There’s nothing quite like tearing the plastic from a fresh-off-the-presses record, digging into the bonus artwork and lyric sheets and sticking that baby on the turntable for the very first time. But sometimes you don’t need all that pomp and circumstance. Sometimes, you just want a well-loved LP sleeve with “property of Ed Jr.” scrawled on the inside cover and the edges so worn that they’re practically round. When you’re in the mood for the latter, consider hitting up Trolley Stop Record Shop, 1807 N. Classen Blvd., in Oklahoma City.
The first time I went to Trolley Stop, I opened the door, tripped over a dog, stumbled into a crate of soundtracks and miraculously landed before a row of Robert Plant albums (destiny, clearly). Trolley Stop is like one of those 3D drawings; upon first glance it might hurt your eyes, but after taking each piece in bit by bit, you’re mesmerized. Barely spacious enough to fit your extended family, Trolley Stop is structured for the audiophile who knows what he or she is looking for (or at least has a faint sense of what bands he or she is into). Every spare space is stacked with records — on shelves, in crates, on the floor and spilling over the counter. Call it organized chaos, but the system works.
And it’s the good stuff: every classic album you could imagine, limited edition cuts, imports you never even knew existed — I wish I could just put it all on a tab. I went in there on a mission; I definitely wanted some Chuck Berry, but I would also take a random Stones single if they had it. Needless to say, I got it all and then some: The London Chuck Berry Sessions; The Beatles’ Live! at the Star-Club in Hamburg, Germany, 1962; The Rolling Stones’ Love You Live; Parisian Swing featuring Django Reinhardt; and, lastly, Joan Jett’s classic Bad Reputation. All this magic, I kid you not, set me back about $60.
Plus, the guys who run the place — long-haired and distinguishably grey — are clearly the type of dudes who have seen it all and lived it all and regularly sell rare Zeppelin albums over the phone for $200-plus. (Witnessed it. They know their shit.) So I’m sure you’ve gotten the gist, but if you have a spare afternoon, take some time and spend it at Trolley Stop Record Shop. Even if you don’t walk away with everything on your wish list, I guarantee you’ll leave with something bound to be a go-to new favorite.
