Category: Wrecka Stows

Wrecka Stow: The Secret Book and Record Store / Freebird Records – Dublin, Ireland.

Dublin’s The Secret Book and Record Store, also known as Freebird Records, is a little bit hard to find. You have to go 300 meters from Grafton Street on Wicklow Street and look for this sign.

Then, go down this hall.

And, at the end of this hall, find this treasure trove.

That’s just some of the books, mind you. Most of those unopened boxes are full of books they haven’t yet shelved. Then, there’s the music…

Good grief, they pack in a lot of stuff into a reasonably small space. The place doesn’t feel cramped, however. It’s far enough off the busy street to be quiet and let you relax as you browse. My mother was with me on this trip, and she found a couple books she would’ve bought if she’d had more room in her carry-on bag. I had to limit myself to a small purchase, so I went with these.

I’ve been looking for that Faithless album for years, and that three-disc Slowdive collection was less than eighteen bucks. Yes, please.

It’s worth walking away from the beaten path to find this place. You won’t regret it.

Keep your mind open.

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Wrecka Stow: Music & Video Exchange – Greenwich, London

Located on one of the main streets in London’s Greenwich district, Music & Video Exchange is another place you can get lost in for hours, but go on a cool day. It was a hot day in London when I was there, and this store has no air conditioning (like most places in London, really).

Don’t let that keep you from visiting this place, though, as they have a ton of cool stuff there. I mean, look at this.

I love how they have a section of vinyl called “NOISE NOISE NOISE.”

Check out that “Mod Revival” section

They had a lot of cool, collectible vinyl there, and this wall of rare 45s was neat to see.

The Motörhead and Au Pairs discs alone are worth a look.

As if all this weren’t enough, there’s an entire basement full of CDs.

You can also see shelves of DVDs in that photo. There was a lot I wanted to dig through there, but the basement was so humid that I couldn’t stay long. I did find a cool score upstairs, however.

Ten pounds for ten Tangerine Dream albums? Uh, yeah. That’s a steal.

I’ll be sure to go back here if I’m ever in Greenwich again. I have a lot of bins to search there.

Keep your mind open.

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Wrecka Stow: Casbah Records – Greenwich, London.

Located in the lovely Greenwich borough of London, England, Casbah Records is a cool shop full of great stuff. You could easily spend a couple of hours there. They make a good use of the limited space and have a lot of different genres to choose from among the records, CDs, and DVDs.

A section just for “Rare Blues” there.

They had a lot of good box sets, both for CDs and LPs. The sheer amount of neat collections they had for sale was impressive. You can see a great Neu! there on that shelf among other neat sets.

Choosing just a few things was difficult, but I went for these.

That Studio One Space-Age Dub Special looked too cool to pass up, as did DJ Format‘s Psych Out. I haven’t heard either, but they’re bound to be wild.

As is Casbah Records. Don’t pass it up if you’re in Greenwich.

Keep your mind open.

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Wrecka Stow: The Rhythm Section – Gatlinburg, TN

Located in the Mountain Mall at 611 Parkway in Gatlinburg, Tennessee, The Rhythm Section is one of the smallest stores in the entire mall, yet it makes the most of its size by jam-packing the shelves and bins with a lot of browse.

That’s just one wall of this place. There’s another wall full of CDs just like this. There’s also a lot of vinyl and DVDs, and an especially large collection of horror, cult, and sci-fi movies.

There’s plenty of fun stuff there, and a lot of fun gems if you take the time to dig through the shelves, crates, and boxes. I mean, who wouldn’t be tempted by stuff like this?

I snagged a CD copy of Acid King‘s Live at Roadburn album there. I probably would’ve bought a lot more (especially from those shelves of cult movie DVDs) if I’d had more time there.

Keep your mind open.

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Wrecka Stow: Old Paint Records – Tucson, AZ

Located at 201 North Court Avenue in Tucson, Arizona, Old Paint Records is in a shopping center full of art stores, cafés, and interesting shops. It’s a small space, but they have a lot to like, especially if you’re looking for vinyl.

I love how they have a bunch of retro glow-in-the-dark posters for sale, too.

And check out that vinyl edition of “The Doll Squad” soundtrack!

There are cassettes and CDs as well, but the selection is limited. Still, it’s worth a look, as is the whole store and many other shops in the area.

Keep your mind open.

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Wrecka Stow: Reckless Records – Chicago, IL


This is the second of the three Reckless Records locations I’ve visited in Chicago. This one is in the Loop at 26 East Madison and is a great way to kill some time if you’re downtown with extra time before your train leaves (as it was in my case).

