Amoeba Music

Listen up and let me tell you why Amoeba Records is cool. Berkeley has had a long history of great record shops (the original Rasputin's, Mod Lang, etc.) so since my teens I had been making weekly trips out from the suburban wastelands to seek the hard-to-find punk and metal records I craved. I first encountered the brand new Berkeley Amoeba store after it had only been open a for few months (Holy hell! I can't believe that was almost 20 years ago!). It seemed MAMMOTH in both size and stock even though it was only about half the size of what it is today! Currently Amoeba Berkeley is the smallest of their three stores but back then it seemed wondrously large. I can remember the smell of vinyl records mixed with a bit of must from all the used stock and feeling a this heady rush of excitement. While I was amazedly flipping through rack after rack of albums with a bit of a goofy grin on my face I glanced up at the guy who was flipping through records the other side of the rack from me and noticed it was THURSTON MOORE from SONIC YOUTH. And he had on the exact same excited and goofy smile that I did! A bit self-consciously we both caught eyes and just nodded to one another and then each returned to his own quest for that ultimate find. You see, THIS is what makes Amoeba cool. The people who LOVE music so much that they get this giddy feeling knowing that they can come to a store that loves music and the hunt for that ever-elusive rarity as much as they do. When you enter Amoeba Records you enter a place filled with excitement and possibility and that greatest gift of all, music. As the holidays approach my brother Dave and I are going to partake in what has now become an annual tradition for us for the past 13 years running. It is our yearly search for the greatest (and the worst) Christmas holiday albums ever released! And while some years produce a ridiculous harvest of titles to bring home (220 Volt's "Heavy Xmas" anyone?) others have resulted in only a scant Christmas single. But, in the end, all of that is secondary because it is the annual trip we make together to Amoeba in Berkeley that is nearly as fun for us as Christmas Day itself. So, here's to Amoeba Records 20th Anniversary. May the next twenty years bring as much joy to all of us as these past twenty have to me.

My favorite at Amoeba by far has been seeing Robert Randolph live there. I still do not understand how they get such amazing artists who are willing to play for FREE. Randolph was absolutely amazing live and even though I live a good 30 minutes away (an hour in traffic), I will find the time to make it out there when Robert Randolph comes back.

My favorite Amoeba memory was meeting Tom Morello when he did his in-store and signing in support of his first Nightwatchman record. I was 12 when Rage Against the Machine's self-titled album came out so needless to say, I didn't have a grasp on the politics behind the songs. Just hearing the music, I just knew it rocked. Evil Empire came out while I was in high school and I immediately gravitated toward "Bulls on Parade," which remains my favorite RATM song. During my second year of college, as I was starting to finally understand some of the political opinions, the Battle of Los Angeles was released and they were supporting it with shows at the Forum. I knew I had to be there. From the opening notes of "Testify," an energy was released unlike anything I've ever felt at a concert. This was the greatest live band I've seen. Hands down. I had to see them again and was lucky enough to catch them in September 2000, at their 2nd Grand Olympic Auditorium show, which has stood up as the best concert I've ever seen out of hundreds over the years. It would end up being Rage's last as they broke up a month later. While I was disappointed that a band so inspirational to me was no more, I was extremely thankful to have seen their last show, at the time. Fast forward to 2007 and the news of the Coachella reunion. My best friend that had been with me to the two previous Rage shows and I decided we had to be there for Coachella. No matter what. With Tom being one of my favorite musicians, I've been supportive of all of his projects and was interested to finally see him perform as the Nightwatchman. It was difficult to contain my excitement that week to see both Morello's in-store and Coachella. I arrived to Amoeba early that afternoon and was able to get up front and center. The thing I admire and respect most about Tom is that he believes every single word that he says and stands up for it. He conveys that whether he's rocking an acoustic guitar in front of a small crowd or slaying a festival crowd with Rage. After his set, I could hardly contain my excitement as my turn in line came for the signing. Not normally one to get star struck, I could hardly get out the words I wanted to say when I finally met him. Commending him for a great set, I wished him success with the Nightwatchman record and stumbled over the words as I told him the Grand Olympic show was the best concert I'd ever attended. He was incredibly gracious, asking which night I was at, to which I replied the 2nd and he replied, "Thanks man." I left by telling him I couldn't wait for Sunday's RATM show. It was a week I truly never expected, from meeting Tom to seeing Rage again and it's something I'll truly never forget.

Amoeba Music is the only music store where I can make something up, it will be in stock, and sound good too! Happy 20th Anniversary!!!

There's the incredible array of music, from shiny new CDs to deliciously dusty old vinyl. There's the pleasure of endless browsing and the rapture of instant discovery. But Amoeba is more than all this, because it is, in a true sense, the last record store. And the best.

A trip to the Amoeba Store in San Francisco has always been a treat to me and my brothers especially since I lived in various cities outside of SF, one brother lives in Foster City and the others live in Manila. Besides being a special bonding time for us, going through the jazz bins looking for that special, unexpected gem of a cd or cds will forever live in my memories. We would spend hours in that store. No spouses would dare come with us. I was SO HAPPY when Amoeba opened in Hollywood. My husband, son and I would continue the tradition of spending amazing amounts of time checking out the jazz, world, and rock bins. Every time I go to SF to visit my brother, we HAVE TO take a trip to Amoeba. I love you, Amoeba. My cd collection is SO Happy because of you.

nearly 10 years ago, in january, my buddy dr. mike and I were wanderin' thru the haight on one of our "get out of reno" san francisco pilgirmages. i couldn't believe it when we stumbled upon that amoeba critter. dr. mike is a music omnivore, but i'm addicted to late romantic symphonic stuff. well, i fell in love with amoeba's vast and seductive selections, used or new, and have returned 4 or 5 times a year ever since. viva amoeba!

My first time at Amoeba was the best because it was for a free instore show. It was when the entire Living Legends crew performed and to top it off, I got to meet them and take a picture with some and get their signatures. The experience was great and I think that it is a great store located in the perfect place. Amoeba is a large store with a wide variety of music, movies etc. Amoeba has introduced me to many new artist and I thank them for that.

Amoeba means to me distress. When I go to Amoeba is like to go to a magic place. My mood changes for good, I know some of the guys, we say hello. I feel like I am at home. Then I have a whole world to discover. Will I find what I am looking for? Will I be lucky and I'll find many unexpected cds? This is all about Amoeba. Is like a journey. I forget my problems, I get exited if somebody I know is performing. Sometimes I have coupons, so my purchases finish with a lot of cds in my bag. When I am paying I see what I am buying and is like when I meet a girl for first time, kind of... Always I am so happy to find the cds that I am looking for that makes me come back again and again. Thats all about that magical place. That is what means Amoeba to me.

When my husband and I were dating a romantic evening was an evening at Amoeba! He saved a lot of money on dates and it was fun browsing all the records, posters and other items and entering the contests that I would occasionally win!