Amoeba Music, Hollywood

This is one of B's favorite places. This is Amoeba Music. Do you like music? Any kind of music? Do you like movies? Do you like people watching? Do you like records? Do you need a place to find music you can't get on itunes or in Best Buy? Are you looking for suggestions of music you might like but have not yet heard of? Would you like to enter an independent record store so large it has its own map?

Well then Amoeba is the place for you!


Its hard to take a picture to get a scope of the place. B are you out there? B and I usually split up at the door. I tend to wander and B has already compiled a list of music to search out. I come up here to track him down.


This view is from the balcony of the movie section upstairs. Do you see that stage at the back of the picture? Its very, very tiny. Here B saw Sia and was quite impressed. We've seen her in concert and she has an incredible voice.. she could fill up a venue without a mike. Her recorded music doesn't compare to hearing her live.

Norah Jones played on this stage but we both had to work :(

What you don't see is the other 50% of space... yes this is only half. This is only the rock music.


Amoeba sells music collectibles and music only released over seas or other hard to get things of the music variety. It reminded me that somewhere I have a Michael Jackson doll and a MJ record player from the early 80's. I hope we kept all that stuff.



I love the records. No, I don't have any use for them. But I love them anyway. I feel sophisticated browsing thru the records.



I also love looking at the posters. Oh, if I could go back in time and go to these concerts.



I prefer the listening station in the Jazz room. Its much more quiet than the main one and there are hardly ever any people in this one. Now don't go run and tell all your friends. It'll be our little secret.

The music in Amoeba covers every interest. You can find Country, Christian, African beats, R&B and chanting from a far away monastery.


Have you been searching high and low for the Barbarella sound track? Search no more!

Amoeba also puts out a free booklet called Music We Like in which the Amoeba staff from the 3 stores list... the music they like. You didn't see that coming, did you? This booklet will keep B busy for weeks. He will read it thru and thru spending countless hours listening to the music suggested to find something new.

In about a month I'll ask him to list the new bands I'll like. He knows my taste and I get to skip the searching part.



Check out this poster. Its an original poster featuring The Grateful Dead as one of the bands playing in San francisco. Charge at the door $2.50. This poster is $1000.

Unlike that poster, the prices at Amoeba are fantastic. Majority of the stores inventory is used but guaranteed to play well. I picked up an Etta James CD for $4.99.


There are DVDs galore. Looking at the TV section is like taking a stroll down memory lane. I used to love Bewitched. Does anyone remember the TV show Beauty and the Beast?


The outside of the building is painted in a beautiful mural.

Amoeba is also known for their community outreach, push to be green and relief efforts. The staff and customers are as varied as the music they carry and that is one of the reasons I love it so much.