Soul Traveling

Destination: Pasadena, CA
Location: Pasadena City College Flea Market

Who says all the Soul Travelings have to be in stores? Pasadena CC has a flea market the first Sunday of every month, and a few levels above the ground in a parking garage is (pretty much) an entire floor of Record Vendors. I've been trying to get there for a while but the schedule hasn't quit worked out and this time it did... and there are good records to be found there. I would suggest shopping around a little among dealers - you can find a lot of similar records cheaper if you have the time - it might save you a few bucks. And remember, in almost every case the prices can be negotiated down, or if you throw a bunch of records together you can get a nice deal. And if you don't have a portable turntable of your own, some dealers even have them for you to listen to your prospective purchases. Oh and by the way it's Sunny and 82 damn near every day!

Track listing:
1. Mighty Mo - The Message
2. The Jive Turkeys - B.A.
3. James Brown - Giving out of Juice
4. Fred Fisher - Asa-Sa
5. Funkadelic - Maggot Brain
6. Marvin Gaye - A Funky Space reincarnation
7. Black Merda - Cynthy Ruth
8. Harvey Scales - A confidential Affair
9. James Brown - Turn on the Heat and Build Some Fire
10. War - L.A. Sunshine

Destination: Houston, TX
Location: Black Dog Records

While not large compared to a lot of the record stores previously visited via Soul Traveling, Black Dog Records still has more than enough to hold your interest. The strength of the store is the Rock section, though large sections of Soul, Blues and Country (it is Houston, after all) are there too. The thing that stands out about this store is the condition and cleanliness - not only of the store but the records themselves. They are in NICE condition, and I believe all of them are cleaned by Cliff (owner). The selection is also not your standard records you find everywhere - probably due to the absence of dollar bins. While the podcast doesnt reflect it, I found a bunch of records there but did not include them because they don't fit the soul/jazz mold at all. The weirdest record of the trip was a country record by a group from Singapore - and the music is so authentic you wouldn't know by listening!

In terms of good ol' cheap grub in the city, there are Whataburgers everywhere (local fast food chain). They make pretty good burgers, but the real gem is their breakfast taquitos with your choice of ingredients. I've had a lot of breakfast burritos / tacos, and these are on par with the best. If you want to take a long drive for a great chicken fried steak, drive to Goodson's in Tomball. And another local chain - Pappasito's - makes what I think are the best fajitas.

Track Listing:
1. Lovin on Borrowed Time - Bobby Blue Bland
2. Capricorn - Cannonball Adderley
3. Soul Brothers Testify - Soul Senders
4. Cigrik - Mogollar
5. Destroy the Nihilist Picnic - The London Experiment
6. Waitin for the Bus - ZZ Top
7. Un Rayo Del Sol - The Chakachas
8. Sweet Potato Gravy - Maurice Simon
9. Right Back Where I started From - Fuzzy Haskins
10. The Mexican - The Baker Brothers
11. Ain't no Sunshine - Lyn Collins
12. Garbage Man - The Family Vibes
13. Super Duper Love - Sugar Billy
14. A Night in Tunisia (edit) - Art Blakey

Destination: Richmond, VA
Location: The Record Finders

"What you are looking at right now is the tip of Iceberg". If you've ever been in the Record Finders, you'll hear that phrase more than a few times - The Record Finders is primarily an auction site, with other records available to the public at the front of what are two large warehouses with the wall torn down. Why do you hear it so much? Because people stream in every few minutes to sell records and collections and wonder why they aren't bought considering the records they're looking at - which are a couple thousand records. That's when you get the line, and the door opens to warehouse, where four MILLION records are. When the door opened for me, it was a quasi-religious experience. You really have to see four million records to appreciate it! Despite only being able to browse through a few thousand of those records, the Record Finders delivers the goods, though its location is in a business park with other like warehouses. Still, it's worth your time. Just make sure they let you see the rest of the iceberg when you visit.

