Boulder
| Albums on the Hill | Great ticket counter in the back of the store, but what aggravates me is the way they *charge* for free promo tapes and CDs instead of giving them out the students. They've got boxes of the stuff... free demo tapes marked up to one dollar. Great. Plus, they've got a card that gives the bearer one dollar off, so they've simply marked everything a dollar higher than other stores. Occasionally, they'll bundle promos with new CDs, so I've had to "rebuy" CDs I had bought there previously in order to get the extra promo CD. | D |
| Albums Upstairs | In order to be hip with the kids, they've opened the annex upstairs to sell dance music. This has turned out to be a bad idea, since they can't take used trades upstairs, and their prices and selection are terrible. | D |
| Bart's CD Cellar | Great selection of vinyl upstairs, ok used CD downstairs, and some extremely rare new import CDs, too. They seem to care about the selection at their listening stations. However, their prices could be better, and they always have unnecessary coupons in newspapers. Check out their yearly sale of dollar CDs (like KGNU's sale, but sometimes better and not as crowded). | B |
| Wax Trax | They will pay the most for used CDs, often up to $4. Plus, used and new CDs are in the same store, so used credit can instantly apply to new CDs! This is a really cool thing. Often they have good freebies, and the selection is good. | A |
| Ratical Records | Is this place still open? Lately when I've stopped by, they've been closed, and I've never seen anybody buy anything here. They seem to want to sell dance music vinyl, but maybe it's just a front for selling drugs. | F |
Denver
| Wax Trax (new) | This is really the same store as Boulder, but it doesn't work as well. For instance, used is down the street, which makes it hard to trade used to new credit. So all that's left is a store that sells slightly pricey new CDs, with the covers all taken out to reduce theft. | B |
| Wax Trax (used) | Ok selection... though with their shelf space, I surprised they don't buy more used CDs. Used vinyl takes up a big chunk of the store for some reason. Great cutout section though, and I've pick up some great new promos for a buck or two. | B |
| Wax Trax (vinyl) | A good mix of dance music, 12", and other stuff. But then again, most of the other used vinyl is across the street, which makes it harder to browse. Wax Trax keeps shifting around these stores on 13th Street, so things might change sometime. But, I've never had any luck here. | C |
| Twist and Shout | Lots of freebies, and a great selection. I liked the old listening station better when it was set up around old sofas and had lots of contests, flyers, and reading material. The new system seems awkward, since you have to wait for the staff to notice you and open the next CD in your stack. It's bizarre, but I imagine it reduces theft. Good prices, especially with a buck back for every $30 spent. Rumor has in they stole their original Dalmatian mascot from a music store in Minnesota . | A |
| Twist and Shout Underground | I guess moving vinyl across the street gave the store more room, but the new store seems psychotically split between old stuff and dance music. The bassheads get an enclosed room to keep their music quiet, like a little techno ghetto. I've occasionally found cool stuff here, but it seems pretty picked over. | B |
| Jerry's Record Exchange | Terrible parking, though maybe Colfax will be the next hip place to hang out. This is a weird store, with new and used stuff mixed together. Tons of cassettes and rare stuff are hidden under dirty dusty glass. But what really impresses me is the special sections for "Cosa Nuevo" music. When have you ever seen a store with a separate section for modern aggressive industrial art music? I think they're definitely on the cutting edge here... | B |
| Recycled Records | They have a special section for new CDs that come out each week, which is very nice. Good used selection, but it seems very dependent on the buying habits of the teenagers that surround each of their three locations. The southern suburbs get a lot of Van Halen, while the store next to Casa Bonita buys more rap. However, they were a lifesaver when I lived in South Denver for six months, so I'll always be grateful. | B |
| Disc Go Round | A franchise used outlet, and selection is spotty. However, if you find something you like, the prices are very good, and they have a frequent buyer's card that gives one free for every ten purchased. Plus, it's a good place to buy concert tickets, in my opinion. | B |
| Black and Read | This store is a treasure, and it's rather hard to find. But they have dusty used boardgames next to import magazines next to a stack of used folk records. They have new stuff, but it's not a very good selection. If I was a teenager growing up, I would love to live next to this place. It is made to blow your little adolescent mind. | A |
| Best Buy | I have to confess, I like Best Buy. When they sell new CDs at waaaay below cost, I can't resist. However, if the CD isn't below ten dollars, it's far above everybody else's price. | A |
| Circuit City | However, this place is awful. I've never forgiven them for trying to sell the "DIVX" buy-everytime-but-watch-once fiasco to an ignorant public. They don't care about the "product" they sell, though that have good prices. I want to see this place go out of business. | F |
| Walmart | Even worse than Circuit City, I live in fear that I'll accidentally buy one of their censored and mangled CDs used from another store. They don't label the fact that they've removed lyrics or artwork. I would be more impressed if they just refused to sell CDs they didn't like instead of trying to sanitize them. | F |
| Independent Records | This one just opened up next to the Odgen Theater on Colfax. A good location, but so far I can't see anything special about the place. The have best sellers really cheap, but then again, so does every other mass-market chain store. | C |