I have a large vinyl Blues/Jazz collection. Many original Blue Notes (my dad was an audiophile) and RCA Shaded Dogs.

In the mid 80's - 90's I was searching for some particular titles. Many people unloaded all their vinyl. I know that people had them in their collections. However, I never came across one rare title (in Minneapolis).

I can only guess that Cheapo, et al sold them out of state.

I remember lying to my parents. Telling them I was going to someone’s cabin on some lake. We just wanted to get off the Iron Range for a night. There were a few of us who prized an occasional copy of some tape or record from someone’s older brother. Sometimes it got to be a 3rd or 4th generation copy, but, it still sounded better than anything we got off the radio up there. Maybe someone ordered something from Maximum Rock and Roll or Out of a Thrasher Mag, but that was it.

Well, we were usually down to see some all age show. We would either go to Oar Folk, Northern Lights, or Let It Be while we were waiting. That’s where we would see the real thing. I remember the first time I actually saw a DK album. Mind blowing. Or, you would look up Husker, Minutemen, Sonics, Replacements, etc and realize they had five or six albums you never heard of. I would buy the ticket at the counter and then proceed to spend every penny on albums. Most of the time I had to go without dinner. Music was harder to get.

Spring '97, Let It Be. I had a copy of Sgt. Pepper's in nice condition, complete with all the little insert stuff, and after coming to the realization that owning collectible records wasn't necessarily as fun as listening to new records, I managed to trade it in for $20 worth of store credit -- which I then proceeded to use to buy the Chemical Brothers' just-released Dig Your Own Hole. 11 years later, it holds up a hell of a lot better than that cornball Beatles album. (If it's any consolation, I'm still a huge dork for Revolver.)

Two particular memories:
In high school I was given a copy of "Raw Power" by a friend's brother who was genuinely frightened by it (I don't know how he came to own it in the first place). I was blown away-Black Sabbath? Grand Funk? HA! Wussies! So my first time at Oarfolk (I was about seventeen and still new to the record-buying thing) I found a Dutch copy of "The Stooges" and a Belgian copy of "Funhouse" and at the counter the clerk (who I later got to know was Peter Jesperson) handed me a 45 and said "you'll like this, too" It was a bootleg single of an unreleased track from "Raw Power" called "Igottaright" and to this day it is the greatest piece of pure unadulterated rock'n'roll ever made. If you haven't heard it, I pity you.

Remember how Harpo's/Hot Licks had all those live concert "unauthorized" records? I bought a three-disc Grateful Dead set that accidently had an Elvis Costello and the Attractions as one of the LP's, (which was cool with me-the store had another copy of the Dead, so I could trade my extras for some Commander Cody tapes). At the end of the record, Elvis says "We'll see you when its not so cold next time" and I realized that I had a copy of the KQRS broadcast of the Valentine's Day concert at the Longhorn to which I had been fortunate enough to get the last four tickets when they went on sale. Now I have a sonically fabulous reminder of one of the greatest nights in my personal rock history.

I really miss the whole scene-cool bands, record stores, cheap clubbing-what the fuck is wrong with kids today (old man wheezes and coughs and shakes his fist).

Hmmm, my memory fails me, it was downtown Mpls Northern Lights or else maybe it was Let It Be--Robyn Hitchcock in-store appearance. Exceptional!

I loved shopping at Oarfolk. Those guys were smartasses. They stocked some Prince, but it was filed under "Skippy".

I remember coming up from Chicago during the period when folks were organizing to open Extreme Noise. It was such a revelation for me, coming from a town where getting a group together to do something like open a record store seemed an impossible task. But up here, in Minneapolis, it was happening.

And quickly! I went up by train not long after it opened and even though I came from a city what, 10 times the size of Minneapolis, it was the best record store I'd ever been in. I lugged a HUGE bag of records back with me on the train after the end of the weekend (a train that I almost missed, but that's a different story).

I still think fondly on that store, even now that I live 2000 miles away from Chicago and even further from Minneapolis.

@ Wax Museum - Robbinsdale: This chain store was located in Robin Center, the most happening strip mall within walking distance of my house. It was 1987 or so, I was in the fourth grade, and my friends and I used to ride our bikes or skateboards to the Wax Museum on a regular basis. After a while, the staff must have seen us coming; I don't remember any of us ever making a purchase. Here's what I do remember - AC/DC's Back in Black, front and center, always among the first things I saw right in the A section. I didn't yet know any AC/DC songs, but I knew that this record was TOUGH. Also tough, and predating Tipper Gore's PMRC, was the Overkill record with the giant middle finger on it. Again, I hadn't ever heard Overkill, but man, what a bunch of badasses anyway.

