The Art of Record Store Browsing

Saturday April 21, is Record Store Day, a pseudo-holiday aimed at celebrating the remaining independent record stores scattered throughout the country. It means exclusive releases, group vinyl worship, and a good excuse to reflect on the fading art of record browsing. Take a look through some great photos of music lovers in the record trance, along with reflections from Slate staff. Here, two women share a carousel at His Master’s Voice on London’s Oxford Street in the early '60s.
Courtesy hmv_getcloser via Flickr.
Slate’s Dan Check on browsing technique: “Go through records from A-Z, starting with 7’s. Pick out records by bands I like. Buy them. Take them home and realize that I'd bought a bad record by a good band. Be disappointed.”

Here, customers in Flash Records Store in south Los Angeles, circa 1955.
Michael Ochs Archive/Getty Images.
Slate’s Ben Johnson on the people behind the counter: “Unlike asking your waiter for tips, the best way to find a great record in the record store is to talk to the person stocking it. As a former record store rat of sorts, my knowledge about what I would like always came via debate and discussion with the music lover behind the counter.”

Here, a record salesman in Afghanistan helps customers in the 1950s.

Mohammad Qayoumi via Wikimedia Commons.
Slate’s Chris Wade on taking a chance: “The best strategy is to pick wildly and see what happens: psyche rock, dub, 12-inch dance singles, or anything from an international section. Seriously, go to the international section and pick the record with the most interesting cover design and you’ll have at least an 85 percent success rate.”

Here, women cluster in the “Stage and Screen” corner of record vendor His Master’s Voice in London.
Courtesy hmv_getcloser via Flickr.
Slate’s David Plotz on bin strategy: “Choose the most obscure band you really like, go to the bin where the band should be. When you find your favorite of the obscure band's albums there, nod appreciatively, show it to your friends, buy nothing, and then tell everyone that the record story is really great, has amazing selection, and so much integrity.”

Here, customers crowd the stereo records section of an HMV store in 1960s London. One woman deploys the shoulder wedge to stay competitive.
Courtesy hmv_getcloser via Flickr.
A man communes with his LP at the Centre International de Paris in 1979.

Related: See More Great Magnum Record Store Images
Guy Le Querrec CREDIT: / Magnum Photos.
Slate’s David Plotz on category chaos: “Search for your favorite country band and be flummoxed when you can't find it in the country section. Discover it in easy listening.”

Here, a record store patron examines rare singles in Reading, England, in 2002.
Chris Steele-Perkins / Magnum Photos.
Vinyl-lover Harry Hockett comes prepared with his own bin to a storewide sale in Skokie, Ill., on Sept. 14, 2000.
Tim Boyle/Newsmakers/Getty Images.
Slate’s Ellen Tarlin on pricing: “Look for cool imports. Balk at price. Don't buy them.”

Here, the Vintage Vinyl record shop in Evanston, Ill., in April 2000.
Tim Boyle/Getty Images.
On Record Store Day 2011, a shopper at Detroit Threads lays claim to a section of the alphabet.

Leave us your own tips on record browsing in the comments section.
Angie Linder via Flickr.