Tower Records -- the continuing collapse

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Hit up the Stonestown store tonight and picked up Ethiopiques 5 and 9 (passed on 11 and 21) for 50% off and grabbed the last Lil Kim album and Ridin Dirty for 70% off.

― Alex in SF (Alex in SF), Friday, 1 December 2006 03:49 (seventeen years ago) link

i'm glad my tower is the only one on earth that has never had an ethiopiques for sale.

― GAWD PVNCH (yournullfame), Friday, 1 December 2006 04:57 (seventeen years ago) link

i found a copy of the project: mersh ep by the minutemen at the 4th and broadway tower a few days ago. it was so picked over though, it was unreal. i also saw a copy of the 1st ghost album, but decided not to go for it. was this a crazy decision?

― Jonathan Williger (jonathan - stl), Friday, 1 December 2006 05:17 (seventeen years ago) link

there isn't one in D.C. proper, is there? (goin next week)

-- Dr M (wjwe...), November 30th, 2006. (Dr Morbius)

its part of a stripmall type thing near the Georgetown/Foggy Bottom metro stop

― amon (amon), Friday, 1 December 2006 05:25 (seventeen years ago) link

was this a crazy decision?

yes.

― GAWD PVNCH (yournullfame), Friday, 1 December 2006 05:30 (seventeen years ago) link

Quite. (If the baseline is now 50% flat out, my advice is do not hesitate if there's only one copy of something interesting.)

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Friday, 1 December 2006 05:31 (seventeen years ago) link

damn. maybe i'll see if its still there tomorrow.

― Jonathan W (jonathan - stl), Friday, 1 December 2006 05:34 (seventeen years ago) link

The DC Tower, near a Metro station and GW, has always had a better and bigger selection than the suburban Virginia stores. But when I tried to get some Brazilian stuff at the DC store, their previously large selection was alreaded picked clean.

― cornyrocker (DC Steve), Friday, 1 December 2006 15:15 (seventeen years ago) link

I made the sad trek to the Carle Place NY store. CDs are now 50% off or more. On the one hand, I could've held all the remaining reggae CDs in two arms. On the other, a few artists with some rep still had easily findable stuff: Al Green, Cassandra Wilson, the Fiery Furnaces, DJ Shadow, Radiohead, Blur, Coldplay, and uh the Coach Whips if they count.

What I ended up getting: Various Artists, The House That TRANE Built: The Story of Impulse Records; Leonard Cohen, Songs of Leonard Cohen; Teena Marie, Love Songs; Terry Allen, Lubbock (On Everything); The Avalanches, When I Met You (a.k.a. the Gimix set. WTF?). In total, about $58,

What I ended up not getting: The Music of Islam, Vol. 13; Amadou & Mariam, Dimanche à Bamako ; Charles Mingus, Mingus Mingus Mingus Mingus Mingus; The Go! Team, Thunder, Lightning Strike; Lee Morgan, The Sidewinder; Patty Waters, College Tour; The Rapture, Pieces of the People We Love; Gavin Bryars et al., On Photography; Richie Valens, In Concert at Pacoima Jr. High; a DVD documentary on William Eggleston; a four-hour Colt Studio porno based on Brokeback Mountain (nb: I have never bought/rented/borrowed/stolen a porn video in my life, seriously); and some few others by the artists listed in the first para above.

Waah.

― Michael Daddino (epicharmus), Sunday, 3 December 2006 05:34 (seventeen years ago) link

thanks for convincing me to go back and get that ghost album. it is great. got that and the new television personalities for 15 bucks total. my mind is still going back and forth about the tv personalities album. i'll give it another listen tomorrow.

― jonathan - stl (jonathan - stl), Sunday, 3 December 2006 05:49 (seventeen years ago) link

If the rock ever gets up to 70% then I'm going to wipe Tower clean. I saw so many things that I wouldn't buy for 50% off, but at 70% I'd snap up without even thinking.

Kind of weird how that few dollars makes that much of a difference. But then again I'm a poor college student.

― ... (50 Bourbon St), Sunday, 3 December 2006 19:58 (seventeen years ago) link

Yeah well it's not a few dollars when you are buying 10-20 CDs is it haha.

― Alex in SF (Alex in SF), Sunday, 3 December 2006 20:00 (seventeen years ago) link

the lincoln center tower is selling all hip hop for $3.

― maura johnston (maura), Sunday, 3 December 2006 23:21 (seventeen years ago) link

all hip hop is %70 off in Pasadena, everything else at least %50 off. Needless to say there's no hip hop there worth buying. Picked up Tom T. Hall's Essential collection and a Dwight Trible cd for myself and the Larry Levan comp for my sister. Lots of dance imports but they were like $28.00 to begin with so I'll wait for %60 or %70, I'm tapped out right now anyway.

― tremendoid (tremendoid), Monday, 4 December 2006 00:57 (seventeen years ago) link

70%, 50%, 60%, and 70% respectively, i'm buggin.

