Las Vegas, NV | Why Elton John Can’t Get Enough of this Las Vegas Record Store: The Elton John memorabilia at one Las Vegas record store, at times, includes the artist himself. Vinyl collectors make the pilgrimage to Wax Trax Records from around the world whenever they’re in Las Vegas. Usually, they’re in search of a rare favorite record from their childhood while in town on business or vacation. Once or twice a year since 2015, these collectors include Captain Fantastic. The rock superstar sold his collection of more than 50K records in 1991 to fund his AIDS foundation. He enlisted the help of Wax Trax to try and get them back. So far, he’s up to about 12K. We give him boxes and boxes to go through, and he makes piles of the stuff he wants,” said Sunny Rosen, who coowns Wax Trax with her husband, Rich. “He’s so knowledgeable. He and Richie talk for hours about the stuff.” John goes through old, ultra-rare Ornette Coleman, John Lee Hooker, and Johnny Burnette LPs while seated on a chair in a corner of the store – the one usually occupied by the Rosens’ dog, a Shih Tzu named Charley. He’ll spend tens of thousands per visit.
Tallahassee, FL | Real Cool Time Records is a dream come true for Tallahassee’s music lovers: Real Cool Time Records (RCTR) is Tallahassee’s newest spot for all things physical music media. Entering through the doors, customers feel a euphoric rush as they witness the store’s vast, motley crew of vinyl records, cassette tapes, CDs and more. The store has music from all genres, decades, levels of popularity and even has a bit of Garbage – referring to the grunge band from the 90s. Ironically, RCTR’s genesis occurred when the store’s two co-founders and co-owners, Matt Sampson and Paul Chapman, met in line at a record store appreciation event in 2014. The duo instantly hit it off and found common ground; both of them were in local Tallahassee bands and were ardent vinyl record collectors. Following that fateful day, Sampson and Chapman interacted in Tallahassee’s local music scene for years and steadily grew their friendship. Finally, in March 2022, the two raised RCTR’s black flag and officially opened the store for business. So far, it has truly been a fulfilling journey for both of them.
University City, MO | Vintage Vinyl, Shopping for Old Poster in University City, MO: Vintage Vinyl is the place to go when shopping for old posters on The Delmar Loop in University City, MO. Some of the posters included Bob Marley, The X-Files poster “I Want to Believe”, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and Malcom X and Mile Davis to name a few. I know you can probably get these online but it was so cool to touch, feel, smell and see at the same time. When all the senses are activated at once, it is a thrill. I expected to see old records but I didn’t expect the cool vibe and feel when I walked into the door. It has a 60-70s feel with records from one end of the building to the other. In the late 70s there was a huge record store called Peaches and Vintage Vinyl resemble this but was even more real since Peaches was so commercial. And no I didn’t smell any pot LOL. But now that I am thinking about it, that would have been perfect. Vintage Vinyl is a must visit, cool vibe, cool people, cool store!
Dallas, TX | This local record store owner has probably met your favorite rockstar: When he was 14, Bucks Burnett met Neal Smith, the drummer for Alice Cooper, at a concert. He told Burnett his eye makeup was better than Alice Cooper’s, and he gave him a backstage tour. That began a series of encounters with music legends. Burnett’s ability to meet rock stars — among them Pete Townshend, all four members of Queen, Jimmy Page and in one momentous 24-hour period, Joni Mitchell (a “goddess,” by his account) and Bob Dylan — provided fodder for the “Namedropper” column in the Dallas Observer and created a job opportunity. (By the way, Burnett’s yet to meet Keith Richards, but he’s determined to make his acquaintance.) Burnett had seen Tiny Tim perform several times in the ’60s, and he developed “a perverse curiosity” to see what he was like two decades later. He wanted an interview. Tiny, as Burnett calls him, was playing in an East Dallas club called Confetti, and Burnett went. He walked down the hallway — security nonexistent — found Tiny between sets and asked for an interview. They ended up meeting at Tiny’s hotel at 3 a.m. By the time they were done talking, Burnett had become his manager and producer, roles which he kept until Tiny died in 1996.
RU | The thin blue records that opened up musical horizons for Soviet youth: Between 1964 and 1992, a monthly music magazine called Krugozor (Кругозор; ‘Outlook’) had young people in the Soviet Union queueing around the corner for every new issue. The magazine covered music, art, history and literature, but was cherished and is perhaps best remembered for the selection of flexi-disc inserts – wafer thin, and an iconic light blue – between its pages. Kateryna Pavlyuk recalls the history of the magazine and explores the impact those blue records had on Soviet youth. “Me and a friend chipped in together to buy a new issue between us which had a Queen track. We literally wore that record thin.” This is one of many fond memories found on forums across the internet, where those raised in the Soviet Union remember the wildly popular magazine Krugozor (Кругозор; ‘Outlook’), and how the contents of its back pages broadened young people’s musical horizons.
Tokyo, JP | The Japanese convenience store with a secret DJ booth in the basement: “Record Conveni” is the coolest combini in town! Japan’s top three convenience store chains — Lawson, Family Mart and 7-Eleven — might be famous around the world, but lying in their shadow you’ll find some other convenience store chains that are equally great, and Yamazaki Y Shop is one of them. Run by Japan’s Yamazaki Baking Company, the world’s largest bread-baking corporation, this chain is known for its lineup of sandwiches and bakery products. However, at the Y Shop in Hamacho, in Nihonbashi, Tokyo, you’ll find much more than Yamazaki bread inside, because the owner is mad about music…and old records. This branch of Y Shop looks like any other from the outside, but step closer and you’ll see a selection of records on display in the front window. As it turns out, these aren’t purely for decorative purposes, as there’s a sign that reads… Our reporter Seiji Nakazawa is a musician who plays guitar in a band, so he’s seen signs like these at old-school record shops before, but this was his first time seeing it at a Yamazaki convenience store. Curious to learn more about the unusual music connection, Seiji stepped inside, and found that the interior looked just like a regular family-run Yamazaki corner store.
Newburgh, NY | Huge record show at the Wherehouse in Newburgh: Even in this digital age, I’m happy to see a renewed interest in vinyl record albums. For some of us, the interest was always there, but I was afraid that the music lovers of the 21st century wouldn’t even know what a vinyl album was. And now you can buy not only albums but state-of-the-art turntables, too. There’s just something about vinyl… Another thing I’m happy to see is a renewed interest in my hometown of Newburgh. Even though I haven’t lived in Newburgh for years, it will always be close to my heart. When I last lived there, the Liberty Street area of Newburgh was pretty sketchy. Now, it’s pretty amazing. Restaurants and shops have popped up, and it’s one of the coolest parts of the city now. So, how cool is it that these two things that have renewed interest, vinyl records and Newburgh, have gotten together? The Wherehouse at 119 Liberty Street, one of the coolest bar/ restaurant/ music venues in the Hudson Valley will be hosting a big record show this Saturday, Nov. 5.
