Pooh-Bah's Records history (Pasadena, Santa Monica, Rosemead: condo, how much, home)

[robertpasa]

Do you know the old locations of this store? It's currently in Pasadena on Colorado Blvd. near the Denny's. I was told it used to be in a house, on or near Wilson Ave.

Today the store seems so old and musty. What do you expect from a store that has vinyl and cassettes.

[StreetLegal]

Yes, I remember when it was located on Wilson & Walnut circa the very early 1990's. I was a patron and yes, it was wood frame structure that was probably originally a house. It was a pretty small store but had a nice vibe/character. The best independent record store in the LA area in those days (in my view) was Aaron's records which was on Highland near Santa Monica.

I also remember seeing a Flipside records live show in Pasadena around the same time. It was a collection of their early 90's stable of LA bands on the bill (if I recall correctly). Some skinny kid got up between bands and performed a few numbers which were a combo of Woody Guthrie meets rap meets Dino, Jr.. That kid was a "loser" and he would go on to build a large following on the LA club circuit and eventually hit it big a few years later with the "Odelay" album. His name was/is Beck Hansen.

[drunk on kool aid]

Originally Posted by robertpasa

Do you know the old locations of this store? It's currently in Pasadena on Colorado Blvd. near the Denny's. I was told it used to be in a house, on or near Wilson Ave.

Today the store seems so old and musty. What do you expect from a store that has vinyl and cassettes.

If you think the Colorado location is old and musty, you'd need a hazmat suit for the old location. Instead of across from Denny's, I'd like to describe Poo-Bah's as next door to the Colorado, the best dive bar in Pasadena. The old location is now Skein, a yarn store. I'm a bit surprised that a yarn store can make it better than a popular record store (sometimes it was hard to find street parking).

Originally Posted by StreetLegal

Yes, I remember when it was located on Wilson & Walnut circa the very early 1990's. I was a patron and yes, it was wood frame structure that was probably originally a house. It was a pretty small store but had a nice vibe/character. The best independent record store in the LA area in those days (in my view) was Aaron's records which was on Highland near Santa Monica.

Man, we probably rubbed elbows, flipping through the used bins. The ambiance of the place, with its creaking floors, was unbeatable. Couple of the employees looked like they just stepped out of a Freak Brothers comic. Don't want to think about how much coin I dropped in that place.

Aron's was one of the best. Too bad it couldn't withstand the all-consuming Amoeba.

Deceased Pasadena record shops include Moby Disc on Colorado Blvd, just east of Rosemead (near the Big 5); Penny Lane which moved so often that I couldn't keep track (South Lake, Colorado near PCC, Old Town); and Cliff's Books which had a couple bins of vinyl.

The only one left standing is Canterbury Records on Colorado, one block west of Lake. Not sure how they've been able to hang on for decades since the rent's gotta be stiff and I never see that many people in the store. Bungalow News, a great newstand (better than Vroman's) went out of business and it was basically across the street.

The PCC Flea Market had a huge section of used record vendors.

Originally Posted by StreetLegal

I also remember seeing a Flipside records live show in Pasadena around the same time. It was a collection of their early 90's stable of LA bands on the bill (if I recall correctly). Some skinny kid got up between bands and performed a few numbers which were a combo of Woody Guthrie meets rap meets Dino, Jr.. That kid was a "loser" and he would go on to build a large following on the LA club circuit and eventually hit it big a few years later with the "Odelay" album. His name was/is Beck Hansen.

Where was this show? The only appropriate Pasadena venue that I can think of is Perkins Palace (now a mixed-use condo development), but they shut down in the early 90's.

[CA4Now]

Originally Posted by drunk on kool aid

The only one left standing is Canterbury Records on Colorado, one block west of Lake. Not sure how they've been able to hang on for decades since the rent's gotta be stiff and...

It's amazing to think they've survived for so long (opened in 1956). If you click on their home page, you can watch a video clip of one of their "Record Store Days"....they must have quite a following.
Canterbury Records, Our Company

[StreetLegal]

Originally Posted by drunk on kool aid

Where was this show? The only appropriate Pasadena venue that I can think of is Perkins Palace (now a mixed-use condo development), but they shut down in the early 90's.

It was at Toe's Tavern of all places. I also went to some shows at Perkins Palace. That place hosted some great shows during its heyday....Black Flag, REM, Talking Heads, The Ramones to name a few.

[munchitup]

Originally Posted by CA4Now

It's amazing to think they've survived for so long (opened in 1956). If you click on their home page, you can watch a video clip of one of their "Record Store Days"....they must have quite a following.
Canterbury Records, Our Company

Canterbury is really disappointing, I rarely go even though I do buy vinyl and it is like 6 blocks from my house. The Poo Bah Records location to the east (mentioned in the OP) has a much better selection, especially for used vinyl.

[munchitup]

Originally Posted by StreetLegal

Yes, I remember when it was located on Wilson & Walnut circa the very early 1990's. I was a patron and yes, it was wood frame structure that was probably originally a house. It was a pretty small store but had a nice vibe/character. The best independent record store in the LA area in those days (in my view) was Aaron's records which was on Highland near Santa Monica.

I also remember seeing a Flipside records live show in Pasadena around the same time. It was a collection of their early 90's stable of LA bands on the bill (if I recall correctly). Some skinny kid got up between bands and performed a few numbers which were a combo of Woody Guthrie meets rap meets Dino, Jr.. That kid was a "loser" and he would go on to build a large following on the LA club circuit and eventually hit it big a few years later with the "Odelay" album. His name was/is Beck Hansen.

Awesome story.

[drunk on kool aid]

Originally Posted by CA4Now

It's amazing to think they've survived for so long (opened in 1956). If you click on their home page, you can watch a video clip of one of their "Record Store Days"....they must have quite a following.
Canterbury Records, Our Company

Maybe they do make most of their money online or special events but I still don't get how they survive with so little foot traffic in-store while sitting near what must be one of the most expensive intersections (Lake & Colorado) in Pasadena. I've long been suspicious that the place is a front (FSB, Illuminati, extraterrestials)?

Originally Posted by StreetLegal

It was at Toe's Tavern of all places. I also went to some shows at Perkins Palace. That place hosted some great shows during its heyday....Black Flag, REM, Talking Heads, The Ramones to name a few.

I thought about listing Toe's or the E-Bar but thought, "nah, too small for a Flipside show." I actually saw a lot of bands at Toe's, mostly local bands but also Dick Dale. Dave Wakeling used to play there a lot. Morrissey hung there for a while. $1 double feature at the Academy followed by a stop at Toe's could be a version of heaven.

When Toe's died, it became a banda bar until it was reborn as T. Boyle's.

[CA4Now]

Poo-bah is participating in Record Store Day on April 18. (Dave Grohl is this year's official ambassador of this event, which is a global celebration of independent record stores.)
http://www.recordstoreday.com/Venue/7672

[munchitup]

Originally Posted by CA4Now

Poo-bah is participating in Record Store Day on April 18. (Dave Grohl is this year's official ambassador of this event, which is a global celebration of independent record stores.)
http://www.recordstoreday.com/Venue/7672

It's too bad the corporate major label industry has taken over RSD. While there are a handful of cool limited edition releases, there is such of flood of cr*p that it is almost impossible to sift through and find the good stuff - most record stores still have a ton of old RSD releases laying around the store which they sell for almost nothing - I mean, who wants a limited edition Linkin Park graphic LP?

Plus little stores like Poo Bah get the shaft when it comes to the really cool stuff. Amoeba will get the vast majority of the cool stuff.