Best Buy re-vinylized

[Analogman]

So, will you be "Jammin' with Jesus" or is it "Burn, Baby, Burn?"

 

Oh, I don't believe in those trips.

[sureshot]

Val had to move from the South Blvd. location to over the Ike on Harrison a few years ago; I moved from OP before I had a chance to see the new place. She was initially very hesitant about the move, and when the village tried to buy her out of her location she was quoted in the Trib as saying she wasn't that interested in moving, she'd probably just take the money, buy a lot of pot and listen to records. Guess she decided Harrison wasn't all that bad.

 

The new shop is not that bad all thing considered, although of course it dosent have the character of the old joint (what place would?). She definitely has more room to spread out though

 

 

 

The Harrison District is a nice little slice, although I doubt she gets the foot traffic and walk-ins she used to.

 

Whats even more sad is they pushed her out, and I still dont think the city even followed through on the redevelopment.

[LouieB]

I must admit, I only visited Val's once in my life and while I found a thing or two there, it was wasn't nearly as good as most of the other record stores in the Chicago area. (I only went to the old one and haven't been to the new one...) There is a much nicer, better stocked store next door in Forest Park with lots of nice old and new vinyl and tons of CDs as well as a fun $1 vinyl bin with reasonably good stuff. No one talks about this place much, because Val has been an institution in Oak Park forever.

 

Not to be a broken record (pun intended), but one visit to Lauries in Lincoln Square is worth the time far more than going to Vals.

 

LouieB

[Guest Speed Racer]

Whats even more sad is they pushed her out, and I still dont think the village even followed through on the redevelopment.

 

Fixed it for you.

 

OP went through a phase where it thought it could transform itself into a giant condominum, and that somehow that would be attractive. Turns, the real estate market, uh, tanked, or something...? Who would have guessed? I visited OP for the first time since 2004 this December, and the building where Val's was is still standing. That poor new place looks so sterile - hardly any asbestos in there, I would guess! I loved how rank and gnarly the old place smelled/looked.

 

My favorite thing about OP is how little development it allowed for so long - virtually NO chain stores when I was growing up, and these random Mom and Pop stores like Transformations (for transgendered/transsexual M2F types - and all my female classmates with huge feet looking for prom shoes). When TGI Fridays opened (the first chain I can recall) the waits were an hour+, because it was such a novelty.

 

And now OP is all developdevelopdevelop! Stores like Val's suffer for projects they can't afford and nobody wants. Assholes.

 

Not to be a broken record (pun intended), but one visit to Lauries in Lincoln Square is worth the time far more than going to Vals.

 

I don't doubt, but Val's former proximity to the high school, and the fact that many of our parents bought records when they ditched classes in high school - coupled with the fact that it was THE place you went to get records, never chain stores - is what made it so cool. It was THE option.

[NightOfJoy]

I don't doubt, but Val's former proximity to the high school, and the fact that many of our parents bought records when they ditched classes in high school - coupled with the fact that it was THE place you went to get records, never chain stores - is what made it so cool. It was THE option.

 

Plus Val is a hoot!

[LouieB]

Val's was an indie store where there were fewer stores like it. In recent years there have been lots of such stores open in Chicago. She is a hoot I will grant you that.

 

LouieB

[sureshot]

I must admit, I only visited Val's once in my life and while I found a thing or two there, it was wasn't nearly as good as most of the other record stores in the Chicago area. (I only went to the old one and haven't been to the new one...) There is a much nicer, better stocked store next door in Forest Park with lots of nice old and new vinyl and tons of CDs as well as a fun $1 vinyl bin with reasonably good stuff. No one talks about this place much, because Val has been an institution in Oak Park forever.

 

Not to be a broken record (pun intended), but one visit to Lauries in Lincoln Square is worth the time far more than going to Vals.

 

LouieB

 

The thing about Vals is you're not going to find your latest P4K band, or rap, or hip hip, or electronica/dance...or anything remotely hip. But if you're looking for vintage rock, folk, classical, jazz, and little random gems, theres good stuff to be had. But you do have to dedicate time to sifting through the junk. I found a pristine copy of Steve Reich's "Drumming" (3LP set) for $15 the other day...the same album goes for $60 on ebay. Also picked up a mint re-press of Miles Davis' "In A Silent Way" for $5, and a Velvet Underground/Lou Reed italian import for $8.

