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Categories: Music & DVD's, Arts & Entertainment [Edit]
Neighborhood: Haight-AshburyMon-Sat. 10:30 a.m. - 10:00 p.m.
Sun. 11:00 a.m. - 9:00 p.m.
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Life without Amoeba would be like life without food, water, sex, or coffee.
It has the potential to be as dangerous as all of the above as well. The damage is localized to your pocket though.
Living near Stanyan and Frederick was dangerous, simply because of it's proximity to this place, 3… Read more »
there are times in my life that i can't concentrate, my mind is consumed with an ineffable force. this feeling happens very rarely, my days are bound to certain images, i become confined, perplexed, the sidewalks feel like pillows. when this happens, i generally collect my most treasured sounds.
the "new" used record bin at Amoeba is my antidote to my unusual behavior. i love scouring and finding rare pressings, nostalgic gems, obscure 45's. i go home, play my finds, the defrosting is auspicious.
my notable scores that i will share with you:
http://www.youtube.com...
http://www.youtube.com...
i would be a dreadful human without my music.
I am a huge fan of purchasing used items...talk about one man's trash is another man's treasure! CDs are definitely the cheapest item in this store. What I enjoyed was the very detailed genres of music and movies. I also appreciate the personalities of the staff and their staff picks in each genre of music. It's because of this I am able to listen to new music (well new to me).
I was on the hunt recently for Amy Winehouse's first album FRANK and I found it for about $8! Great find! Great condition! Great timing!
SUPER HIGHLIGHT: The store is open laaaaaaate. Beauftiful!
The reason that i would give this one a lower rating is because is falls short of how amazing the Hollywood location of this store is.
not to say this location does not have a good selection. If i lived in frisco, this would definitely be my choice of places to shop for music. But if it was between Hollywood Amoeba or this one, i would choose Hollywood. (tough, i do not know how you would be posed with that choice seeing that the two stores are 6-7 hours away from each other via car.)
Do people still buy DVDs and CDs instead of downloading them online? Well, I don't know...but I certainly will after walking out of this store.
Went in today hoping to buy some trance CDs, but couldn't find any of my favorite DJs. Anyway, I decided to walk to the DVD section to browse around. The clearance section on used DVDs caught my eye and spent the next hour looking for some familiar titles I may want to buy. I did find one title and for $4.99, this is, far most the cheapest price I could buy for a used DVD with no scratches at all. Talk about a deal here.
Since I have never bought a used DVD before because of no particular reasons other than thinking it's all covered in scratches, a store associate told me that the red tags ($4.99+) usually have some sort of defects and was willing to open the case to examine the CD. Because of him, and since the DVD had no scratches, I decided to buy it.
Left the store happy..and hopefully the trance album I wanted will be in stock soon...they have very good prices!!!
I write this as a collector of house / techno vinyl and a couple random mix cds as well.
They don't have listening stations. This is both a plus and a minus.
Minus - not a place to find out about new music - that is now reserved for online only. You have to go in there with a list of newish wax you want to purchase. They will have some of your list for sure as their stock moves quite quickly. Often I forget my list and go in with memory only. Due to this, I've walked out of their with some real duds thinking it was something different when I was in there.
Plus - morons with no knowledge of vinyl can't get their fingerprints all over the pieces and possible scratch the wax. You know your needles are the first to cut into the wax when you get home. This is often quite nice. The other plus side is that the sheer numbers of buyable wax keeps my pocketbook in check. Even without listening stations, I often find myself with $250 worth at the end of my shopping experience. It is hard for me to cut that $250 down to $100-140 which is often the cheapest I can get out of there spending.
The real gem of Amoeba is the used vinyl. A good couple thousand records priced from $1.99-4.99 usually, most closer to the $1.99-2.99 range. I am utterly amazed by how quickly this vinyl moves there. I've gone back only a couple weeks after digging and it seemed like almost every record I didn't remember seeing in there for my last dig. The prices are so cheap that I can walk out with 15 used records and know that at least 8 will be duds. That's alright cause 2-3 are gems that make up for the other garbage I had a hunch on.
Lots of CDs, lots of wax and often there are bands that play at the shop. The lines move quickly as there are so many employees at the register.
You can sell your used wax as well and I hear they will give you $0.50-$1.00 per record depending on the condition, quality and mood of the buyer that day. I've yet to try selling any, but am thinking I may do so in the near future with some of my older, stale wax.
Parking around there usually sucks - be prepared to drive around for a while. Oh yeah, and don't park in McDonalds next door, even for 5 minutes. You will get your car towed for certain.
