Los Angeles Record Shops

Last Update: April 9, 2000

Please note that I haven't had a chance to visit L.A. in a while so some information may be out of date. Therefore your help is needed! Please send any additions, corrections, and inquiries to lazlo@studio-nibble.com. (I cannot answer questions about upcoming concerts, etc.)

Thanks to the many contributors listed below.

Los Angeles (Including Hollywood/Beverly Hills/Melrose Ave.)

A-1 Record Finders
5639 Melrose Ave, at Larchmont; (213) 732-6737 / 24 hr requests: REC-ORDS
a1recordfdind@earthlink.net

• Vinyl Only
• Open 12 Noon - 6 p.m. except Sunday
• "Don't miss...It's unbelievable. All records. More than I've ever seen. Not cheap, but if you know something particular you're looking for, give them a try." -- SYoungNYC (Nov 1995)
• "This guy has probably every record ever made. But he knows exactly how rare everything is and his prices reflect it. Pretty expensive, but he has EVERYTHING! Did I mention that he has everything?" -- Ben Adair (Mar 1996)

Aron's Records
1150 N Highland, just N of Santa Monica; (213) 469-4700

• "The best selection ... is at Aron's Records - for new and used lp's, cd's, etc. They have a high turnover rate there, so you never know what you'll find." -- Shauna Aiken
• "When I lived in the area, I used to go to Aron's all the time--they mostly have used vinyl, as I recall, with some selection of CDs." -- Melanie Lotocky
• "...they've expanded their used CD section significantly ... to the point where it's a pain to go because there's so much stuff to look through!" -- Don Markuson
• "Lots of used stuff, both on vinyl and CD, plus a huge import CD section. Lots of treasures in the vinyl section." -- Lazlo Nibble
• "I'd like to add my vote to those recommending Aron's as the first stop to make. Saw import singles there I still haven't seen anywhere else two weeks later." -- Bob Coonce
• "Your best bet is Aron's in Hollywood." -- Joe Rice
• "The big-daddy in LA is Aron's, comparable to Rasputins or Amoeba in Berkeley, if you can only get to one record store (yeah right) let this be it." -- Andrew Thomas
• "You need to get there on shipping days (wed/thurs) before everyone has picked through it and there's nothing left. Hunting in the bargain bins there can yield pure gold." -- Tamara Palmer (Apr 1996)
• "Easily the best, most interesting record store in the LA area, with the most varied selection." -- Chris Jehle (May 1997)
• "Recently, they dumped their Import Records section, burying whatever imports they may have into their regular records. This is terribly frustrating, obviously, because now you have to spend hours and hours ferreting thru stuff. Also, they have lost their impressive Import CD section, and that too has been absorbed, this time by the regular Pop/Rock sections. Again, to find any import you have to go through the entire store selection." -- Cellmate (June 1999)

Bleeker Bob's
7454 Melrose; (213) 951-9111

• "...their prices leave a bit to be desired." -- Greg Earle
• "...stay away...it is a bunch of overpricing british louts... -- Kincy Clark
• "Don't stay away -- you have to *see* the prices to really believe them." -- Lazlo Nibble
• "Easily the WORST record store in the LA area. Poor selection and the worst quality merchandise in town -- everything was in disastrous condition." -- Chris Jehle (May 1997)

DMC Records
7619 Melrose, several blks E of Fairfax; (323) 651-3520 / fax 651-3526
http://www.dmcrecords.com

• "While its selection isn't as large as Street Sounds, their prices are much better - Serious Beats Vol. 3 (the double disc) was $24.99 last time I was there, an it was $34.99 or so at Street Sounds." -- Brian Behlendorf
• "Nice place, lots of stuff. A good stop if you're looking for import dance music." -- Lazlo Nibble
• "DMC has some good stuff (though you wouldn't think so by just walking in - gotta dig for it)." -- Tamara Palmer
• "You might check [them] out for vinyl - it's mostly frequented by hardcore lovers, so much good stuff gets overlooked and sits in the bins." -- Joe Rice
• "Best source for dance 12"s. The sheer volume of the in-store music though tends to be overwhelming. Shop quickly and get out!" -- Chris Jehle (May 1997)
• "We have moved to the ground floor and expanded our inventory to include more import vinyl and cds, DJ equipment, more listening stations. Many import 12"s are only $7.98!!!" -- Larry Saldano at DMC (Jun 1999)
• "Very depleted...looks like they cut their inventory in half after they moved downstairs." -- Scott Warner (Jul 1999)
• "I go there about 3 times a month to get melodic trance imports and harder stuff. It was voted in the LA Weekly as 'Best of LA'." -- Ferris K. (Oct 1999)

