Back in August, I culled together a slew of photographs I’d spotted across the `net of since-vanished New York City record and disc shops. It struck quite a nice chord, and I got a lot of comments and such. Huzzah. In any case, I was recently thumbing through Flickr and came across a few other images that fit that same bill, so I thought I'd put together another addendum to that post.
Rocks in Your Head, SoHo
I've written about Rocks hundreds of times it seems. It's probably the shop I miss the most, if truth be told. It was pretty much perfect in every way. In any case, a photographer named Meadows took this particular shot. Ira, the guy who owned the place, had probably stepped out to grab a sandwich. Today, the space is occupied by a real estate firm.
Norman's Sound + Vision, East Village
As I mentioned back in this post, I never considered Norman's a particularly crucial spot, but it was good for the standbys, the surprise bargains and the casual perusal. Here's a nice shot of its interior. Sometimes, the racks got so packed that if you managed to excise a disc, you'd have a devil of a time re-inserting it. Today, it remains an empty, disused storefront. Richard Alexander Caraballo took this shot.
NYCD, Upper West Side
Ah, now here's a spot I really do miss. Originally opened up by one or two of the guys who'd worked at Smash CDs on St. Mark's Place, the original NYCD first appeared on Amsterdam Avenue between W.80th and W. 81st streets. In the mid-to-late 90's, they moved over to a basement level spot just across the way on 81st. The guys who operated the place were cool, chatty and really knew their stuff. In this incarnation, they'd sometimes have in-store performances and the like. I was exceptionally bummed when they closed. Today, I believe this space is a daycare center or playschool. Thanks to Pretty Kitty for this shot.
Wowsville, East Village
I recounted my favorite Wowsville anecdote back on this post. Today, I believe the Spaniards that ran this shop have repaird to Berlin, where they've re-opened it. I wonder if they still have the big Ramones print I wrote about in that earlier post. In any case, it was a shame to lose them (especially considering that the shop they occupied is now a rinkydink cellphone joint). This comes courtesy of Sean.
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