Vintage Vinyl, Evanston

                                 

I typically like to think of myself as someone that is pretty tolerant of cold weather, I deal with it on a regular basis and I think my threshold is higher than most.  It's been a really bad winter, and for some reason it really just got to me on the day I decided to visit Vintage Vinyl.  That being said, I am warm as I type this and some time has passed so I don't think that my somewhat bad experience (due to weather) had any reflection on my writings below regarding my bad experience (due to record store).

I had wanted to check this place our for a while but it is a long haul.  The Metra will essentially take me from door-to-door, but I have to walk to another station in the loop and sit for an hour or more as these things rarely time themselves to your advantage.  As slightly askew from ideal as that plan may be, I took another even worse route for complicated reasons I won't discuss.  So after a long journey, I arrived.

I had some weird vibes as soon as I walked in, the place seemed a bit too organized and clean.  Sure, there were some piles of vinyl in the corners, or stacks by the register and random junk here and there.  But something just told me that I did not belong in there.  A clerk promptly asked if he could help and my vibes continued, like a tuning fork reaching a resonant frequency.  I felt out of sorts and I was peering around trying to figure out where things were, etc... I finally determined that the jazz was downstairs - they have about 40% of the store on a lower level.

                           

So down the stairs I went and I immediately saw a giant jazz section.  I started to loosen up and got down to it.  But it didn't take long before I started noticing price tags.  I generally don't look at tags, I am looking for records I want, I will evaluate the price later.  But I noticed a serious trend rather quickly - this stuff was not cheap.  This made Dusty Groove look like the dollar store....$30-50-70-100....300 bucks? I didn't see much in there less than $15 and a large portion of the entire section were artists I was totally unfamiliar with.  I started to feel very uncomfortable and questioning my own experience on the matter.  Was I flipping through them the right way? Did I bend something? Should I just leave? 

Another clerk sat behind a small counter behind me and I could feel him watching me.  Some kind of pretty bad disco music was playing and I couldn't relax.  There was one other shopper near by, leafing through bins in another genre.  I started to make deals with myself - no way I was going to come this far and leave empty handed.  This is often my mantra but today it was far more serious.  But while I can afford a $40 record, I am not apt to part with the dough when its for an artist I don't care about - or haven't even heard of! I did find a pretty cool sealed copy of Equinox in mono for $30 (or was it $40), either way, that is actually tempting.  Definitely an important album for me personally.  But given the condition of the copy I have now, it would be difficult to leave it sealed.

I don't even remember what I saw that actually intrigued me.  I saw some 'bargain bins' and started going through them, this put me just about face to face with the clerk.  He was so overly ironically hip that it bordered on caricature.  I don't know that I've been in a record store where I so felt I did not belong.  Even the bargain bin was shit - even at only $4 it was nothing but classical and the entire Barbara Streisand discography times two.

Around this time, the other customer I was sharing the room with had enough of the place and went to leave - empty handed, no less.  Now he was carrying a bag, like a resuable shopping bag.   Fair enough, he came at least with some intention to buy and I can't blame him for walking away with nothing.  But I also understand the paranoia some stores (record stores included) have about you bringing bags inside a retail establishment.  Dusty Groove in particular had a concrete policy of taking your bag when you enter and more than once I've been in record stores and straight up told the clerk I am leaving my bag behind the counter.  I don't ask, I just tell them.  It's fair for everyone involved and it lets me dig harder and come up with something to buy.

Anyway, I wasn't exactly paying attention but the fellow headed back towards the staircase and the clerk suddenly came alive - this guy had been deep in the zone cataloging vinyl the entire time but apparently he had his third eye open the entire time.  He jumped to action and grabbed the shopper's attention to inquire about 'what's in the bag'.  I felt some offense for the other shopper - like I said, if you are worried about shoplifters, have a set policy like 'no bags', or check them at the door.  Perhaps the clerk's defense is that he just saw something in his hand out of the corner of his eye and figured he'd ask.  But I don't think so.

So the shopper told him he only had a bag, no records.  And the hip clerk responded with something like "oh sorry, I thought you had a record there".  The customer struck back and said "it must have been your imagination".  I gave a silent fist pump to the guy.  Like my 'bad vibes' when I entered the store, I can't prove that the place sucks based on a feeling but that feeling continued long after I walked through the door.

At any rate, I did finally come across some more bargain bins and this time I found some serious records.  I scooped Lyle Mays' solo debut - my Pat Metheny obsession continues.  I haven't given it a serious listen but my initial impression was that I wasn't 100% into it and I guess I was even upset not to hear more Pat Metheny influence - surely a totally unfair assessment.  Then a couple minutes into the first track a synth pan flute with a psuedo vocal quality kicked in.  Reminded me very much of the non-lyrical vocal techniques employed by Pedro Aznar on some of the albums, or Pat's own highly processed six string, which often has a 'voice' of its own.  More than simple melody, it 'speaks'.  I was shocked to see Pat not even make an appearance on any of the tracks, until I looked really closely at the executive producer...

