Finding deals on used tunes on amazon.com or Ebay is good for your pocketbook, but not always good for your soul. There's just something therapeutic about killing some time sifting through CD and record bins at a quality music store. Luckily, D.C. has some gems that won't drain the checkbook ... right away.
Revolution Records 4215 Connecticut Ave., NW (202) 237-2480 Metro: Van Ness (red line)
Revolution Records is one of the closest to campus, located right across from the Van Ness Metro station. They've got a big supply of good-for-you bands as well as plenty of the popular guilty pleasures to keep browsers occupied. The employees want to talk about their top 10 list of the past year, and love it when customers ask them about obscure titles they've sold out of, just so that they can order more.
Melody Record Shop 1623 Connecticut Ave., NW (202) 232-4002
Dupont Circle's Melody Records is time-tested and all-around great. Since its opening in 1977, the store has established itself as the place to go to find what you need at reasonable prices. It has the size and volume of a bigger chain store, but the choice picks of a small mom and pop store - everything from Architecture in Helsinki to Patrick Wolf. And for all the world music fans, this store has a larger-than-most world music section, where patrons can find everything from Dominican meringue to Tibetan folk music.
CD Warehouse 3001 M St., NW (202) 625-7101
These guys are located on M Street in Georgetown and really take their stuff seriously. They're one of the most organized record stores in the city (down to even the flyers at the door), and they've got genuine excitement for all of the musical events happening around town. They can be a bit pricy, but it's still worth thumbing through the selection.
EDITOR'S PICK: Crooked Beats 2318 18th St., NW (202) 483-BEAT
Nestled in a cozy basement in Adams Morgan, Crooked Beat records is one of D.C.'s premiere indie-rock record shit holes. Complete with snobby clerks blasting everything from Os Mutantes to Interpol, this tiny record store will be sure to give off that masochistic "I'm being watched and judged" feeling so craved by record shoppers. The store boasts a healthy new and used vinyl section, pretty reliable new and used CD selection and a handy "local DC" section (the easier to find your Rites of Spring remasters!). They also host in-store events (no telling how, the thing's the size of a dorm room), actively participating in the local music community.
CD/Game Exchange 4533 Wisconsin Ave., NW (202) 966-8307
These guys are located all over the place, and there's one in Tenleytown for everyone's convenience. They'll buy old stuff and sell someone else's old stuff for less than five bucks. Not a bad deal, especially for those seeking something circa 1998 that one never bothered to pick up back when it was hip.
