Amoeba Music

I attended king middle school which is a couple of miles away from Amoeba. I always heard the name but I never bothered to even take a single bus towards it, it was only a month ago that I finally decided to go over and check it out with a couple of my animal friends, mono and pigeon. When I walked in, I never expected anything as huge as this store. I saw nothing but cds movies and posters. It was love at first sight. Now I'm a huge fan of movies and when i saw how many dvd's Amoeba had it became my favorite store in the world. Have I mentioned the price and the wide selection they have??? :O!!!!!! God I love this store. I've gone 3 times this past month, once a week. Tonight I'm gonna make it my fourth. :D

Had a great time at the 20th Anniversary Party and I won this cool amp! Thank you, Amoeba (& ZT). You are one of my all-time favorite record stores!

Ahh, Amoeba Music. If there really is that certain something which you could say turned me into a music addict, it was Amoeba Music. I still recall the first time I went to Amoeba Music. I was 14 back then and I was on a trip to Los Angeles. I live in Mexico and record stores over here are either: a) Massive big-chain stores filled with bad pop records or expensive imports, or... b)dying indie record stores. Therefore, when I first heard of Amoeba Music in a flier I found in the hotel I was staying at, I WAS DYING to go and visit there. The next day, I woke up early and headed out there. I parked my rental car in the parking lot and then went upstairs. I would love to describe how my face was when I actually had my first gaze into Amoeba Music, but I think it's impossible to describe. It certainly was a mixture of shock and immense joy. I think I looked like a kid visiting a candy store for the first time in his life. I began browsing and browsing, putting CDs and LPs in a basket, looking at every bin. I don't know how to put this, but I TRULY BELIEVE my life was changed that day. Before that, I was a casual music fan, but just that day I started craving records like you have no idea. When I left the store, I think I probably cried a little on the inside, 'cause it just made me sad to know that I do not live in LA and can't visit the store at least once a week. Thus, that's the reason why I visit the store nearly once a year (which is definitely a lot of times considering the distance) and spend HUNDREDS of cash in there (leaves me broke for months, but I don't mind). And no, I do not care if it takes a lot of gas, toll booths and hotel rooms to get there, cause Amoeba Music is just beautiful. There's nothing else to it. Amoeba Music is a godly experience. (PS. I know I posted my testimonial twice, but that's because I hit the ENTER key accidentally before I was finished. Stupid buttery hands of mine. Sorry.)

I was a sixteen year old high school junior the first time I walked into the Amoeba Music Store in Hollywood, Ca. I was still in mourning of the recently debunked Tower Records that had gone out of business about a year before that. I walked inside the store on the day in September, and from that point on, I fell in love, with a store!! A little over the top? Maybe, but I don't care. I looked around the first floor, and was blown away. The great variety of music that featured rock, hip-hop, reggae and jazz just to name a few. Poster after poster. Bob Marley next to Neil Young. Nirvana next to Eazy-E, John Lennon next to Alicia Keys, where else can you find a place that puts artists of such differences backgrounds and genres so close together? Only in Amoeba. After walking around the first floor for about an hour, I soon realized that I still hadn't been on the second floor. DVD's!! What collection comedy, horror, action, science fiction, again, another great example of variety and options presented to me by this store. My first day in this store is a day I will never forget. My void for buying music and movies had been filled, and I couldn't wait to go back.

It was a sunday night back in 2006. I was in need of a fix for some new beats. I knew that I would soon be having withdrawls if I didn't get to AMOEBA (HOLLYWOOD). The only thing getting in my way was the 101 traffic, my girlfriend beggin' me to have dinner with her friends and the fact that I was 30min away an AMOEBA was closing in an 1 hour. Well a good excuse and some nifty driving got to me AMOEBA faster than Usain Bolt! I was able to satisfy my addiction of that funky store smell of old wax, other scents un-beknownst to me, the abundance of music and the vibe of the eclectic other addicts. Got my beats with minuets to spare as the store closed. AMOEBA ROCKS!

