Filed under: Record Store Day
When asked to write about my favorite record store, a lot of images instantly flooded my mind. The more recent ones first of course and so naturally, Reckless and Permanent came to mind. You can hardly ever go into Reckless without walking out with something and Permanent has taken the cake on always having fresh, new music IN STOCK the week it is released. From the smallest upstart 7″label to the newest, most expensive psych release on LP [my pocketbook thanks you].
However, my earliest memories of records at all come from flipping through them at the dinky little record rack at Woolworth’s while waiting for Moms to finish shopping somewhere in the ghetto mall [R.I.P. Jefferson Square] that always seemed deserted. Moms would scoff at spending money on ‘secular’ music and so it was by default that Pop would help cultivate my habit. Essentially, my paltry farthings turned into a couple of 45s a week, a habit that still resonates to this day. These were, believe it or not, found in a Kline’s department store near the library downtown or at an Ace Hardware. I would become transfixed on certain album covers but as long players were out of my budget and being raised on AM radio, it was usually a 45 of the top power ballad, pop, or country song.
But I would have to say the BEST record store I have ever shopped at is the now-defunct, Crow’s Nest of Joliet/Crest Hill. The first location was located right next to a graveyard and I still remember going in to buy Chu Bop Bubble Gum Records and the stark atmosphere the place generated. I was not NEARLY bad assed at 7 years old to stumble in there by myself and 45s were really not to be found here but you could browse for hours at the hundreds of odd LPs and psychedelic decoration. They seemed to [and did] have everything. My visit would generally consist of ‘zoning out’ [on album covers] until whoever brought me or I was shopping with got tired and I would just get out of there with my Bubble Gum Record. I distinctly buying KISS’ Love Gun and REO SPEEDWAGON’s Hi In-Fidelity there.
Fast forward a couple of years and they have moved to another huge location in Crest Hill which was farther across town. As soon as I was given permission to ride my bike wherever I wanted, apart from the arcade or a friend’s house, this was the one place you would find me at. One day after selecting the Dead Milkmen’s Big Lizard In My Backyard cassette and bringing it up the counter, I was given all the impressionable suggestions my little head could absorb. SST, Alternative Tentacles, Dischord, 4AD, Creation, Factory, Rough Trade, Stiff, etc… would soon follow. Back then, we had it fairly simple. You could shop by label and not have serious buyer’s remorse. Scouring Thrashers and fanzines I would have to fill out special orders EVERY week to feed my insatiable taste for strange records described within. A routine developed and soon I was heading up to the counter with a new stack of special orders, pre-filled out and picking up whatever they had found for me during the week.
Soon, the era of CDs were upon us and darn it if they didn’t have THE best import selection of CDs of anyone within states. They had EVERYTHING and if it was available on CD, they could get it for you. Their bread and butter was psych and progressive rock CDs. But, again, out of my budget.
The former Wax Trax Records on Lincoln Avenue gets the honorable mention here. Back in the day, you could stop in and see bonafide ROCK STARS [ooh...] and find fuck loads of now rare singles for $2.50-$3.50 a pop! A whole weeks paycheck with enough money for that show and some beer…
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As much as I love Reckless and Permanent, Crow’s Nest is by far the defining record store of my teenage years. My parents would take me there when I was a kid growing up in Morris. Years later, after my family had moved to Orland Park, I would go out of my way to shop there, mostly because it was the only place that had the stuff I was looking for.
My exposure to countless bands and (now favorite albums) is as a result of that place: Neu!’s debut (back when it was only available as a bootleg import), Faust IV, Zoviet France’s Flock of Rotations, Slanted and Enchanted, Chairs Missing, Tangerine Dream’s Electronic Meditation. The 40 minute drive was part of the experience——it gave me plenty of time to listen to my new purchases on the way home.
Comment by City States April 19, 2011 @ 1:17 pm