record stores – 7th Level Music

Wrecka Stow: Blackbird Records – Medina, Ohio

Located at 8 Public Square in Medina, Ohio, Blackbird Records has a wild mix of stuff in it, partially because it shares the same building and door as a toy shop. Walk in the place, look left, and you’ll see this.

Look to the right, and you’ll see this.

The toy store has plenty of stuff ranging from signed football jerseys to Harry Potter collectibles. The record store’s stock is primarily vinyl albums and EPs.

The selection is a good mix of stuff for a small space. For instance, here’s an interesting bin.

Just here we have The Gap Band, Kenny Loggins, Grand Funk Railroad, and Ian Dury and The Blockheads all within easy reach of each other.

Looking for bargains? They have those, too.

Sheena Easton, Kenny Rogers, Wayne Newton, Buster Poindexter, and Climax Blues Band all in the same bargain bin. They also have some cool gig posters for sale, both originals and reprints. This one was a standout.

However, this one is the one thing I would’ve bought at the place if I had the money for it.

My late wife, Mandy, and I were at this show. It was the only time we got to see Nirvana, or Meat Puppets or The Boredoms. The Boredoms freaked out everyone in the audience. No one had any idea who they were or what they were doing. Meat Puppets dropped a solid set, and Nirvana had a fun time that even included taking a break until an audience member called his mom.

So, if anyone needs a Christmas gift idea for me, go to Blackbird Records. You’ll find plenty of options.

Keep your mind open.

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Wrecka Stow: Repo Records – Philadelphia, PA

Located at 506 South Street in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Repo Records is a hip place with a ton of hip stuff for you to peruse and discover. I mean, the front door and windows alone display posters for The National, Danny Brown, Mannequin Pussy, Joy Division, and Led Zeppelin, so you know they’ll have something for you.

They have plenty of music, of course, but the first thing that grabbed my eyes when I walked in were two big bookcases of books, zines, and other freaky publications.

And yes, there’s plenty of music for you to gawk over and buy. This is just a small section of the vinyl available here. Here’s the back of the store…

Check that out. The Monkees, The Allman Brothers, De La Soul, and Gang Green all on the same wall.

A whole crate of 80s – 90s goth, post-punk, and industrial stuff. I could’ve dropped a lot of money here, and I almost snagged this MF DOOM record.

I opted for seven CDs and a couple patches instead…

Yes, that’s seven CDs because that Jesus and Mary Chain set is all five of their original albums. I already own a digital copy of Candy, but buying all five at that price was a steal. I’d wanted to pick up Viagra Boys‘ Welfare Jazz for a little while, and that Green Velvet disc was a surprise find. Also, the patches were too fun to pass up – especially the MF DOOM one since I didn’t snag the record.

Be sure to swing by Repo Records if you’re in town, but be warned…

Keep your mind open.

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[Thanks to Jessica for taking me there!]

Wrecka Stow: Fopp – Edinburgh, Scotland

Conveniently located next to a bus stop in downtown Edinburgh, Scotland, Fopp is a chain of record stores around the UK, and this one had a lot of cool stuff in it – half of which I didn’t get to see because I got there about 20 minutes before they closed.

So, yes, first off – books, T-shirts, DVDs, and new music as soon as you walk in the door.

Vinyl? Of course there’s vinyl, as well as turntables and speakers.

Check out that Batman record between Nina Simone and Florence and The Machine!

There’s a wing of CDs as well, where I was tempted to grab about half a dozen things, but vinyl is king here.

Looking back, I should’ve grabbed that Radiohead shirt.

I did find a great CD score, however, settling for just one purchase since they were in the process of closing by the time I was sorting through many shelves of discs.

I’d been looking for stuff from The Limiñanas for a while, and here was a two-disc collection with 35 tracks. It was like finding a golden ticket in a Wonka bar.

There was an entire bottom floor full of DVDs and books that I didn’t get to see because of the short time I had there, but I’d happily go back. Don’t skip this place if you’re in Edinburgh.

