You know what I miss? I miss the old-school record stores. Not the little indie stores that we have popping everywhere lately. I am talking about the record store chains! The big boys where everyone went to purchase music. Everyone except for those Columbia Record Club folks. They got 10 albums, for a penny, that came straight to their mailboxes. Then they canceled.
Brick and Mortar
In my area, we had big names like The Record Factory, The Wherehouse, Tower Records. These were BIG stores. Like supermarket-size stores packed with row after row of shrink-wrapped record albums. All music genres were represented. Usually, the kid working behind the counter could point you in the right direction to your favorite artists. You would hang out in these stores and get educated while socializing.
The atmosphere in these places is really what I miss. Open the doors and get bombarded with sights and sounds. Music is blasting, there are cool band advertisements and cardboard stand-ups everywhere. Some places had in-store performances. My local, suburban one didn’t, but I do remember Tower Records in San Francisco having them. Sometimes a local band would show up for record promotion or autograph signings.
Not Only Vinyl
Vinyl records were the main draw into the record store but not the only one. There were other attractions related to music that brought people in. Your typical record store had 8-track tapes also, then cassettes too. I used to shop for that special poster for my bedroom. Pat Benatar, KISS, The Rolling Stones and others graced my bedroom walls. All fantastically represented in full color, 24” x 36” magic. Iconic rock t-shirts lined the walls. You can buy fashion accessories, pins, record players, needles, headphones. Movies could be bought also, first VHS, then DVD. A lot of these stores also had a dimly-lit room in the back. Usually this room had something hanging over the door so one couldn’t see in. This was the room where the risque black-light posters were sold along with the weed paraphernalia.
BASS, Ticketron, Ticketmaster
The other MAJOR thing was that HERE was where you had to come to buy concert tickets. Kids today have no idea of the hardships their (Grand) parents had to endure, trying to get concert tickets. I have vivid memories of the long line of people outside a Pacific Stereo, waiting to buy tickets to Led Zeppelin. Those shows, in ’77, Oakland ,CA, were Led Zep’s last American appearances. I was a little too young for that one but I spent many early mornings waiting in those ticket lines.
It was a very communal atmosphere and rather unique looking back on it. People lined up against the building, set up lawn chairs, the talk was all band related. Nothing better to do but wait and wish. Foggy mornings in my city meant one needed to layer up for the outside wait. The best part was when you finally got to the front of the line. You had to deal the competence level of whomever was behind the very large computer finding tickets. If the show was general admission, no problem. But if it was reserved seating, that dude behind that computer was your best friend. As tickets are flying out the doors all over town, you better hope that your local guy has the skills needed.
Knowledge is Power
Since there was no internet, a lot of my music research came from reading the backs of those albums in the racks. Or looking at back catalogs of some band I just discovered. This happened to me with the J. Geils Band. I first heard them singing ‘Love Stinks’ (1980). I loved that album. Digging through their bin at the record store, I discovered that they had earlier releases. Lots of them! ‘Love Stinks’ was their NINTH album. There were eight more albums of madness that I could not wait to experience.
For the budget conscience, record stores had their share of markdowns. bargain bins, special sales and the famous NICE PRICE stickers all meant there were savings to be had. Ever wonder why some old record albums have a hole punched in the corner of the cover? Former Bargain Bin items..
FUN FACT: When the vinyl albums started giving way to CD’s. The record companies packaged the CDs in long boxes. This was so they would fit nicely in the racks built for records. Apparently some of these long boxes are collectible now. I guess one should NEVER throw anything away. I kept one, by Bad English, because it’s signed by Neal Schon!
Give it a Listen?
When my parents were young, the records stores had listening booths. You would ask to listen to a record before you bought it! Well those were long-gone by the time I started going. THEN music became digitized and the new, huge Virgin Megastore in downtown SF had headphone stations. This type of thing may be common now but back in the 80’s, this was Star Trek level stuff. You could listen to multiple different songs on the same headphones. Amazing!
Today, there are plenty of independent record stores. More opening all the time. The resurgence is fantastic, as far as I’m concerned. However, these places are nowhere near the cultural gathering places that their predecessors were. Vinyl collecting is very popular but still rather niche. You don’t see a lot of young people in the record stores today because they don’t have to be there. Back in the pre-MTV days, it was a must to be there. The good thing is that many of today’s stores still have the required smug know-it-all behind the counter. But, that’s where the similarities end.