 

Whats the place in Forest Park?

[sureshot]

Fixed it for you.

 

OP went through a phase where it thought it could transform itself into a giant condominum, and that somehow that would be attractive. Turns, the real estate market, uh, tanked, or something...? Who would have guessed? I visited OP for the first time since 2004 this December, and the building where Val's was is still standing. That poor new place looks so sterile - hardly any asbestos in there, I would guess! I loved how rank and gnarly the old place smelled/looked.

 

My favorite thing about OP is how little development it allowed for so long - virtually NO chain stores when I was growing up, and these random Mom and Pop stores like Transformations (for transgendered/transsexual M2F types - and all my female classmates with huge feet looking for prom shoes). When TGI Fridays opened (the first chain I can recall) the waits were an hour+, because it was such a novelty.

 

And now OP is all developdevelopdevelop! Stores like Val's suffer for projects they can't afford and nobody wants. Assholes.

 

Not to get too far off topic, but the "village" also is in the process of demolishing an entire block of vintage walk-up buildings east of Harlem on Lake...its heartbreaking. Like you said, they got all star crossed during the boom, and now they are going to have an entire once-vibrant urban streetscape converted into surface parking because all the plans for the development have fallen through. Im envisioning this will turn into a suburban "Block 37" boondoggle

http://blogs.pioneerlocal.com/thenewspeg/2..._in_downto.html

 

I always expected more out of OP, but they've really let me down big time in a lot of their decision as of late

[LouieB]

The thing about Vals is you're not going to find your latest P4K band, or rap, or hip hip, or electronica/dance...or anything remotely hip. But if you're looking for vintage rock, folk, classical, jazz, and little random gems, theres good stuff to be had. But you do have to dedicate time to sifting through the junk. I found a pristine copy of Steve Reich's "Drumming" (3LP set) for $15 the other day...the same album goes for $60 on ebay. Also picked up a mint re-press of Miles Davis' "In A Silent Way" for $5, and a Velvet Underground/Lou Reed italian import for $8.

 

Whats the place in Forest Park?

Well you did very well. I guess I should go there more often. Those are some real finds and very reasonable prices. Maybe the move has helped Val revitalize her stock.

 

Check out Old School REcords 7446 Madison St. Nice people and good stock, I think.

 

Lou

[VenusStopsTrain2]

i'm late in replying..and only read the first part...but the store i work in has been selling vinyl for a while now...and there are a number of 'select stores' that also sell vinyl currently as well. Unfortunately we still haven't set an area up specifically for vinyl since we've been going through a number of changes and it hasn't been a priority. They are in baskets with the dvd's above all the cd's in order though

[jmacomber68w]

Would anyone like to offer advice on some advice/info about getting into vinyl. It is a hobby I am considering getting into, luckily there are several record stores in my area where I can get a bulk of my information. However I don't want to look like a total fool, so any advice would be nice. What would I need (outside of a turn table and a set of speakers) A total music snob told me that I will end up having to pay over $1,000 by the time I'm done. I know with high end equipment vinyl can be expensive, but could I get various components for under $300 or so? Assuming that is my budget is this even a hobby worth considering? I know this thread is a mostly about Best Buys vinyl, but I figured I could throw my question around here.

[Shakespeare In The Alley]

Would anyone like to offer advice on some advice/info about getting into vinyl. It is a hobby I am considering getting into, luckily there are several record stores in my area where I can get a bulk of my information. However I don't want to look like a total fool, so any advice would be nice. What would I need (outside of a turn table and a set of speakers) A total music snob told me that I will end up having to pay over $1,000 by the time I'm done. I know with high end equipment vinyl can be expensive, but could I get various components for under $300 or so? Assuming that is my budget is this even a hobby worth considering? I know this thread is a mostly about Best Buys vinyl, but I figured I could throw my question around here.

It depends how good of a system you want. I'm only casually into vinyl, mainly exploiting that you can find great albums for a few bucks at thrift stores and such.

 

The turntable I use is one of those "CD/Tape/Phonograph" things you can get at Walmart, or wherever, for not much at all. It's definitely the low end of the scale, but it sounds good enough.

