National Record Store Day

[JonMarsh]

Local brick and mortar record store? Huh? What's that? :W

you know, for living in what is the 2nd largest metropolitan area in CA, (which unfortunately has this huge body of water blocking access right in the middle), there is so little of the kind of stuff I usually buy that I can get locally...

Some of the things I did not buy locally in SF Bay area- not to be found readily in stores here- in the last 3-6 months...

• NAD M22 nCore based Class D amplifier
• Ricoh GR point and shoot 35mm camera
• Pentax 645z medium format camera
• Pentax SMC 645 600mm ED IF lens
• LG 31" Cinema 4K computer disply (4096 x 2160)
• OWC Thunderbolt II Dock
• Cambridge Audio 851e Preamplifier
• Cambridge Audio 750BD Blue Ray player

Let's not even get in to CD's or guitars or what not- you can get some things in a Guitar Center, but I don't like their business practices, and I've done much better with Sweetwater or eBay. For retail around here, it's Best Buy locations with a built in Magnolia HiFi, or without the HiFi- small shops just don't exist, I think partly because of the cost of real estate.

In the East Bay, there's only really one high end store I'm familiar with, in Berkeley, where I bought my Berkeley Audio Alpha DAC- trying to find stuff like this is pretty impossible, though there is one shop I've heard of up in Marin- that's about 65 miles away.

Even power tools are a problem- since the Woodcraft store closed, and HD and Lowes, and Ace Hardware have cut way back on the quality and models of tools stocked, I almost always have to go online for that. Last Sunday the only trim router I could find for sale between Danville, San Ramon, Dublin, and Livermore was a single Makita model. Oh yeah, all those outfits have three or for models in their online store, but if I want to go that way, then it's Amazon, with better prices and free two day shipping.

I would mention the best two new recordings I've gotten since the beginning of the year, but they're not vinyl; one's a high res disk (PCM, computer format) and the other is a long out of print Deutsche Grammaphon live recording, Ode to Freedom- Leonord Bernstein in Berlin, recorded live in 1989. Obviously not the sort of thing you buy at your local Target or Best Buy... (the CD came from England, the other was another Reference Recordings HRx disk... beautiful recording of several Stravinski pieces with Eiji Oue and the Minnesota Orchestra (it's the other thing they do up in Minnesota, besides Keeler and Prairie Home Companion... ) :W

[wkhanna]

Well done, Gents!

[bigburner]

Here's mine Bill:

http://lytteltonrecords.co.nz/devilish-mary-the-holy-rollers-debut-album/

I think this is a really good CD. Devilish Mary & the Holy Rollers is a local band (Lyttelton is the sea port for my city Christchurch). This is their debut album.

Nigel.

[Kevin D]

Well they had it! Plus the cafe inside was as nice as ever and they had several bands playing throughout the day.

Kevin D.

[Kevin D]

Going tomorrow. Doubt the local store will stock the RSD Prodigy release I'm looking for, but I'll pick something up.

Kevin D.

[wkhanna]

Tomorrow is 'National Record Store Day'!

Go out & buy stuff for your analog kit & support your local brick & mortar shops!

LINK

[madmac]

The days of vinyl and cassettes were special indeed!. If for nothing else due to their sheer size and and the big album art. This was way before digital and downloading existed. I absolutely loved the whole process of going to 'the record store' and miss it indeed!!.

The only thing I like about CD's is getting home with them and wondering how good they will sound when I spin them. More often than not nowadays, I am impressed at the sound. It's sort of like in he 'old days' when I used to buy half speed mastered records from the 'master tapes' pressed on virgin vinyl!!. Wow!!! THAT was an experience!!.

[Mark_1042]

I do miss the days when the record store was the place to go for music. I'm not old enough to remember the days when vinyl was the medium of choice, I grew up more in the tape/cd era. The majority of the people I talk to don't even buy CD's anymore. I don't get it really. Sound quality aside, I still think its nice to own a CD just for the album art / fact of having it. Unless its an album which only has one or two songs you like, then of course I would opt to download.

Exclusive Company is the store of choice around here. :T

[Face]

I found out the local head shop stopped selling them. The moved everything to their other location...30 miles away.

[PewterTA]

Nice, I forgot about Eide's!

[madmac]

What's a record store??.......I remember them from my youth!!!......

[wkhanna]

Just got back from EIDE'S ENTERTAINMENT.

Here is my contribution to the cause:

Listening now to



Also picked up

[PewterTA]

Did you go to Jerry's??

[wkhanna]

Today is the DAY.

Now go buy a record or two or ten, and support your local brick & mortar Record Store.

Official National Record Day site and Store Locator