I can easily lose track of 2-3 hours in this musical mecca that is Amoeba Records.
Who doesn't love Ameoba? A stroll down Height is never complete without a stop in Amoeba. I've stumbled into a few good free in store performances which is always fun!
Browsing through the vinyl and cds always takes at least 1 hour... I adore this place.
I knew about this store before I ever even stepped foot in it. My sister is a DJ on the side, she used to live right behind Cha Cha Cha's back in the day, and last time she visited me in SF, she spent an easy $500 on vinyl at this store. I thought she could've gotten more than a free bag from the cashier when she made this huge purchase, but it was a nice thought nonetheless.
I love rifling through all the records and since I don't really buy CDs anymore, I really only check out the vinyl and the videos they've got. I wish DVDs didn't cost so much though....their selection of foreign films is pretty good as well.
i almost just wanted to write, "duh". Of course amoeba is the shit. I was looking for a local bands CD and was having trouble finding it. The information desk was very helpful AND i was trying to locate Belly of the Whale and one of the workers searched high and low for me!!
Good dedicated workers.
and the guy who checked me out was super friendly and cute.....
Can't say i buy too much CDs anymore, but i heart this place!!
Oh and did i say cheap??
I tried really hard not to love Amoeba. I made excuses, was annoyed by the staff, made sure to only look for super obscure things I would never find and at some point - I think after I took my mom to her first Hip Hop show when Immortal Technique performed there - I said 'fuck it, this place is awesome.' It really is, if you're broke you can go through the clearance sections and find gems. If you're broke but it's payday you can be totally irresponsible and spend more than you should yet somehow still be satisfied because you scored some great shit and yeah you're eating ramen for 10 days but hell at least you found that Billy Childish 45 that you never thought you'd ever even get a chance to see in person. Amoeba, you are magical, and with every day that yet another record store closes you become more magical.
I LOVE AMOEBA!
Amoeba id by far one of my favorite places in SF. If you're a music freak and still collect tangible music, not digital crap, this is the place to go. The offerings are extensive from old to new and the price is great. You can listen to the CDs in the store before buying them and the vibe of the place is awesome. They also have a great selection of DVDs and super nice sales.
I have been to all three Amoeba locations and I think I like the SF one the best, the one is Berkeley is kinda small.
Stumbled in here awhile back with honey lady and a friend. He needed to come in and look for some VHS, yea I said VHS, since we were all tired of watching Taxi Driver over and over. No matter how good a movie is, over and over gets old.
They have every thing. New and old, no matter what format you need. Honey lady found a 8 VHS box of Ab Fab! Way cool, and only 10 bucks. Yea, she got them. We have DVD, so there at the friends place where VHS still roams.
This store is huge, and the staff is nice with good tunes pumping all over the store.You do have to leave your bag at the door, but that's cool since with all the stuff they have I'm sure some knuckle heads do try and rip them off.
Well, Amoeba had the CD that I've been hunting for a used copy of for years (an awkward sentence if there ever was one), so they get an instant 5 from me. It was the soundtrack to the Spanish movie Sex and Lucia that I was after, and no used CD store I'd ever visited had had it. What's more, despite being four years old, it still costs $11 plus shipping if you buy it used online! But there it was, one lone copy, for seven bucks.
I wandered through the immense inventory for a while afterwards, but it was too overwhelming. And I already had my treasure. One day I shall return in search of more.
There are many mythic places that have been rumored to exist over the years. There was El Dorado, as well as the lost cities of gold, Quivira and Cíbola. To this day survives the legend of Atlantis. There are some who believe there is a Fountain of Youth. And, for some, there is the Legend of the Bowling Alley of Music.
This legend tells of a music store that is so incredibly large that it has to be housed in an abandoned bowling alley. The lanes themselves now covered with all the music that can be found in the world.
Treasure can be found in the cd and record bins that stand where once were bowling pins.
Such a place can exist.
Such a place does exist.
But I'll never say where.
This is hands down my favorite CD/vinyl store in the Bay Area. It's a big store with a lot to look at. If I don't bring a list, my eyes glaze over and I'll shop for hours.
If you're looking for ideas, they publish a booklet of music they like/recommend. The listings are by staff member. I'm always stoked to get turned on to new music
The sales people are quite knowledgeable and are usually happy to help you find stuff. If they know there is a used copy of the CD you're looking for, they will direct you to it. If they aren't familiar with the artist/title they will do a search for you. Exceptional customer service.
