Wednesday, February 25, 2009

No CDs No Tapes Just Records

New York has lost plenty of vinyl LP stores in recent years. And with the collapse of Tower and the soon departure of Virgin Megastore it seems like the only place left to buy music is the Apple Store. Yeecchhh. House of Oldies on Carmine Street is a vinyl only holdout and as the yellow sign in the window implies, don't even ask "where are the CDs?"       

45 comments:

Tanya Breese said...

Isn't that sad?! I hate to think of music only available on ipods! I wish I still had my record collection. Threw them all out when I was younger and dumber!

Will Hennessy said...

Wow, what a gem of a place. Kudos for posting this...really hope they're able to stay afloat, especially in today's environment.

cara said...

The whole picture looks like it's straight off a 70s film set. I can almost hear the Funk.

Daryl said...

I wonder who under the age of 60 shops there ... most people dont even own a turntable

James Taylor said...

I just turned 30 (that's under 60) and for my birthday my girlfriend bought me a turntable. I already owned a few records, but in the last few weeks have already amassed a fantastic collection of classic and rare LPs. Although none of them were bought at House of Oldies ($40 for "Some Girls"? Get real...)

marley said...

Shops like these are what music is all about. I hope this one keeps its place in the charts.

Virginia said...

Ask em how much they'll give me for a big box of LP's that might possibly be warped from too long in the basement. I've got some Beatles... and more! LOVE this place and BTW I'm 60 so I guess that figures.
V

D said...

That reminds me, the turntable needs a new needle...now where can you get a needle for a record player?
Great post!

Cyd said...

More poochies please?

Jane Hards Photography said...

Don't get me wrong I love my ipod, but it's album covers I miss and coloured vinyl. When was the last time you saw decent artwork on a CD cover? I have a box of around 200 albums and it's going nowhere. Love this shot for the contents inside.

Diederick Wijmans said...

The good old album covers, as Babooshka so rightly mentions... Description all over and sometimes with the lyrics inside the double albums. I still have the good old record player and also my very first tape recorder which I bought in 1966, and which is still funtioning with tapes I recorded in those days(mostly the the Motown recordings)
Greetings from sunny Arona, Ken!

Hilda said...

I think the owners of House of Oldies would find a treasure trove here in Manila.

Anonymous said...

You know, there are still at least a couple of dozen record shops in NYC that specialize in vinyl. Obviously the numbers are dwindling, but it gets annoying when people lament the loss of something that is still, relatively speaking, available. If you "miss album covers" then get your ass down to a record shop and buy some. Otherwise it becomes a self fulfilling prophecy. It's important to support what we have, rather than consider it dead because there are fewer outlets.

Judy said...

I'd love to spend some time in there!

Virginia said...

Hey, I want to hear Blognote sing Motown!!! Got any of those tapes for sale Diederick???
V

Jerez Sherry said...

Yeah, something was lost when we went smaller, albums, even the really old hard thick ones are in my blood too.. "if I could turn back time".....

Dave said...

History Ken, history. Where would we be if someone hadn't saved some of the old drum recordings? Saved for posterity. :) - Dave

Ken Mac said...

i love how "anonymous" assumes someone is not actually purchasing vinyl because a pic of a record store is posted, accompanied by facts re the demise of NYC vinyl stores. Then after he/she insists there are 24 vinyl stores in the city (not true), doesn't bother to list a one! Academy, Jazz Record Center, BLeecker St Records, Rebel and others sell vinyl, and I support them all. No more cowardly anonymous comments on this blog, they will be deleted.

Ken Mac said...

and it's not about the "album covers" moron, it's about sound quality. AAARRRRRRRGH. Ignoramus.

Larvik said...

I made the "anonymous" post. Ken Mac, I'm sorry that you didn't like my post. But as a long time reader and supporter of your blog and Jeremiah's I think that you have me pegged very wrong. You're right, maybe I should have listed some shops, but the underlying thing I was trying to relay, not so well i guess, is that we always mourn the loss of things, and I wonder exactly how much we actually support/supported the institutions we mourn. Maybe I overestimated the amount of record stores left, but there are still a bunch. I buy records all the time. My comment about "album covers" was in response to posters on here detailing how much they prefer having and enjoying the artwork vs. having mp3's or smaller versions on cd's. I'm just saying, whether it is diners, or record shops, bookshops,bars..whatever....we have to support the remaining ones as much as we can or we are hypocrites. Calling me names was very reactionary though, not appreciated.

