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Tower Records (and record stores in general)


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https://www.facebook.com/TowerRecordsProject/?fref=photo

 

A very cool site that has tons of pics of Tower Records over the years.  I love the inside pics and looking at the new releases in the 70s!  Damn, what time.  I really, really miss that.  Record store Friday night or Sat.  Come home, listen.  

 

There are also two recent documentaries about Tower Records.  

 

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt3272570/

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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yHWQN_G9SsQ

 

Art Gods: Tower Records Art Dept.

 

 

We had a giant Tower here in Atlanta.  So great and so overwhelming.  They had everything.  I really miss it.  Luckily, we still have several indie stores here.

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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yHWQN_G9SsQ

 

Art Gods: Tower Records Art Dept.

 

 

We had a giant Tower here in Atlanta.  So great and so overwhelming.  They had everything.  I really miss it.  Luckily, we still have several indie stores here.

Criminal Records is a pretty great store. that's the only one i've been to down in ATL.

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There was a Rolling Stone Records in Chicago's loop that I used to visit 2 or 3 days a week on my lunch hour.  Great selection and fair prices. I miss that place -- and independent record stores in general.

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Back in the 70's Rolling Stone and Rose records both had pretty good stores downtown. Now Rose is gone completely and RS is down to the store at Harlem and Irving...even that is a shell of its former self.

 

The only Tower I ever went to was in Schaumburg. It was fun to visit because it had a little of everything. But that Golf Road address made stuff there a little more expensive. I pretty much shopped the sale stuff only there. It's gone now replaced by REI, I like to hike and camp so REI is good too.

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I always had great record stores around my house growing up and when I finally moved into the city - so I only had to go to a Tower Record once - I went to the one on Wabash in city - I was impressed when I walked in - the store had a few levels. I think it closed within a year after I finally went there. I bought The Complete Miles Davis at Montreux there - I remember they had a hell of a sale for it.

 

Now I am back living in the area where I grew up and no record stores are left - my only option is Best Buy.

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Magnolia Thunder Pussy was the greatest record store name ever! Columbus Ohio. Might stil be there.

 

We still have a bunch in Atlanta. One recently opened focused only on vinyl. Best Buy did have a pretty decent selection 10 years ago. What's interesting is that tons of CDs are still sold in the U.S. The owner of Tower says that rapid expansion rather than the Internet and piracy killed them. Interesting times.

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Used to go to the Tower Records and the Tower Books in Sacramento when I was a kid with my grandparents.  I remember that the number of magazines in Tower Books was amazing; I bought some sci-fi / horror magazine there: Fangoria?  I frequented Rasputin's in Berkeley, Ca. growing up.  I used to go to a bowling alley on Haight Street in San Francisco next to a biker bar that I used to get drunk at as a teenager:

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gKfMlQ7KWFE

 

It became an Amoeba record store that was/is pretty great.

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When I lived in NYC in the 1980s I frequented the Tower on 4th Street.  I remember walking in once and Robyn Hitchcock and the Egyptians were just starting an in store performance that included a great a cappella version of Uncorrected Personality Traits. 

Wow.  Uncorrected Personality Traits...  great song

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the Tower Records shop in Boston had a great book and magazine section, and huge classical and jazz, but for rock stuff Newbury Comics always had it beat. 

 

Dang- i met one of the managers (partners??) from there before the Replacements show in Philly this past May - super good guy and friend at favorite dive bar in Rittenhouse- good company and conversation.

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When I lived in NYC in the 1980s I frequented the Tower on 4th Street.  I remember walking in once and Robyn Hitchcock and the Egyptians were just starting an in store performance that included a great a cappella version of Uncorrected Personality Traits. 

I frequented that Tower through the 90-00's. I met Depeche Mode at a cd signing, Got a hug from Tori Amos, Saw the Jayhawks, Scissor Sisters and a few others..good times!

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