HEAR Records
Santa Monica Blvd

• "Conceptually, they've taken a different approach to selling music than most stores. They choose not to sell everything, but rather every CD sold in this store is handpicked by their staff -- an interesting filter. ... they allow you to listen to any CD in the store, fully." -- Richard Hoefer

Penny Lane
1080 Gayley Ave, Westwood Village; (310) 208-5611

Prime Cuts
7758 Santa Monica Blvd, 2 blks. E of Fairfax (W Hollywood); (213) 654-8251

• Recommended by Greg Earle
• "Oldest dance record store in L.A. Specialize in 12" singles of dance music from 1975 - present (all genres). Small selection of dance-related CDs. Far and away the best outlet for dance music in L.A." -- Ray Randolph (Mar 1996)

Record Recycler
Hollywood Blvd, E of Vermont

• "...a large number of jazz, soul and rock 'n' roll records. Selection and prices are very good." -- Ben Adair (Mar 1996)

Rockaway Records
2390 Glendale Blvd, LA; (213) 664-3232 / fax 664-0956

• "It has tons of vinyl and cds ... an enormous amount of used cds. Also has t-shirts, old and new magazines, band and concert posters, and a 'collectibles' counter at corner of the store." -- JSanti2163@aol.com
• "An enormous used selection, both in CDs and vinyl; schedule some serious time here. Good selection of old DJ-service issues. Used laserdiscs too." -- Lazlo Nibble

Second Time Around Records
7704 Melrose, 4 blks E of Fairfax at Spaulding; (213) 852-1982

• "Excellent selection of used vinyl. Pricy. Used CD section is average. A good place to find out about local bands." -- Alex Campbell

Street Sounds
7751 Melrose (upstairs), 2 blks E of Fairfax, N side of st

• "Most people will agree that Street Sounds is definitely the best place for dance music in Los Angeles." -- Troy Sheets
• "Huge selection in a tiny little place, but not many CDs. DJ-service stuff too." -- Lazlo Nibble
• "Not nearly as good as it once was." -- Ray Randolph (Mar 1996)
• "Selection here is just too limited. DMC is the much better choice. Don't bother." -- Chris Jehle (May 1997)

Top Shelf
1768 N Vermont Ave inside X-Large; (213) 660-5877

• "not a huge selection, but good selection of local indie bands both in vinyl and CD. Collection is pretty eclectic including jazz, blues, through experimental, local bands [LA area], some noise and the clothing store is pretty cool as well. Also, long "revered" artist/musician/writer hangout "Onyx Cafe" is located one block north of Top Shelf." -- Daniel van Beers
• "Definitely one of the most overpriced stores I've been to in a long time." -- Ben Adair (Mar 1996)

Tower Records
8801 Sunset Blvd (W Hollywood); (310) 657-7300

• "A good place for Techno compilations and import CD5's et al." -- Greg Earle
• "Good selection of recent import (mainstream) dance-music CDs, with occasional surprises. Always worth at least a visit." -- Lazlo Nibble

Vinyl Fetish
7305 Melrose Ave; (213) 935-1300 / fax 935-9896

• "A strong selection of import vinyl, worth checking out. Lots of colelctable punk/new wave 45s behind the counter." -- Lazlo Nibble

Virgin Megastore
8000 blk Sunset Blvd

• "Large import section; large CD single section with domestic & imports mixed. Really irritating in-store DJ with pseudo-British accent. Appears enormous compared to the cramped Tower down the street." -- Bob Coonce
• "I was amused to read Bob Coonce describe my accent as "pseudo-British", having been born and raised in England before coming to the States at the age of 24 (I am now 35). Perhaps 11 years in the US has softened my accent, but it is a real one!" -- Dave Richards, Virgin Megastore DJ (Jul 1999)

Wax
Melrose Ave

• "Doc Martin's new record store on Melrose, Wax, has a FANTASTIC selection of house music." -- Scott Warner (Jul 1999)
• "Tiny store with narrow selection of only house music. Not enough listening stations and prices are higher than other stores. Experienced record shoppers still go to DMC Records a few blocks away for much more selection and low prices." -- Andrew Harrison (of DMC Records) (Sep 1999)

West L.A.

