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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