Amoeba Music

On my 15th birthday I came down to LA to hang out with my sister who moved down there a couple years earlier. She didn't really know what to do but then stated, "I went to really cool music store a while back, but all I remember is that it is across the street from a jack in the box." So we typed in jack in the box on the GPS and found ourselves searching and searching until, we found it. I think I almost peed myself when I rounded the corner of the stairs and the vast store opened up before my eyes like a boy at his first baseball game. I ended spending over 100 of my newfound birthday bucks, and don't regret a cent of it. It has now come somewhat of a tradition to go on my birthday and go all out.

When I walked into the Amoeba in Hollywood for the first time I heard a choir of angels singing and I knew my music prayers had been answered. My girlfriend Diana had brought me to Amoeba as a surprise and right then and there I knew she was the woman I wanted to spend the rest of my life with.

Amoeba is my rock n' roll savior. Music that I have found at amoeba has influenced me so much more than an illegal download ever has. In the early 00's my music taste was dominated by the moderately priced cassette selection at Amoeba. All of my "new" discoveries were awesome 80's-90's cassettes. The Jesus and Mary Chain, The Smiths/ Morrissey, The Violent Femmes, Sonic Youth, and several other favorites that are with me to this day. Downloading a song is meaningless, discovering a deal is forever.

i've been to amoeba a few times but i was there about 2 weeks ago visiting just before the jack Johnson concert at the Hollywood bowl. i was searching through the used section looking for some beach boys, cibo matto and the replacements. i was lucky enough to think to myself ( when i think to myself this leads to problems but this time it didn't) why not check the $2.99 section. sure enough there was cibo matto and the replacements sit there glowing and basking in the light that was my smile. i grab them and the beach boys run at up to the counter and bought them all right away. my friend who was with me turned to me smacked me and called me crazy. i smacked him backed and called him lazy cause he didn't look hard enough for his CD's. BAM!

My first trip to Amoeba was amazing as I flipped through the bargain bins for hours until I had to pee and found out there wasn't a restroom in the store. Even though I am not very close to the store, I save up my "music money" and make trips to buy cd's and lp's only from Amoeba several times a year. My prized possession is a signed Solomon Burke poster that I got when I met the legend at an in-store show.

Amoeba is an amazing place, I feel at home there. I always find something fantastic, they have great deals, great workers who are very helpful. I've had alot of fun times with my friends there. But the hightlight has to be meeting Shane West! He was there as i was checking out, he was even nice enough to take a minute to meet me and take a picture. It is forever a highlight of my life, I LOVE Amoeba for it! Always keeps me coming back.

I've been shopping @ the Hollywood store since it opened. There's too much stuff, that when I leave I always remember a group who's CD I wanted to buy. So I put it on my list for next time. You'll always see someone famous shopping. So one day I remember that I wanted and Elvis Costello cd. I grab it and go the jazz section and someone tells me, "Hey, he was just here 10 mins. ago." Then I go to Pop and again someone tell me, "Hey, he was just here 10 mins. ago." I catch up with my husband who see me & says, "Hey you got the CD. Did you see him? He was just here." Even my cashier told me, "Hey, he was just here, 10 mins. ago." Everybody saw him 10 mins. ago, but me. Hey, there's always next time. Luv this store.

Ever since I fell in love with vinyl, I would see the iconic symbol of the amoeba everywhere. It wasnt until my fifteenth birthday that I actually got to know what the place was like, and it lived up to every expectation I had. Ever since then the place to me has been like disneyland to a four year old. Its a place where you can hang out for hours, search through every used bin and ever 45 box, rummage through old concert posters, see your favorite bands for free, and talk music with the employees. A place for misfits and kids that have no place else in the world except their local skatepark. A community. And thats why it means so much to me. Thanks Amoeba, Happy 20th!

The first time I went to Amoeba Music, was just this year for my 27th birthday. My fiancee had just gotten her driver's license and we had a fun mini roadtrip to the Hollywood Amoeba store. I've never been to Amoeba before and I didn't know what to expect or find since I have a hard time finding my kind of music (industrial, synthpop, electronic, etc...) in other record stores. When we arrived at the store, I made an immediate beeline for the "industrial" section and the found the usual good stuff and a couple of gems. The prices are very competitive and it's the shopping experience that made it worth the drive! We spent over 2 hours roaming the aisles and digging up some out of print treasures and other newer music (loving the Social Network soundtrack and the new Crystal Castles CD), I would of stayed all day but my fiancee and sister were getting hungry. I came out of Amoeba with 12 CDs and a vow to visit this great store at least every couple of months and also visit the other Amoeba stores when I visit the bay area. Thanks Amoeba, it was a very great birthday! - Oliver R., 2010

I'm originally from Southern California but have lived in Arizona for the last 15 years. Whenever I visit my parents in CA, my dad and I love to come to Amoeba. As my own family has grown, it's gotten a little bit harder to visit because my sort of visiting involves sitting on the floor and going through the dollar vinyl bins and that's hard to do with all of the kids, but I'm planning a visit next month (alone!) and Amoeba is on our list of places to go. I can't wait to load up on some new-to-me vinyl and am looking forward to visiting again!