Like most places, they also take trade-ins. If you have a CD or 10 that you're not listening to anymore, bring them in and trade for something new or get cash. The value is always greater in trade than cash though.
There have been a few times when I've caught an in-store appearance. Bonus!
My favorite store in the Bay for music!
The store fits in well with the Haight Street stratosphere. It's still refreshing and nostalgic walking into this place knowing technology has not put them under yet. And, I always get a buzz thinking about all genres and subcultures brought together under one roof. There's no place else like this on earth.
I digress...
Lotsa Vinyl. HUGE used CD space. New releases tend to be a bit spendy. They have VHS but not sure of 8 track or DAT. Seems you never get what you should when you sell your used music. But, this seems to be "in-line" with other used music stores. Posters on the walls are fun to peruse. There's a small stage for live performance which is a nice amenity. Parking can be a bit tough during business hours
As Jimmie Hendrix would say, it's an "Experience".
Ok I want to make this clear that I am just referring to the "record" section of this store. It has so gone downhill. The specialty stores in the city do such a better job. Of course if you know employees here you are hip to the fact that all 150 of them cream anything good before it gets out to the bins.
My rating doesn't really count.. YET! I'm moving to San Fran from CT in about 3 weeks and I am most excited to visit this place. I've heard from friends, friends of friends, friends of friends of friends, about how rad this place is. I'm purposely putting aside a bit of money to buy myself a "Welcome to SF!" present.. or five.
UPDATE: you are all I ever wanted you to be! first visit and i scored a yum yum tree 7" for $.50 and went whirling back to my sweet fifteen/sixteen year old days of fishnets and safety pins. thank you, thank you, thank you.
Where is the secret feature to 6 stars?? I have been coming here for over 14 years. Best cd store in the world.
I love the bargain bin!! My fav music for $1.99 ..And it's unopened!!
I truly love the little book they put out every so often of their picks for the year. Some really obscure stuff!!
Really impressive selection of music, movies, and more. If you have never been, you haven't really lived yet..
After Green Apple music decided to pass up on most of my cds (which btw are in GREAT condition), I decided to head over to Amoeba.
I have sold some of my music here once before and I remember getting a great deal. Four DVDs and about 25 cds got me $40 trade in value or $20 cash. I decided to take the credit to trade for a much wanted copy of Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory (widescreen version). A new copy cost $18.98, but with my credit, that comes out to be about $10 cash. I thought about purchasing online. A used copy runs about $8 on http://half.com... so I was SOLD! Boy, was I excited!!!
After paying, I had about $20 left and traded that for $10 cash value. Whoo hoo! With $10 in my pocket and a DVD which brings memories of my childhood in my hand, I walked out the store, crossing a bunch of teens who trailed a whiff of wEEd odor! I suddenly remember I'm in the haight.
Overall, I loved the service. Everyone was so nice! I noticed the time. Yes, it was 4:20ish. Hmm...
I did find a CD I wanted that was somewhat rare, from 1991 and was in its original shrink wrap here. Yes, a Morrissey CD single. No surprise for those who know me. Anyhow, this is smaller than the LA Amoeba but larger than the Berkeley Amoeba.
It's a great place to listen to CDs. They have listening posts here as they do in their other locations and I was able to discern which CDs I wanted to buy and which I would leave behind.
I was hoping to see more vinyl selections, but LA's Amoeba may be a better bet for that. There are some interesting finds here, like a $2.99 DVD of the Chinese version of Initial D with English subtitles that my husband bought. There were two DVD's inside: movie and special features. The special features DVD did not have subtitles but it was still an interesting purchase.
I think the 4 star rating is largely due to experience with the LA Amoeba store, which is a lot bigger and the prices seem a little lower. The SF location still made for a fun experience.
Pros
+ abundant selection of indie, punk, alternative
+ great hipster ambience
+ Located in the Haight
Cons
- most new CDs are overpriced. $20 for Regina Spektor's Begin to Hope (2cd set)?
Thank fucking god that these guys are still in the record business.
There are a million reasons that they've outlasted RIchard Branson's VIrgin store on Market, all of the Tower stores, and all of the other record stores in the area. I'm not sure what those reasons are, but I think there a million of them.
YAY AMOEBA MUSIC!
I usually go to Amoeba in Hollywood and am overwhelmed every time, but this branch goes far beyond my expecations for a large selection of rare music and $1 vinyl that does not only include crappy 80's slow jamz. If you are in San Francisco and more specifically Haight and Ashbury, don't forget to stop by! :)
The last time I went here, I found a very rare gem. It was a VHS tape for "The Sisters of Mercy". I loved the videos I saw of them on mtv and their music as well. I bought it of course. It had over 12 videos on it, mostly the ones from their CD "Floodland" and their last one. I loved it! They're from England and not huge in the US. They just have a cult following.
