Xref: nuchat alt.music.tmbg:1734 alt.rock-n-roll:53248 alt.music.world:47 rec.music.afro-latin:1732 rec.music.beatles:27180 rec.music.bluenote:29130 rec.music.cd:34412 rec.music.christian:20684 Path: nuchat!menudo.uh.edu!swrinde!cs.utexas.edu!uunet!dziuxsolim.rutgers.edu!pilot.njin.net!gajarsky From: gajarsky@pilot.njin.net (Bob Gajarsky - Hobokenite) Newsgroups: alt.music.tmbg,alt.rock-n-roll,alt.music.world,bit.listserv.allmusic,phl.music,rec.music.afro-latin,rec.music.beatles,rec.music.bluenote,rec.music.cd,rec.music.christian Subject: INFO: Greenwich VIllage (NYC) music guide, Sept. 1993 Message-ID: Date: 8 Sep 93 02:59:12 GMT Followup-To: alt.rock-n-roll Organization: Somewhere in Hoboken Lines: 290 The Unofficial Guide to Music in Greenwich Village, Sept. 1993 compiled by Bob Gajarsky (gajarsky@pilot.njin.net) HELP! I'm looking for people who have different tastes in music to make contributions to this list. Specifically, people who are fans of one specific artist and people who are into either techno, rap, country, heavy metal, classical, or 50's-60's are ENCOURAGED to submit stuff to me. I'll include it in future guides. Thanks! The author wishes to thank several people who have helped put this together, either directly or indirectly: Laura LaGassa, Eric Porter, Michael Schuster, Andrew Russ, Stan Janet, Terre Thaemlitz, David Mandl, Dave Pirmann, Joseph Brennan, Jeff Spirer, Keith Miyake, David Bodoh and Steve Portigal. Feel free to post/copy this anywhere,on any network, as long as the entire thing remains intact. If I forgot your favourite record shop, well, I'm sorry. Maybe we'll include it in a future edition. And, if the location is a little off, or they've suddenly closed up shop and fled the country, there's plenty of other stores to visit. Most of the opinions are solely that of the author; some of the views are from the people who have helped create the list. I have tried presenting the facts as easily as possible. Comments are always welcome! If you get off the PATH train at 9th street, and walk east, then south, then back west, you'll pretty much follow the directions I've included in the guide. The avenues run north/south, streets run east-west (West 8th street runs east/west, in other words). Getting into New York by the P.A.T.H. is the easiest method of public transportation. It costs $1 each way, and drops you at Christopher St, between Hudson and Washington (far west side), 9th St. and Ave. of Americas (6th Avenue), 14th St. and Ave. of Americas (6th Ave.), 23rd St. and Ave. of Americas, and 33rd St. and Ave. of Americas (last and final stop). The first two are the only ones you'll really need for this trip. Never mind the chain stores, here's the record buyer's guide: Revolver Records - on West 8th St., between Ave. of Americas and 5th Ave. Particularly a must-see for Beatles fans with every sound, video and print item you might want. Used discs, lots of books and magazines including foreign, out of print, back issues. Good prices. One of the top 4 for "rare live recordings". Located upstairs, on the 2nd floor, at about 45 West 8th, on the north side of the street. St. Marks Sounds - on St. Marks Pl. (as if it were East 8th St.) between 3rd Ave. and 2nd Ave.) The best place. The widest selection of used CD's anywhere, at the best prices. Sound impossible? The $3 CD's have yielded some great purchases of discs that had just come out 2 weeks prior. Used discs will run $5 to $9 as a rule, with $9 going to "in" bands like the Smiths, Depeche Mode, some imports, etc. There are two stores; both have used discs in them, but the other (smaller) shop has new discs for $12 each. On the south side of the street. They also still have (some) vinyl. Must-see. 16 St. Marks Pl. **** CASH ONLY *** Smash Discs - somewhere betewen 2nd and 3rd Ave. on St. Marks Pl. Mainly expensive. Has lots of hard-to-find things. It's opposite St. Marks, and a few stores east of the next store, Venus. They've recently started selling some used discs in crates outside the store at $3 each. *** CASH ONLY *** Venus Records - across the street from St. Marks. Has a wide variety of used vinyl, and some used discs, and a decent supply of new stuff and imports. Leans toward progressive rock (Genesis, Yes) and alternative music. You put a definition for alternative. 13 St. Marks Pl. Thompson's Square Bookstore: East 7th St. between 1st Ave. & Ave. A. The land of $4 used vinyl. All kinds of music (R&B, soul, jazz, latin, pop, classical). Occasionally they have rare records in mint condition and underpriced, but it's a crapshoot. Stooz Records: East 7th St. between 1st Ave. & Ave. A (almost directly across the street from Thompson's Square Bookstore). A fairly new store carrying used cd's and vinyl. Mostly the East Village alternative scene. Some good R&B, obscure stuff. The $1 bin can occassionally bear gold. Downtown Music Gallery - East 5th, between 3rd and 2nd Avenues. I had originally said " Ignore this place - it's out of the way, and they don't offer anything you can't find at Rocks in your head, Rebel Rebel, or any place like that." Other comments were as follows, and I'd suggest you make your own decision, since two people added these comments. 