Record Shopping Up North

I am completely unable to walk past any store selling vinyl without popping in “just to check it out,” to the chagrin of both my wife and my checking account. This extends as far as the clearance racks at Hot Topic (I found Scream‘s Still Screaming for five bucks, so it’s worth looking, right?), but is usually confined to Goodwills, Salvation Army stores, and your usual record shops. For the past week, I’ve been bouncing around up north, and I return singing the praises of a couple of Illinois’ finer record stores.

In Chicago, there’s no place finer than Reckless Records if you’re looking to dig for really quality bargain bin records. I found like-new CDs from Michelle Shocked, Dance Hall Crashers, and the Zutons. Their bargain vinyl is also pretty darned amazing – at the Wicker Park location, they’ve got a selection of cheap-ass singles, 45s, and 7-inches that held me rapt for the better part of an hour. The Loop location is a nice little store, and worth checking out, too, especially if you’re in the theater district or checking out Millennium Park. I never made it to the new Broadway location, but I hear they’re still working their way out of boxes. But, really, if you’re looking for rock and roll (and one of the better selections of punk singles I’ve ever seen), hit up Reckless.