Music lovers and collectors have never let go of their vinyl LP’s, but a whole new generation of fans are discovering the warmth of the analog medium within an ever-increasing digital world. While Phoenix has always had an abundance of great record stores, the Valley’s newest — and dare I say best — is located right in Downtown Phoenix. Voted “best vinyl” in 2009 by Phoenix New Times, Revolver boasts over 25,000 slabs of ye olde school wax in just about every music genre you can think of.
For our Spotlight on Revolver, we sat down with co-owner TJ Jordan to talk about the store’s origins, its focus on vinyl, and more.
Inside Revolver Records
: How did Revolver Records come about?
TJ Jordan: Basically, I worked at another record store in the valley. Steve (Zimmerman, Revolver’s other owner) was a customer selling vinyl to me and we struck up a friendship. He was selling records online and I wanted to open my own store and be heavy on the vinyl. We found the money, a friend had the name and off we went with the Melrose location in September of 2007.
DTP: Why records?
TJ: They sound good, look good, smell weird and have value. Sometimes serious value. Top that ya MP3s!
DTP: What are some of the coolest/unique/rare records that have come through the store?
TJ: There are so many crazy, valuable LPs out there, but one of the rarest is this soul band from the northeast called Hot Chocolate. NOT the Hot Chocolate that has a bunch of albums out. This one only put out 1 LP and it’s valuable and has a great cover. Also, the psych-folk singer Linda Perhac’s only LP “Parallelagrams” is the best one-off LP I’ve ever heard, also valuable.
DTP: What have you guys been listening to lately?
TJ: Been listening to tons of Roxy Music/Bryan Ferry lately, especially “Boys & Girls”. Steve has been listening to Grant Green and all those 60’s Blue Note greats.
DTP: Why the move from Melrose to Downtown Phoenix?
TJ: Phoenix needs a cultural hub, and the downtown area is really growing into that. We love downtown and want to do our part to help it grow.
Find out more about Revolver Records at any of the following locations:
