Several people have inquired concerning my record collection, beyond the usual -- and boring -- questions such as "what kind of music do you like?" and "what are your favorite artists?" and so on.
Of course, what you listen to depends on what you have been brought upon to listen to, and what is available to you, depending on your purchasing power. Then there are the real nutjobs like me who have transformed listening to and appreciating music into a lifestyle, an addiction, an extreme sport. Actually, when discussing with friends on New year's Eve, someone made a comment about how much I know about music, insisting on the erudite tag, to which I immediately protested. An erudite is someone who not only 'knows' about a subject, but can relate one area of his body of knowledge to another. Since I do not have credentials in the theory of music -- I am currently reading on that subject -- then I cannot be called an erudite. However, the same friend came up with the epithet 'extreme melomaniac' with which I am much more comfortable.
Anyhoo, as an 'extreme melomaniac' I am quite finicky when it comes to buying music. Fortunately, I live in a city where this is possible and even desirable. After a little more than 10 years living in Montreal, I can tell you where and why I buy my music :
Although I shop online a lot, I still buy most of my CDs and vinyls right here in Montreal. I used to buy my music at Rock en Stock on Crescent, Pick-Up on Saint-Denis and Dutchy's record cave on Saint-Laurent. After they went belly-up, here is where I concentrate my research :
1) L'Oblique, 4333 Rivard (Metro Mont-Royal)
L'Oblique has just recently celebrated its 20th anniversary and even if it is not as dynamic as ever, it still represents one of my favorite shops. It specializes in 'alternative' rock and the shop managers have become more than mere acquaintances. They have guided me on many artists that I would have otherwise ignored and, more importantly, have come into heated arguments with me over the value of some releases. At l'Oblique you will also find tickets for local venues and a billboard for starting musicians. They still carry vinyls which is, in a sense, a true sign of their dedication.
2) Atom Heart, 364B Sherbrooke East (Metro Sherbrooke)
A recent contender in the small constellation of record shops I appreciate, Atom Heart is more geared towards techno and electronica, but that does not keep the shop managers to have very broad musical tastes and a very amicable disposition. If you like small shops with sympathetic personnel, this is the gig. They have also some tickets for local venues, hold some recent vinyls and, one interesting feature, hold small exhibits for upstart visual artists, with sexy results sometime...
3) Cheap Thrills, 2044 Metcalfe (Metro McGill)
The old geezer of independent record shops, Cheap Thrills is a real street survivor -- try to find the musical intertextuality of that last reference -- and its old derelict building squeezed between skyscrapers is a reminder of how battered the city centre of Montreal has been (and still is). That record shop sells all styles of music, especially hard-to-find items, has an online catalogue and a used record bin section where rare gems await the patient, ahem, thrillseeker.
The face that McGill University is just a few paces away must explain its longevity...
4) Primitive, 3828 Saint-Denis, (Metro Sherbrooke)
Another survivor, Primitive is the place to go if you want to find exotic stuff and hard-to-find vinyls, although they come at heftier prices than elsewhere. They have a nice collection of garage rock, rockabilly, late-60s and early 70s (and of course mid-80s) gems and some memorabilia.
The very few metal and prog rock records I buy can be found at Profusion (1843 Ontario East) and Freeson (1477 Mont-Royal East) respectively. For world music, Archambault and HMV are the only places with some selection, although I have to say I haven't been to HMV in years...
Posted by phonono at février 05, 2008 09:51 AM