1) While they do not carry everything a place like Rebel Rebel does, they are a great store for obscure music that doesn't really fit into the pop alternative scene, but more the artsy crowd (ie., O Yuki Conjugate, Muslimgauze, After Dinner). They also have major jazz cd's. A definite haven for obscure vinyl. I used to hate this store when it first opened, but they have really been getting good things for about a year now, and their vinyl can really be awsome. I've found things that I never knew existed, and I'm a serious record store hag. 2) Any list of NYC record stores, especially "Village" record stores, should include this place. For experimental music, "new music," weird jazz, etc., no other store in the city comes close. Period. They also have FREE in-store performances by the likes of Marc Ribot, William Hooker, and Elliott Sharp. Dance Tracks: Located on East 3rd Street, between 2nd and 1st Avenues near the corner of 1st. Independent Underground Deep House vinyl, and Loft-style dance classics. Sometimes pricey with the collectors vinyl, but often a good selection. Rather small low-stock operation in the same venue as Vinyl Mania without the major record labels getting in the way. No techno (1 lonely milk crate of used stuff). Music for DJ's, producers and other people deep in the scene, not people looking for "House Music" ) Plan on going in and spending time to listen for something you like. Friday nights are hot. Tower Records is on the corner of W. 4th Ave. and Broadway. cd singles are priced at 8.99 or lower - that's the best aspect of tower. You might also want to check out Tower Video, Tower Books, but most importantly, the Tower discount room, that has cutouts galore, and "Nice Price" discs. According to one of the readers, "I think that you underate the downtown Tower store. It is the absolute best jazz source in the city. The range is incredible and the volume overwhelming. For some reason, they really suck on "world" music." Also, the other Tower stores are 1 block DIRECTLY east of the main Tower store. Kim's Video - on Bleeker, to the west of Broadway. An incredibly diverse grouping of videos, and a good diverse selection of indie "alternative" stuff. Second Coming - on Sullivan, south of West 3rd St. A good supply of "rare live recordings", whether on audio, video, or compact disc. They also have a good supply of vinyl for a wide variety of groups. The best book selection (musically). Used discs are average priced here, and new discs are overpriced. One of the top 4 on "live rare" recordings. 235 Sullivan Generation Records - 210 Thompson St. one block east of Second Coming, Ooe of the top 4 for "rare live recordings", most of which are priced, on disc, at $20. The regular disc prices and used disc prices are moderate. 212-254-1100 Bleecker Bob's - on West 3rd, roughly between MacDougal and Ave. of Americas. Probably the best known store in the village; don't believe the hype. Generally over-priced vinyl, for some really rare stuff. They've also got lots of tee-shirts here, but again, I like getting a lot for my money. They don't give it to you. 118 W. 3rd St. Rocks in your Head - on Prince St. (an east west street 2 blocks south of Bleecker) between MacDougal and Thompson, which are between Ave. of the Americas and 5th Ave. Also has another store with a similar title. It's got a solid selection of imports, and probably the best selection of import CD-singles. Used discs are average priced - $8 to $9, with a decent selection. Good selection of vinyl, and of groups here; geared towards alternative music. 157 Prince Record Runner - Prince St. Top-notch selection for import alternative (Depeche Mode, Erasure, Cure, Etc); live discs and CD-singles. It is a little pricey, but selection for specific artists is quite good. Subterranean Records - on Cornelia, between West 4th St. and Bleecker (bet 6th and 7th Avenues). A lot of uh-huh and a little bit of oh-yeah, to twist a phrase. I wasn't impressed by this place, and haven't been there in 2 years. It's got imports, it's got used stuff, if you're in the neighborhood, bop downstairs. But it's not a must go to. 5 Cornelia St. Discorama - on West 4th St., between Jones and Barrow (which are between 6th and 7th Avenues). Used disc selection is moderate, with the prices ranging from $5 to $8. Some are $2; these are few and far between, however. A wide variety of compilation discs are sold here in the used piles. New discs will cost you $11 across the board, or 3 for 30$, with many discs on sale. Bring in an ad from the Village Voice, and you get