We love: Reckless Records

BACK IN BLACK We’re not helping Reckless’s chances of living down the High Fidelity comparisons.

Reckless Records is a diggers’ paradise, where music geeks can flip through thick stacks of booklets to find used and out-of-print discs. Most complaints revolve around the Chicago chain’s comparisons to Championship Vinyl, the fictional record shop in High Fidelity set near Reckless’s Wicker Park location, especially when it comes to elitist, jerk record-store employees. “It honestly hurts our feelings,” says Kip McCabe, manager of the Broadway branch. “Most of the people who work here have way more embarrassing taste than any customer.” Lately, we’ve noticed, the bigger issue seems to be the store’s sometimes-weak new-releases selection. We popped in last week to pick up two new releases covered in TOC—Gossip and Jemina Pearl—only to come out empty-handed, but McCabe says that problem is already being fixed. Reckless’s three locations, especially the Loop outlet, have begun buying larger quantities of new albums.
In the meantime Laurie’s Planet of Sound (4639 N Lincoln Ave, 773-271-3569) has reliably amiable employees. But if you gotta have that new Ben Gibbard and Jay Farrar album, and you gotta have it now, there’s always Amazon.

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