This store is awesome. It's HUGE! It has two levels and everything is nicely separated except for the used CD section. It'll take time to sort thru all the mess. The prices are good though. I got one interesting looking band called "The Suicide Machines" and I liked some of the songs on there. I think it was only $4.95 for a full length CD!
They have listening booths upstairs. The staff doesn't seem that friendly though, but whatever. If you know what you're looking for, then go here as you'll probably be able to find what you're looking for no matter what kind of music you listen to.
One more thing, don't park at McDonalds. They're very strict about parking enforcement. There are also a lot of homeless people and people who look like crack addicts around the area, so it's better to go there during the day or with a friend or family member who looks intimidating, lol.
Mostly everyone buys their music online now. If you aren't looking for records, this might not be your spot, but I can go for an occasional CD every now and then, plus they have a DVD selection, PLUS live performances. The only crappy thing is the location. Parking sucks. Such a cool atmosphere though. Also a good place to meet people and talk about music!
A great replacement for my childhood haunt of the former Rock 'N Bowl venue that Amoeba now is the predecessor of. I have been able to replace many a lost, stolen or worn out CD and movie there in the rows of shelves and even found some of my old childhood favorites dating back to the 80's and 90's, like Scritti Politti's: Cupid and Psyche 85, The Artifacts: That's Us, Jeru The Damaja: The Sun Rises in the East, and literally hundreds more that I enjoyed in my youth. Staff is hit or miss, but the World section and the animation, martial arts, action, and collectors sets make me smile like a drunken content sailor. I still drool over my amazing collectors sets of BLADE RUNNER (includes the mock metal case with limited edition card, model of vehicle and layout sketches with a miniature plastic origami unicorn like in the movie), Boondocks (gotta go back to find second season boxed), Initial D First Stage and Second Stage boxed set, Afro Samurai Special collectors set, and numerous others I searched for a reasonable price on over many years. My good friend and fellow host on PIRATE CAT RADIO, Dj Asik, works over in my main fav section of WORLD music which is a HUGE plus for me too! I enjoy getting my selections and then air board ollie the center staircase to the top on my way to make the purchase (I have yet to miss that top step in the years of shopping there; knock on wood *tap tap*).
In store appearances are always a treat to walk in on too! Puffy Ami Yumi was my first show experience. Maybe you will get to experience my musical associates there one day when TAWk drops their album on Amoeba soon? Hope so.
SHINOBI 009
What a great find! I took my musical family on a magical mystery tour of the Haight and this was the highlight. In fact everyone lost interest in all other San Francisco landmarks after this point. Something good to note if you're sick of taking people around the city. This is a one stop drop - they'll be lost for hours and will want to go home and sleep off their musical purchasing bliss.
Amoeba
A cool place ,
But Oh so dangerous .
Why dangerous?
Because there is so much good music there.
New & Used.
I live down the street and I can only go there once a month.
Otherwise I would have no money.
There are so many box sets. I really do not need but would love to have.That I don't even look at them anymore.
The listening stations are great.
But they only add the question do I buy just one or all of the Cd's.
On the minus side I do wish that they would have more Reggae on the listening stations. (hint I would buy more Cd's)
And don't even get me started on the DVD's I want lots of them too!
Don't forget to check out the live Music .
A great place .
Catnip or Cd's Hummmmmmmm...
-Simon The Cat
HUGE SELECTION OF MUSIC AND FILM IN A FORMER BOWLING ALLEY
I still make regular visits here to locate hard-to-find CDs and DVDs. I always find something here to buy. It is comforting for me to stroll down the aisles of Ameoba Music in the afternoon and browse though the used and new CDs. Digital music will never be this much fun!
I walked in wide-eyed with a huge smile spread across my face. I've never seen so many records in one place! And everything was so neatly organized! Amazing.
They have everything you would ever want to find in a record store. I swear I could spend hours upon hours in this place, just browsing around. Unfortunately, I was short on time and money during my visit to this wonderful record store.
I was able to find the things I was looking for, and on top of that, I found some stuff I wasn't planning on finding, which is awesome. I picked up Sufjan Stevens' "Illinoise" and Jenny Lewis' "Rabbit Fur Coat" both on vinyl.
I didn't stay for long. If I did, I think my bank account would be angry with me. Needless to say, the next time I'm in San Francisco, this place will be at the top of my list. I love music.
