The Rise and Fall of Tower Records

Above, Tower Records Shibuya store. Wikipedia photo.

Back around 1970, after friends and I got our drivers licenses, we would occasionally head up to Hollywood to see movies on Hollywood Blvd. While in Hollywood, we would also stop into the Tower Records store on the Sunset Strip.

The store had a huge selection of records (back then, vinyl LPs were big), 8-Track and cassette tapes. At the time, records and tapes sold for under $5.00. Tower Records on Sunset Blvd. was the "mecca" for records and tapes (and later, VHS movie tapes).

Above, the late, great Tower Records store on the Sunset Strip. Wikipedia photo.

Unfortunately, the Sunset Strip Tower Records store closed down in 2006 as the company went bankrupt. All other Tower Records stores in the U.S. were closed down as well. But, there is still a Tower Records store open in Tokyo's Shibuya section.

Time Out Tokyo has an interesting article on Tower Records with Colin Hanks and Sean Stuart about their upcoming documentary on the Tower Records story, All Things Must Pass: The Rise and Fall of Tower Records.

To read the article, go here.