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A Video Reminder Of Why I Miss Record Stores

I used to love independent record stores. Still do. There just aren't any in my adopted home of Roanoke, Virginia.  Sure there are more great ways than ever to discover great music online, but for me none have replaced the pleasure of flipping through stacks of vinyl and CD's with something obscure playing in the image from xltrax.com background. Then there were the clerks who after sizing you up could simultaneously insult, educate and sell you something that you'd never heard of, but probably fell in love with after you got it home.

Places Of Worship

A few of these stores still exist and need to be saved – perhaps has historic landmarks, educational institutions or (for me at least) places of worship. If you share any of my longings for great indie record stores – or if you're too young to remember the good ones – take a couple of minutes to enjoy this Sam Coley produced profile (via Andrew Dubber) of The Diskery in Birmingham.

The video:

 

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2 Comments

  1. Bruce, welcome to my hometown!
    Growing up, I had 2 locations of the Record Exchange (a chain extending to Charlottesville and Charlotte) and Safe As Milk records downtown (a RECORD store with just a few used CDs). I went at least once a week to browse, to listen, to take free stickers and scratched vinyl, and to soak in the atmosphere.
    A few years ago, the Record Exchange at Towers Mall was closed and then replaced by Plan 9, only to close last year.
    Here are a couple of articles from the local paper:
    Record store’s ‘last dance’ – http://www.roanoke.com
    /news/roanoke/wb/73308
    Plan 9 Music to close Roanoke store – http://www.roanoke.com/news/breaking/wb/197561

  2. Cool video. There is a nice record shop where I’m at in Springfield, MO, but I have no idea how they stay in business. Listening to music has always been an “event” for me, and I always prefer to listen to an album all the way through rather than “shuffling” through various songs or artists. I always thought the vinyl intrinsically offered a special quality simply due to it being divided into two halves (see: Small Faces’ Ogden’s Nut Gone Flake). But I digress. Long live the record store.

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