Record Surplus
11609 W Pico Blvd, 1 blk E of Barrington; (310) 478-4217

• "Check out Record Surplus in West LA. Make sure to look upstairs in
• "the bleachers"." -- Eli Messinger
• "They have an upstairs area with all vinyl at $0.94 (some at 3/$1.00). Everything from junk to real finds. The turnover at this place is tremendous, so you never know what you'll find." -- David A. Pearlman
• "... they have one of the largest vinyl collections I know of... Their used CDs tend to cost more than the used CDs at Penny Lane or Record Rover, and I don't like their assortment particularly. [...] I should also add that they have two cd players and two turntables that you can listen to already opened cds/vinyl on. I would recommend that if you're buying an opened recording that you listen to it first to make sure that it is in decent condition." -- Greg Skinner
• "OK ... they have a pretty wide selection of the obvious stuff and a rarities section where the prices are really jacked up." -- Steve Weinberg
• "... lots of random stuff upstairs in the vinyl bins and plenty of good-condition used stuff cheap downstairs. Recent promos in the used-CD bins. A wider selection than just the usual pop stuff." -- Lazlo Nibble
• "You can get some great deals on cd's there because they tend to have an inconsistant method of pricing their cd's. I've found the same cd priced anywhere from $8.79 - $1.99." -- Vicki Berzer
• Record Surplus...is where i lived out my early '80s fantasies for free (good payback on trading in crap cds) -- lots of cool old vinyl for 99 cents or 1.85 for classic double albums..." -- Tamara Palmer (Apr 1996)

Rhino Records
1720 Westwood Blvd; (310) 474-8685 / fax 470-2574

• "My favorite place in LA is Rhino Records in West LA where they have a lot of eclectic stuff that you would never expect to find. I found a copy of Ultravox Monument Soundtrack there in perfect condition for two dollars." -- Steve Weinberg
• "I found a couple of rareties for peanuts in the vinyl section, but they didn't have any cheapo CDs, as far as I could see." -- David A. Pearlman
• "I wasn't as impressed as I might have been; pretty run-of-the-mill used-CD selection; the usual bins of record-pool vinyl, etc." -- Lazlo Nibble

Santa Monica

Moby Disc
2114 Wilshire Blvd, W of the 405; (310) 828-2887

• "Don't forget to check out the $1.99 used CD section of Moby, it's hidden on the left beyond the counter (unfortunately, the CD's aren't sorted and the lighting is pretty bad, but for $1.99--hey!) I'm pretty both stores also carry vinyl (new/used), 7"/12", LP/EP/SP." -- Don Markuson
• "OK, but tends not to have all that much in the way of interesting 12"'s. And their CD's are higher priced than Record Surplus." -- David A. Pearlman
• "I found Moby Disc to be of pretty dubious quality in terms of price and selection of vinyl." -- Steve Weinberg
• "Interesting used CD selection, especially the $1.99 racks." -- Lazlo Nibble

Penny Lane
1349B 3rd St Promanade; (310) 319-5333

• "It's about like the one by UCLA." --Angus P. MacDonald

Venice Beach/LAX Area

Final Vinyl
43rd Place, E of Crenshaw (Leimert Park)

• "They have an excellent selection of used jazz and soul records. The prices aren't the greatest, but the owner's usually somewhat flexible (you can bargain). If you can't find it anywhere else, though, call Final Vinyl. They also keep their extra-rare stuff in the back." -- Ben Adair (Mar 1996)

Record Rover
12204 Venice Blvd, at Grandview; (310) 390-3132

• "...a fair sized collection of used CDs, cassettes, and vinyl." -- Greg Skinner

Soundsations
8734 S Sepulveda, near Manchester (Westchester); (310) 641-8877

• "Great selection of new and used vinyl/cds." -- Bill Heiden
• "A worthwhile stop for cd & vinyl for anybody in the LAX area." -- Bob Coonce

Manhattan/Hermosa/Redondo Beach

Scooter's Records
200 Pier Ave (Hermosa Beach); (310) 372-1666

• "...a wide variety of used records, tapes and cd's. The majority is punk rock from 70's to present. Jazz, blues, funk and odd junk can be found. Great source for punk rock." -- Paul E. Dorr, Jr.

