Tag Archives: New York City indie record store

New York City Record Stores: Rebel Rebel

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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