Simon is now 15 and has taken up a hobby dear to my heart, used record shopping. He has a lot of music interests but I’d say he’s most focused on the late 60s and the 70s. He also plans to catalog our family’s collection, which includes not only my own Neil Young and John Prine records, and all of Jim’s records, but also my dad’s and my uncle Mike’s records, and even a few of my mom’s records. Plus a lot of CDs. No surprise that it contains a lot of classic rock.
While browsing the bargain bin at Oak Park Records as Simon shopped recently, I found this gem. It’s not in bad condition and a great album with “Low Rider” as well as the title track, both featured in a movie Jim and I have watched many times, Dazed and Confused. It sounded great on Jim’s phonograph in the living room.
Over the years I have hunted for records at garage sales and thrift stores, as well as some dedicated shops:
- 2nd Hand Tunes—a store in Lincoln Park I used to visit when home from college. A few of my records still have 2nd Hand Tunes price stickers. Closed.
- Record Bar—located in different places in Kankakee over the years. My friend I and used to go to the downtown location on Merchant. I know I got A Flock of Seagulls there. Closed.
- Mystic Disc—near my college in Connecticut. I shopped there during my Neil Young Radio show days.
- Rough Trade—at Rockefeller Center. We visited on our family trip to New York last summer.
- Oak Park Records—where I got the War record. We have been visiting monthly.
- Val’s Halla Records—another great Oak Park store.
- Reckless Records—Jim and Simon are fans of this one, with a few different Chicago locations.
- Grimey’s—very cool shop in Nashville I visited with my IMSA ladies.
