Montreal - Record shops with record decks?

[tonewalk]

I'm planning a one week trip to Canada in June. This is mainly to see the Peter Hammill shows but I also want to spend time in some of the amazing number of second hand record shops in Montreal. The ones I'd like to hit first are those where you can check out the vinyl on a record deck with headphones - does anyone happen to know which of these would fit the bill?

Le Pick-up
Atom Heart
Disques Beatnick
Freeson Rock
Aux 33 Tours
Melodisc
Le Fox Troc
L'Oblique
Soundcentral
A Paul Boutique
Musique-Disque Sonik
La Bete Noire
Phonopolis
Sonorama
Cheap Thrills

[Bytor]

I know of these three for what you're asking :

Beatnick
Aux 33 Tours

and one that is not on your list :

Death of Vinyl

http://www.deathofvinyl.com/

You have to go to the Freeson, it's the prog store. I'm not sure you can listen to vinyl though, but prog cd yes.

[tonewalk]

I know of these three for what you're asking :

Beatnick
Aux 33 Tours

and one that is not on your list :

Death of Vinyl

http://www.deathofvinyl.com/

You have to go to the Freeson, it's the prog store. I'm not sure you can listen to vinyl though, but prog cd yes.

Thanks Bytor, I've added Death of Vinyl to the list, and I'll start with Freeson and the other two you mention.

[Bytor]

Beatnick and 33 Tours all have prog section. Beatnick and 33 Tours is a mix between old and reissue lps. Well, Freeson too. Those are the 3 stores I always do when I go record shopping. Enjoy the shopping and the town

[Progatron]

I've been to Montréal five times and walked out of Freeson Rock with a stack of discs five times. Fantastic store for prog.

[tonewalk]

I've been to Montréal five times and walked out of Freeson Rock with a stack of discs five times. Fantastic store for prog.

Booked my flights yesterday. My outward hold luggage will be pretty much empty, and I'm travelling alone so if I want to spend all day in a record store then I will

[Brad to the Bone]

These are the stores in Montreal I try to hit when I'm there, in approximately this order of priority:

Aux 33 Tours
Freeson Rock
Cheap Thrills
Echange [Added to your list; generally a pretty good store for used CDs but no vinyl]
Beatnick
Atom Heart
Melodisc

I'm reasonably certain Aux 33 Tours has listening stations, and Free Son does for CDs but not LPs, but I don't think any of the others do. Maybe Beatnick? And note that Atom Heart sells new CDs and LPs only, nothing second hand there.

Continuing to rank in descending order, these stores range from mediocre to dreadful IMO:

L'Oblique
Le Fox Troc
Paul's Boutique
Soundcentral

And if you're shopping for vinyl specifically note that Oblique is at least 80% CDs and Fox Troc pretty much CDs (and DVDs) only. I don't think they sell vinyl at all.

I thought Phonopolis was actually pretty good the one time I was there, but because it's quite far from most of the other stores and I'm usually only in Montreal for day trips I never made it back.

Don't know these stores:

Le Pick-up
Sonorama
Musique-Disque Sonik
La Bete Noire

[tonewalk]

Thanks for this Brad to the Bone, should be able to get to Phonopolis. I'm still pretty astonished at the total - 17 in all, around half of which are recommended.

[rickawakeman]

Cheap Thrills def has turntables (I was there a couple of days ago)

[tonewalk]

Thanks to everyone who helped me out here. I think I managed to hit more than half of these stores and bought at least one LP in all i visited (apart from Paul's Boutique which although it had a lot of stock it was just too much hard work with everything jammed in too tight). I spent a lot in Aux 33 Tours, then L'Exchange (which now does LPs), and three LPs each at Beatnick, Sonorama and Le Knockout (in Quebec). Freeson was closed (for a re-fit I think) but I have some time to kill today and so may still make it (although if I buy any more I'll maybe have to leave some others behind - it's not so much getting them on the plane as the motorbike journey home at the other end).

Great Peter Hammill concerts as well, highlights being the Montreal encore (House with no Door - first time I've seen that done live), and when he hit the ground running in Quebec with My Room > Too many of my yesterdays > Time heals > Losing faith in words..... Now very tempted to go to Tokyo for his shows in November.

[Progatron]

^^^^ Great to hear that he's playing something from Over. Sounds like you had a great time... shame about Freeson though!

[Trane]

Thanks to everyone who helped me out here. I think I managed to hit more than half of these stores and bought at least one LP in all i visited (apart from Paul's Boutique which although it had a lot of stock it was just too much hard work with everything jammed in too tight). I spent a lot in Aux 33 Tours, then L'Exchange (which now does LPs), and three LPs each at Beatnick, Sonorama and Le Knockout (in Quebec). Freeson was closed (for a re-fit I think) but I have some time to kill today and so may still make it (although if I buy any more I'll maybe have to leave some others behind - it's not so much getting them on the plane as the motorbike journey home at the other end).

Great Peter Hammill concerts as well, highlights being the Montreal encore (House with no Door - first time I've seen that done live), and when he hit the ground running in Quebec with My Room > Too many of my yesterdays > Time heals > Losing faith in words..... Now very tempted to go to Tokyo for his shows in November.

I would kill to hear him do that song live.

Glad you enjoyed Montreal & QC... Were you in QC for the prog festival??

[tonewalk]

^^^^ Great to hear that he's playing something from Over. Sounds like you had a great time... shame about Freeson though!

My mistake - La Bete Noire was the one closed for a refit. I had picked up a couple of LPs in Freeson. To kill time before the evening flight I got to Cheap Thrills and then a bag full of mainly ECM CDs in HMV, which had a lot of stock at 2 for $20. I hope I'm done for the summer now

[tonewalk]

I would kill to hear him do that song live.

Glad you enjoyed Montreal & QC... Were you in QC for the prog festival??

Sadly not - I think that was the week before.