RRR was a Berkeley CA record store that myself and my friends Ray, Mik, Rick Doug, Russ and Reenie worked at in the late 70's -since Ray went on to be Sonic Youth's Road Manager their new CD is a ref to that great underground now defunct punk/new wave/import record store from my youth.From the net:
"To digress: anybody remember Rather Ripped records in Berkely? Alas, I never shopped there, but used to order from their catalog. Maybe the coolest store in America at one time, they were the hook-up for obscure imports and indies, and were probably the Residents' exclusive retail outlet for awhile. Subject of a notorious bootleg bust in the 70s, too. I hope the SY title is a tribute."
Although I frequented many record stores in Berleley in the early 80s I don't remember visiting RRR, but I did have their newsprint catalog. It was printed tabloid-style and had tiny printing. There were thousands of records in the thing (or so it seemed). I was especially impressed by the import section. I ordered a Monty Python LP and some singles, including the soon-to-be-banned "Stairway To Gilligan's Island", by Little Roger & The Goosebumps. It seems Led Zeppelin's lawyers were not happy with the groups hybrid of "Stairway To Heaven" and the theme to 'Gilligan's Island'!
ReplyDeletei used to visit Rather Ripped Records at least every Friday night between 1977 and 1979. i'd go there both because of the cool factor but also because it was where i spent a good chunk of my paycheck from working at the Record Factory in Walnut Creek buying obscure recommendations, bootlegs and t-shirts. i was out of the country when they closed so don't know much of the history of their last days. it was like a mecca though. the coolest place i ever hung out in the SF bay area.
ReplyDeleteI used to hang out at RRR during the late 1970's when I was an undergraduate at UC Berkeley. I have many fond memories of hours spent flipping through the demo albums (the ones with the corners cut off) and I remember Doug Krull introducing me to members of the Irish band Horslips at the store. I subsequently managed to see Horlips perform at a local town hall in Killarney. I was also introduced to Greg Kihn and Gary (can't recall the last name but he was a guitarist for Earth Quake).
ReplyDeleteDoug and the crew at RRR truly opened my musical horizons.