Tracks:
1. Far Beyond - Locksmith
2. Funk it Up - Miami
3. Unspoken Dreams of Light - Eugene McDaniels
4. The Boss - James Brown
5. The Right Time - Mighty Diamonds
6. Scorpio - Zero Point
7. Second Wave - Roland Haynes
8. Silver Lining - Silver Lining
9. By the Time I get to Phoenix - Isaac Hayes

Destination: Allentown, PA
Location: Double Decker Records

One of the things I enjoy about great record stores is the true democratic nature of their greatness. They're not all concentrated in big cities, they're not all around Universities, and just when you think you can draw a conclusion you find out you really can't. Great record stores are just great. In the case of Double Decker Records it sits in the relatively small town of Allentown PA (at least compared to nearby Metropolis Philadelphia) but is 99% vinyl and jam-packed with good stuff. The specialty of the store is definitely punk/hardcore but unlike other stores the stores really round out the other sections. The jazz and soul record sections are not particularly huge, but they're stocked full of good records, a lot of which I had never seen before (the more record stores you go to the less likely it is for this to happen). The store also had its share of tougher-to-find breakbeat classics. And the dollar section yielded some strong results, which is something I can't say is true in many places I go. I'll be going back soon, as a matter of fact!

Tracklist:
1. Big Brown Drums - The Drum Set
2. Aquarius - Gal McDermot
3. Love is Love - Titanic
4. At the Soul-In - Count Yates
5. You Are the Sunshine of my Life - Gene Russell
6. Put Your Gun Down Brother - Riot
7. The Village Street Choir - ABC's
8. Happy Children - Osibisa
9. Miles Beyond - Mahavishnu Orchestra
10. Regiment - Brian Eno and David Byrne

Destination: Columbia, SC
Location: Papa Jazz Records

Located near the University of South Carolina, Papa Jazz manages to pack a large punch into what is not a large record store by any means. Walking in, three levels of records greet you: dollar records on the floor, bins at waist level and more miscellaneous records such as 45s on shelves at eye level. It's a lot to take in at first, but one settled in there's a lot of good stuff to be had.

The dollar section is essentially a 'dollar floor' - enough records to make a day out of just hitting the dollar stuff, made easier by the fact it's actually alphabetized! The new arrival section is very good and jazz-heavy, true to the store's name - and the 3 for $1.00 section of 45s has some good stuff in there if you're patient.

Notes:
I'm guessing it's a popular student-related place - Andy's Deli is right across the street from Papa Jazz and provides a nice chance to recharge and eat after a few hours of digging. I asked the owner what the best sandwish there was and got served 'The Andy' - turkey, swiss cheese and roast beef with 'special sauce' (similar to the Big mac special sauce) for dipping. Good stuff.

Tracklist:
1. Let's Straighten it Out - Gwen McRae
2. Make the Road by Walking - Menahan Street Band
3. Bananeira - Emilio Santiago
4. I call Him - Masonic Wonders
5. Instrumental - The JBs (live in 1973)
6. Sorcerer of Isis - Power of Zeus
7. Hap'nin - Bernard Purdie
8. Lies - Asha Puthli
9. Jungle jazz - Kool & the Gang

Destination: New Orleans, LA
Location: Louisiana Music Factory

Tucked in the heart of the french quarter in New Orleans, just a few blocks from Bourbon Street is the Louisiana Music Factory, to me the best record store in the area. As most of the great record stores do, this place is arguably the musical heart of the community, hosting in-stores and stocking a massive quantity of material by local artists. Into local funk lords The Meters? Everything you could possibly want by them and their related groups is right here. Dr.John? Of course, there's plenty. Want to find stuff by not only Galactic, but their local celebrity drummer Stanton Moore? You can find all their records and an instructional DVD as well.

