Thoughts on Looney Tunes...

Breaking from the typical posts, here's some words about a record store that I've bought a few Neglected Records from...


Photo from the Looney Tunes MySpace page.

With a heavy heart, I’m sorry to say that by the time this article is published, record store Looney Tunes will no longer be residing on Boylston St. Looney Tunes held its Boylston St. location for about 30 years, its first couple of years being spent closer to BU, and now, they will be moving to Allston, where currently, the awesome Store 54 resides (which will relocate in a few months.)

The story is a confusing one but try to follow along. Some weeks ago, you might have noticed the JP Licks on Newbury St. had closed down. In its windows was a lengthy message explaining how landlords were raising the rent to simply drive them out to put in a third American Apparel or an even larger Converse store. Flash forward to today, when I learn Looney Tunes is moving – and what is going in its place? You guessed it, a JP Licks, completing a strip of overpriced restaurants and expensive apartments. Now, I sure love my local ice creamery, and I frequent the Centre St. location often, but when you remove a record store, well, that’s another story.

So why does this matter? Well, it matters because, as musicians, it is our job to always be listening to music; to always discover something new. The fact that the Back Bay area is now missing its finest record store will strike a blow to the entire music community. And for what, ice cream?

Before I moved to Boston, when I was 16 I came to visit for a few days as I participated in the Berklee Percussion Camp. One of the first things I noticed on the cab ride from the airport (other than the absurd fare) was a record store. Two and a half years later, when searching for my first apartment, I picked one that was near a record store. There was also a time I saw the drummer from Mission of Burma in a record store. The record store in all of these examples, of course, is Looney Tunes.

Of course, I’ll still visit the Allston location when I get the time – and I know it’s going to be the same staff and the same great selection. I guess we’re lucky considering Looney Tunes isn’t shutting down, but gone are the days of spending hours between classes and work and rehearsal in the dusty record store, searching for Tar LPs you spotted two weeks previous, or heading over in February and walking out with a stack of half-off CDs and DVDs. I have countless Looney Tunes stories, but these are the ones that stick out to me now.

Ironically, this news comes just in the wake of Record Store Day, a day in which us music lovers are to do our best to support independent music retailers. It’s times like this where we should remember that Record Store Day should be every day. So please, in your month left here, go to record stores! Go to Planet Records, go to Weirdo Records, go to Store 54, go to Orpheus, go to Nuggets, go to In Your Ear, heck, even go to Newbury Comics. Just spend your money on something that matters.

Ted Reichman said that Looney Tunes was probably the best record store in the area, and he’s probably right. I look forward to seeing them in Allston when I come back after the break – it’ll be nice to see how DJ Nitetrain and the rest of the crew are doing.

Record No. 5: Sparks - "Kimono My House"

Now this is just embarrassing. This is for sure one of the finest albums that I have had the pleasure of buying recently, and the fact that I've only listened to it ONCE is unacceptable. Let me explain...

Last year, I got really into Sparks. Like, super into Sparks. Like "every morning I'm going to listen to "Number 1 in Heaven." So imagine my delight when I saw there was a repressing that was 25% off at Newbury Comics in the space between Winter Finals (2011 Edition) and flying home for the holidays (fitting that this LP contains the holiday favorite "Thank God It's Not Christmas".)

So after a delicious dinner at Teriyaki House and some music at the Lily Pad, I came home and instead put on the Bitch Magnet set I also bought that day. Before I knew it, it was 2 days later and I had to fly home, so this was the album I listened to while I packed hours before my flight.

Returning from the Midwest with more LPs, this one just got kind of put on the shelf, which is totally unacceptable. And it's not that I don't know the album - I've been listening to it on the iTunes for some time now, but in terms of the whole "vinyl experience" (which is why we're here, right?,) I was certainly denying myself hours of enjoyment with this album - even if it's covered in weird slivers of paper from the sleeve...

Also, those dudes lighting firecrackers on my street right now should probably stop. I don't want anyone to catch on fire or go blind on my watch.

Record #4: Throwing Muses - "The Fat Skier"

Neglected Record #4 takes us to the mysterious land of Jamaica Plain, MA. Before I lived here full time, I was spending about 80% of my time on campus or in my swanky (ie; not swanky and quite crappy) apartment in the Back Bay area. However, it wouldn't be strange to find me on a Saturday or Sunday morning wandering around Centre Street, digging the scene and spending a long time inside the Goodwill or Boomerangs looking for LPs, books, and alarm clocks.

It was at the JP Boomerangs I found a NM copy of "The Fat Skier." The Throwing Muses were always a band I knew the name of - also, wasn't one of the Breeders in this band? I thought so...Anyways, imagine my surprise when I found this LP (actually, EP) in the vinyl section there for only $1. Excited? Of course I was.

So as I rushed home (meaning I rode the 39 as fast as it could go!,) I put this on the turntable and heard some wacky music of the "college rock" variety, including the b-side which is just one track, but has some backwards talking and a baby mumbling interspersed with some grooves thrown in, kind of like Vampire Weekend (which I totally forgot about until I just listened to it.)

Listening to it a year after I bought it, you'd be hard pressed to say that anything from Massachusetts in 1986 sounded better (ehh, except that other band with someone who was in the Breeders...)