Keep your mind open.

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Wrecka Stow: Home Wax – Angers, France

Located at 70 Rue Baudrière in Angers, France, Home Wax is a cool, little shop decked wall to wall with vintage concert posters and flyers, vinyl LPs, skateboard decks, and all sorts of other cool stuff.

That’s just one section of one wall in this place. They had, of course, pulled out stuff relating to the Levitation France festival happening there at the time of my visit, thus the Sonic Youth (with Kim Gordon playing there) and Snapped Ankles albums (although Snapped Ankles had to cancel their set at this year’s festival).

The place is a small heaven for collectors of groovy vinyl, including an impressive jazz section and a section just for local artists.

Fuzz! I wish A Place to Bury Strangers would release that Fuzz Club live album in a digital format.

I mentioned skateboard decks. They had some Ramones-themed ones behind the front counter. Angers, with its many hills and parks, if probably a skateboarder’s paradise, and Home Wax is happy to cater to such folks.

Ramones skateboard decks (and a ton of other vinyl and stuff)!

Be sure to swing in there if you’re ever in town. It’s a cool shop. I’m sure I’ll return there next year for Levitation France 2023.

Keep your mind open.

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Wrecka Stow: Canterbury Records – Pasadena, California

If you’re looking for classic music on CD, Canterbury Records in Pasadena, California (805 East Colorado Boulevard) is the place for you. The place has a massive collection of classical works on CD, and plenty of other stuff if you’re not looking for that.

That third image is a wall of video tapes, and I couldn’t fit all of it in my camera viewer. They have another section like this that’s all concert footage and music video compilations. They even have a wall of DVD compilations of public domain films.

They have a good selection of new and used music on CD, and it was refreshing to go into a wrecka stow and find they primarily sold CDs. Don’t worry, vinyl lovers, they have plenty of that, too.

Check out those “Purple Rain” and “Goat’s Head Soup” albums!

Just some of the oddities you can find here.

I walked out with a five-disc set of Astrud Gilberto albums on CD (review coming soon!) for a mere twenty bucks. There are also some good Asian food restaurants and boba tea places nearby, so don’t pass up this groovy place if you’re in Pasadena.

Keep your mind open.

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Wrecka Stow: Moondog Records – Las Vegas, NV

Located at the back of a shopping center at 572 South Decatur Boulevard in Las Vegas, Moondog Records is a neat find. The sign on the outside of the building simply reads “RECORDS.” They have a lot of them, and more cool stuff to boot.

I mean, good grief, look at all that vinyl. It’s everywhere in this place. The copies of Whore by Mephistofeles and the Alice In Chains Unplugged album alone are worth a trip. As is this…

And funk classics and collector’s stuff like the following…

I almost snagged that Police vinyl box set behind the Al Green box set.

Not to mention this classic Devo picture disc.

If, like me, you’re more into CDs than vinyl, no fear, Moondog Records has you covered.

Those are just some of the CDs available. I scored stuff from Oingo Boingo, Zero Boys, Black Sabbath, and Failure, as well as a collection of rare spaghetti western music and a collector’s edition DVD of the movie Duel.

The staff is helpful and loves good, obscure music. The manager and I bonded over my All Them Witches shirt.

Make the side trip to this place if you’re in Sin City.

Keep your mind open.

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Wrecka Stow: Landlocked Music – Bloomington, Indiana

Located at 115 South Walnut on the downtown Bloomington square, Landlocked Music is a must-visit place if you’re looking for a record store in the college town, or even just touring the downtown area. It’s a neat shop with plenty of stuff to dig through and discover, and there are many bargains to be had.

I mean, you walk in and see this? You know you’re walking off at least twenty bucks lighter, especially when you see stuff like this.

I would’ve snagged that Oingo Boingo record if I were a vinyl collector.

Throbbing Gristle next to 13th Floor Elevators! How cool is that?