Go Boy
1310 PCH at Avenue F (Redondo Beach); (310) 316-1957

• "I picked up a fair number of interesting discs there for peanuts.. They had a couple of crates of promos and cutouts that they were dumping for $0.99 - $1.99 though there was a lot of crap scattered through. Still, I came out with a stack of discs for under $15.00. ... Not a bad place to go browsing." -- McNally

Recycled Records
1200 PCH near Pier Ave (Hermosa Beach); (310) 372-1881

• "They have a good and wide selection of used CD's, and typically, for about a month, sell the new CD's (about 50 different artists) for $10.99." -- Allen Adams

Long Beach

Bagatelle Records
260 Atlantic Ave; (310) 432-7534

• "...carries all categories of music on vinyl from the 50's to present. Compared to the pricy LA stores Bagatelle Records is a bargain, and you won't believe the selection." -- Gary Page (Aug 1996)

San Fernando Valley (Sherman Oaks/N.Hollywood/Van Nuys...)

Ear Candy Collectables
6265 N Sepulveda Blvd (Van Nuys); (818) 787-7578

• "Expensive, but worth it! Still more vinyl than CDs. Don't be fooled by the store's smallish size. Lots of imports." -- Annie Sattler
• "They have good stuff but, they also think everything they sell is collectable. Average run of the mill records that Aron's doesn't think twice about selling for $1.99, they sell for $8.00 and other things that sell for $2.99 elsewhere Ear Candy sells for $15.00. Expensive but is it really worth it? -- Marco Llanos (Jul 1996)

Green Hell Records
14551 Ventura Blvd (Sherman Oaks); (818) 784-5127

• "this place carries a good selection of experimental, noise, thrash, retro-punk and plenty of vinyl, but cd's too." -- Daniel van Beers
• "Punk focus with lots of T-shirts but much new wave/dance wax as well." -- Lazlo Nibble

Heavy Rotation
12354 Ventura Blvd (Studio City); (818) 769-8882

• "Loads of used CDs, including many many promos. Some laserdiscs, also some vinyl and video games (none of which I had time to check out). Possibly the most productive visit of my most recent trip - if you're in the area *do not miss* this shop." -- Lazlo Nibble

Moby Disc
14622 Ventura Blvd #115 (Sherman Oaks); (818) 990-2970

• "Huge selection of CDs, with some vinyl at the back; right across from Tower Outlet so drop on in." -- Lazlo Nibble

Phi Beta Records
12180 Ventura Blvd (Studio City); (818) 985-1150

• "Very strong vinyl selection for their hole-in-the-wall size; heavy on jazz/classical/soundtracks, some CDs. Vinyl was all in good shape with very reasonable prices. Also just a few doors west of Dave's Video, one of the best laser shops in LA." -- Lazlo Nibble

Tower Outlet
14621 Ventura Blvd (Sherman Oaks)

• "Where Tower's CDs come when they don't sell; stuff from all around the world for way cheap if you're willing to root around for it. LOTS and LOTS of recent releases for $7 and down. Many many videotapes as well. Definite bargain-hunter's paradise." -- Lazlo Nibble

Record Trader
7321 Reseda Blvd, N of Sherman Way (Van Nuys); (818) 708-0632

• "...another good place to look for vinyl finds and very reasonably priced CD's. ... well worth visiting." -- David A. Pearlman

Burbank

Atomic Records
on Magnolia Ave.

• "Mostly vinyl." -- Doran (Sep 1999)

Backside Records
on San Fernando Road

• "They have lots of cut-out CDs." -- Doran (Sep 1999)

Penny Lane Records
on Orange Grove; (818) 566-7401