Shop where the music never stops - records stores in Los Angeles, California

Sunset, Dec, 1994 by Matthew Jaffe

Five L.A. record stores reveal the advantages of buying discs in a company town

ANY CITY WITH A BUILDING shaped like a stack of 45s had better have good record shops. Luckily for music buffs, and anyone interested in what makes Los Angeles tick, this city backs up the boast implicit in one of its most famous landmarks--the Capitol Records Tower Building--with memorable record stores from Hollywood to the Westside.

Los Angeles is notorious for its lack of public spaces. Record stores help fill that void. Just about everybody in L.A. ends up in a record store sooner or later. Some are regulars, part of the city's large troop of record-label executives, studio engineers and producers, and working (and aspiring) musicians. Others are just passing through. Time doesn't seem to count much in a record store. People relax, content to get lost in that big country that runs from acid jazz to zydeco, from ABBA to Zappa.

TUNE TOWNS

The territory is especially vast at two franchise flagship stores, which square off at opposite cads of the busy Sunset Strip.

Tower Records. On a boulevard famous for its gigantic signage, Tower's yellow and red building is its own billboard. The Sunset Strip locale has a clientele with a decided rock-and-roll look, although you can find plenty of jazz and blues fans here, too. With its low ceiling and clamor and clutter, Tower definitely bustles. A more sedate classical music and video annex is just across the street. 8801 W. Sunset Boulevard; (310) 657-7300.

Virgin Megastore. Part of a struggling, faux-Italianate shopping center on the site of the old Schwab's Drug-store, the Virgin store is record shop as high-tech palacio. How many record stores have their own clock tower and green marble columns? High ceilings, wide aisles, and a vast selection make this an ideal spot for lengthy browsing. On most days, there's an in-store disc jockey; occasionally, there are in-store performances. Sunset and Crescent Heights boulevards; (213) 650-8666.

UNCHAINED MELODIES

Despite competition from chain stores in shopping malls, L.A.'s independents are holding on.

Aron's Records. Aron's draws its clientele from the surrounding Hollywood neighborhood, and also attracts die-hard vinyl fans from around Greater L.A., who can be found poring over the store's large collection of used LPs. In addition to a full selection of new CDs, Aron's has a well-organized used-CD section. 1150 Highland Avenue; (213) 469-4700.

Rhino Records. Musical anthologies were once the domain of late-night TV pitches, sandwiched between commercials for a variety of dubious kitchen products. Rhino's record label changed all that by acting as a legitimate archive for everything from '50s rhythm and blues to '70s bubble gum. This small store shows a similar devotion to classic blues from the '30s. Look for the staff's minireviews on new releases--"Teen angst never sounded so pop" is the succinct analysis on one title. 1720 Westwood Boulevard; (310) 474-8685.

Rockaway Records. Everything a good independent should be, this Silver Lake store hasn't lost its edge. It has a large used-CD section, with surprisingly low prices on many releases. When Garth Brooks lobbied for limits on the resale of CDs, the store organized a protest barbecue and threw some of Brooks's releases on the grill: Bar-be on Garth. 2395 Glendale Boulevard; (213) 664-3232.