As I mentioned, there are plenty of bargains – new and used CDs, cassettes, and crates of cheap LPs.

I walked out of there after spending close to fifty bucks on used CDs, the most expensive of which was a Buck Owens CD and DVD of him performing on Austin City Limits – and that was only eight dollars.

I could easily have spent two hours in there, and they were playing a cool Ian Drury live album while I was there to boot. Be sure to check it out.

Keep your mind open.

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Wrecka Stow: Wooden Nickel Records & Tapes Budget and Collectors – Ft. Wayne, Indiana

The “Budget and Collectors” location of Wooden Nickel Records & Tapes in Ft. Wayne, Indiana (3422 N. Anthony) is one of the first record stores I went to way back in high school when I finally had access to a car. I bought many records there and hadn’t been there in decades. It was nice to see the place still in business and still offering a lot of good stuff.

They pack a lot of stuff into the space, and one thing that hadn’t changed was them offering a lot of good stuff at low prices – new and used.

The collector and limited edition stuff is still there. There are plenty of box sets, rare records, and, yes, tapes – cassettes and eight-tracks.

They sell records, of course. They have a whole section of 45 records, all kinds of LPs, and even some picture discs on hand.

Check it out if you’re in town. There’s a lot there and you can get a good amount of it for cheap. I scored a live Buzzcocks album and Donald Fagen‘s classic The Nightfly for barely over ten bucks.

Keep your mind open.

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Wrecka Stow: Reckless Records – Chicago, IL

There are multiple Reckless Records locations in Chicago, Illinois. This one is at 929 West Belmont Avenue, and it’s a must-stop if you’re in that part of town and looking to do some music shopping.

Check out that album of Shel Silverstein poems – *A Light in the Attic*.

That Ray Charles Atlantic Records box set is well worth your money.

The place is full of bins and shelves jammed with stuff like this, and the store is deep.

Shirts, bargain bin DVDS, and plenty of vinyl for the record collectors.

I mean, just look at that small sample of soundtrack and lounge vinyl records. They have entire sections for Dean Martin, Ennio Morricone, John Carpenter, and Goblin. A copy of the Thank God It’s Friday score next to John Barry‘s for Thunderball is a win-win.

Are you looking for CDs or DVDs? No worries. They have you covered.

They even have two shelving units full of cassettes, for heaven’s sake.

I walked out of there with used CDs by Pat Dinizio, The Stooges, Chrome, The Who, and The Rolling Stones. The most expensive one was nine bucks. You can’t beat that. Go spend some cash and a few hours there.

Keep your mind open.

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Wrecka Stow: Vintage Vinyl – St. Louis, MO

I was in St. Louis, Missouri a couple months ago in my first trip outside my home state in many months. I was staying not terribly far from a college campus, so I figured there’d be at least one good record store nearby. Sure enough, Vintage Vinyl was about a fifteen-minute drive from the hotel.

Unfortunately for me, I got there with only about fifteen minutes to shop before they closed. The place is open 11am – 6pm during the week. 6pm seems like an odd time to close a record store located in a busy campus shopping area, but the hours were probably altered due to COVID-19 restrictions – as the store’s website says they’re typically open until at least 8pm. I’d love to go back because I could’ve spent over an hour in this place.

As you can imagine, with a name like that the store is heavy on new and old vinyl records. This is just a small sampling of their large and eclectic collection.

A spoken word record featuring Aleister Crowley sandwiched between a record about baseball and another about stenography. Stuff like this alone makes the place worth a visit. They also had DVDs, shirts, and, of course, CDs.

That $1.00 bargain bin is where I decided to do my ten minutes of shopping. I scored albums by The D4 and Soulwax…for $2.21 total. I’m sure I would’ve dropped at least ten times that if I’d had more time to shop.

Take extra money for parking when you go. Finding a spot in the area can be difficult, and most of the spots have parking meters that will only let you pay for up to an hour at a time.

Take even more money for the store.

Keep your mind open.

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