This was originally posted on Veoba.com:Residing in Chicago I find myself surrounded by many amazing record stores. Most of which pop into my head now and then (all of which I hope to write about at some point). One record shop in Chicago is my steady go to: Reckless (on Broadway). Reckless seems to always fulfill my two needs when it comes to record searching: a good place to waste some time flipping through tons of vinyl, as well as a place that (usually) has what I am looking for. There are three locations in Chicago, all of which are great, but Broadway seems to have the largest selection.
Growing up in the California, I spent many Saturdays in San Francisco shopping at Reckless and Rough Trade. Those were the two shops on the Haight I would always stop at first. These were the days before Amoeba opened its second location on the Haight in 1997. These were the days I was obsessed with Madchester, Shoegaze, WaxTrax, Native Tongues, Touch & Go, Reggae, and just discovering Sub Pop (yes, my want-list was way too long). It might be all those hours spent in Reckless SF that brings a comfort to me in Reckless Chicago… all of those memories flash by when I flip through records there.
The staff is nothing like the classic indie-snob crew at Nick Hornby and D.V. DeVincentis’ fictional Championship Vinyl that was located just down the street from Reckless on Milwaukee. It quite possibly could be because times are changing and physical music is growing less and less popular, so employees cannot afford to push people away, but the Reckless staff has always seemed to be pretty knowledgeable and friendly. The pricing is fair and the stock replenishes daily. (They actually had that Brady Bunch record for $6, the one I wrote about in my review of River Records.)
A few weeks ago I noticed a tween-ish kid standing at the counter in Reckless on Broadway buying a copy of Black Flag’s classic Damaged. It brought back so many memories of the years I’ve spent buying punk records – especially the time in sixth grade when I purchased Black Flag’s My War (should of bought Damaged instead). Simultaneously, the girl behind the counter was gushing on about how cute the kid was.
Best be sure that kid in his parochial school uniform is soon going to “Rise Above”… with his “Six Pack”… at his “TV Party.” Okay… that was kind of dorky.
Reckless Records
3126 N Broadway, Chicago, IL 60657 (773) 404-5080
1532 N Milwaukee Ave, Chicago, IL 60622 (773) 235-3727
26 E Madison Ave, Chicago, IL 60602 (312) 795-0878