@ The Record Run - 42nd and Thomas Avenue North: This would have been about 1995 or 1996. This guy Ed had opened up a little resale shop in a very odd location, but once again, it was near my house. Ed was in his mid-forties, long hair, stoned all the time. The Record Run smelled like incense all the time, and on the one occasion that I did buy a record - a Sade 45, Paradise - Ed was all, "Oh, man, you guys should come back later, we're all going to be hanging out in back." I declined. A few years later it was my job to serve food off the back of a Salvation Army truck. Ed was a client. The store, predictably, had closed, and Ed was complaining that there had been allegations that he was selling pot out of the shop.

@ Northern Lights: bought an Orange 9mm record from the hardcore section just because I recognized the Revelation logo from a t-shirt I'd seen in a photo of another hardcore band. Boy was I disappointed. I did, however, later become a fan of Chaka's other band, Burn, but I remember trying so hard to get into that Orange 9mm record and thinking there was something wrong with me.

@ Let it Be: Low in-store. 1997? It was late afternoon, early evening, and I was right up front. It was great.

@ Extreme Noise: Two great shows in one tiny, tiny basement on Nicollet Avenue: 1) Ink and Dagger with Kill Sadie. Ink and Dagger was in full face paint, and I think this was Kill Sadie's navy blue v-neck sweater period. 2) His Hero is Gone. This show was supposed to be at the Bomb Shelter, but given the "riot" that happened there earlier that week, when my roommate arrived we found Felix Von Havoc's note, in Sharpie, on the boarded up door - show moved to ENR. It took us a minute to crack the code. Once we did, we rushed to the record store, stood around, shopped, stood around some more, sat on the curb, which was all tore up due to construction, and finally, and I still don't understand this, GOT TIRED OF WAITING AND WENT HOME. To this day I've never seen His Hero is Gone, Tragedy, or any other band associated with those dudes.

Also at Extreme Noise: Later, while working as a volunteer there, I suggested to my co-worker that we play the Explosion record. What I didn't realize was that the Explosion had played the night before. What I further didn't realize was that they were in the store, having a conversation with him. Needless to say, I felt like an ass, and rushed to pick out another record.

I don't have any sentimental comments to add.

Northern Lights. On a trip with a few friends (we took the bus all the way from Ridgedale) I had spotted a Cramps poster hanging above the staircase they had for sale. It was huge and garishly yellow. Guitarist Poison Ivy was featured wearing an animal print devil outfit. She sat next to a bible and some pills. Oh, and she was giving the camera the finger. Next to the image were European tour dates. Had to have it. A few weeks later I walked in to the joint with my ever supportive mom behind me; don’t remember if I felt weird or self-conscious she was there, probably just too psyched to Get That Poster. Well, the friendly customer service representative –after doing some research—told me they were out of that particular item. Panic. “But,” he added quickly, “I can sell you the one on the wall.” Deal. It was torn, but so what? I drove home happy with my mom and a finger wagging Poison Ivy rolled up in the back seat of our ’75 VW bug. That place was swell.

Oar Folk. Summer of 1987, the dawning of my Sixteis faze which would go on to last a strong four years. Was driven there by my sister and her then boyfriend. In the used racks I landed LP’s by what would be seminal bands for me: Great Society’s Conspcious Only In It’s Absence; Jefferson Aiprlane’s Thirty Seconds Over Winterland and a few others I can’t recall right now…hindsight tells me it was an usual day to find all of these at once but sometimes you walk into a store and it’s just crackling with possibilities. I’ve learned that when buying more than five albums, it’s always good to get strapped with at least one dud in order to gain some perspective on the others. In this case it was In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida by Iron Butterfly. The sweet thing about Oar Folk was the Record Co-Op in the basement. Walked out of that place with Blue Cheer’s Vincebus Eruptum, (original embossed cover at only $8!), Best Of The Chocolate Watchband and a few Lenny Bruce LP’s. That dishwashing job was finally paying off.

The thing about Garage D’or was not just the amount of stuff I took out of there but in the original location Bob Mould’s Flying–V guitar was rumored to be hanging on the wall in the basement. I didn’t want to ask anyone behind the counter if this was true or not…seemed better to leave that one a mystery. Oh, and in a related story, it was in the stores second location where Terry Katzman told me Humble Pie’s Rockin’ The Fillmore was one of Husker Du’s biggest influences. Again, I didn’t want to ask if that were true or not…seemed better to leave that one a mystery.

When I first moved to Uptown I would go to OAR FOLKJOKEOPUS and just talk to people. I was so poor I hardly bought any music, but I killed hundreds of hours learning about bands and paging through the albums in the basement.

Also, I remember that Cramps poster from Red 7's post. Memories, what a rush.

i lived in bloomington thru middle school and highschool, and Aardvark was my connection to cool music. first place i ever bought records by fugazi, jesus lizard, hammerhead...tons of great stuff. i'll always be grateful to that place.