― Shakey Mo Collier (Shakey Mo Collier), Friday, 4 August 2006 21:37 (seventeen years ago) link
Rockaway was better when it occupied the entire building instead of the one-quarter or one-third that they have now. Rockaway is great because they are so completely myopic over '67-'71 era "Rolling Stone Magazine Rock" that they don't know/realize the other things that churn through the used bin.
That's how I got most of Flying Nun for a $1 each, etc.
― Elvis Telecom (Chris Barrus), Friday, 4 August 2006 21:38 (seventeen years ago) link
Absolutely yes.
― Elvis Telecom (Chris Barrus), Friday, 4 August 2006 21:39 (seventeen years ago) link
Second question: Is the FUI Medication better than the album version on Pure Phase?
― Louis Jagger (Haberdager), Friday, 4 August 2006 21:41 (seventeen years ago) link
― Shakey Mo Collier (Shakey Mo Collier), Friday, 4 August 2006 21:45 (seventeen years ago) link
Yes. However there are two even better versions... In order:
1. The live Glastonbury '93 one on the _Let It Flow_ CD EPs. Recorded when Darkside guitarist Kevin Cowen was in Spz. for a brief time, and it really shows.2. The studio one on the _Medication_ EP.3. _Fucked Up Inside_4. _Pure Phase_
― Elvis Telecom (Chris Barrus), Friday, 4 August 2006 21:48 (seventeen years ago) link
Elvis otm tho
― Shakey Mo Collier (Shakey Mo Collier), Friday, 4 August 2006 21:49 (seventeen years ago) link
(Or Amazon, or whatever.)
xpost
Let It Flow and Medication are my favourite two songs on PP (These Blues arguably up there also), so their respective EPs are probably worthwhile purchases going by that...
― Louis Jagger (Haberdager), Friday, 4 August 2006 21:50 (seventeen years ago) link
― Shakey Mo Collier (Shakey Mo Collier), Friday, 4 August 2006 21:55 (seventeen years ago) link
― Shakey Mo Collier (Shakey Mo Collier), Friday, 4 August 2006 21:56 (seventeen years ago) link
― Alex in SF (Alex in SF), Friday, 4 August 2006 21:59 (seventeen years ago) link
― Shakey Mo Collier (Shakey Mo Collier), Friday, 4 August 2006 21:59 (seventeen years ago) link
actually, both of the above songs hit me real hard, real deep. The moment 7:01 into WGTH(TSII) is one of my all-time favourites.
― Louis Jagger (Haberdager), Friday, 4 August 2006 22:02 (seventeen years ago) link
will fuck with you
― Major Alfonso (Major Alfonso), Friday, 4 August 2006 22:04 (seventeen years ago) link
― Alex in SF (Alex in SF), Friday, 4 August 2006 22:08 (seventeen years ago) link
― Ned Raggett (Ned), Friday, 4 August 2006 22:09 (seventeen years ago) link
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/3/3a/Toptop.jpg
oh well
― Major Alfonso (Major Alfonso), Friday, 4 August 2006 22:17 (seventeen years ago) link
― Michael F Gill (Michael F Gill), Friday, 4 August 2006 22:21 (seventeen years ago) link
this is true, the Pasadena Tower has a killer huge jazz room, which is in turn dwarfed by Amoeba's jazz wing. Sorry I brought it up.
― tremendoid (tremendoid), Friday, 4 August 2006 23:07 (seventeen years ago) link
I wish Jason would release the full Glastonbury 1993 live set. They also played a terrific version of "Good Times" (one of the only times they ever played it live).
― Elvis Telecom (Chris Barrus), Friday, 4 August 2006 23:21 (seventeen years ago) link
― Elvis Telecom (Chris Barrus), Friday, 4 August 2006 23:23 (seventeen years ago) link
Rockaway was better when it occupied the entire building instead of the one-quarter or one-third that they have now.
Elvis stole my Rockaway comment, and I'll miss the Pasadena Tower. I drive by it on the way home (always easy parking) and their DVDs are well-priced when they're released. Lately they've been having 20-25% off sales on CDs, which would make the prices good if I bothered to look around hard enough. It's probably been a year since I went to PooBah's, also a shadow of their former selves.
― nickn (nickn), Friday, 4 August 2006 23:38 (seventeen years ago) link
― timmy tannin (pompous), Saturday, 5 August 2006 02:15 (seventeen years ago) link
OTMFM
― rudy huxtable can't fail (Jody Beth Rosen), Saturday, 5 August 2006 02:44 (seventeen years ago) link
― tremendoid (tremendoid), Saturday, 5 August 2006 04:07 (seventeen years ago) link
― Ned Raggett (Ned), Wednesday, 23 August 2006 05:27 (seventeen years ago) link
― 100% CHAMPS with a Yes! Attitude. (Austin, Still), Wednesday, 23 August 2006 05:38 (seventeen years ago) link
― hank (hank s), Wednesday, 23 August 2006 12:27 (seventeen years ago) link
Bankrupt yet still in business! Whatta country! I guess the idea is to just keep going farther into debt and tack that onto the purchase price for whoever buys them up?
― Euai Kapaui (tracerhand), Wednesday, 23 August 2006 12:30 (seventeen years ago) link
It's a bit like downloading porn, mate.
