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On the Record
Listen up, Luddites. These SoCal record stores make it easy to find vinyl again
By Beth Fhaner
Westways March/April 2013
Buying a record used to be a special treat and a savored experience: studying the artwork, reading the liner notes, gently pulling the disc out of its sleeve and trying not to get fingerprints on it, carefully placing the needle down, hearing a light crackle, and then sitting back to fully enjoy the album. Nowadays, it takes less than a minute to download a song from iTunes.
If you still prefer these old slabs of vinyl over digital recordings, you may actually be hipper than you think. As many as 3.9 million vinyl albums were sold in 2011, according to Nielsen SoundScan data. Sales were up 16.3 percent in 2012. “I think it’s a bit of a backlash to digital music,” says Rand Foster, co-owner (with his wife, Kelly) of Fingerprints, a record store in Long Beach. “With its emphasis on artwork and liner notes, vinyl is a better medium, and it sounds so much better.”
Many music lovers believe vinyl has a warmer sound than digital formats such as CDs and MP3 files, and its recent resurgence among boomers and young hipsters alike has been a surprising and welcome trend in the retail music industry. One thing is certain: Vinyl is cool again. While Amoeba Music is known as the mecca of records in Los Angeles, there are many great indie record stores throughout the Southland. Here are a few of note:
Creme Tangerine
Named after The Beatles’ song “Savoy Truffle,” Creme Tangerine is a tiny record store housed in a 1957 Kenskill trailer in the courtyard at The LAB (look for the brown shag carpeting and a turntable spinning tunes near Urban Outfitters). Inside the trailer, music posters—everything from Kiss to Bob Dylan to Dolly Parton—line the walls and ceiling, and wooden bins hold an array of sonic treasures. The shop specializes in new and used rock, jazz, and blues vinyl, along with local music and even tapes. Although there’s room for only two or three people to comfortably browse inside the retro trailer at one time (tall customers have to duck to enter and exit), there are several discount bins to sift through outside. Find multiple 45s by The White Stripes, or LP rarities such as Ella Fitzgerald Sings the Cole Porter Songbook, or a first-press recording of Johnny Cash Sings the Songs That Made Him Famous. Creme Tangerine also has its own record label (its first 45 release featured local artists), and owner Parker Macy sings and plays guitar in the band Parker Macy Blues. The LAB Antimall, 2930 Bristol Street, Costa Mesa. 1-714-932-0552.
Parker Macy at his Creme Tangerine store in Costa Mesa.
Sound Spectrum
With its distinctive ’70s-era hippie vibe, Sound Spectrum boasts a comprehensive new and used selection of jazz, rock, blues, world beat, and reggae. Original rock artwork done by local artists and featuring Jim Morrison, John Lennon, Bob Marley, and Robert Plant adorn the walls and overhead loft area. The store emits a groovy, laid-back, SoCal feel—think wooden-beam cathedral ceiling, terra-cotta tile floor, wooden bins holding $1 discount vinyl to new releases, and music memorabilia filling every nook and cranny. Rarities are displayed along one wall, including a first edition of The Beatles’ Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band. The store sells Crosley record players and offers turntable repair service. “We sell more vinyl than CDs now, and it’s the kids under 25 who have bought 75 percent of the vinyl sold,” manager Wave Baker says. “Kids aren’t nostalgic. Vinyl is more tactile, and it’s very hands-on.” Recalling records by The Ventures and The Beach Boys as his first full-length albums, Baker adds, “Records are fun. I love selling vinyl because people are so into it.” 1264 S. Coast Highway, Laguna Beach; 1-949-494-5959.
Fingerprints
At Fingerprints’ spacious and well-lit digs in the East Village Arts District, you’ll find a separate room off to one side of the store that holds 20,000 vinyl titles—an extraordinary selection of new and used LPs and 45s covering all genres. In the Record Room, vintage record and turntable advertisements and 45s are strung up along the exposed brick walls. Rarities such as Pink Floyd’s A Saucerful of Secrets and the Grateful Dead’s Make Believe Ballroom are displayed along two wooden wall racks and are available for sale. Besides the store’s weekly e-newsletter, the Record Room’s oft-updated Facebook page keeps vinyl collectors apprised of the latest releases, special offers, and all topics relating to turntables. “There’s a comfort aspect to record collecting,” says shop owner Rand Foster, who started working in record stores 25 years ago and cites Kiss’ Rock and Roll Over and Peter Frampton’s Frampton Comes Alive! as his first albums. After sifting through bins and scoring some gems here, customers can relax at the adjoining coffee shop, Berlin, or on the outdoor patio. Fingerprints also hosts in-store performances by acts ranging from indie bands to such legends as Lou Reed and Brian Wilson. 420 E. 4th Street, Long Beach; 1-562-433-4996.
Lou’s Records
Longtime store customers will remember when this retail space consisted of three separate buildings. Today, although its area has been consolidated and all merchandise is now housed in the former “used music” building, Lou’s continues to be a mainstay on San Diego’s music retail scene. Opened in 1980, Lou’s presents an old-school ambience, with posters of Nirvana, U2, and Bob Marley gracing the walls, and promotional mobiles of The White Stripes, Talking Heads, the Beastie Boys, and Duran Duran hanging overhead. More than 5,000 new and used vinyl releases fill the wooden bins along the store’s perimeter (with inside aisles devoted to CDs). Vinyl heads will find titles in every genre, including rock, pop, independent, oldies, country, blues, folk/bluegrass, instrumental, electronic, dance, and metal. Additionally, the store has a large selection of jazz and classical releases and, in the back, a huge bargain bin section where vinyl priced under $1 waits to be discovered. Previous rarities have included Eartha Kitt’s St. Louis Blues With Shorty Rogers and His Giants, as well as Jimi Hendrix’s Band of Gypsys and The Cry of Love. Lou’s also sells ION and Numark turntables. 434 N. Coast Highway 101, Encinitas; 1-760-753-1382.
Indie Rocks!
Since its inception in 2007, Record Store Day has celebrated music and the eclectic culture of the 700-plus independently owned record stores nationwide and hundreds more shops internationally. Always held the third Saturday of April (on April 20, 2013), Record Store Day features limited-edition vinyl and CD releases, along with product promotions, discounts, in-store artist performances, and other events.
Beth Fhaner is a Laguna Beach–based freelance writer and a former senior manager at The Recording Academy (Grammy Awards).