Ken Mac said...

David you are correct, I am reactionary. I have had so many arguments with so many people for so long about the value of preserving old architecture in this city that I get blue in the face. This city, the city that was New York, is vanishing at a tremendous clip. So when someone comments, anonymously, that things are not that bad, that we can still access what we used to if only we'd look around, I lose it. I appreciate your support, why not post as David? Too often anonymous comments are simply flamers. But I do overreact at times, no doubt about. Sorry if I bugged you!

Ken Mac said...

To be more clear...David, I apologize for calling you names...bad form on my part.

Larvik said...

I was being lazy when I first posted, and didn't log in.

I get what you're saying. Everyone I know is sick to death of me giving them my own speil about what is happening to NYC.

But i teeter between hopelessness and being grateful for what we still have. I like that I can still walk out of my apartment and actually buy records, eat at Cup and Saucer, buy used books, etc.

Larvik said...

Apology accepted. I realize that it is an emotional issue. God knows I often walk around calling yunnies names under my breath.

Ken Mac said...

Yunnie apocalypse! So David, where do you shop for vinyl? I know jazz record center, big city, music inn, academy, rebel, bleecker street records...what else?

Larvik said...

Generation on Thompson, A-1, Gimmie Gimmie, Other Music, Eat in Greenpoint, Good Records, Etherea. I know compared to the eay it used to be there are significantly less but that is 13 record shops between our two lists alone. Most cities (maybe every city in the US) would kill to have 13-15 record shops.

Ken Mac said...

EAT? Gimme Gimme? Good Records? News to me. I hear Etherea is very good. Thanks! This might turn into a "pics of record stores" post

Larvik said...

Gimme Gimme - 5th bw 1st and second
Good Records - 5th bw 2nd and 3rd
Eat Records - 124 Meserole, Greenpoint

• Eliane • said...

Or... at the fleamarkets. :)

Jane Hards Photography said...

Well this was lively and per usual someone picked up on part of my comment and got me so wrong. I still buy albums, as I said I have a round 200. Not on the island, as since I have been here no shop has stocked them. I get them in the uk form a brilliant shop called records and relics. Any condition sold. I listen once in a while, but it must be appreciated that needles are even harder to purchase. I stick to the lamenting the artwork quote. You can not part a Pink Floyd Album from it's music to it's cover. It was the whole package from the crackling on the backtrack to the doggeared cover. I feel bad about causing a stir on your blog, I seem to have a knack for it. I am the one that drags my sorry ass around to get the things, that I don't want to loose so that comment was not appreciated. I adore your blog because you are a reactionary, realist and show the world you live in as it is, whatever that maybe.

Ken Mac said...

Thanks Babooshka...keep kicking our butts! And you know, email, blogging, is still an imperfect art..which lacks the inflection of actual conversation. And it all turned out well, I learned something. Need a needle? Needledoctor.com!

Larvik said...

just an fyi, but i recently had to buy a needle for my record player and found multiple places in NYC, and had one within 15 minutes. Again,this stuff is still out there and, relatively speaking, readily available.

Larvik said...

another great record shop i just remembered - Hospital on east 3rd street. they specialize in underground stuff, mainly noise and Black Metal. great place!

Ken Mac said...

Damn, etherea is officially closed. But inspired by David's dedication, I am working on a vinyl only record store post...

Larvik said...

Downtown Music Gallery on Bowery - jazz,noise,avante-garde,etc......they are moving to Monroe St. in Chinatown soon. We have to be at at least 20 by now!

Normans on Cooper Square
Record Runner in the west village..

ok, i'll stop now!

Ken Mac said...

Normans has vinyl?

Robert said...

If House Of Oldies is a little pricey, scoot on over to Mercer Street Books on Mercer St.off Bleeker St., I was there recently and I bought Beatles Revolver LP and Byrds Tambourine Man LP $28 total for both.
And their vinyl is in decent shape.
Mostly re-issues, average price is $15 for a record.

Robert said...

Ah, where to find needles for turntables??...I bring the turntable to my neighborhood T.V. repair-man. That way, I know it'll be done right.
Does anyone have the vinyl LP of "Piper At The Gates Of Dawn" by Pink Floyd??? I want this album. I got it on CD.

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