amoeba records is pretty breathtaking, in my opinion.

Anxiety said:

I second that. Especially the one in the Haight. If you have a list, or even if you don't, you can be in there for hours.

funkyslsistah said:

Ameoba is fantastic! They have everything there. There's alo Rasputin. They have a pretty decent selection as well.

Oh sh*t, you're going to the Yay Area... YOU'RE IN LUCK. Great shop up there called Amoeba Records. Huge selection, lots of rare finds, obscure stuff and imports for the diehard fan in us all and even a nice DVD section. Great Vinyl section, too*! There are two locations in the Yay — one on Haight and the other in Berkeley on Telegraph.

I go to the Amoeba on Sunset in Hollywood all the time — haven't been to the ones in the Yay, but ALL Amoeba locations are great.

NJOI*!

JANFAN4L said:

theres a bit more then that...

AMOEBA AMOEBA AMOEBA!!!!! Both locations are worth checking out. There is an Amoeba in LA. This chain of stores is a music lover's wet dream

SupaFunkyOrgangrinderSexy said:

amoeba SUCKS!!

Rasputine ROCKS!!!

Hate to change the topic, but JanFan, you lived in Ypsi, so what do you think is the best used CD/record shop in Ann Arbor (sadly, Ypsi's Rubber Soul closed last year...and I have a useless $20 credit there....).

VinnyM27 said:

I lived in Ann Arbor, not Ypsi. A good store I used to go to was the Record Exchange on South University, but that folded two years ago. Discount Records on State St. folded, too (I bought All For You there, but I wasn't a fan because their s**t was expensive -- talk about misleading advertising).

Currently, Wazoo Records on State St. is the nice little go-to Indie shop. You should check them out. I like buying my stuff from the indie shops to support mom & pops. I used to hit up Borders on Liberty if a new Janet album came out (I bought Damita Jo there) -- I wanted to ensure she got that coveted first-week SoundScan point (I'm a very anal fan, I know ). But I stopped supporting that Borders after workers protested wages in '04. So I started hitting up Meijer for my big-name artists -- but Borders had a semi-okay-for-a-small-town Import section.

Another decent indie shop is Encore on Liberty. You can rummage through their large collection of '70s and '80s vinyl, but they're very rock-centric. Not much hip hop, dance pop or import stuff, but sometimes you'll luck upon a gem.

Other than that, Washtenaw doesn't have much by the way of record stores except the big corporates (Borders, FYE, Best Buy, Meijer, Media Play, etc.)

If you're a import fan, like myself, you're better off going on internet.

.
[Edited 5/11/05 19:02pm]

sosgemini said:

SupaFunkyOrgangrinderSexy said:

They both rock...and they are only a mile away from my couch.
[Edited 5/11/05 20:04pm]

JANFAN4L said:

Yeah, Ann Arbor is pretty much just Wazzo and Encore, both of which I like. What did you think of P J's Records & Used CD's on Packard. I went there the day after the election and the guy was on the phone with a girlfriend or something who was really upset. I chated with him about music and mentioned the elections right before I left. A really nice guy! And what the hell happened to Sam Goody or whatever it was...It was above Pinball Petes. For a chain, that place was amazing. Great selection and used stuff! It's sad that they never replaced that and it sucked that it closed down when I moved here.
[Edited 5/11/05 19:54pm]

Stax said:

oh my god..i was getting up and walking away as i clicked this thread and swore you had typed "crotch" instead of "couch"...

you nasty you..

VinnyM27 said:

You know what, I neverr went to PJ's -- mainly because I never heard of it and the place was far out of my way (by walking distance and location). I know I passed by it all the time when I attended Michigan, but never paid it any mind. I lived near Geddes (you know, the big cemetery), my first year. Sophomore year I lived right by the Union, but I found it more convenient to go down South U. and hit up the Record Exchange. My last two years of college, I lived on Church & Oakland in the of Frat Row/undergrad Party Central near Central Campus (talk about sleepless nights*!), and I pretty much shopped for my records on the 'net during junior year (I was constantly getting my import Joan Armatrading CDs off eBay around that time). When senior year rolled around, I lived wayyyy off campus over by Stadium Blvd. & Pauline, a stone's throw from Pioneer High. During that time, my friend had a car (a lemon @ that) and we used to hit up the Ann Arbor-Saline Meijer all the time on TheRide ().

PJs, Encore, Wazoo's and Schoolkids' (I've never been inside, but I think it's still open?) are the last indies in A2. State Street has been gentrified heavily over the last few years, so shops are closing left and right due to sky-high rents -- making room for our beloved Starbucks franchises and McDonald's (I swear, one day, they're going to put a McDonald's on William & State -- check with me 2 years later and I bet that's gonna be the case*! But Jimmy John's is doing good business, though). I heard the corporate fatcats are tyring to do that with South U., too.

As for the Sam Goody, I never went there -- so I wouldn't know.

HEY, did you ever get your $20 credit back from that Ypsi store?
[Edited 5/11/05 22:09pm]

JANFAN4L said:

So you went to U of M. Why do I keep thinking you went to Eastern. I get confused.

School Kids is still open (I've also never been inside...apparently they only sell new stuff). Sam Goody (maybe it was Harmony House, which have all or nearly all closed, not sure) might have been before your time. I remember visiting my sister when I was about to enter my junior year at high school and I went there and loved it.

The $20 credit? Well, I sold CDs there over the summer and left. Then I came back and emailed the people about possibly pre-ordering a CD...they email me back saying the story is closed. I email them again saying I have a $20 credit....nothing! My sister says "Oh, yeah, they had a going out of business sale..." when I told her. Thanks for telling me! That seemed like an old store that would be there forever! Then again, when I went in there it was dead (it was the spring semester and during the weekend, though).

VinnyM27 said:

Yep. I surre did. I'm surprised we never once hung out while I was in Ann Arbor. You're still at Eastern and you moved to A2, right?

Here's a nice little site to trip on: www.annarborisoverrated.com

JANFAN4L said:

Yeah, I live in Ann Arbor, go to Eastern (one more semester, student teaching). Yeah, we should have hung out.

I think I agree with the statement on Ann Arbor, although the writer has major issues.

but im actually finding that tha one in san leandro has the best hidden gems..i guess cause it doesnt have as much traffic as the other two.....