I’m not sure exactly how long it has been since our last trip to Vancouver, Canada – it was certainly pre-COVID, which is pretty inexcusable since it’s less than a three hour drive from the Seattle area. So last weekend we rectified this oversight and popped across the border for a few days. Which of course meant I did some record shopping.
Redrum Records
1990 152 St. #1, Surrey BC
Our first stop was just across the border in the town of Surrey. Redrum carries both new and used records (and some cassettes and CDs), but it was the large selection of used vinyl I focused on. I grabbed the 1984 sophomore album from Toronto punks L’Etranger, Running Out of Funtown, as well as the more recent Total Stinker by Saskatoon’s own Herd of Wasters. I quickly learned that there were WAY more Canadian bands than I ever imagined – tons of artists I’ve never heard of. Redrum is a great stop on your way to or from Vancouver – it’s easy to get to, just a couple of minutes off the main highway, and the prices were right.
Beat Street Records
439 W Hastings Street, Vancouver BC
Beat Street was probably the biggest and widest-ranging shop I visited. Right inside the door you’re greeted with a dozen New Arrivals bins to whet your appetite before you enter the store proper. It’s mostly vinyl, and I’d say the mix overall leans more toward used than new, which is great for yours truly. There was an entire section for used 80s bands and that’s where I ended up spending most of my time, picking up a wide-ranging assortment – an album from Canadian band Neo A4, German act Mysterious Art, some Culture Club, and yes, even the Canadian version of the WWF’s (now WWE) The Wrestling Album, which I couldn’t pass up. I also found a pair of VERY intriguing industrial-leaning releases – a 12″ from The Genetic Terrorists, a little-known-post-Throbbing-Gristle EBM project featuring Chris Carter and Cosey Fanni Tutti (credited as Todd Steel and Sadie Teslar…) and the only record put out by White Boy Worry, a 12″ with contributions from Tackhead’s own Skip McDonald. Score and score.
The prices were decent here as well, in part due to the exchange rate which is very favorable for Americans right now. Given my interests I think if I were to only visit one shop in Vancouver it would be either Beat Street or Neptoon (see below).
Red Cat Records
4386 Main Street, Vancouver BC
This was my second visit to Red Cat. The shop is clean and spacious, making for a more relaxed browsing experience. The emphasis skews more toward new vinyl (with a separate space in the back for CDs and a smattering of tapes), so there wasn’t as much of interest for me here. That didn’t stop me from finding something cool, though, and I came away with an OG Canadian release of the Plasmatics’ Beyond the Valley of 1984 in really nice shape, which was a fun pickup.
If you’re looking for new vinyl, Red Cat is your spot. Plus it has the added benefit of being just a short walk from Neptoon (see below), making the pair an easy one-two visit. And if you choose to take that walk… stop off at the newly opened Brittania Brewery location in between the two. The beers were excellent and their french fries are all time Top 5 worthy.
Neptoon Records
3561 Main Street, Vancover BC
Located a relatively short walk from Red Cat Records, Neptoon is packed full of records. And I do mean packed full, some of the bins overflowing to the point that they’re hard to flip through or requiring you to move stacks aside. But that makes it a bit of a diggers paradise, and dig I did, focusing primarily on the used vinyl. Probably my best score of the trip was made here, the early 1980s Buzzcocks unofficial live collection Buzz Cuts. I almost pulled the trigger on a still-sealed Jimmy Page Sound Tracks box set as well – the price was right, but at the end of the day… do I really care that much about the Death Wish II soundtrack? In a rare display of common sense I opted to leave it there for the next person.
As mentioned above, Neptoon and Red Cat are an easy two-for-one visit. If you don’t mind digging, prices were reasonable enough and there as a ton to flip through.
I probably came home from this trip with a dozen or so records, but most of them were fairly inexpensive. One thing I didn’t see in Vancouver was much in the way of rarities – which was good for my wallet, but I was still hoping to find a few gems. That being said, record shopping in BC was great if for no other reason than every single person I spoke to in every store was just plain nice – pleasant to talk to, helpful, and content to let you browse on your own if that’s what you wanted to do.