The strength of this store isn't just here, it's also in the very impressive and unique selection of t-shirts, odds and ends, and a full stock of live performance CDs from Jazzfest (aka the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage festival). One other nice part of the store? The dozen or so listening stations around the store, each stocked with ten CDs (most of which are of local artists). In a town known for its fullness of life through food and partying, this spot adds to the overall vibe nicely.

Local Notes: Almost too many restaurants to mention, especially if you want to eat cheap - but Cafe Du Monde is the best breakfast spot going (although there's really only one thing on the menu), with an order of three Beignet donuts running about $2.10 - just don't breathe in when you bite in (most of us do) or you'll inhale the super-fine powdered sugar, then likely cough from it, the result of that likely blasting powdered sugar everywhere. Mother's is another sure shot (and has the hour-long line outside to prove it), but pretty much every place in town is going to deliver on cajun favorites like Shrimp Po Boys, Gumbo and Jambalaya.

Track Listing

1. Gonna Find a True Love - Bottom and Co.
2. Message From a Black Man - S.O.U.L.
3. Intro - Jimmie Haskell
4. Soul Clap 69 - Booker T and the MG's
5. Love Addict - Honey & the Bees
6. Wasted - The Gaturs
7. Whole Lotta Love - Galactic
8. Action Speaks Louder than Words - Chocolate Milk
9. I'm your Sex Machine - Unknown Artist
10. Because I got High - Big Al Carson

DESTINATION: Hollywood, Los Angeles, CA
LOCATION: Amoeba Music

The mothership has landed, and this time it's not piloted by George Clinton - it's my favorite record store ever (so far at least). Amoeba has three locations in California, this being the newest (I think), and it is an utter mecca of record geeks, music aficionados and people who just want the newest cool stuff from all over. You've been in places this big, but I'd be surprised if you've EVER been in a record store this big. There are more than 15 registers to check out big. The soul record section is about the size of many stores' entire record inventory... and it's the fifth-biggest record section in its own store, kind of big. Their employees get their shine by recommending their favorite records in a newletter distributed in-store big. It's a playable level in Guitar Hero big. I'm sure you get the point.

Aside from the sheer quantity of records, the fact that all the sections are amazing and get a lot of 'inventory turn' daily and that despite their size and omnipresence they don't rest on their laurels, what makes Amoeba great is that they pride themselves on being a destination. While they do have a web site, honor want lists, and do a fair amount of web-business I'm guessing, it is a place to go and enjoy - the in-store experience is what they put their energy toward. As I mention in the podcast, I could do 20-40 Soul Travelings with Amoeba records and not use the same album twice, no problem and it's all because of how great an in-store experience it is.

LOCAL NOTES:

You're probably wondering 'is there anything to do in Hollywood' though, and believe it or not there actually is... of course I'm kidding. I'll leave the tourist stuff to other places, but here's a quick list of some places to grab some quick food before and after your Amoeba visit, all are within two miles or so of Amoeba Music:
101 Diner: home of the Swingers 'My baby's all growns up now' scene.
Fred 62: dope 24-hour diner with tons of menu options and a crowd that only subsides between 4:30 am and 9 am.
Pink's Hot Dogs: the famous LA spot, the best nights to grab something are Mondays and Tuesdays. Otherwise the line is 3 hours long.
Rite Aid pharmacy: ...for the Thrifty Ice Cream stand inside. A pint of it is like $1.59 or some ridiculous price and it's really good.
The Waffle: Just down the street from Amoeba Music, another great spot. Oh, and do some research on your off-menu items before you go there, they're even better than the stuff on the menu.

Track Listing

1. He Bite Me - The Meters
2. The Messenger - Doug carn
3. King Hustler - The Moods
4. Freedom Death Dance - Eugene McDaniels
5. Peace and Love (Movements 1-5) - Mandrill
6. Drugs Ain't Cool - Ebony Rhythm Band
7. Sandworms - David Matthews
8. I Been Hoodoo'd - Dr. John
9. Young/Hendrix - Jimi Hendrix