 

If you go all out, $300 is nowhere near enough. But if you just want to get into it as a hobby, you can get a decent enough system for $300 tops.

 

 

Overall, it depends on whether or not you want to best system possible, or a passable one. That's a brief answer, I'm aware, but I think that's what you're wanting to know.

[bjorn_skurj]

Would anyone like to offer advice on some advice/info about getting into vinyl. It is a hobby I am considering getting into, luckily there are several record stores in my area where I can get a bulk of my information. However I don't want to look like a total fool, so any advice would be nice. What would I need (outside of a turn table and a set of speakers) A total music snob told me that I will end up having to pay over $1,000 by the time I'm done. I know with high end equipment vinyl can be expensive, but could I get various components for under $300 or so? Assuming that is my budget is this even a hobby worth considering? I know this thread is a mostly about Best Buys vinyl, but I figured I could throw my question around here.

From ye olden days, they used to say direct-drive turntables were better than belt-drive. That's pretty much all I got. Do they still make those Discwasher thingies? If so, get one of those.

[Analogman]

I saw a re-issue of Big Pink on vinyl when I was at Best Buy the other day. It looked too sterile and clean. I guess since I have not bought anything but used records over the last 20 years or so, I have to see some wear and tear for me to be interested.

[LouieB]

Buy used records.......as often as possible. New records are generally overpriced, but then again used ones are too now.

 

You can only spend on a hobby what you have. If you have lots of money get a kick ass stereo system, if not be happy with what you got. It's only rock and roll.

 

LouieB

[Dr. Steve Brule]

I'm just now checking back in this thread: Lou, we did get that Astral Weeks live in, and it's been selling

 

And just for shits and giggles I'll repost this:

I'm the one without facial hair.

[bigshoulders]

Usually I go to Chapel Hill it's for the purpose of buying music I've got zero chance of getting where I live, but about a year ago I went there for other business. I walked past Schoolkids Records and about had a stroke when I realized the place was empty. They were closed permenantly after being in Chapel Hill for 30 years. There's a few other smaller shops in the area, but the CH Schoolkids was the shit around here.

It certainly was. There still is a Schoolkids in Raleigh (next to Sadlack's, across from the NCSU Belltower) but it ain't the same. I have a vinyl copy of Mermaid Ave. that came from the Chapel Hill Schoolkids. I was sad to see it go.

 

Another pretty good out-of-the way store in Durham is Chaz' Records. It's next to to the Cosmic Cantina off of 9th Street in Durham. I hope he's still in business, I haven't been there in mos.

 

K

[HungryHippo]

It certainly was. There still is a Schoolkids in Raleigh (next to Sadlack's, across from the NCSU Belltower) but it ain't the same. I have a vinyl copy of Mermaid Ave. that came from the Chapel Hill Schoolkids. I was sad to see it go.

 

Another pretty good out-of-the way store in Durham is Chaz' Records. It's next to to the Cosmic Cantina off of 9th Street in Durham. I hope he's still in business, I haven't been there in mos.

 

K

 

wow, didn't know that the Schoolkids in Chapel Hill closed down. is the Nice Price Books still there? they have a good selection of vinyl, as does the Raleigh store. hmm, think i know where i'll be going on my next off day.

[The High Heat]

It certainly was. There still is a Schoolkids in Raleigh (next to Sadlack's, across from the NCSU Belltower) but it ain't the same. I have a vinyl copy of Mermaid Ave. that came from the Chapel Hill Schoolkids. I was sad to see it go.

 

Another pretty good out-of-the way store in Durham is Chaz' Records. It's next to to the Cosmic Cantina off of 9th Street in Durham. I hope he's still in business, I haven't been there in mos.

 

K

Thanks for the tip on Chaz'. I'll have to hit them up this summer.

[The High Heat]

wow, didn't know that the Schoolkids in Chapel Hill closed down. is the Nice Price Books still there? they have a good selection of vinyl, as does the Raleigh store. hmm, think i know where i'll be going on my next off day.

Is Nice Price Books that place on Franklin St. (near the Brewery) where they have that cat running around? If it is then, last I know, yes it is.

