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Thread: All Things Must Pass-The Rise and Fall of Tower Records

  1. #26
    I used to make frequent trips to Tower Records in Cherry Hill, N.J. In the summer of 2006 it was announced that they would be closing for good. It was right around the time that Syd Barrett died. It left a void in my life . It was fun shopping in Tower discovering rare import cd's. I also spent a fortune purchasing from Tower Mail order. It was a breeze ordering from customer service by phone. Many cd releases that were about to go out of print ...were sometimes in stock at a Tower Records warehouse. A customer service employee would check the stock situation of several Tower Records warehouses in the U.S. and England. They might say..."Well the Florida warehouse appears to not have any , but the Piccadilly Circus store in England has one copy left" "Hold on sar and I will contact them and have it shipped to you" That's great service clocking in a little over 5 minutes of phone time and getting results. I remember sales people calling ME back and informing me that there was a copy left in a certain warehouse. Maybe they didn't have that info when I called...but 10 minutes later the phone would ring and sure enough they had found a listing of one or two copies left in a Tower store or warehouse. It was excellent service.

  2. #27
    Member Vic2012's Avatar
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    I'll always remember the Tower in San Francisco. They were famous for the painted album covers on the front of the store. Last time I was there (2000) I bought a CD, Rush - Hold Your Fire. By the time the vacation was over I'd gotten rid of the CD.

  3. #28
    Progga mogrooves's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by JKL2000 View Post
    if Tower carried more "obscure" prog they'd have kept a lot of my business.
    Other Music and Downtown Music Gallery were both in the neighborhood then, for the proggy stuff.

    Quote Originally Posted by arturs View Post
    There was a great indie store in town (Schoolkid's).
    Yup; they had a very hip jazz selection. Wazoo Records, around the corner, was good for Prog (though perhaps it was gone by time you were there?).
    Hell, they ain't even old-timey ! - Homer Stokes

  4. #29
    Member moecurlythanu's Avatar
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    Unless they've closed in the last 2 years, there's still 2 good record stores in Ann Arbor, but I don't recall the names offhand.

  5. #30
    Boo! walt's Avatar
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    Back in the halcyon days of NYC record stores,my first stop after work on paydays was Soho Music Gallery(where i'd say hi to John Zorn, who worked there and kept it well stocked with prog, Canterbury,Krautrock,jazz and free jazz, contemporary classical/new music);then i'd mosey on down to Tower in the Village,then across the street to Other Music and last but certainly not least, to Downtown Music Gallery.I'd take the F train back to Queens, excitedly perusing my swag and bemoaning my depleted finances.

    Good times.
    Last edited by walt; 04-12-2017 at 11:50 AM.
    "please do not understand me too quickly"-andre gide

  6. #31
    Member rcarlberg's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by walt View Post
    .I'd take the F train back to Queens, excitedly perusing my swag and bemoaning my depleted finances.
    And probably, like the rest of us, plotting how to hide the bags and receipts from the Mrs as long as we can.

  7. #32
    Quote Originally Posted by rcarlberg View Post
    And probably, like the rest of us, plotting how to hide the bags and receipts from the Mrs as long as we can.
    Receipts stay in pockets (where CDs also can fit), and are discarded in trash cans on the street upon confirming that there are no defects.

    If the bag cannot be dispensed with immediately (because there was too much to fit into pants and/or coat pockets) then it can be placed inside of another bag, for the purposes of temporary concealment (some light grocery shopping on the same day as a haul is always a good idea).

    Vinyl is always tougher. It's best to simply wait until I know she's not going to be around, to bring LPs back.

  8. #33
    Boo! walt's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by rcarlberg View Post
    And probably, like the rest of us, plotting how to hide the bags and receipts from the Mrs as long as we can.
    Nah, she knew my ways too well.It was pointless to try to deceive her.
    "please do not understand me too quickly"-andre gide

  9. #34
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    Quote Originally Posted by mogrooves View Post
    Yup; they had a very hip jazz selection. Wazoo Records, around the corner, was good for Prog (though perhaps it was gone by time you were there?).
    Yes, Wazoo was really good for used cd's and vinyl in Ann Arbor, as was Encore (on Liberty) and PJ's, down on Packard. I remember having some great discussions with the staff at Wazoo and Encore. They really knew their shit. Sometimes it was fun to just eavesdrop on their conversations while browsing. My favorite was two Encore staff loudly arguing whether Renate Knaup was a big conscious influence on the vocal stylings of Johnny Rotten/Lydon.

    Last time I visited AA was in 2010, and all three of those stores were still there. In contrast, all the stores that primarily sold new cd's were gone: Tower, Wherehouse, Borders, Goody's, and Schoolkids. AFAICT no "new cd" stores are left at all.
    Last edited by arturs; 04-12-2017 at 03:31 PM.