Seriously, that's sad. I really loved Tower Records.
― Nathalie (stevie nixed), Wednesday, 23 August 2006 12:31 (seventeen years ago) link
thank you Hank (and Ned, and everyone else with good words)
― Paul (scifisoul), Wednesday, 23 August 2006 12:33 (seventeen years ago) link
― Rodn y Greene (R. J. Greene), Wednesday, 23 August 2006 12:59 (seventeen years ago) link
yes, a huge promo display for esp-disk reissues.
― Lawrence the Looter (Lawrence the Looter), Wednesday, 23 August 2006 13:16 (seventeen years ago) link
― hstencil (hstencil), Wednesday, 23 August 2006 15:44 (seventeen years ago) link
Tower's brand is used by 144 international stores, but those licensees will not be affected by the bankruptcy process.
― Steve Shasta (Steve Shasta), Wednesday, 23 August 2006 15:56 (seventeen years ago) link
― Igor Adkins (Grodd), Wednesday, 23 August 2006 15:59 (seventeen years ago) link
― Steve Shasta (Steve Shasta), Wednesday, 23 August 2006 16:00 (seventeen years ago) link
― trees (treesessplode), Wednesday, 23 August 2006 16:15 (seventeen years ago) link
― Rockist_Scientist (RSLaRue), Wednesday, 23 August 2006 16:27 (seventeen years ago) link
― Rockist_Scientist (RSLaRue), Wednesday, 23 August 2006 16:28 (seventeen years ago) link
― pdf (Phil Freeman), Wednesday, 23 August 2006 20:02 (seventeen years ago) link
Tower's popularity extends beyond its customer base, said Geoff Mayfield, an analyst with Billboard.
"The industry wants it to survive," he said. It got a standing ovation from the crowd when it recently won retailer of the year from the major recording merchandisers' trade group, he said.
― milton parker (Jon L), Wednesday, 23 August 2006 20:12 (seventeen years ago) link
― milo z (mlp), Wednesday, 23 August 2006 20:20 (seventeen years ago) link
― Mr. Snrub (Mr. Snrub), Wednesday, 23 August 2006 20:59 (seventeen years ago) link
― hector (hector), Wednesday, 23 August 2006 21:47 (seventeen years ago) link
― grimly fiendish (grimlord), Wednesday, 23 August 2006 21:59 (seventeen years ago) link
Then again, I'm guilty (like a lot of Angelenos) of choosing Amoeba first...
― Sean Robison (yaratnam), Thursday, 24 August 2006 01:39 (seventeen years ago) link
― Mark (MarkR), Thursday, 24 August 2006 01:50 (seventeen years ago) link
― Rockist_Scientist (RSLaRue), Thursday, 24 August 2006 01:56 (seventeen years ago) link
Sunday nights often bum me out. After 6:00, nearly everything is closed, and the work week is looming ahead. There's been many a late night Sunday run, walk or bike ride, when I'd end up at Tower, dependably open when no one else is. Even when I don't have the cash for an impulse buy to boost my mood, it's just soothing to be surrounded by a hundred thousand albums. Sometimes I'll just check for good deals on albums I want for later, or just randomly browse and soak it all in, or skim reviews in their well-stocked magazine section.
Many blame Tower's second bankruptcy on the decline in CD sales and downloading, but that's all bullshit. Businesses close all the time, even when conditions don't seem adverse. The truth is that Tower has been obviously mismanaged since at least the 80s, from what I've heard from former employees. It's a miracle it made it this long. Even though it's had an online store for about a decade, and started doing MP3 sales recently, the execution was half-assed. Not to mention the wildly inconsistent pricing. By employing a smarter online strategy and learning from successful independents like Amoeba, Tower could have lasted longer. As it is, I'm guessing one of the two interested buyers is Virgin. It'll be interesting to see what happens, but I doubt the changes will be effective. Corporate chains have simply lost touch with what music consumers want.
But dang, I'll miss those late hours. This excludes the downtown Chicago location, which was good for a few years after buying out Rose Records' inventory. The Lincoln Park Tower had a vastly underrated Imports section. For the last couple years, Paul Kennedy, the Imports Coordinator, has written blurbs about great bands like The Associates, Section 25, Dome, Scriti Politti, Mark Stewart, Gang of Four and punk poet John Cooper Clarke. They get some of the UK releases about a week or so after their release. Some of the albums seem to be permantly on sale for five dollars under the normal price (then again, some are inexplicably $35). They even imported and displayed Simon Reynolds' Rip It Up And Start Again, nearly a year before it was issued in the U.S.
I went to Tower last night, possibly for the last time, depending on how long they keep their doors open. The current sale was typical of their odd sales -- in addition to the usual discount bins, all albums priced $12.99 were on sale for $9.99. For that price, I found these, all in the import aisle:
Soft Machine - Fourth and FifthSparks - IndiscreetStrawbs - Ghosts [Remastered]Ultravox! [New remastered version]Ultravox! - Ha! Ha! Ha!
Farewell Tower, R.I.P.
― Fastnbulbous (Fastnbulbous), Tuesday, 12 September 2006 04:28 (seventeen years ago) link