[MattZ]

Would anyone like to offer advice on some advice/info about getting into vinyl. It is a hobby I am considering getting into, luckily there are several record stores in my area where I can get a bulk of my information. However I don't want to look like a total fool, so any advice would be nice. What would I need (outside of a turn table and a set of speakers) A total music snob told me that I will end up having to pay over $1,000 by the time I'm done. I know with high end equipment vinyl can be expensive, but could I get various components for under $300 or so? Assuming that is my budget is this even a hobby worth considering? I know this thread is a mostly about Best Buys vinyl, but I figured I could throw my question around here.

 

Yeah, my advice would be for you to jump in with both feet and smack that music snob upside the head. Of course you can spend over 1k on turntable/cartridge/etc. You can also spend that much on speakers. Or on a cd player. Or on a amp. Did you? I am guessing you didn't, and you like how your CDs sound.

 

You can certainly find a turntable that will make you smile for 200-300. I would suggest you do some research. You can probably find a used Rega p1 on ebay or some other site for that amt. I think Regas are generally considered the low-end of the high-end. You can also probably just get a new Technics, and be perfectly happy.

 

One bit of advice. Depending on which turntable you get, you will have to check to be sure that your Amp has inputs for Phono. Lots of the newer Amps don't, simply because folks just don't use turntables that much anymore. If your Amp doens't have Phono inputs, you may need to buy a seaparate Phono Pre-amp (which is what I had to do). The Phono pre-amp operates basically, as an amp for your turntable if your amp can't.

 

It's all worth it in my mind. Nothing beats vinyl (in any form). And as others have mentioned, you can find pretty great cheap vinyl so it's an easy way to check out new music. Good luck, and feel free to ask questions.

[LouieB]

I'm just now checking back in this thread: Lou, we did get that Astral Weeks live in, and it's been selling

 

And just for shits and giggles I'll repost this:

I'm the one without facial hair.

Cool article...

 

Now I am not even interested. Some day soon it will show up used I am sure. Since I popped for the new Steve Earle, I guess that is my new record purchase for the week... At least it is nice to know old Van can still sell some records. So many of the recent ones have been dogs....

 

LouieB

[bigshoulders]

Is Nice Price Books that place on Franklin St. (near the Brewery) where they have that cat running around? If it is then, last I know, yes it is.

I think Nice Price Books might be in Carborro... it's right there at the line. Not sure, though. It's on the way to the Cat's Cradle on the left.

[Central Scrutinizer]

I'm just now checking back in this thread: Lou, we did get that Astral Weeks live in, and it's been selling

 

And just for shits and giggles I'll repost this:

I'm the one without facial hair.

D: If a new shopper were to walk into a record store for the first time on Record Store Day, what would you want them to know?

 

SR: You do need a turntable to listen to that.

 

[Central Scrutinizer]

Yeah, my advice would be for you to jump in with both feet and smack that music snob upside the head. Of course you can spend over 1k on turntable/cartridge/etc. You can also spend that much on speakers. Or on a cd player. Or on a amp. Did you? I am guessing you didn't, and you like how your CDs sound.

 

You can certainly find a turntable that will make you smile for 200-300. I would suggest you do some research. You can probably find a used Rega p1 on ebay or some other site for that amt. I think Regas are generally considered the low-end of the high-end. You can also probably just get a new Technics, and be perfectly happy.

 

One bit of advice. Depending on which turntable you get, you will have to check to be sure that your Amp has inputs for Phono. Lots of the newer Amps don't, simply because folks just don't use turntables that much anymore. If your Amp doens't have Phono inputs, you may need to buy a seaparate Phono Pre-amp (which is what I had to do). The Phono pre-amp operates basically, as an amp for your turntable if your amp can't.

 

It's all worth it in my mind. Nothing beats vinyl (in any form). And as others have mentioned, you can find pretty great cheap vinyl so it's an easy way to check out new music. Good luck, and feel free to ask questions.

Good advice all. You have to be aware that the components (amp-speakers-turntable) all need to be of a similar quality, or you're wasting money/shortchanging yourself somewhere in the equation. A top-of-the-line turntable on a rinky dink stereo is throwing money away. But taking the $$$$ for that turntable and buying a decently matched setup is most effective.

 

Regarding the phono imputs, there a number of turntables out there that are equipped with a pre-amp. I bought a decent Technics model that I'm very happy with.

 

The other caveat is aim for direct drive rather than belt drive turntables.