records in CHI TOWN ?
TheBeatGoes
711 Posts
i know....i know, these posts suck so i'll keep it short.i got a wedding in chi-town this weekend, i'll be there saturday, sunday, monday.i'm looking for either a few records stores close together, it woudl be nice if it was in an area near an art gallary or book store or something so my girl could check that shit out while i dig. i might not have much time for record shopping, so if there is just one "must see" spot....i'd love to know.also it would be cool to check out a flea market in the area thats worth while, i'd love to go.i'm semi-broke at the moment, mainily looking for good stuff to DJ with, hiphop, funk, disco, 80's shit...12 inches, kinda looking for a many thingsthank you for your future help.love,michael
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thanks for the tips...i might avoid DG, just cuase i can go online for them. mayb ei'll go to Jazz Record Mart and buy 1 record or something. I'm dealing with record budget that AT MOST is at 50, but is probably more like half of that.
I also wouldnt mind checking the golden apple (as heard in that This American Life episode) or maybe i'll try to stalk Ira Glass
As for shops, yeah Jazz Record Mart would be the best if you're staying downtown. There's lots of stores, but dispersed far and wide. If you have a car handy, could drive to Hyde Park. Can't recall the name of the store, but Meaty Ogre would know bout it. There's Beverly Records, loads of 45's but very well picked out...not playing but it is cleaned out. Reckless is fun, but no uber raers. There's a few I can't recall the names...hip hop specialites..stuff like that.
Grab a trusty phone book, or Yahoo Yellow pages search. Map shit out, and hit it. BUT...most importantly, enjoy Chicago! More fun to be had exploring what the city has to offer, than spending all your time hitting up well picked stores.
Best of luck!
I'd like to know how you define "pricey." The stores you mention actually have decent, standard prices for vinyl, about what you should be expecting. Now, Beverly[/b] is the store with the sky-high prices (as in albums $10 and up).
i don't care if anything is super clean, i'm going to mess them up eventully anyways
I've been to Dusty Groove and JRM twice each and I don't know if I ever saw an LP under $10 (I'm talking used LPs here, I don't care much for new reissues and whatnot). I'm not paying $30 for Build the Ark where the cover is ripped and one LP is cracked, and I'm not paying $60 for a copy of Black Woman that looks like it's been soaking in a bathtub for a month. To me, that's "pricey".
EDIT: Which isn't to say I never buy anything there...just saying I prefer to shop at places that perhaps don't know so much about what they have, where you're more likely to get crazy deals.
true. I live around the corner and altho I find myself in there every couple weeks, it's more and more just to look bc it can be a $pendy place. but it's still cool to go, and their site is fun to read ("even the worst records in the world are still pretty nice! not their best work, but with some funky moments!") the people there are really nice, too. and I agree re JRM being pricey....they've moved around the corner from their old place on Wabash and their vinyl is slowly disappearing compared to how much stuff they had in the old place. lots of import pressings in the "Collectable" bins, but they all start at 15. still worth going to just take in the sheer amount of good jazz tho. I used to work there about 10 years ago as a second gig/night job after work and would get paid in store credit instead of cash. good times.
TBG, if you're in that Wicker Park part of town and end up going to DG, up the street there's two other places that are worth stopping in; The Sound Gallery on North Ave. at Wood Street (about five blocks away) and Reckless on Milwaukee Avenue (also about five blocks away from DG, but in the other direction). neither place is going to impress, but every once in a while stuff turns up in the new arrivals bins and both places are cheap. Reckless is your indie-rock lip-pierced paradise, which means jazz/funk/soul/hiphop is kinda underpriced. new arrival bins are right inside the front door, worth peeping.
there's also a block on Clark Street between Fullerton and Diversey in Lincoln Park that's got a couple places...Second Hand Tunes (local Chicago chain) and another one a couple doors down that I can't remember the name of. SHT is worth checking into - I've been surprised there a few times lately, and that other place a couple doors down has a bunch of used stuff underneath that's unearthed some nice things for a buck or two.
hope this helps-
diggggggggg thisssssssss
hey mike
if you're around hifi, daves, and the reckless on broadway, feel free to swing by our spot. we've got a bunch of 5$ and under (and over) lps & 45s in the basement. plus a grip of raer if you want to break the bank.
pm for more info. that goes for the rest of you chicago dudes new to soulstrut.
ahem, hammertime, digthis..
and what's this about 10$ being pricey for wax???
ps. crazymin
Another spot on the far South Side is Mr. Peabody's Records, also overpriced but a pretty decent lot of funk, soul, boogie, disco and hip-hop. That place is about three blocks south of Beverly Records, near 119th Street and Western Avenue -- probably a little too far away for your liking.
Well, I agree with you on Dusty Grooves (except for the part about reissues - I don't expect to see any of those soul/funk raers in the $5 bins soon, so I'm happy that this shit is being released again).
As for JRM...actually I've scored some good, reasonably-priced vinyl from that store since they moved to the new location around the corner. The Screamin' Jay Hawkins album I bought last week for $7 (Feast Of The Mau-Mau on Philips, ca. 1969) is proof, as is the Simtec Simmons single I got on the same trip (and it WASN'T "Tea Box," his Chicago hit which turns up all over the city). Just keep lookin'.
I gotta agree with the guy who recommended Reckless...BOTH locations. Soul isn't necessarily their forte, so the prices are kept at the $5-$7 level.
If it's in the "collectable" bin, I'd expect the price to be that high.
There is no more Second Hand Tunes. The one on Clark St. is now known as Dave's Records.
Hi-Fi.
There is no more Second Hand Tunes. The one on Clark St. is now known as Dave's Records.
Hi-Fi.
thx -> I keep forgetting about SHT changing (isn't there still one in Evanston?) - still find their price tags on everything all over town so the name sticks in my head. and yeah, I agree re Collectable bins, just saying as general comment whether or not the place was "pricey"...I've hit some nice things there, too, but it's been a while since I've spent some real time in the new spot.
Yup..plus owner can be the typical record store prick.
i just got back from a 3 day americorps training thingy, and im about to drive to CHI-TOWN, i'll read your replies in the hotel room, if you got any more please keep-em-coming
PEACE
This is as good a place as any to mention that if you or anyone else are looking for something going on Saturday night (Oct. 8), me and my friend John Ciba will be spinning soul and funk records at a place called the Hideout at 1354 W. Wabansia...we go on around 11 PM or so. I actually just posted this info in the "announcements" section, but since this thread concerns Chicago this week, I figured a little cross-promo couldn't hurt any.