one new disc for $9. Imports are incredibly high here; $26-$30 is the going rate on most of the imports, although there is good variety. CD singles are generally 5.49 each here. They also carry a good selection of cassettes, and a wide variety of 12" singles. Must-see. Plus, it's two blocks north of the Pink Pussycat, but on the other side of the street. Check for the sign that says "New York's Compact Disc Headquarters". Also, if you have gotten the Village Voice, they often run an ad that if you bring it to the store, allows you to get ANY single disc for $8.99 + tax. Triton - on Bleeker, between Cornelia and Carmine (which are between 6th and 7th Avenues). One block south of Discorama; new discs here are $10, when they have them. Not the best selection, new releases often don't arrive until 2 weeks after their release date. Not much used; some rare material (DJ mixes of stuff). So/so store. Zapp Records. 258 Bleecker at Cornelia. 212-366-4958. Specializes in imports and "rare live recordings." Prices pretty decent, the average price for a IRLR ("imported rare live recording") is $20. Good selection as well-- mostly "alternative" some techno, pop, rock. They also have a LOT of british compilation discs; I noticed that the new British pop compilations were there, shortly after UK release. Vinylmania - One store, on Carmine, between Bleecker, Bedford, and 7th Ave.) This used to be the best place for dance music, 12", etc. but ever since the consolidation, it's been much harder to find specific things, and the staff is generally overworked trying to cater to their customer dj's. You may have to pay for the rare material, but this is where DJ's have been coming for years. A lot of import 12" singles here; an occasional good buy on the used discs, but not much. 41 Carmine Rebel Rebel - on Bleecker, between 7th Ave. and Christopher, I believe, on the north side of the street. It's a small shop, but if it's out in England, they have it. $24 is the normal price on an import disc, which is steep for me (used disc prices are quite high - $10 is the norm), but the selection is unbeatable. Plenty of hard to get stuff from overseas can be found here, and they're well stocked on all the magazines from England. They also have a lot of American discs, as well. 319 Bleeker St. OTHERS: Second Hand Rose's - on 6th Ave. (525), between 11th and 12th St, I think. A grungy store, that has used discs at moderate prices, but I don't go up there because of the dirty atmosphere associated with it. (So-and-so's?) Vinyl Museum: Ave. A between St. Marks and 9th St. Pricey used records. They don't do much business, so they might not be around for long, but they have some nice collectors' items on the wall. Footlight Records: 113 East 12th Street (212)533-1572 Their specialty is shows and movie soundtracks, including lots of out of print stuff, and while it's not cheap the selection seemed impressively large. And in Hoboken, Pier Platters is two blocks away from the P.A.T.H. station, on Newark and on 1st St.'s (2 stores, back to back, between Hudson St. and Washington St.) The best selection of U.S. and unknown bands, and the place that helps keep Hoboken bands alive. On any given day, you might see Donna Croughn (Tiny Lights), Otis Ball, or other musicians behind the counter, selling records. It's gone downhill in the past 2 years, but it's still better than most stores. Danny Fields, NYC agent (Iggy Pop, etc) has put together a walking tour of rock and roll sights in New York City. Free copies of the tour map, an eight-page guide to rock landmarks by Mr. Fields are avialable by writing to: Tanquerary New York Rock-androll Trivia Map, PO box 511, Gibbstown NJ 08027 Want to go to someplace to eat? Cucina Stagionale, on the corner of Jones St. and Bleecker, offers the best Italian food I've ever had at incredibly cheap prices; meat lasagna, for example, at $7.95. French waiter style service, and a nice internal environment. You may have to wait to get in, but it's well worth it. Joe's Pizza (corner of Bleecker, Carmine, and Ave. of Americas) has really good pizza, it's the best I've had in the city. John's Pizza (across from Cucina) gets all the press, but I like Joe's a lot better. And Washington Square Park is a nice place to relax. Street performers are usually in the park, and it's got a lot of people. You'll be offered drugs ("Smoke?") just like everyone else; don't think you're so special. Without sounding stuck up, New York offers the best selection of used music anywhere in the northeast. The stores that I rate as just so-so would probably be considered great elsewhere; I was told that Second Coming in New York is much better than the one in Boston, which is "great", but I consider it (in terms of used discs) nothing special. One reader says that it is well worth a trip up from D.C. Hope your record buying trip is a good one! - bob gajarsky