― tremendoid (tremendoid), Monday, 4 December 2006 00:59 (seventeen years ago) link

I'm going to kick myself for not going to Memphis when I had the chance.

I wonder if the flood of available product is going to depress Amazon Marketplace prices even more.

― I Am Curious (George) (Slight Return) (Rock Hardy), Monday, 4 December 2006 01:19 (seventeen years ago) link

Depends what people are looking for. (I'll say this much -- the sale's been a blessing for me finally scooping up a slew of jazz and classical stuff for cheap.)

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Monday, 4 December 2006 01:41 (seventeen years ago) link

went to the one in emeryville today, and found:

went to tower in emeryville today, 50% off. there was a surprising
amount of good stuff.

i bought:

juana molina: son (last copy)
new mojave three
nouvelle vague: new one
liars: drums not dead
the knife: silent shout
mccartney: s/t and ram
gravenhurst: some ep
thee more shallows: more deep cuts

$77.

there are a number of electronic things I'll go back and buy if they're still there and the prices drop as well

― akm (akmonday), Monday, 4 December 2006 03:15 (seventeen years ago) link

i hit the pasadena tower today -- it was pretty damn picked over already, but i found a few things, mostly imports. i was feeling trigger-happy, so the total bill including tax was $151.08. once i sell my textbooks back, i should be able to recover a good bit of that.

the big takeover issue 58 (59 cents!)
kogan's book
lansing-dreiden the dividing island
trembling blue stars her handwriting reissue
primitives buzz buzz buzz: the complete lazy recordings
the fall middle class revolt and perverted by language expanded editions
starz coliseum rock
jamc automatic reissue
kate & anna mcgarrigle heartbeats accelerating
skeeter davis all american country
space needle recordings 1994-1997
babyshambles down in albion (yeah yeah, i know)
free design one by one and there is a song
ethiopiques 12 and 21

― paresthesia hilton (get bent), Monday, 4 December 2006 03:33 (seventeen years ago) link

u got skills, I specifically looked for ethiopiques, guess I'm just impatient.

― tremendoid (tremendoid), Monday, 4 December 2006 05:06 (seventeen years ago) link

Mr. Jaq made a second run on the lower QA store today. He'll have to list what he found, tons of CDs from the sound of it including some he'd been looking for, but I was not paying close enough attention. BUT! He got me a copy of Vernor Vinge's Rainbows End. This book's apparently not as excellent as Fire Upon Deep or Deepness in the Sky (two of my all-time hard sci fi favorites), but I'm glad he found it.

― jaq (jaq), Monday, 4 December 2006 05:56 (seventeen years ago) link

Is there any word, any idea, any rumor as to which Tower location will be the last to close (in America)?

― Michael Daddino (epicharmus), Monday, 4 December 2006 06:59 (seventeen years ago) link

hey la people the topanga cyn tower still is kick ass and ripe for the pickin!

― chaki (chaki), Monday, 4 December 2006 08:57 (seventeen years ago) link

And all CDs are now 60% off. Picked up the following over lunch:

Studio One Lovers
Sound Dimension Jamaica Soul Shake Vol 1
King Jammy in Roots
Bunny Wailer Black Hearted Man
Sizzla Da Real Thing
Lee Perry Presents African Roots

― Alex in SF (Alex in SF), Tuesday, 5 December 2006 20:50 (seventeen years ago) link

And all CDs are now 60% off.

! Maybe they *are* planning on nuking everything before Xmas. V. glad I was going to swing by again today.

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Tuesday, 5 December 2006 21:03 (seventeen years ago) link

YOU PEOPLE ARE VULTURES

― obi strip (sanskrit), Tuesday, 5 December 2006 21:08 (seventeen years ago) link

Haha yes, yes we are.

― Alex in SF (Alex in SF), Tuesday, 5 December 2006 21:13 (seventeen years ago) link

Oh hell yes.

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Tuesday, 5 December 2006 21:22 (seventeen years ago) link

"Absolutely Fucking Amazing ~~Amazon~~ Tower Sale (US Posters Only)"
Maybe that Wall Street Journal douche will show up and berate people for taking advantage of poor Tower.

― I Am Curious (George) (Slight Return) (Rock Hardy), Tuesday, 5 December 2006 22:01 (seventeen years ago) link

And all CDs are now 60% off.

Damn! I went to the Tustin store yesterday. Ethiopiques, Al Green, Fairport Convention, Thomas Mapfumo, Leo Kottke, Solomon Burke, etc. etc.

― jaq (jaq), Tuesday, 5 December 2006 22:15 (seventeen years ago) link

Ethiopiques still at the Tustin store? Hmm, noted.

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Tuesday, 5 December 2006 23:09 (seventeen years ago) link

What Ethiopiques are you still missing, Ned?

― Alex in SF (Alex in SF), Tuesday, 5 December 2006 23:35 (seventeen years ago) link

4, 8 and everything from 12 on.

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Tuesday, 5 December 2006 23:39 (seventeen years ago) link

Ooh 4 and 8 are both great.