Ahhh Amoeba Music. Only once have I worshiped at your perfectly-formed vinyl altar. I live in Dublin Ireland. I was on holidays in April 2002 in San Francisco, visiting a couple of college friends for a week. Was enjoying a beer with the lads the first night I arrived, and I was telling them about this record store "Amoeba" I read about when researching record shops in San Fran. Was it far away? Could we go? "That record store is SO huge", said my friend Ken, pausing for effect, "that it used to be a bowling alley". I nearly fell off my stool. He took the next day off work to bring me to Amoeba. THAT's a friend. I entered the store, checked my bag in at the desk, and the first thing I saw was a boxset I had been looking for for 6 years. Grabbed it. Then I looked around at the sheer size of the place. You know that giddy feeling you got first time you heard "London Calling", "Abbey Road" or "Blood On The Tracks"? I had that feeling as I surveyed the shelves and shelves and shelves in front of me. Then I saw Depeche Mode's "Violator", on CD, for a dollar. One dollar. ONE DOLLAR to own one of the finest albums ever made. Yes, Sting is a bore, but "The Soul Cages" is a great album, and there it was for two dollars. What's this? Petty's "Damn The Torpedoes" for TWO BUCKS? Then I realized: This was no ordinary, two-a-penny "bottom line" retail outlet. Amoeba wanted you to shop there, sure. But they were interested in selling you music at a fair price. They made stuff available at a price that allowed you to take a chance on an album. There's a Funkadelic LP. Haven't heard much of their stuff, but the cover's cool, people rave about them, and it's only three dollars. I'll take it. THAT's what record shopping is. Not scouring the limited CD racks of a chain store that's also trying to sell you egg timers and towels. If anybody ever asked me (and nobody would, cos people don't talk like this) "what does music smell like?", I'd answer "Amoeba Records". I love that you believe tapes still matter. I love that when the record industry told us vinyl was dead, you disagreed. I love that I wasn't made to feel like a moron cos I brought a Neil Diamond album AND a Funkadelic album up to the till (in fairness it was Diamond's "Beautiful Noise" album, which nobody can deny). I love that the guy behind the till thanked me for my custom for a start, AND that he sounded like he meant it. I spent one hundred and twenty dollars on my only visit to Amoeba. If you spent that much on records here in Dublin, the staff member would say something like "musta had a birthday, huh?". At Amoeba, he didn't bat an eylid. He was used to large purchases. Of COURSE you'd spend loads of money there. It's Amoeba, fer chrissakes! Eight years later, I still check amoeba.com and amoeblog every day, just to see what you guys are raving about. My girlfriend knows that when we get married, San Fran is one place we have to go on our honeymoon. She can go clothes shopping. Just dump me at Amoeba and leave me there for the day. Can't wait to go back. Happy Birthday. John.

AMOEBA TO 20 YEARS OF MUSIC MAYHEM & KEEPIN’ IT REAL… The Perfect Sunday Funday.. What does amoeba records mean to me…well drop a needle on this joint… 6400 SUNSET AVE. in the heart of La La land came into my life like the way 1 person who has been away led astray from the Catholic church. Its always there and always open bearing gifts spiritually and sonically especially on a Spiritual Sundaze, my girlfriend @ the time and I would consistently visit the Chapel after sharing a cup’o tea, sashay into the open pearly gates & go all the way to the back row of pews giggling like school children for being tardy and sneakn’ back in through the back door. The Congregation was always knowing and visualizing, giving us silent but direct ques to what a magical place we would end up in. & of course in didn’t matter where we were, we would just let all the magic of the parishners flow out and all I saw were isles of smiles and the amazing smell of new/old/classic/throw away/Vinyl & it was always a truly religious experience……………… Thank You Michael Spirit Thomas Walter Witzman

I've been a staunch fan of Amoeba Records since they opened close to a decade ago, but nothing comes close to seeing Paul McCartney for free...and to be called out in line that you are the last person to receive a wrist band. In 2007, I was in Los Angeles visiting my father for my 21st birthday. We made plans to see the Beatles Cirque de Soleil show "LOVE" at the Mirage in Las Vegas. We went to see the show and drove back the next day. As soon as we got back into the city, there was a rumor on the radio saying that Paul McCartney was to play in Los Angeles at undisclosed area. Two hours later, he was announced to play at Amoeba. Both my dad and I looked at each other and were shocked that such a gigantic figure was going to do an in-store at Amoeba. So we took our time, knowing that we wouldn't get in, and headed down to see if we could get the wristbands. We asked the staff and told us to wait in another line for forty five minutes to see if anymore passes were coming in. So we waited for the time they gave us and a few people in front of us gave up and left. We move forward in line. One of the staff members pointed at me and said "Kid with the hat is the cutoff." I looked up and forgot that I was wearing my comrade cap and saw the expandable rope be placed behind me. I was the last one to get the wristband to the show. My dad and I were both shocked to the max of what just happened. The next day we waited for seven hours and talked with people in line, which made time go by faster. Then by six in the evening, we led in and waited for the Man to come on stage and do his thing. Paul and his crew came on stage and played a variety of songs that covered his entire career up until that point which was "Memory Almost Full." That was a day I'll never take for granted because of how spontaneous and exciting it was.

My son loves music--has become quite the connoisseur--he lives up north in Sacramento, but, when he comes down to visit (even during those visitation times) it is not complete without the obligatory drive to Amoeba--we saw Michele Gondry live--but, it was the event of a lifetime getting in to see Sir Paul McCartney on my son's birthday (21)--just too amazing--Thank You Amoeba for great memories with my son.

About a year ago I went for a little event, the release of a certain Box Set put together by Alex Palao, and I thought it would be worth the drive from San Bernardino and it was. Got to see some good live performances, go through the dollar bins, talk with a guitarist from the Peanut Butter Conspiracy, and while digging the live music who should pop up as a fellow spectator? Why Mickey Dolenz from the Monkees. THE MONKEES! L.A.'s/Hollywood's very own Beatles, you know? Ok, you could make a case for the Buffalo Springfield but they didn't have the TV show. Anyhow, I approached Mickey and had my picture snapped with him not once, but twice, by Mrs. Dolenz, and got to tell him that HEAD was one of the greatest movies ever (it sounded good at the time). Not too shabby.