Records Stores 1960's, Part III

Beside the Long Beach Fwy, on Firestore Blvd., it may now be a Target; but back in the late 1960's/early 1970's, this was a similar type of store called Two Guys.  They had a large record section and reasonable prices. 

Both Mike and I owned cars at this point, so we were no longer tied down to shopping for records at a local drug store or super market or department store, within walking distance or reached by bus.

Soon enough, however, even a store such as Two Guys could no longer compete with stores specifically opened to cater to a younger clientel looking only for top 100 albums. 

These stores looked as if they were for a generation that was entirely unconcerned about merchandising and physical appearance.  One such store opened in Huntington Park, on the other side of the street from Elliot & Craun and down a few blocks.  Bare bones interior with record covers dotting the walls, they carried all of albums from the popular groups.   I remember buying The Association's BIRTHDAY there, another album that I liked every cut.

While we were attending East L.A. Junior College, we met Lida Meek, whom Mike would eventually marry, and her friend from Bell High School, Dennis Madura.  Dennis and I would become friends because of our mutual enjoyment of music.  He owned a Roberts 8-track tape recorder/player.

I buy one, as well, and would take this with me to Air Force OTS and eventually to Minot, making my own 8-track tapes until cassette tapes came to dominate the home-recording market.

Dennis eventually found another of these counter-culture record stores in Downey, and that became a steady destination for us.  Not far from a Carl's burger joint where we would get a hot-fudge brownie sundae, I would often spend hours there, flipping through the bins.  Unlike the virtual silence of Elliot & Craun, or any of the other stores carrying records, these types of outlets always had music playing.  I bought Elton John's first album, having just heard "Your Song" over the speakers.

Another record store opened in West Hollywood, and I would buy a few records there, such as ABBEY ROAD, as an import.

Eventually, beyond these smaller outlets and local record stores, Dennis and I would soon drive up to West Hollywood, to the newly opened, holy grail of record stores for the next few decades to come:  Tower Records.

Especially when I would fly home on leave, Air Force friends in Minot would ask me to purchase a number of albums for them at Tower.

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