Monthly Archives: August 2010

Cleveland, Ohio Record Stores: Blue Arrow Records

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Cleveland, Ohio used record store Blue Arrow Records is at 16001 Waterloo Road and WELL worth the trip. It’s literally about half a block away from the equally impressive Music Saves record store, and these two shops complement each other so well they really could just combine into one awesome super store…

Where Music Saves has the new releases covered, Blue Arrow is an amazing place to find used vinyl. The first thing you notice when you walk into Blue Arrow?

The FLOOR. Have a look at this amazing work of art–album cover artwork on every square inch of record store floor, safely sealed under a transparent veneer. I wasn’t doing so well with the digital pictures on this one, but you get the idea. Click the photo for a larger version.

The vinyl here runs the gamut, from the fun finds:



To the ultra-drool worthy artifacts inscribed with autographs and all:

Blue Arrow has a nice selection of music books and other ephemera, too. All in all, this is NOT the place you want to rush into 45 minutes before closing time. You’ll devour this stuff, collected here by savvy record buyers who know how to put a shop together. When I strut into a used record shop and find an Easy Tempo vinyl record in the first ten minutes, I know I’ve got a shop worth shouting about. Blue Arrow IS that shop in Cleveland. Well done!

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Random Images from Vinyl Road Rage 2: Cleveland Ohio

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Here’s a selection of random images from the Cleveland Ohio leg of Vinyl Road Rage 2. Locations here include Record Revolution in Cleveland Heights, Blue Arrow Records, and a few other tasty spots along the way. I’ll be posting a selection of random shots from the entire trip between Chicago and New York City. Vinyl Road Rage 2 continues until we drop! Stay tuned for more record store reviews between Chicago and NYC…


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Cleveland Ohio Record Stores: Music Saves

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Music Saves, at 15801 Waterloo Road in Cleveland is a great place for new vinyl. I was also pleased to find a used remix album for Depeche Mode’s Policy of Truth (I’m a sucker for DM remixes ever since the Eno and Helmet mixes I heard back in 1993) and actually purchased some CDs (for play in the Dreadmobile) by Stereolab and Spiritualized. The used section–as I’ll describe in a moment, isn’t nearly as large as the new vinyl but I had some good finds regardless.

There is plenty to sift through at Music Saves–I spotted a new vinyl copy of God’s Money by Gang Gang Dance–something that would sound SPECTACULAR on a turntable. At the time of my visit, there was a generous vinyl sale bin–the NEW stuff, that is…very nice.

The staff is very friendly and happy to point out money-saving sale items. I brought my CD copy of a Stereolab album and was quickly steered to the sealed sale vinyl titles–but sadly that one was sold before I arrived. Yeah–this is a store that knows its customers aren’t made of money and doesn’t mind pointing out a bargain. My definition of cool.

Music Saves embodies my favorite kind of vinyl shopping experience when it comes to indie record stores specializing in new releases. They are big enough to carry all your current obsessions while being cozy and friendly and fun to shop in.

The CDs–obviously not my primary interest by any stretch–are diverse and I was happy to find plenty of old school favorites like Stereolab alongside The Arcade Fire, Dangermouse and plenty of other comparatively new kids on the block. True that the used vinyl selection is dwarfed by new titles–but I suspect that the presence of an equally cool record store just half a block a way (which specializes in awesome used titles) could have something to do with that. But Music Saves has carved out a GREAT niche with the new stuff.

Music saves has been celebrating its six year anniversary at the time of this post–I hope they go a LOT longer. This is a shop that deserves to succeed. I will DEFINITELY be coming back here.

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Mishawaka, Indiana Record Stores: Michiana Used Music and Media

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Mishawaka, Indiana is a good place to stop on the way out of Chicago. Just two hours out of the city, you can stretch your legs, top off, buy an Indiana lottery ticket and keep your fingers crossed.

But don’t cross your fingers over finding gigantic piles of rare vinyl at Michiana Used Music and Media. Sadly, the picture below shows the sum total of all the vinyl you can sift through here–two bins with some above and some below.

It wouldn’t be so disappointing for a hardcore vinyl junkie–or even a newbie collector–except there was not much here except for the usual pile of vinyl cast offs from every collection in the world. The requisite AC/DC albums, all the Joe Walsh records you didn’t want alongside the couple you already have. Show tunes nobody listens to. And isn’t there ALWAYS a Fleetwood Mac record in there?

I really wasn’t expecting too much from this first stop on the vinyl road rage trip as the shop doesn’t present itself very well online–an afterthought really, but I WAS amused by a couple of things here. You may not be able to locate that copy of Danny Elfman’s Nightbreed soundtrack here, but if Barry Manilow makes you shriek in ecstasy, you have DEFINITELY found your new home away from home:

And I WAS amused/horrified to find this reissue of the Blind Faith album with one of the most crass and possibly illegal covers in recorded music history. At least tone-deaf Satan Metal bands like Witchfinder General have the decency to put topless women of LEGAL AGE on their covers. Not so with Clapton and company. Those at work should probably NOT click “read more” now. Continue reading Mishawaka, Indiana Record Stores: Michiana Used Music and Media →