The place has plenty of LPs, CDs, DVDs, and other stuff to tempt you, and I love how they mix up stuff in the same sections of the store.

Richard Marx next to Punk / Metal / Garage
Johnny Cash next to the “Harold and Maude” soundtrack and Yard Act’s “The Overload”

The variety of stuff there in the relatively small space is impressive. There are bins of LPs, stacks of 45s, shelves of DVDs, and boxes of CDs.

Check out that vintage Naked Raygun poster!

There’s also plenty of collector stuff, too, for all you vinyl lovers.

Yes, that is a first pressing original copy of Mariah Carey’s Christmas album up there.

I feasted on their boxes of 99-cent CDs and came away with a bunch of gems.

Two Esquivel albums, a collection of Orbital singles and rarities, a greatest hits compilation from Sade, a Sugar album, The The‘s classic Infected, and that collection of rare tracks and live tracks from The Last Four Digits alone was worth the trip.

Again, if you’re looking for a great way to spend some time in the Loop, check out this store.

Keep your mind open.

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Wrecka Stow: Wooden Tooth Records – Tucson, AZ

Located at the corner of 7th and Hoff, Wooden Tooth Records is a cool place for vinyl, CDs, cassettes, books, and other groovy stuff in Tucson, Arizona.

I love that they have a small section of books that includes local zines and underground comics. They have a bunch of wild stuff on vinyl, too, such as these gems I spotted there.

Calling Dr. Freud.
Seriously, I might need this.
And this.

That’s a great, and yet small example of their eclectic wares. Krautrock, electronic, ambient, folk, and children’s records in the same area!

Be sure to stop by when you’re in Tucson.

Keep your mind open.

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Wrecka Stow: Alt Books and Records – Sedona, AZ

Located in the Tlaquepaque Shopping Center in Sedona, Arizona, Alt Books and Records is a neat little find amongst all the art galleries, high-end gift stores, and eateries. It’s on the second floor and has a neat collection of books and rare vinyl.

This is the first thing you see when you walk in the door.
And then there’s all the vinyl.

The place has plenty of stuff to intrigue you. The store’s owner was playing The Jam‘s Setting Sons album at a good, loud volume while I was there. He has plenty of collectible records for you hardcore collectors, too.

The B-52’s debut album signed by Fred Schneider, no less.
A promo copy of a rare Flamin’ Groovies album!
This seems like a steal, even for that price.

Not into vinyl? How about high-quality prints of Dr. Seuss art? Yes, they have those as well.

And don’t forget about the books. They range on all different topics, from books on the Sedona vortices to ones on shamanism, world history, and, yes, fiction.

It’s a hip place. Don’t miss it.

Keep your mind open.

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Wrecka Stow: Static Age Records – Asheville, NC

Located at 621 Franklin Street in Asheville, North Carolina, Static Age Records is a funky little place along a strip of nightclubs and specialty shops. My girlfriend and I stumbled upon it during a street fair on Franklin Street. The first thing we spotted were a bunch of cool records and artwork.

You can see a stage behind that crate of dark-wave / goth / post-punk / industrial records. This place holds live music shows almost every night. They had a live DJ spinning some obscure Afrobeat stuff when we were there.

$1.00 12″ singles? That’s hard to pass up.

The artwork on the walls was all for sale. A lot of it was paintings and sketches of various rock and roll and country music icons. Then again, there were also portraits of a bloodied Dusty Rhodes on display.

This place is also ready for a zombie apocalypse if such a thing should break out in Asheville.

Check it out if you’re in town. Stay for the live music if you don’t find anything you want to buy (which is unlikely).

Keep your mind open.

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Wrecka Stow: Desert Island Records – Tucson, AZ

Located in a strip mall at 2930 East Broadway Boulevard in Tucson, Arizona, Desert Island Records boasts a lot of cool stuff in a somewhat out-of-the-way location. They love not only music, but also cult films – as evidenced by their decorations you notice as soon as you walk into the place.

That “Elmer” poster alone is worth good money.
A framed laserdisc of “The Day Time Ended”!

They have plenty of records, of course. No worries there if you’re a lover of vinyl

Music from “Song of the South?” That’s a big score for a collector of vinyl or Disney stuff.

They also sell a lot of gear for listening to music, both new and vintage.

It’s worth searching for if you’re in Tucson.

Keep your mind open.

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