“It’s The End Of The World As We Know It” -- REM

On the Sunset Strip

Photo courtesy of Ron Niebrugge at www.wildnatureimages.com.
Thanks, Ron, for the usage of your photo.

Tower Records, right on the heart of the Sunset Strip, has passed on. The L.A. landmark for seemingly forever, has fell the way of so many that thrived before, and now joins the fraternity of The Brown Derby, Flippers, The Starwood, Gazzari’s, The Ambassador Hotel and so many other of our deceased city building institutional icons. Now I know what you might be saying: Progress and development always brings change and nothing lasts forever. However, Tower Records on the Sunset Strip was something much more special.

Tower Records, home to thousands of customers that purchased hundreds of thousands of albums and 8-tracks, and later cassettes and compact discs. Of all the Tower Records all over the world from Argentina and Columbia to the United Kingdom, Japan, Israel, Hong Kong, Canada, UAE, Mexico and all its worldwide locations, none was more recognized, none more popularized than the Tower Records on the Sunset Strip. No other store combined, had more in store autograph signings, more parking lot and indoor concerts, filmed in or at or seen as a backdrop in motion picture and television, was shopped at by more recording artists, and was the site of more midnight album and CD releases. Tower Records on the Sunset Strip, was it all because it had it all and was visited by all. To know the birth of Tower Records on the Sunset Strip, one however must look up the highway some 300 miles to the city of Sacramento.

Tower Records was founded in 1960 by Russ Solomon in Sacramento, California. As the story is told, Russ started selling records in a store named for his father’s drugstore, which shared a building and name with the Tower Theatre. Officially, the first Tower Records was on Watt Avenue in Sacramento. With the absolute explosion of music in pop, rock and soul in the 1960’s, when selling records began as a profitable business. Finding success, Russ opened a second store seven years later in what was an old grocery store building on the corner of Bay and Columbus Streets, in San Francisco. In 1971, Russ purchased a piece of land at 8801 Sunset Blvd., and Los Angeles had its first area location of Tower Records.

The music business thrived in the 1970’s and record sales grew each year. With bands such as Led Zeppelin, Deep Purple, and The Rolling Stones selling out concerts as fast as they were selling albums, and as AM Top 40 radio provided the source to hear what was the next hottest 45rpm to purchase, and located at one of the heaviest traffic areas and nightly car cruise hop’s in the country, Tower Records on the Sunset Strip was a recipe for success. At 10,000 square feet of record selling space, the Sunset Strip location was clearly the biggest location (of its time) at that time. Ma and pa record shops, though plentiful in and around all of Los Angeles and its areas, simply paled in comparison. Before Virgin Records and its megastore outlets and before the internet and any on line shops, and before Target and Wal-Mart and their discount pricing, Tower Records on the Sunset Strip had no rival when it came to price, inventory, availability, or personality. Not Music+ Plus, Big Ben’s, Sam Goody, The Wherehouse, or the very hip Licorice Pizza could match Tower Records.

Open until Midnight, and later until 1:00am on weekends, the Sunset Strip location was a hangout and a gathering of those who brought attitude and trend to its location. Proudly, and for years during its height, Tower Records on the Sunset Strip with its colorful billboards and oversized album displays, easily was claimed as “the largest record store in the nation”. One never knew who might be shopping in the store or simply show up and been seen there. Impromptu autograph signings and signings advertised before hand, as well as release parties, radio station broadcasts, and rock groups and individuals were as common as the stores regular shoppers. For 30+ years, it was indeed “Glory Days”.

Gene Simmons was a regular customer, as was Bruce Springsteen during the time he lived in L.A., Elton John, Stephen Stills, Slash, Tommy Lee, Nancy Sinatra, Ray Manzarek, Don Henley, so many other of the super of superstars were seen at one time or another shopping at Tower Records on the Strip. On March 21, 1995, as a boost and promo for the release of his “Made In England” LP, Elton John did an in store signing that saw over 1000+ fans line up in and out of the parking lot for a chance to obtain an autograph. Elton would later do a second signing when his soundtrack to “El Dorado” was released. Keith Richards, Santana, Bob Hope, John Entwhistle, The Go-Go’s, Grace Slick, Engelbert Humperdinck, Mariah Carey, David Lee Roth, and so many more, countless, have all participated in autograph signings, or as Rod Stewart, Randy Newman, Duran Duran, and even David Cassidy, as well as others, set up a stage in the parking lot and performed a free concert. Tower Records on the Sunset Strip can be seen in many films and television shows as either a backdrop, being driven passed or actually filmed at as in the 1978 film, “Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band”.