Amoeba is the closest thing to Empire Records that exists in this age of iTunes and MP3's. The art of searching for a record seems lost these days. Bands are figuring out alternative methods to release and market their music to acquiesce to the ongoing digital revolution. However, if you're a vinyl or import collecting enthusiast then Amoeba is your music utopia. Aisles, walls and crates of new and used music are abundant. Even browsing through Amoeba's endless racks of Fillmore posters could take hours. This place made me wish I never sold my vinyl collection. However, I wish there was a bigger Shoegaze and Indie selection.
Once I relocate to the Bay Area, I definitely see myself being a regular here and turning into a degenerate Rob Gordon à la High Fidelity.
Its hard to not give Amoeba five stars... they are the biggest and when you hear someone say they have EVERYTHING, it's pretty much true. I mean, there are times I havent found something BUT I always find something to leave with. The service you'll receive is "indie record store cliche" but with that SF smile. Ya know the one, everyone is so happy to be living here they cant be mad: one of my favorite things about living in the Bay.
Go find some new music today. Enjoy!
Back in S.F. after livin in the midwest Gawd i missed this store. Thanks for all the tunes.
Even though the jazz section has moved from the street-facing room to a smaller section on the main floor, Amoeba still has a great selection.
Most recently, I finally bought Horace Silver: Song For My Father here for something like $10.
Over the years, I've bought plenty of jazz posters, hard-to-find discs, and a few punk rock CDs here.
I don't like the surrounding neighborhood and the street urchins that aggressively panhandle outside the store.
Once inside the store, however, I'm in music store heaven :)
Amoeba... what a treat.
Thank you for breaking down music genres beautifully.
Thank you for always having great and entertaining recommendations.
Thanks for clearance bins, records, posters, and dvds.
Staff: thank you for letting me go up to you over and over again to ask you where to find my music picks...
and my favorite: thanks for the amazing soundtrack to further enhance my fine amoeba shopping experience.
This music warehouse is the best place i've ever gone for my music needs. Since I grew up here I assumed all cities had something like this, but when I moved I realized stores like Ameoba give SF its great reputation for music.
I would highly recommend this place to anyone looking for non-mainstream music and having trouble finding it. This is the place to be.
It's also a great place to find LPs, limited edition music, and even obscure DVDS, CDS, LP's, music paraphenalia, etc.
They also have live concerts which is added bonus to this wonderful music playland.
While I'm not a fan of the general neighborhood (because I can have some surly burn-out in a jester cap aggressively beg me for a dollar back home, THANKS), I would actually donate a kidney to Amoeba if it asked me to. It makes me salivate a little bit when I think about the times I've wandered in, looking for a handful of weird, obscure experimental noise bands, and walked out with an actual stack of albums. FOR CHEAP.
Let me just mention that I bought a used dvd of "Executive Koala" at Amoeba last week. You don't have to know what that is to know that this is awesome.
I love you, Amoeba.
Unbelievably varied selection with new/used music on CD or vinyl. My buddy took his mom there and she found the Irish music she liked. Amoeba is a cool enough experience to balance the sometimes spotty service. My last time there they were making some pretty funny mistakes but since I was able to redeem my gift coupon, buy three diverse music items, and need only 15 cents cash, it was a productive experience. I would take visitors there. They'll like its flavor and want to buy stuff. Don't park in the McDonald's parking lot -- I've seen them tow cars.
You gave me $1 for 3 VHS tapes? Seriously. WTF??? I was shocked that Amoeba even bought/sold video cassettes. But last week when I was in and I saw that you had some videos for $4.99 to $5.99 and I asked if you bought VHS and you said, yes but we're really picky. I didn't know that you meant you wouldn't pay jack for my tapes. I really didn't want to take those tapes home with me, and I really didn't want to give them to Goodwill, and I really didn't want to leave them on top of a garbage can, but $1??? Seriously. Not $1 each: $0.33 +$0.001/33333 each. This place sucks. And the people who work here are really unhappy. I took my $1 though and I'm gonna take that $1 and buy a lottery ticket and it's gonna win. And when I'm a millionaire I'm gonna laugh at all you suckas who shop at Amoeba. Foolz! What a joke!
Neighborhood: UC Campus Area
Category: Music & DVD's
Neighborhood: North Berkeley Hills
Category: Performing Arts
Neighborhood: Lower Haight
Category: Vinyl Records
Neighborhood: Hayes Valley
Category: Music & DVD's
Neighborhood: Lower Haight
Category: Music & DVD's
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