Tag Archives: indie record stores

Vinyl Road Rage V: Milwaukee, Madison, Minneapolis and More

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It’s that time again…Turntabling’s annual voyage across the United States in search of the best indie record shops, the weirdest vinyl, the most amazing and noteworthy finds. Yes, VINYL ROAD RAGE FIVE is in the planning stages now and set for a June launch.

This year, for some reason, the M cities are getting special attention. It wasn’t by design but I’ll be hitting Milwaukee, Madison, and Minneapolis just to name a few. There are a staggering TWENTY FIVE record stores on the list this year including some “secret” stops and a lot of wonderfully well-known places as well.

Vinyl Road Rage is something that does not like to repeat itself–I try to hit places I’ve not been, hence the journey towards the Twin Cities, but this year there are some early scheduled stops at some favorite stomping grounds of Viny Road Rages past including the mighty Jerry’s Records in Pittsburgh, PA.

I will be posting a tentative list of all the record store stops along the way which is SUBJECT TO CHANGE, and also be running down a few interesting items about Vinyl Road Rage in the days to come. It’s worth pointing out that this insane road trip is on a schedule that juggles a bit of paying freelance work (oh, yes, I’ll be doing some work from the road, believe me…), driving time, hardcore record store buying and more…I say that in advance by way of apology to my friends and colleagues I might not have a chance to stop and visit with while I’m passing in or near certain cities.

It seriously bums me out to have to keep to a schedule as such, but being a hardcore vinyl blogging indie record store road warrior does have it’s price–and paying heed to the clock and the calendar is definitely it.

Vinyl Road Rage will feature video, podcasts, blog posts and tons of photos from the road. Stay tuned, record store lovers…this particular Vinyl Road Rage is one for the record books. Or at least A BOOK of some kind.

–Joe Wallace

Vinyl Road Rage: More Views From the Road

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More views from Vinyl Road Rage Four. I have more from-the-road reports to file, including a look at Denton, Texas record shops, Dallas, Austin and much more. I’m still out on the road–currently reporting from Austin, Texas where there are a TON of shops to hit. It’s bee a very good vinyl buying trip so far and there’s more to come.

The mighty Waterloo Records in Austin, Texas–rated by several publications as one of the top ten record shops in the country, and with GOOD REASON. They are basically massive and awesome.

Waterloo has a staggering amount of vinyl in every category—and plenty of rarities hiding in these stacks–you gotta dig to find the good stuff.

At Mad World Records in Denton–very new and hip. Not a hell of a lot of vinyl, but I’m sure that will change soon. I HOPE it will change soon! Loads and LOADS of CDs for sale. The vinyl for sale there was a mix of old and new and the selection was pretty decent in spite of the small size of the collection.

At Good Records in Dallas–APTLY NAMED, I must say–wall to wall with thousands of titles–mostly new records, too. There is a small used section which was kind of underwhelming, but those new titles? WOW. Impressive. And this shop has a huge (for a record store) stage for live shows.

An amazing uber-limited edition soundtrack LP for Maniac by William Lustig starting Joe Spinell. WOW. I scored with this one. Only 500 made…

Vinyl Road Rage: Views From The Road

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I’ll have a full update on day #2 later–it’s very late at the time of this writing and I need sleep soon, but here is a look at some of the things seen on the trip so far. These images were taken between Bloomington, Indiana and Memphis, Tennessee. The record stores along the way have been great and there is much more to come.

Also stay tuned for a new Vinyl Road Rage video sometime tomorrow (Friday December 9, 2011).

Jack White’s Third Man Records isn’t just a label, it is also a boutique-y record shop with loads of great atmosphere and interesting vinyl & merch. Tiny, but very well done–an impressive shop indeed!

Landlocked Music in Bloomington Indiana is a favorite stop…highly recommended, as is the shop pictured below, also in Bloomington–TD’s CDs and LPs.

Oh, to own this pricey-but-essential Nurse With Wound box set…agony of the damned is mine now that I know it exists, yet own it not.

Elvis on 8-track? That’s like asking if Stereolab is available on compact disc. I kept having to remind myself that I was in Tennessee and would be seeing a LOT of Mister Elvis over these few days.

Long before the New Kids on the Block, The Partridge Family was carrying the torch as a kiddie sensation–except the New Kids didn’t feature a mom, just some (probably) Svengali-esque manager.

Nashville’s answer to environmental activism: Think Globally, Act Hillbilly. Does that include squealing like a pig at the command of someone wearing a trucker hat and a shotgun?

Vinyl Road Rage: Laurie’s Planet of Sound Chicago, Illinois

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by Joe Wallace

I thought I’d kick off Vinyl Road Rage 4 with a look at a record shop right in my own back yard. Before I get behind the wheel today to hit the road for Bloomington, Indiana, Nashville and points beyond, Laurie’s Planet of Sound definitely deserves a mention.

Laurie’s is literally two blocks away from my place, which makes it very handy to indulge in some early-afternoon record shopping, and I can’t tell you how many times I’ve been to Laurie’s in the past two months when I sorely needed some new, obscure or bizarro vinyl titles to write about for my book in progress WTF Records: The Turntabling Guide To Weird and Wonderful Vinyl.

And that is the real draw for me–Laurie’s carries the usual stuff with plenty of new vinyl across the expected genres plus soundtracks, imports and more. But Laurie’s absolutely excels at bringing in rarities new and used that impresses me no end. In another life, my exposure to neighborhood record stores was rather unimpressive. Since moving to Chicago proper a few years back that’s changed.

But I’ve never been so spoiled as I have been with Laurie’s so close and so well-stocked with awesomeness. I’ve scored Legendary Pink Dots vinyl, Nurse With Wound, the Blacula soundtrack, some very tasty minimal wave titles, and my all-time favorite holy grail find: Punishment of Luxury.

Laurie’s is a must-visit if you come to Chicago for a visit. They carry DVDs including a variety of off-the-beaten-track titles that are just as obsessive-worthy as the vinyl (plenty of Something Weird titles, horror movie trailer collections, drive-in exploitation and other wonderful things), and there’s even a great, eclectic book selection, too.

The shop is friendly, fun to shop, and beware what they are playing on the turntable when you walk in–chances are you’ll be walking out with it before your shopping spree is done or regret NOT buying it when you leave. I had non-buyer’s remorse for AGES after walking out without the album by Social Climbers they were playing. What was I thinking?

This jaded record store blogger HIGHLY recommends Laurie’s Planet of Sound at 4639 N Lincoln in Chicago. And be sure and tell them Turntabling.net sent you. That might make them giggle.