Category Archives: Record Shops

New York City Record Stores: Bleecker Bob’s Records

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New York City record stores come and go, but some are institutions. Bleecker Bob’s Records is one of those institutions and when you get inside, the collector in you comes right out and you stop thinking about silly things like prices and budgets and start drooling right away over whatever holy grail title you’re currently after on vinyl…you’re likely to find it here.

When I go into record stores that sell items intended to enhance the vinyl listening experience, (usually made out of glass) I tend to ignore that aspect of the operation, but sometimes you can’t even make it inside the shop without being reminded why so many feel that inhaling and record playing go together. But once I did get inside, it was obvious that my record collection needed some serious additions…but at this stage in the trip, my vinyl budget was in the red.

Yes, I do believe that is an ORIGINAL Mothers of Invention LP there on the bottom right. And your eyes do not deceive you–that’s a Jack Kerouac/Steve Allen LP there. What?

At this stage I just wanted to scoop up ALL this vinyl here. Coil? Current 93? Throbbing Gristle? Artifacts from an era when the music industry still had a barrier to entry but was opening up to people with strange ideas. Strange as in, good. I can’t help myself–I am a sucker for these gloriously weird and beautiful albums–they still sound as original as ever, more so sometimes when I hear the latest Vampire Weekend single. Sorry guys, I TRIED to like you, I really did. But, um, no.

All the metal you can eat. And then some. You may have noticed in this particular post that I don’t even bother TRYING to review Bleecker Bob’s Records. Hell, the pictures speak for themselves….do I really need to ooh and ahh over how much collectible stuff there is to spend massive amounts of money on? Record collectors may swoon, and some may hold their nose and hold out for an Ebay steal but the fact of the matter is that Bleecker Bob’s does have what the true junkie needs. Are you willing to pay their prices? That’s all you really need to know. But go look, regardless. There’s just a ton of essential vinyl junkie stuff here across a good cross-section of genres.
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New York City Record Stores: Bleecker Street Records

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Bleecker Street Records is famous for those living in the area–and for many of us from farther away, too. And with good reason. This two-floor New York City record store, located at 239 Bleecker Street between Carmine & Leroy in the West Village, is chock full of excellent finds.

If you start on the main floor and work your way down, a first-time visitor will probably find it easier to pace themselves than if you go down to where all the amazing goodies are (downstairs). By the time you come up for air you’ll be flat broke! Unlike some of its NYC counterparts in the Village, Bleecker Street Records is efficiently organized and very easy to browse in spite of a huge volume of titles.

For the first-time visitor, Bleecker Street is a bit deceptive in terms of layout–you’ll probably get through many of the stacks in the basement before you discover the Collectibles side of the house (which is behind you as you walk down the stairs.) Just about the time I was asking myself where all the hidden gems were located, I found them waiting on the opposite side.

It has to be said; Bleecker Street Records is NOT run by a bunch of clueless record buyers. They know what’s collectible, and these LPs are priced accordingly. Experienced collectors looking for holy grail LPs will do well here, but newcomers may be put off by some of the prices until they learn what’s reasonable and what’s not. There truly is something for every stage of collector here, but it’s best to know what’s a steal and what’s not before trying to navigate LPs sold in ANY shop as “collectible”.

The selection in the Bleecker Street collectibles area cannot be beat. These records are plentiful, as well cataloged as the non-collector stuff, and there is a nice cross-section of genres and artists for sale. There are LPs, 45s, 10-inches, the whole gamut.

This is one hell of a record store. Vinyl junkies, this should definitely be a destination for you when you’re in the NYC area. I WILL be back!

–Joe Wallace
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New York City Record Stores: Rebel Rebel

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We finally move into the New York City record store portion of Vinyl Road Rage 2…there were record stores aplenty in NYC and while there’s no way I could possibly hit them all in the short time I was able to go, I did manage to find a fair number of them. Rebel Rebel was my first stop on the New York leg of the trip. Located in Greenwich Village at 319 Bleecker Street. This is what they call the West Village area…I’m still sorting all that out in my head, not being from there and all…

Inside the shop, it’s a bit of an insane hodgepodge. Records are literally everywhere, as you’ll see. Sorting through the stacks I found Rebel Rebel to be a good place for completists to shop, especially if you’re into bands from the UK and you want to fill gaps in your collection. The store is cramped, but the rabid collector of certain UK imports is probably going to want brave the size restrictions to snag the sounds.

Somebody in this shop has a big crush on Madonna. It seems everything she ever did (literally? Probably not, but you get the message) was stuck to any available wall space in Rebel Rebel.

Yes, children, that IS a vinyl copy of the Ministry album With Sympathy. And yes, that is a $24.95 price tag you see on it.

It’s a jungle in here, but amid the boxes and the tottering piles of vinyl stacked everywhere willy-nilly, the dedicated crate digger is bound to find stuff to bring a smile.

It was very funny listening to the guy behind the counter explain for the benefit of the clueless ladies shopping for party music the differences between ambient, chill-out music, trip-hop and other genres. He seemed to be transmitting his message to a far-off galaxy that doesn’t understand this earth thing called dancing. The lady was very impressed. The patrons were very amused.

Final verdict? If you don’t own a turntable with a preamp in it and don’t know what VAT stands for, chances are Rebel Rebel isn’t for you. But the rabid collector will have a field day here. Bring deep pockets though–titles are pricey.


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Even More Vinyl Road Rage Random Images

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Vinyl Road Rage posts have gone from Cleveland to Philly and we’re not done yet! I’ve got a lot of New York City record stores to get through and there are a few posts that haven’t gone up yet from Ohio and Pittsburgh yet to come. New York comes first though–I’ve been posting these in chronological order. In the meantime, here is another collection of Vinyl Road Rage images collected from the trip. There were 1500 photos in all! Not that you’ll see all those here, but I have picked some of the best….

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