I also got another Metheny group album, the self-titled debut.  This is the opposite of a disappointment: I must have listened to it all the way through 3 or 4 times in the 48 hours since I purchased it.  Just has that trademark sound that drew me in on the albums recorded years later, even in the beginning, they had it.  It was $4/record or 3 for $10 but I truly could not find a third record I wanted.  I did find two copied of the Metheny group albums so I carefully checked which had the best jacket and vinyl.  But I guess that was a waste of time, because when I brought my two vinyls up to pay, the clerk took them out and checked them for me - just to make sure I didn't stuff any late 50s $200 jazz into a $4 Lyle Mays sleeve when he wasn't looking, in a tiny room, when I am the only other customer.  If you are worried about it, then do what Reckless does and take all the vinyls out of the sleeves and keep them behind the counter.  He just wrote up a slip for me to bring up stairs to cash out on. I'm surprised he didn't tell me to just take the records and get the fuck out, disappointed that I only spent $8 in a room filled with records valued at $33 on average.

I went up stairs and paid.  I went back into the cold and tried to evaluate if I should take the Metra home, or zig zag on CTA trains and busses.  I had to piss so bad and I couldn't find a private alley to go in, I finally did but not before almost wetting myself.  I had a hangover all day and that tense record store gave me a headache, I went to Five Guys and devoured my food and headed back, and got there over two hours later.  As I've said before - I won't be back but I'm glad I visited.

Sunday record store assualt

Going to take the Milwaukee west Metra line to Western Ave, then walk to California/Lake and jump on the Green Line.  Two stores in Oak Park and a third in Forest Park, at which point I can jump on the # Harlem bus, head back up to Grand and either hoof it back west home, or jump on the Metra at Montclair or Elmwood Park.  Time to gear up - and head out!

EDIT: Well, that was my original plan.  Had a few hiccups along the way and played it by ear, improvised a bit.

I started out on the Metra as planned (red line), got off at Galewood, then walked to Austin (blue line) and got on the Austin bus, headed south (green line).

It was about this time I realized that I left my weekend pass on the Metra.  I rarely buy them and this is the first month I have gone without my monthly pass in years, so I am all out of sorts.  I hope at least someone found it and made use of it during the rest of Sunday.

Got off the bus at Harrison and walked west (blue line).  I was headed for Val's Halla (#2) but saw a thrift store on the way.  I gambled that they would have records - I won that bet! (full post forthcoming).

After the thrift store, I continued on to Val's.  After that I walked north on Oak Park Ave. to Oak Park records - they were closed. Damn!

At this point I was starting to get exhausted of the cold and realized if I continued onto Forest Park I couldn't possibly give the store (or myself, or my record bin at home) a fair shake.  I walked back south to Madison and literally stood at a cross roads.  It was about another 1/2 mile west to Old School Records, or I could get on the Harlem bus.  I checked the bus tracker - 2 minutes.  Forest Park (and Oak Park Records) will come on another (hopefully warmer) day.

I rode the Harlem bus just about to the end of the line (green line) then jumped off just before the end of the line to visit my friends at Knick Knack Paddy Wack.  They had been holding some 45s for me to review.  I dug through the box and came away with this gem.

After that I went across the street to shop at Super Low Foods for a bottle of wine and some grub then checked the status of the Metra.  I would have to pay to go the one stop - without my monthly I would sacrifice a punch on the 10-ride I am carrying.  Or I could gamble and stand in the vestibule and hope they didn't run up on me.  It was about 50 minutes to the next train - so I hoofed it home.

Came away with three records from the thrift store (The Brown Elephant) and one from Val's.  Full posts on each coming shortly.  Exhausting day.  It's time for jim-jams and that bottle of vino. 

Kstarke Records, Ukranian Village

                         

Kstarke has intrigued me for a while and I have no excuse for not having investigated sooner.  It is about one mile maximum on both sides of a $1 train ride (incremental fare with my Metra monthly pass).  However I always kind of worried/wondered that it seemed like everything I read emphasized their large inventory of house music - something that does not really interest me (except maybe for these, which I have owned for years on vinyl).  The location worked perfectly into my south Western Ave. return from Lincoln Square and it turned out to be a really great experience.

The store is perfectly sized - they don't sell any CDs or other junk.  One square room, full of bins of records.  They had the largest selection of John Coltrane and Miles Davis I have ever seen - excluding other collections I've seen that include sealed reissues or costly old (and often trashed) copies of famous albums.  Had to be a solid 18" of records between those two artists - impressive.  Starting in the jazz 'A's, I immediately came across another Azymuth record - scooped it immediately.  Turned out to be nowhere near as good as the funky 'Telecommunication' or the modern 'Pieces of Ipenema' but still a valued piece in my collection.

Had a great time chatting with Joe behind the counter about Chicago rarities like The Pharaohs.  After a less than stellar service experience at Laurie's just an hour previous, it was nice to just kick it with another down and out vinyl addict.  As I was the only customer at the moment, it was just two guys chatting.  And while I was sure I'd leave with some purchases, buyer/seller kind of floated away.

