildering assortment of stuff, including records, tape decks, etc. If you wanted an LP they didn't have, you could look through their record catalog and order anything.
What was that catalog called? Schwans or something like that? Come on, old timers, help me out here.

 

[jaybird100]

I believe so. I recall, perhaps not correctly, that there was a news report about a race on the runways of a former US air base in Bitburg. I haven’t been back, though.

Several bases in Germany closed, including the one in Bremerhaven
I was stationed at.

 

[gene_stl]

Yes Schwann's
https://www.wikiwand.com/en/Schwann_Catalog