Pink Floyd, as a promo for its 1979 release of “The Wall” displayed a giant hook and crane model of its “School Teacher” character from the LP draped large over the top and front of the store. Madonna had a huge display topped on the roof for her “Immaculate Collection” LP as well as Michael Jackson for his “HIStory” LP and CD. Soon, all major LP and later CD releases got major display, as everyone from The Smashing Pumpkins, to Guns and Roses, received very colorful and most elaborate displays on the roof of Tower Records, for all on the Sunset Strip to see as they cruised around the curve that bends Sunset Blvd. By the end of the millennium, Tower Records on the Sunset Strip was as worldwide known as the Hollywood Sign, Grauman's Chinese Theatre, or The Hollywood Bowl, especially to anyone affiliated with or ever bought a record while here in L.A.. However, with all this success, little could anyone imagine that in just 6 very short years, the end to such a cultural titanic would, too, slowly sink.

We all should have seen it coming. Many of the before mentioned record outlets had already long folded, and Tower Records and its worldwide rival, the Richard Branson owned Virgin Records, were being seriously and mortally wounded by the internet and its seemingly endless ability to download music. Too, music had changed. Long gone were the vast amounts of concept albums where an album or CD told you a “story” or a “theme” and listening to the entire ten or twelve songs that made up that album or CD, meant you could fully understand and appreciate the artists body of work. Replaced by, pop hits and breast busting artists and/or hip hopping tunes that what the masses are now buying. Obtaining such music now in the computer age, was as easy as a click or a tab and from the comfort of ones chair, and if not free, certainly for a fraction of what Tower Records and others were charging. Radio had changed, the switchover revolution from LP’s to cassettes to compact discs was long over and Tower Records found its profits doing something as we entered the new decade that it hadn’t ever done before: decrease.

Tower Records entered bankruptcy for the first time in 2004. Besides a change in the entire radio and music listening/purchasing industry, the heavy debt that incurred during a vast and aggressive expansion of the entire 1990’s worldwide, heavy competition from such discount retail stores, absolute piracy of music off the Internet, sales of used records and CD’s, all factored in to decreasing sales at Tower Records. Though Tower Records too had entered into on line shopping, scan and listen stations at their stores, rewards and points earned for futures transactions with every purchase, and even sampling, the great ship known as Tower Records was listing heavily. In spite of perhaps the inevitable for the franchise, Tower Records on the Sunset Strip continually promoted itself and the artist as the leader of where to shop when in L.A.. Its billboards continued to be displayed brightly, it’s parking lot seemed always full, and you could still see artists and celebrities shopping in the store. At night, those bright lights never dimmed as you drown past on Sunset Blvd. Tower Records of the 2000’s appeared on the outside much like the Tower Records on the 1970’s and 1980’s on the Sunset Strip. But inside its own infrastructure Tower Records and even it Sunset Strip location was no longer needed, especially at $18.99 for a catalog CD. Many of what was now the CD purchasing public simply laughed at such ridiculous prices. Kids of the internet generation didn’t miss pink and green haired store clerks or the brushing of buns up and down the aisles or the ritual act of fingering through stacks of LP’s and CD’s, or finding treasures in those old wooden racks and bins. All such treasure hunting and joy, had been replaced by a click of a mouse.

On August 20, 2006, Tower Records filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy for the second time in two years, in order to facilitate a purchase of the company prior to the upcoming holiday season. On October 6, 2006, Great American Group won an auction of the company’s assets and began liquidating proceedings the very next day. A going out of business sale soon followed and one by one across the nation and overseas, Tower Records began to close. On October 11, 2006 the listing ship know as Tower Records on the Sunset Strip the titanic of all record stores finally sank and closed its doors for good. By Christmas of the same year, doors were closing on all the Tower Record stores across the county and, with few exceptions, worldwide.

As of January 1, 2008, the northwest corner of Horn and Sunset Blvd. is indeed blue. Painted blue. The parking lot is chained off, the billboards and logos are long gone, any resemblance is just now and eye sore as the entire building has been painted a pathetic dull blue. Long gone is the feel of fresh vinyl, zombies and freaks that you sought for help while grazing at the store. Walking down the street from The Rainbow or The Whiskey to pick up a CD at midnight or to hang out and smell the aroma of the streets or whatever was going on and smelling in the parking lot, is now lost forever. Jobs lost, a culture gone, and a landmark uprooted as progress prevailed.

As far as selling of albums, tapes or CD’s…

..it is indeed the end of the world as we know it.
 

www.rockandrollcollection.com
March 2008