I dug through all his bargain bins and came across a copy of a Larry Carlton album - I have considered buying pieces of his discography many times - then I put it back.  But I put it in the back of a bin, feeling I might return to it and grab it anyway.

When I finally checked out, Joe said I could go back and grab a bargain record for free, since I was a new customer.  Wow! I told him it wouldn't take long - I knew exactly what I wanted.  Ironically, I have been enjoying this album big time when I did not have super high hopes, especially in regard to the Azymuth which I was so excited to find.

What a great and totally overlooked store.  So easily accessible, any stop to Permanent Records deserves a swing through Kstarke.  I shall return!

1109 N Western Ave, Chicago, IL 60622

(773) 772-4880

Laurie's Planet of Sound, Lincoln Square

I had planned to visit Laurie's for a while but it's central North side location make it difficult to find a good route via public transportation.  On a 'mild' (32F) Saturday I decided I would take my bike on the Metra, and ride the ~12 mile round trip up and down Western via cycle.  As it usually is when buses and trains, you either get there early, or late.  And you won't catch me late when it comes to hunting for vinyl. 

So I arrived at Laurie's a good half hour early.  I walked up and down Lincoln and checked out the other stores in the area.  Came across Merz Apothecary (which is expanding) which I had read about before a few times.  They are one of very few retailers that carry the Chicago Comb (bought mine online).  I saw Quake collectibles across the street from Laurie's and couldn't decided if they were a thrift store or something more specific.  They were closed of course, so I peered inside - well they aren't exactly a thrift store, but they did have records! Front and center, I could see the three-bin rack staring at me.  Laurie's opens at 11am, Quake not until noon. I had some time to kill.

Bored of walking, I camped out in front of Laurie's, slowly draining my thermos of the coffee that filled it.  About 10 minutes before open, the clerk arrived.  Any hopes that he would be opening a little early were dashed to pieces when he walked his bike inside and locked the door behind him.  The door opened again a short time later - again my hopes peaked - but he locked up again behind him and walked away.

He returned a short time later and having decided he would wait until 11am on the dot, secured the entry as he passed.  Never in these passings did he acknowledge me at all - I figure if he doesn't say hello, he ought to tell me to get the hell out of there for soliciting in front of his shop.  

Finally he did allow me in and the hunt began.  As the first customer of the day, I had the place to myself.  The jazz section was just inside the door and it was adorable! They had a whole 20 records! :\

Luckily for me I did find something I want.  I became an instant Walter Wanderley fan after my find at Thrift and Fish Co.  not too long ago and this record easily eclipses that one.  Very pleased - listened to it a few times already and despite a small tear in the gatefold, the vinyl is in prime shape, very clean.  'Organ-ized' sounds artificial in comparison, 'Cheganca' has more soul, more swing....its just excellent. Best new artist discovery in a while.

I dug through the rest of the store, their soundtrack section was substantial but nothing of interest.  I got down on all fours to search through the commons but the bins were so deep that even my giant wing span could barely reach the back without putting half my torso inside!

There was some interesting jazz on, early 50s sound, bordering on big band at times.  But it had swing and wasn't bad - until some high pitched, chipmunk like voices interrupted! I figured this was a good time to break the ice with the clerk and I joked that I was digging the tunes until that voice kicked in! He responded dryly 'It's Raymond Scott.  It's a jazz record'.  It wasn't until now (that I remembered his name, finally) and dug through to see that this is the guy that scored loads of cartoons decades ago.  That might have been a good opportunity for the clerk to break the ice with me, and educate me on the topic.  I didn't go record shopping to get a hug from the clerk or start a passionate bromance but a hint of customer service would be appreciated.  I watched him practically leap out from behind the counter to push a stack of records back (they were leaning forward, the horror!) when a customer walked away.  Going to be a long day if that is amongst your job duties.

Perhaps more fun was the experience I had in Ravenswood Books, just next door to Quake.  When I left Laurie's, Quake was not yet open.  I was content to sit there and bide my time when Jim from the bookstore was opening up shop.  Unlike the experience I had waiting outside the record store across the street, Jim was warm and inviting - immediately asked if I was waiting for him or for Quake.  I did end up visiting the bookstore and hanging out with him for a while, we looked for some books I am collecting.  Couldn't find them, but he took my name and number and said he was sure they would come up.  So forgive this sideroad into 'Book Collecting in Chicago' but it is an interesting foil in service to the actual subject of this blog.

Small selection, ice cold employees, difficult (even by my standards, and I am willing to crawl) to access commons and teeny jazz selection make Laurie's a store I won't be soon revisiting, but I am sure glad I did.

Quake Collectibles, Lincoln Square

I smelled vinyl on the premises from across the street as I waited for Laurie's to open.  Quake wasn't open yet either, but I peered inside and could see the record rack through the door.  Didn't buy anything but there was a bunch of nice stuff in here!

The first five records I flipped through were MOD and DRI.  Two bands I've loved for years - a used toy store is the LAST place I'd figure to find those! If they had 'Gross Misconduct' I would have bought it instantly! The DRI record has been reissued a few times by Beer City but the original looks like its kind of rare.  I think I'll be back up this way before long and I'll have to glance at the label.