Vinyl Road Rage: More Views From the Road

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: Laurie’s Planet of Sound Chicago, Illinois

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.

Al Jazeera on Vinyl Records

by Joe Wallace

I was pleasantly startled to find this video clip posted by Al Jazeera on vinyl records. Having never seen anything of the network at all, I don’t know what I was expecting, but since the majority of the exposure to Al Jazeera in the USA has a lot to do with political, war, and terrorism coverage, I suppose I had an impression that Al Jazeera is more of a breaking news service along the lines of HLN.

But they do features, too. This one is pretty interesting but it’s a bummer that it’s all from an American perspective. I’d love to get a glimpse at the record industries of other countries and what its like to buy or sell vinyl in places Al Jazeera bureaus call home.

The central conceit of this 2011 clip is a bit misguided–it’s really late in the game to say vinyl is making a “comeback”–but overall this is pretty interesting and well-done.

My one question–who is the Jeanne Moos of Al Jazeera? I’d love to see some of those quirky culture style pieces in a completely different cultural context.

Platterpus Records, Addison Illinois

by Joe Wallace

So it begins–the Vinyl Road Rage updates move into record store review territory now because if I don’t start writing ‘em, they will NEVER get done. There’s already a massive backlog of great indie record stores to cover and you have to start sometime so we begin with the great Platterpus Records in Addison, Illinois.

Platterpus sells online and does not have a storefront per se, but they do have a bi-monthly warehouse sale where they invite the public to come and browse literally thousands of records. You can also come out and look by appointment, which is how I enjoyed my first visit.

Platterpus is challenging for non-crate digging obsessive record shoppers going by appointment because the stock is literally boxed and waiting the warehouse sale–but the persistent digger is soon rewarded with plenty of delicious finds.

I strongly recommend searching the site’s online stock–which is not available for crate digging–before going to the warehouse. I was rewarded with a couple of wonderful finds using this approach–a Coil 12-inch I’d been long seeking and some other beauties.

Crate digging at Platterpus is a wonderful way to spend an afternoon. I have yet to experience the warehouse sale but the Platterpus folks tell me it’s organized and fun. They’re friendly, very helpful and I will definitely be going back out to Addison at some point soon for more digging.

In the world of storefronts, Platterpus Records is a bit of an anomaly, but it’s definitely working for them, and any warehouse sale that also features cocktails  and live bands (as advertised in their last flyer) cannot be a bad thing at all. I REALLY want to try the warehouse sale version of Platterpus Records . Cocktails and vinyl? Oh yes, please.

The View from Vinyl Road Rage

Here’s a collection of images taken along the way from Vinyl Road Rage. The record shop reviews begin with our very next post, so stay tuned for a long series of ‘em!

An absolutely fabulous find at the Columbus record store Magnolia Thunderpussy, which wins some kind of prize for the most uniquely left-field company name, ever.

I love it. Not “attention record lovers” or “vinyl junkies” but, “record nerds“. A lack of tact makes the world go round…and yeah, I’ll say it. I AM A RECORD NERD. But like all nerds everywhere, we prefer something a bit more idealized like “vinyl junkie” or “collector” rather than “subhumanoid cellar dweller”. But we smile as we know it’s all in good fun.  You’re laughing WITH us, right? Say you’re laughing with us. Yeah, ok. Heh.

Seriously, every record store should have pinball. Spoonful Records in Columbus get my vote for all-time greatest record store decor concept ever with these two machines. The only thing a record shop could do that would be one better would be free pizza and beer. Daily. For breakfast. But it would have to be served next to the pinball.

Lost Weekend Records is another shop that demands a visit. It’s clearly a labor of love and gives me hope that vinyl is here to stay–as long as there are people who love it this much, we’re golden.

Next up–the Vinyl Road Rage record shop reviews begin! Stay tuned folks, there’s plenty of great stuff ahead.

–Joe Wallace

Vinyl Road Rage #3: Images from the Trip So Far

Vinyl Road Rage is Turntabling’s annual indie record store blogging road trip, where we search for the coolest record shops in the USA, rare and bizarre vinyl, and all the madness that goes with it. One of the best things about these trips–aside from the vinyl itself and the great people met along the way– are the photos. Here are some of the images collected so far. At the time of this posting, it’s Day Three and Cincinnati/Columbus are next. These pics are from Illinois, Indiana, and Kentucky.

Oh, it’s one of THOSE record stores. Got no time for percussion purists, ESPECIALLY when the shop in question had “We Built This City” by Jefferson Starship playing at top volume. My stomach did a nine-G turn when I heard that walking in the door.

Louisville Kentucky’s Ear X-Tacy gets massive points for having vinyl listening stations so you can hear what your investment sounds like before dropping the cash. Guessing this applies to used titles only? I love the “no scratching” bit.