  10. #35
    Progga mogrooves's Avatar
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    In NYC a long-time stop was the well-stocked J&R Music, which closed a couple of years ago. When I walked out of there for the last time it struck me that, other than school, the only constant institution in my life had been "the record store." I've lived my life in these places, and now that they're (mostly) gone I sense a certain loss that I didn't really anticipate as it slowly unfolded.
    Hell, they ain't even old-timey ! - Homer Stokes

  11. #36
    Member rcarlberg's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by mogrooves View Post
    ... a certain loss that I didn't really anticipate as it slowly unfolded.
    "All Things Must Pass"

  12. #37
    Quote Originally Posted by Facelift View Post
    Receipts stay in pockets (where CDs also can fit), and are discarded in trash cans on the street upon confirming that there are no defects.

    If the bag cannot be dispensed with immediately (because there was too much to fit into pants and/or coat pockets) then it can be placed inside of another bag, for the purposes of temporary concealment (some light grocery shopping on the same day as a haul is always a good idea).

    Vinyl is always tougher. It's best to simply wait until I know she's not going to be around, to bring LPs back.
    Wow, this involved just as much subterfuge and planning as procuring and hiding a Penthouse magazine as a teen...
    You say Mega Ultra Deluxe Special Limited Edition Extended Autographed 5-LP, 3-CD, 4-DVD, 2-BlueRay, 4-Cassette, five 8-Track, MP4 Download plus Demos, Outtakes, Booklet, T-Shirt and Guitar Pick Gold-Leafed Box Set Version like it's a bad thing...

  13. #38
    Quote Originally Posted by Garden Dreamer View Post
    Wow, this involved just as much subterfuge and planning as procuring and hiding a Penthouse magazine as a teen...
    LOL.

    Actually, if you look at it a totally unbiased manner, there really are lot of parallels between being a music junkie and an actual junkie. There's the sizeable financial commitment; it takes time away from friends and family; listening to something new or even an old favorite is a "fix" in the sense that the gratification centers of the brain are activated; many people deep into it end up hiding purchases from their family/significant other; it can easily inhibit a person's social life and effectiveness/efficiency at work, and no matter how much you have or have listened to, you always want more.

    Most of us would chuckle a bit at that, but a lot of people who are honest with themselves would have to admit some truth to it as it applies to themselves.

    Personally, I think that my love of music has enriched my life in many ways, but I also do have to admit that it has had its costs as well.

  14. #39
    Quote Originally Posted by Garden Dreamer View Post
    Wow, this involved just as much subterfuge and planning as procuring and hiding a Penthouse magazine as a teen...
    I forgot another key part of this: remove the price stickers and discard prior to entering the home. Because if you *do* get caught, then you'll have to mention how there was this fantastic sale that you just couldn't pass up...

  15. #40
    Highly Evolved Orangutan JKL2000's Avatar
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    Watched this last night. While watching I remember the Tower Annex a block away from the entrance to the Broadway location. I didn't go in there very often, but after they closed the Broadway store they had a big sale on remaining stock at the Annex and I picked up some pretty good bargains. Also, I liked the coverage of Pulse magazine, because I LOVED reading Pulse! on the subway home. Loved to read the Desert Island disk section - good preparation for PE! And I had forgotten the yellow and red bags. Sigh - good times. Kind of fun to hear how I was right in their demographic target for the time that store opened. BTW, I spent a summer working at the Strand book store, and the experience was not unlike Tower from what I can tell, the owner, Fred Bass, was even kind of similar to the Tower guy.

  16. #41
    Member rcarlberg's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Facelift View Post
    I forgot another key part of this: remove the price stickers and discard prior to entering the home. Because if you *do* get caught, then you'll have to mention how there was this fantastic sale that you just couldn't pass up...
    Or "These old things? I just borrowed them from [insert name of mutual friend]. They'll go back in the morning."

  17. #42
    Jefferson James
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    Quote Originally Posted by rcarlberg View Post
    "All Things Must Pass"
    *mic drop

    Ouch!

    *mic landed on foot

  18. #43
    Quote Originally Posted by JKL2000 View Post
    BTW, I spent a summer working at the Strand book store, and the experience was not unlike Tower from what I can tell, the owner, Fred Bass, was even kind of similar to the Tower guy.
    Was it Tom Verlaine, or someone from one of the other CBGB's bands who worked at The Strand?

  19. #44
    Quote Originally Posted by battema View Post
    Really dug this documentary.

    And yeah...when I worked at Circuit City we sold MMG (Music/Movies/Games) at a loss to try and drive traffic into stores and then upsell the customers ("hey, I bet that movie would look AMAZING on this new 72" flatscreen TV!"). Worked great for Circuit City too, don't you know...
    As I recall, that was also why the CD prices at Best Buy (where I did a lot of shopping in the mid/late 90's) were always so low too. Then when Best Buy's selection started to slip, I went to Circuit City, then when Circuit City started to slip, I finally started buying stuff at Borders. By the time Borders' selection started slipping, I had a debit card, so I started buying stuff online.

