DJ ALEX KAYNE’S RECORD STORE RAID II: ROAMIN’ AROUND NEW JERSEY
PROLOGUE:
So this Record Store Raid did not happen all in one day as both my previous treks through North Carolina and California did. My New Jersey romp happened over a few weeks as it is closer to home, which affords me more time. For those who missed the first Record Store Raid: I am a professional DJ and record collector for nearly 50 years, so it’s safe to say I have a fair amount of experience in this field. I am looking for heavy metal, so the reviews are with that in mind.
JACK’S MUSIC SHOPPE:
30 Broad St, Red Bank, NJ 07701 • (732) 842-0731
Jack’s has a long, well-known local history of being open since 1970. It’s smack in the middle of Red Bank, a town filled with boutique eateries and “shoppes”. The store is quite long and about four long rows wide, the front of the house displays new vinyl releases. The used wax is towards the back, and a boatload of CDs are in the middle. Crates of all sorts of used wax are on the floor, underneath the CD rows (I refuse to get down on my hands and knees in any record store). Jack’s is all about timing. Turn your back on that rare Sabbath LP on the wall and it will disappear. Used stuff does not last long here and that includes all their metal.
If you are just starting to build a general collection, the basics are almost always here, and depending on wear & tear, start at $1.99 and up from there. Nothing mind-blowing on their wall, but as I said, I suspect that as fast as something goes up it gets sold. Jack’s plays a lot of moody psych/prog, and edgy avant garde audiophile stuff, loud enough to seep into your ears yet it’s not distracting when digging. You can also find tons of cassettes, books, T-shirts and prints.
In the back is a compact, but totally over the top musical instrument store, where they specialize in high-quality instruments. I like Jacks, it’s a cool store to hit once in a while. The only con is the irritating, obnoxious, price sticker they slap on every album cover. It’s the size of a silver dollar, and immediately degrades the record’s value because after you spend your money, you also have to spend time trying to remove a sticker without ripping part of the LP cover off. This type of sticker really isn’t necessary anymore, and I wish they’d switch to smaller, less adhesive price tags. FOUR STARS.
VINYL ADDICTION:
7 Ridge Rd. North Arlington, NJ 07031 • (201) 957-3484
What can I say about Vinyl Addiction… In my opinion it’s the best store in the state for Metal. Owner Dave G. is a metal fan and there is a huge selection of metal wax, CDs, Cassettes and more here. It’s a small shop comparatively speaking, but it’s inventory speaks volumes, everything new and used from traditional metal to death, thrash, black, speed, it’s all here and there is always some interesting stuff on the walls. Hardcore and Punk are also present and accounted for here as well.
If you’re a die-hard metal, punk, or hardcore fan do not hesitate to pay Dave and Vinyl Addiction a visit. He knows the market and his prices are fair. Of course there is every other genre as well for sale. Sometimes there are $10 dollar metal crates. Just go, you won’t be disappointed. FIVE STARS – more metal than you can swing Thor’s hammer at.