― Alex in SF (Alex in SF), Tuesday, 5 December 2006 23:41 (seventeen years ago) link

So I've heard.

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Tuesday, 5 December 2006 23:47 (seventeen years ago) link

I picked up 12, 15, 16. Did not see 4 or 8, things are all over the place in there. Very strange things were buried in the latin section. I'm trying to decide if I'll be able to get back over there Sat. am after shift is over at 6 and I have dropped co-worker off at John Wayne around 8. This may be a possibility.

― jaq (jaq), Tuesday, 5 December 2006 23:49 (seventeen years ago) link

Indeed? Hmm, he said. Check your e-mail.

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Tuesday, 5 December 2006 23:50 (seventeen years ago) link

YOU PEOPLE ARE VULTURES

WELL THIS CRAP AIN'T GONNA BUY ITSELF

― Michael Daddino (epicharmus), Wednesday, 6 December 2006 00:35 (seventeen years ago) link

"Maybe that Wall Street Journal douche will show up and berate people for taking advantage of poor Tower."

What poor Tower? We are taking advantage of an evil liquidation company! Who could possibly argue against that?

― Alex in SF (Alex in SF), Wednesday, 6 December 2006 00:37 (seventeen years ago) link

And we aren't really even taking advantage of them, because I am sure that however this works out they are making money hand over fist.

― Alex in SF (Alex in SF), Wednesday, 6 December 2006 00:37 (seventeen years ago) link

Tower buzzard.

― jaq (jaq), Wednesday, 6 December 2006 00:40 (seventeen years ago) link

however this works out they are making money hand over fist

Based on all the 10/20% off purchasers alone I think they're doing just fine.

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Wednesday, 6 December 2006 00:48 (seventeen years ago) link

Anyway, I now have Ethiopiques 14, which turned up randomly -- no complaints there. Also Zanzibara 2, which is by the same folks but, obv., focuses elsewhere.

The amount of Six Degrees label stuff still on sale is mindboggling. I have a feeling if I'm even vaguely interested I can get it all for 90% off.

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Wednesday, 6 December 2006 06:48 (seventeen years ago) link

I fear I am going to regret not buying Sangre Nueva at 40% off for the rest of my life. Anyway, I'll be going back soon to check things out. I was sick over the weekend (into yesterday, sort of).

The amount of Six Degrees label stuff still on sale is mindboggling. I have a feeling if I'm even vaguely interested I can get it all for 90% off.

I almost think that the fact that there's so much of it will make people think, "This must not be very good." I do want those Zuco 103 CDs.

― arthritic hand golden fist (RSLaRue), Wednesday, 6 December 2006 13:09 (seventeen years ago) link

There's a new music shop in the old Tower Records building in Glasgow. It looks shit.

― nu_onimo (nu_onimo), Wednesday, 6 December 2006 14:06 (seventeen years ago) link

Tonight I bought:

The Beatles - The Capitol Albums Vol.2
Pete Rodriguez - I Like It Like That
Willie Colon/Hector Lavoe - El Juicio
Hector "El Bambino" & Naldo Presentan: Sangre Nueva
LunyTunes - Reggaeton Hits
Adassa - Kamasutra

― arthritic hand golden fist (RSLaRue), Thursday, 7 December 2006 01:21 (seventeen years ago) link

There's so much Six Degrees stuff because it was distributed by Bayside, which Tower owned. All of that inventory got sold to the liquidators in the bankruptcy auction, which is why stores have hundreds of copies of things like the Real Tuesday Weld albums (which are worth the $2 or whatever they're selling for now, by the way).

― Baron Von Jigglesworth (Baron Von Jigglesworth), Thursday, 7 December 2006 01:25 (seventeen years ago) link

There's so much Six Degrees stuff because it was distributed by Bayside, which Tower owned.

Ha, while I was in the store tonight I was thinking, "Does Tower own Six Degrees or something?" I want to go back for some of that later. Hopefully not everyone else will do the same thing before I get to it.

― arthritic hand golden fist (RSLaRue), Thursday, 7 December 2006 01:30 (seventeen years ago) link

Clarity. Thanks, Baron!

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Thursday, 7 December 2006 01:35 (seventeen years ago) link

Today I picked up:
Ice Cube - The Predator ($2!)
astrud gilberto & walter wanderly - a certain smile, a certain sadness
caetano veloso - s/t
celia cruz & willie colon - only they could have made this album

for the parents:
al green - i'm still in love with you
(the lower queen anne tower in seattle has an inexplicable amount of al green left still, which m. matos pointed out yesterday with great confusion and anger)
chris isaak - heart shaped world
paul simon - surprise

hey ahgf, i picked up el juicio recently, too. sounds good after one spin. i saw that you pimped it regulary on olde ilm, so i've got high hopes for it. have you heard that cruz/colon album at all?

― Lingbert (Lingbert), Thursday, 7 December 2006 03:12 (seventeen years ago) link

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