by Joe Wallace

Bloomington, Indiana has some great record stores. Since it’s a college town it’s not surprising that there’s a cluster of decent shops within a short distance of one another, and the town in general is worth a serious look if you’re on the road–vinyl junkie or not.

Tracks is a shop that wins early bird points as it’s open before any of the other shops I could find. Since that’s the case, a chronic early riser and road warrior will have a bit of fun browsing this shop before the other stores open up.

Tracks has a lot of grandpa rock in the stacks to be sure, but there is also an assortment of new, sealed music and attention to a couple of genres that should attract collectors looking for classic punk and metal releases.

All the Black Flag vinyl you can eat! There is also a nice selection of vintage audio gear, which the shopkeepers definitely seem to love. The selection of used vinyl includes a discount bin, which is a must if you ask me…but in my own case, my obsessions were a bit scarce–good soundtracks were hard to find though I’m told there was a recent record show in the area so it’s possible the selection had been picked over before I arrived.

Tracks hides the records all the way in the back of the shop. Walking in you might think you’ve come into the wrong store as there are rows and rows of college tees, hoodies and Indiana-related merchandise. Just keep moving to the back of the shop and you’ll find the records and stereo gear. All in all, this is a pretty typical selection of new and used vinyl, but punk and metal collectors should take a look as there is a concentration of titles in those genres–at least the day I was there.