Categories
record store suburbs

Rainbow Records, Barrington

Impromptu stop was warranted by my observant colleague (pictured above) noticing the sign (pictured below) as we burned down NW Hwy on our way to Cary.  Be damned the fact that I was starving by the time we were headed back in the other direction and I was only delaying our late (already 2pm) lunch further, I had to swing through.

Well organized store with a friendly proprietor behind the register almost scoffed at my inquiry regarding barbershop quartet music but I continued on nonetheless.  I couldn’t seem to find anything that tickled my fancy and while recently I have matured enough to leave a venue without a ‘consolation prize’ (awarded to myself), I decided I would not leave empty handed today.  I rooted around in the jazz bin to no avail and finally relegated myself to the dollar bin on the floor.  There I found a copy of a Mahavishnu (the man, not the band) side project I have long owned as a digital album.  I already know the music isn’t that mind blowing but the gatefold was illustrative enough to draw me in (along with the price).

It seemed like the owner had a helper who stopped in…he was instructed to add plastic sleeves to a stack of new vinyl sans those which were ‘not collectible’, though that determination it seemed could only be made by the owner himself.  A chorus of “collectible?” followed; it culminated as I stood at the register paying when he asked that question of a 70s soft rock slightly-under-the-radar LP.  I immediately spoke up: ‘Sky High’ and the man behind the counter casually commended by knowledge.  Funny because this very well could have been a different album – the album is named after that cut but the cover does not betray that fact, it appears self titled.  Lucky guess.

I knew this business card looked familiar….