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| - It's tough to find a decent record store in Central Illinois anymore. The now-defunct Record Service used to be the "it" store to go to for all of your CD and vinyl needs in Champaign, but now we only have one small store--Exile on Main Street.
Since my musical taste isn't quite as indie as Exile caters to, I prefer to take the short drive to Monticello to Any Frequency. The selection of rock is pretty decent, and most of the CDs are new--there's a smaller section of used CDs, as well. I bought Mumford and Sons' new CD there, as well as a limited edition single of the Beach Boys' "Good Vibrations." They also have a nice selection of new vinyl, including leftovers from Record Store Day. I found some treasures in that department, stuff that more combed-through stores have sold out of long ago.
The owner, Tim, was really nice and helpful. He showed this novice how to tell the difference between a nice and a cheap record player, and even threw in a used Beach Boys LP after I bought several 45s.
I hope this record store stays open! Any Frequency has really reasonable prices, too--better than most places around here. Also, parking in downtown Monticello is free, and fairly plentiful. It's a nice little gem when there's nothing much surrounding us but Best Buys and Wal-Marts. I only give it four out of five stores because it ain't Amoeba Records, but who is?
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