I love a shop that has EVERYTHING on sale. Yes, please. That box to the right of the sign is a Creeple Peeple box. Sweet.

The title says it all. Brilliant.

Vinyl Road Rage Day #2: Bloomington Indiana, Louisville Kentucky, Cincinnati Ohio

by Joe Wallace

Day Two of Vinyl Road Rage #3 was filled with highway hypnosis. I went from Bloomington Indiana to Cincinnati Ohio, hitting a LOT of indie record shops along the way.

There are pictures, but they will be posted tomorrow–my camera is charging now and I’ll extract the images later. Suffice it to say that the trip so far has uncovered plenty of great shops.

I can tell you that Bloomington Indiana is great place to stop all around, but especially TD’s CDs and LPs at 322 E Kirkwood Ave. Not only did this shop have no fewer than four Goblin titles on vinyl (more? I lost count!) they also had a copy of the Terror soundtrack, which I have been lusting after for quite some time after letting a copy slip away ages ago, thinking “I’ll grab it later.” Foolish mortal!

Also great–Landlocked Music at 202 N Walnut Ave in Bloomington. Lots of new vinyl, but plenty of used titles to browse too. Like TD’s, this shop has a respectful section of experimental records that deserve a long look if you’re into those sounds (I am). I’ll have more in-depth reviews of these shops and others individually but I HAD to touch on some of the highlights.

Bloomington was much more clean-cut than Louisville, KY, which has a more Austin, Texas vibe to it. Sadly, there were no real rare, bizarre or otherwise lustworthy titles in Louisville. Record shops there seem to emphasize new titles more, and while there are plenty of used bins to pour over, my own personal obsessions went un-fed. Fans of 60s and 70s psych, garage and hippie titles will be pleased and any jazz fan will probably have a lot to crate-dig for.

Cincinnati record shops had to wait–there was a parking lot-style standstill just outside the city and I missed the shops thanks to the traffic. Tomorrow I will hit them and write up some notes later in the evening. Vinyl Road Rage #3 wraps up for the day on Saturday in Columbus where there are more record shops than police officers, near as I can tell.

Vinyl Road Rage Day #1: Joliet, Champaign, and Beyond

by Joe Wallace

Vinyl Road Rage #3 is underway and day one was a crazy mix of brain-melting finds and wild goose chases. Joliet, Illinois was the first stop where plenty of interesting vinyl was found including a Legendary Pink Dots album on Play It Again Sam Records I didn’t know existed, some silly blooper vinyl (more on that later–the joys of DJing with that stuff can not be underestimated) and much more.

After Joliet, it was Champaign, Illinois–but first I had to escape Joliet, which wasn’t as easy as it sounds. After my first stop there, I went chasing after the apparently non-existent Monaro Records (the address and phone number turned out to be residential), then chased my own exhaust pipe trying to find the road out of town.

I did pass the old Joliet Prison, complete with a sign which reads “You’ve escaped Joliet”. If only. And why was EVERY SINGLE PLACE I stopped in today completely devoid of toilet paper? Just sayin’.

The hardware store I saw in one small town said it all; a neon sign proclaiming “Heating, Plumbing, GUNS”. If the zombie apocalypse happens, that’s where I want to live…but on a search for obscure vinyl, not so helpful.

Equally amusing–the tiny little cafe I went to this afternoon. When I walked in, the entire place STOPPED TALKING for a moment–the only thing really missing, as I mentioned on Facebook earlier, was the voice of a small child saying in a scared voice, “STRAAAANNNGER!”

Once I did get back on the road, Champaign was fairly profitable thanks to the very cool Backbeat Records, which yielded the Sisters of Mercy Some Girls Wander on delicious vinyl, Sousxie and the Banshees’ The Rapture on translucent vinyl, plus a fistful of soundtracks.

What I wasn’t prepared for is how early Central Illinois rolls up the sidewalks. Several record stores closed up shop at 5PM, which was fairly depressing in one case, and a great relief in another as the second shop to close before sundown seemed to be all CDs.

One of the craziest finds of the day, found in Champaign’s Exile on Main St. Records, was a record made in Russia which was apparently an unauthorized collection of Led Zepplin covers. I didn’t have the heart to shell out 20 bux for this, but the concept certainly is amusing to say the very least.

I am absolutely CERTAIN I made this joke LAST YEAR during Vinyl Road Rage #2, but apparently this Disney record is haunting me, so I say again–WHERE ARE THE DISNEY QUAALUDES to go with the Disney Disco Record?

I will be reviewing the individual record stores at some point, no time to hit all the ones I’ve covered so far in the earliest days of the trip…but the updates from the road will continue. Stay tuned for more vinyl road rage…including some video I’ve shot from the road. Tomorrow it’s Bloomington, Indiana, and Louisville Kentucky. On Saturday Cincinnati beckons, then Columbus on Sunday.

–Joe Wallace