Antone's RecordsAustin, TX
Sep. 30, 2010
When I travel, I have two primary sightseeing concerns--grub and records. While getting grub in Austin over the weekend (to see GBV), we spotted this shop and headed over after lunch. Turns out we lucked into one of the country's finest record stores. So I bought lots of goofy shit.
Antone's does just about everything right. The selection is huge. You can find the hip new stuff, the hip old stuff, good stuff nobody wants and bad stuff nobody wants with really funny covers. There is good stock in multiple formats. There are collector-friendly discounts. They don't overcharge on the classics, so you can actually build your collection in a meaningful way. They have impressively extensive and well-organised non-rock sections, and large, dedicated Texas sections. You can't really hope for better in a record store. It's the kind of store that makes you want to move.
For awhile (since I heard "I'm Your Captain") I've been wanting to give Grand Funk a shot,
but didn't really know where to start. Antone's has a four-for-a-dollar deal on records priced 1.99, and through some digging I found five Grand Funk albums. I picked up four, and now for a dollar I can indulge my curiosity. How great is that? But they aren't just a garage-sale record joint. My brother got a Sam Prekop record for four or five dollars. My roommate got some Zappa. My point is there was good stuff in more than one sense. They have your sluggers, your ever-day guys, your utility infielders and that guy who is mainly a pinch-runner.
If there is anything I like as much as a budget-record section to slog my way through, it's an unsorted new arrivals section. A lot of times when I go into a record store, a library, or any place with a big selection, I will totally blank and forget what I want to look for. Antone's has three or four racks of new arrivals. I picked up This Year's Model in there, which is a record I have been wanting for years but have somehow never ended up with.
The biggest score, though, came as I was at the counter about to check out. At the front of the store were several sealed "mystery boxes" of records, cds, and cassettes, all for 4.99. The best option here was an beer case box stuffed as full as it could get with 45s. For FIVE DOLLARS. I have not counted them, but I (somewhat randomly) estimate it to be in the neighborhood of 200 singles. If I'm right, then that's about four hundred songs. Which means savings of around 395 dollars versus the iTunes price. I havne't gone through the box thoroughly yet, but I've already found plenty of winners. That box will get is own write-up later.
So after all that lavish praise, I have to admit that I indulged a lot of goofy whims more than going for the mondo buys. The CVB and Elvis Costello records are pretty legit, but the rest aren't nearly as cool. Still, I was stoked-to-mega-stoked on everything I bought.
The Haul:
Blue Oyster Cult-Cultosaurus Erectus 2.99
Camper Van Beethoven-Vampire Can Mating Oven 3.99
Elvis Costello-This Year's Model 9.99
Dire Straits-Love Over Gold. 2.99
Grand Funk-Grand Funk, Closer to Home, Survival, E Pluribus Funk 1.00
Melanie- Garden in the City 4.99
Roger Miller-Golden Hits 3.99
Spin Magazine Radio Underground radio program record-2.99
Mystery Box of 45s-4.99
People I was with: There Goes Rhymin' Simon, FZ One Size Fits All, a Mountian album, a Quicksilver Messenger Service Album, a Sam Prekop album, other stuff I'm forgetting
Yeah, I went to Anton's when I went to Austin to see MBV in 2009 right before I graduated. I had forgotten about the trip, until the other day when I couldn't remember where I had gotten a particular Van Morrison album and the sticker was on the sleeve. Googled it, and kazam. I got a few pre-Stevie FM albums, Mott the Hoople, Veedon Fleece, maybe something else. In any case, it was a great shop. Isn't Austin cool?
ReplyDeleteAustin seems like the coolest. I wish it was where Dallas is, cuz Dallas is a lot closer to here. I wish Texas didn't have to be so hot.
ReplyDeleteI went to Been Around for the first time in over a year a few months ago. The shelves are even more stuffed than they used to be. And since people buy vinyl again, there is a lot more newer stuff on the shelves.
Haha. Yeah, I don't think it'd make a difference for me, since Dallas and Austin are equidistant in relation to New Orleans (8 hours a piece, I think). HOWEVER, having Austin closer to everyone is ideal.
ReplyDeleteI probably haven't been to Beenaround in about a year, too, sadly. Sad to hear that they have a lot of reissues. One of the things that annoys me is a record store that mixes originals with reissues (especially if they've been opened and used)--it can be really hard (for me, anyway) to differentiate. However, I have to assume that John is getting a little more business this way, so I can't complain too much. Did you find anything good when you went?
It's not a lot of reissues, but more just like newer albums. Last time I went I got a Zappa album on Verve, TWO Keith Jarrett live box sets and some more stuff that I can't think of right now.
ReplyDelete