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# Posted 9:14 PM by Ariel David Adesnik

GOODBYE, TOWER RECORDS: It was a Greenwich Village institution, as well as having a presence on the Upper West Side and even in Los Angeles. I grew up three blocks from the flagship store on the corner of West 4th St. and Broadway. Now it is gone. (Hat tip: MHM)

Tower Records was where I bought my first albums. On audio cassette. With a gift certificate I got as a present for my Bar Mitzvah. I hesitate to admit this additional, but I bought an album by Paula Abdul.

My last memory of Tower will be a fond one. I spent the summer of 2002 as an intern in Buenos Aires, Argentina. In the middle of the summer, I returned to the US for a week. My friend and Spanish tutor Silvio asked that I buy him an album by American jazz artist John Zorn, which simply could not be found in Argentina.

Of course I went to Tower. Not knowing much about either jazz or Jon Zorn, I asked a salesman which of Zorn's albums I ought to buy. The salesman said, "Why don't you ask him?" Standing there, browsing records in the jazz section, was none other than Jon Zorn. I bought an album and he autographed it. Silvio was stunned when I gave him his gift. And I smiled.

Tower Records, you will be missed.

(5) opinions -- Add your opinion

Comments:

Wowzer!!

That is nothing but top end braggin' points there.

PS.

Offer Pat my best. I just can't quite summon the words. My memories are just too recent.

Michael

# posted by

Anonymous : 1:56 PM

Just walk across the street to Other Music...

# posted by

Anonymous : 2:20 PM

Up here in Boston, not only are we losing both Tower Records (in Burlington and Boston), but we are also losing the Virgin Megastore in the Back Bay, and some of the Strawberries have been closing, too.

Looks like the only game in town is Newbury Comics as well as the few used record stores that haven't shut due to high rents.

Sure, it's easy to buy music online, but I am going to miss browsing around aimlessly through all these soon-to-be-gone music stores. Very sad...

# posted by

Marc : 12:25 PM

Tower Records still exists in Japan, of course. The Japanese business was bought out by local investors a few years back, and is likely to therefore be unaffected by the loss of the former parent company.

(I am very fond of the store in Shibuya. The bookshop on the top floor is by no means the largest English language bookshop in Tokyo, but it is perhaps the best place in Tokyo to find the books that interesting people throughout the English speaking world are currently talking about).

# posted by

Michael : 8:16 PM

Even with a "20% off sale," Tower Records' prices are still too high!

Ta-ta, Tower.

# posted by

freethoughtguy : 10:49 PM