  20. #45
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    Quote Originally Posted by arturs View Post
    Yes, Wazoo was really good for used cd's and vinyl in Ann Arbor, as was Encore (on Liberty) and PJ's, down on Packard. I remember having some great discussions with the staff at Wazoo and Encore. They really knew their shit. Sometimes it was fun to just eavesdrop on their conversations while browsing. My favorite was two Encore staff loudly arguing whether Renate Knaup was a big conscious influence on the vocal stylings of Johnny Rotten/Lydon.

    Last time I visited AA was in 2010, and all three of those stores were still there. In contrast, all the stores that primarily sold new cd's were gone: Tower, Wherehouse, Borders, Goody's, and Schoolkids. AFAICT no "new cd" stores are left at all.
    I was in Ann Arbor last summer and both Wazoo and Encore were still there.

  21. #46
    Member dropforge's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by GuitarGeek View Post
    As I recall, that was also why the CD prices at Best Buy (where I did a lot of shopping in the mid/late 90's) were always so low too. Then when Best Buy's selection started to slip, I went to Circuit City, then when Circuit City started to slip, I finally started buying stuff at Borders. By the time Borders' selection started slipping, I had a debit card, so I started buying stuff online.
    Shit, when Best Buy HAD a rad CD selection 20+ years ago, that was the place to go when I lived too far from a Tower. That's where I bought IQ's Ever, Keith Emerson's Changing States, Pendragon's The Jewel, Eloy's Tides sequel, stuff by Tangerine Dream, etc.!

  22. #47
    Highly Evolved Orangutan JKL2000's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by GuitarGeek View Post
    Was it Tom Verlaine, or someone from one of the other CBGB's bands who worked at The Strand?
    Don't know -- probably a lot of people. Like Tower there were a lot of characters at Strand.

  23. #48
    Quote Originally Posted by dropforge View Post
    Shit, when Best Buy HAD a rad CD selection 20+ years ago, that was the place to go when I lived too far from a Tower. That's where I bought IQ's Ever, Keith Emerson's Changing States, Pendragon's The Jewel, Eloy's Tides sequel, stuff by Tangerine Dream, etc.!
    I never saw Pendragon or IQ at Best Buy, but I remember seeing stuff from Hawkwind, Be Bop Deluxe, and Negativland! That's also where I bought my copy of King Crimson's The Great Deceiver boxset, and also where I bought my first Yes CD (Relayer, of course). I think I got some of my Steve Hillage CD's there, too. They also had great jazz and classical sections, too. I think I got the John Coltrane Village Vanguard boxset there too. I also remember seeing the Iron Maiden "Listen With Nikko" CD's, a series of releases compiling all of the band's 80's era singles and EP's with an invariably hilarious audio commentary from their drummer Nikko McBain, at Best Buy.

    Circuit City, I think, is where I paid about 10 bucks for the Soft Machine Live In Paris double CD (the original One Way release). I remember asking the girl to ring it up on the register before I paid before, because I wanted to make sure it was a mistake on the price tag. I also paid $12.99 for Yesshows (remastered version) at Circuit City. CC had the Listen With Nikko CD's too (I also remember finding a couple in cutout bins at Coconuts too, along with a few Hawkwind related titles).

    A couple years ago, when I found myself working in the same area as that BesT Buy I used to go to, I poked my head in for the first time probably in about 15 or 16 years, and it was depressing, man. They had just a few CD's, not even what you'd call a "section", and it was all boring pop music.

  24. #49
    Member dropforge's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by GuitarGeek View Post
    I never saw Pendragon or IQ at Best Buy, but I remember seeing stuff from Hawkwind, Be Bop Deluxe, and Negativland! That's also where I bought my copy of King Crimson's The Great Deceiver boxset, and also where I bought my first Yes CD (Relayer, of course). I think I got some of my Steve Hillage CD's there, too. They also had great jazz and classical sections, too. I think I got the John Coltrane Village Vanguard boxset there too. I also remember seeing the Iron Maiden "Listen With Nikko" CD's, a series of releases compiling all of the band's 80's era singles and EP's with an invariably hilarious audio commentary from their drummer Nikko McBain, at Best Buy.
    Yep, they had Hawkwind, Hackett, Young Gods, and metal & jazz up the wazoo. They also stocked CD5s like the ones issued by Tangerine Dream & Queensryche.

  25. #50
    Highly Evolved Orangutan JKL2000's Avatar
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    I got my copy of Pendragon's The World at a Crazy Eddie or something like that. Shocked!

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