Like most record shops in SF, this record shop is on a hill. I very nearly didn't go in it. Not because I feared a sweatly back from the steep climb but rather beacause Grooves are breaking one of the ten record shop commandments in what can only be described as a truly flagrant manner.
Thou shall not ever, ever, ever display records without sleeves, regardless of how pretty the coloured vinyl is, regardless of whether they are part of that cosmic joke that is known as the picture disc... Not even if the record is worthless. Thou shall not prettify your shop with records without fucking sleeves!
Anyway, I went for lunch and a beer in an attempt to get over this, while I still wasn't happy I did resolve to venture inside, not least because I convinced myself that a shop that size had to have something to offer.
Two hours later I emerged proven wrong. Grooves had nothing for me, nothing. At one point I did cradle a John Barry album under my arm that I really didn't need and at another I considered a particularly out of place looking electronic record but I left empty handed. This isn't to say that once upon a time, before the Japanese invasion Grooves wasn't a great record shop. I have no doubt that around the time the CD reared its ugly head it was a great record shop, sadly in 2008 it might has well have been selling office supplies.
I continued my journey up the hill toward Haight intent on wasting a beautifully sunny day in a series of mostly dissapointing dusty and daylight fearing record emporiums. Given the time again I would have hired a bike, cycled to Marin county or visited Alcatraz, but then what is life without regrets? .... Probably really good actually.
Still the conflicted search continues. Not at the same pace of the past, financial constraints have seen to that, I may have slowed, but stop? Not this year, not even I could.
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