I have previously written a post extolling the virtues of New England's Newbury Comics. I'm here now sharing a West Coast version, albeit more independently run - Amoeba Music.
I finally visited this huge record store while hanging out on the Sunset Strip in Hollywood and loved it. This store is the largest store in the "chain" - it takes up a whole block! - though the original location is in Berkeley and you can also get your fix in San Francisco. I was amazed at the size and layout upon walking in. There is just so much to look at...it is definitely a music lovers dream.
Rows upon rows of CDs occupy the large downstairs floor, housing lots of rock and pop, among other genres. There is also a whole separate room full of jazz and classical music! What I'm getting at is that Amoeba truly does have a great variety of music, including many new and used CDs, imports and compilations, and hard-to-find live recordings. In the market for some vinyl? Amoeba's got ya covered. Really jonesin' for some cassettes? Believe it or not, there's a large wall display full! I bet if you dug around hard enough, you might even turn up some 8-tracks. ;)
Want to take a more literary approach to music? A side bookshelf holds many different titles for the musically inclined. There are biographies and "learn to plays" and older, out of print books. I even found a 1980s era Def Leppard photo book while browsing!
Upstairs, you can find boatloads of more fun stuff. [Truthfully, not entirely sure what's up there because we didn't have time to investigate as the downstairs took long enough to explore!] In a corner there, you can find reproductions of old concert flyers and posters. Right over here, a small live venue holds regular live bands, DJs, release parties, and who knows what else. Up front, the store is staffed by musically smart associates and you can sell your collections here and make a few bucks. There is truly something for everyone...definitely make this musical institution a stop on your rock adventures!
Amoeba Records is located at 6400 Sunset Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90028.
