Category Archives: Record Shops

Chicagoland Record Collectors Show Hillside, Illinois

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My first-ever visit to the Chicagoland Record Collectors show at the Best Western in Hillside Illinois was a very pleasant surprise. To be honest, I expected something a lot smaller somehow, but there were a large number of dealers with a wide range of titles. Organizers for this show say classic rock gets a lot of attention here, but I was happy to discover a treasure trove of 80s indies and alternative (before that turned into a bad word) and a great deal of weirdness on vinyl.

My own personal scores were deliciously contradictory–I found a SEALED copy of the quite elusive Daniel Amos album Fearful Symmetry (they were the most unique and original thing about the 80s Christian New Wave movement that flourished briefly in the mid 80s) AND a copy of the Diamanda Galas album, Saint of the Pit. At the same stall–how cool is that? The GMUZIK vendor is where I found those–I liked his selections best of all. Since this record show is held every two months, you’ll have plenty of chances to visit GMUZIK–and I strongly suggest you do.

And how about the weirdness on vinyl? Well, where do I start? Feast your eyes on these babies:

This band is a class act…but the NEXT album would complete the circle. Once again I find the most wonderful dichotomies in the record bins. From panties to Jesus on the SAME TABLE.


The Chicagoland Record Collectors show has early bird hours–an insane 6:30 AM–but as it happens, there’s a damn good reason for that. Once the normal hours begin at 9AM the place is mobbed. I got all my finds by showing up for the early bird, and fortunately the Best Western Hotel (4400 Frontage Road in Hillside Illinois) where this show is held has a breakfast buffet. Good thing! Don’t take your chances with the maddening crowds after 9–show up early and get your crate digging on.

I highly recommend this show and cannot wait for the next one.

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NYC Record Stores: Generation Records

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Generation Records, at 210 Thompson St (between 3rd St & Bleecker) is the sister store to the New York City record store institution, Bleecker Street Records. Like its’ counterpart, Generation Records has a lot of floor space, more titles than you’ll be able to comfortably look through over a lunch hour, and plenty of CDs, tees and other odds and ends to round out the shopping experience.

By this time on the Vinyl Road Rage journey, I was pretty fried out. All the stores start blurring together when you hit the wall, but even though this was the last stop in a very eventful and expensive day, Generation Records managed to stand out and make me wake up long enough to appreciate the collection.


Reviews of the store on Yelp.com make noise about rude, obviously tweaking or barely knowledgeable staff; I didn’t have those experiences because I walked in knowing where I wanted to browse, didn’t have an agenda aside from hoping cool stuff leapt out of the stacks for me, and wasn’t feeling particularly chatty myself. It was nice not to be bothered every five seconds with “Can I help you find anything?” so maybe I’m just anti-social and prefer a non-talkative rudie behind the counter sometimes.

Just as with Bleecker Street Records, Generation Records has a downstairs and it’s chock full of the good stuff. Yes, there is a lot of vinyl upstairs, but I’ve always had better luck in basements. Don’t know why. They–the inscrutable, ever-present they–always stick the soundtracks in the basements (unless it’s a bargain basement setup where the thrashed and buck-a-pop vinyl lives).

I always notice the little quirky things about a record store. One quirk that brought a smile was the way Generation Records chooses to label its overstock. Me personally, I think if you have a problem with people misunderstanding what’s considered “for sale” and what’s not, you should HIDE the not-for-sale items. But I’m just this guy.

New York City is jammed full of great record stores. Generation Records is one of them. You might need some deep pockets if you’re a collcetor–Bleecker Street and Generation Records are shops that have savvy buyers and the rarities are priced accordingly. To quote the junk store shopkeep in that great Swingin’ London classic Blow Up, “You’ll find no cheap bargains here…”

But that doesn’t mean you won’t buy. And sometimes you CAN find some decent bargains—some nice little things do slip through the cracks. Like a sealed, original pressing of the Sheba, Baby soundtrack, or my personal favorite, the sealed version of Petey Wheatstraw, The Devil’s Son-in-Law soundtrack. But maybe I’m just a rabid crate diggin’ fool.

–Joe Wallace

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New York City Record Stores: Other Music

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New York City record stores are generally full of great collections of dusty old records. Then there are the shops that combine brand new releases with those dusty grooves…but then there are the shops like the New York City indie record store Other Music, which concentrates on a much more selective library of new titles on the cutting edge.

Other Music, at 15 E. 4th Street, doesn’t exclusively sell new releases–there is a small collection of used records and plenty of shrink-wrapped reissues to choose from-but this shop has both feet firmly planted in the now. Compare to a store like Bleecker Bob’s which is truly the Marty McFly of record stores–going back in time and no looking back.

Other Music is clean, friendly, and when I dropped in, packed with people. Always a good sign! This is one NYC record store I could spend a lot of time in. The vibe here is much like the one you’ll find in Chicago’s Dusty Groove, except Other Music is aimed at hip modern sounds rather than delicious retro tracks. Not a bad thing, to be sure.

Browsing the titles, I got the distinct feeling that I’ve let modern indie music get away from me in the past couple of years–something I aim to rectify soon. Other Music is, for a retro vinyl-phile like me, a reminder that great music is still being made and pressed on vinyl. You just need to make time to get some and have a listen.

Other Music actually has plenty of vinyl titles. The size of the shop is a bit deceiving though; at first glance it looks like you’ve walked squarely into CD-land, but there is a good portion of LPs and yes, that’s a Kim Fowley album you see in the photo above–one I really should have picked up while there. Regrets….I definitely think Other Music is well worth the stop when you’re in NYC. Take a break from inhaling decades-old used LP dust and have a look around here. I was very glad I did.

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