Rasputin Music
Encyclopedia
Rasputin Music is the largest independent chain of record stores in the extended San Francisco Bay Area
, California
. They have a cult-like fan base in Northern California
and sell many rare albums and videos, as well as new and used CDs, LPs
, DVDs, videogames
, VHS
Videos
, Laserdiscs, CED Videodiscs, and books. The store was founded as "Rasputin Records" in 1971 in Berkeley, California
by Berkeley entrepreneur, Ken Sarachan. There are currently seven operating locations around the Bay Area: the flagship Berkeley store on Telegraph Avenue
, San Francisco
, Mountain View
, Campbell
, Concord
, San Lorenzo
, and Vallejo
. Two additional locations have opened up in the Central Valley
cities of Stockton
and Fresno
.
The original Rasputin Music store was located in Berkeley, on Telegraph Avenue where Blondie's Pizza now operates (Ken Sarachan also owns Blondie's). Rasputin's moved across the street into a larger space when Odyssey Records went out of business. In the late 1970s it split into two separate locations, with one store serving rock music and the other serving soul and jazz (and other) music. In July 1982, a suspicious fire at next-door Steve the Greek's restaurant caused the destruction of the soul and jazz store. Rasputin's Berkeley operation was then consolidated back into one store location. It currently operates at the corner of Telegraph Avenue and Channing Way.
Rasputin's was first known for low prices on both new and used CDs, DVDs, and vinyl records. Its selection of new vinyl is unusually rich, as is its selection of used CDs and DVDs. Although in recent years its prices have become competitive with those of other music stores, Rasputin often features in-store performances by top musicians and bands, one of the reasons why Rasputin remains a destination for music and DVD shoppers and a general Bay Area institution. Metallica
made its first in-store appearance in almost a decade at the Rasputin Mountain View store as part of the April 19, 2008 "Record Store Day
".
Rasputin's in-house magazine and web site, the Rasputin Manifesto, is highly regarded for its in-depth reviews of both mainstream and independent music and DVDs.
On February 4, 2008, the Newark location closed down indefinitely due to redevelopment of the shopping complex in which it was located..
locations: one in the East Bay
city of Concord, where the Pleasant Hill store was relocated, one in Mountain View, and two in the Central Valley
cities of Fresno and Stockton. The Concord store, despite having been under Rasputin's management since 2007, still bears the Tower Records signage (with no mention of Rasputin's) as of March 2010.
As of September 2010 there is a poster displayed in the window of this location stating that the Tower Records sign is simply a "Historical Anomaly".
San Francisco Bay Area
The San Francisco Bay Area, commonly known as the Bay Area, is a populated region that surrounds the San Francisco and San Pablo estuaries in Northern California. The region encompasses metropolitan areas of San Francisco, Oakland, and San Jose, along with smaller urban and rural areas...
, California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
. They have a cult-like fan base in Northern California
Northern California
Northern California is the northern portion of the U.S. state of California. The San Francisco Bay Area , and Sacramento as well as its metropolitan area are the main population centers...
and sell many rare albums and videos, as well as new and used CDs, LPs
LP album
The LP, or long-playing microgroove record, is a format for phonograph records, an analog sound storage medium. Introduced by Columbia Records in 1948, it was soon adopted as a new standard by the entire record industry...
, DVDs, videogames
VideoGames
VideoGames may refer to:*VideoGames, a mid-1990s magazine about video games.*Video games in general....
, VHS
VHS
The Video Home System is a consumer-level analog recording videocassette standard developed by Victor Company of Japan ....
Videos
Home video
Home video is a blanket term used for pre-recorded media that is either sold or rented/hired for home cinema entertainment. The term originates from the VHS/Betamax era but has carried over into current optical disc formats like DVD and Blu-ray Disc and, to a lesser extent, into methods of digital...
, Laserdiscs, CED Videodiscs, and books. The store was founded as "Rasputin Records" in 1971 in Berkeley, California
Berkeley, California
Berkeley is a city on the east shore of the San Francisco Bay in Northern California, United States. Its neighbors to the south are the cities of Oakland and Emeryville. To the north is the city of Albany and the unincorporated community of Kensington...
by Berkeley entrepreneur, Ken Sarachan. There are currently seven operating locations around the Bay Area: the flagship Berkeley store on Telegraph Avenue
Telegraph Avenue
Telegraph Avenue is a street that begins, at its southernmost point, in the midst of the historic downtown district of Oakland, California, USA, and ends, at its northernmost point, at the southern edge of the University of California campus in Berkeley, California...
, San Francisco
San Francisco, California
San Francisco , officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the financial, cultural, and transportation center of the San Francisco Bay Area, a region of 7.15 million people which includes San Jose and Oakland...
, Mountain View
Mountain View, California
-Downtown:Mountain View has a pedestrian-friendly downtown centered on Castro Street. The downtown area consists of the seven blocks of Castro Street from the Downtown Mountain View Station transit center in the north to the intersection with El Camino Real in the south...
, Campbell
Campbell, California
Campbell is a city in Santa Clara County, California, a suburb of San Jose, and part of Silicon Valley, in the San Francisco Bay Area. As of the 2010 U.S. Census, Campbell's population is 39,349...
, Concord
Concord, California
Concord is the largest city in Contra Costa County, California, USA. At the 2010 census, the city had a population of 122,067. Originally founded in 1869 as the community of Todos Santos by Salvio Pacheco, the name was changed to Concord within months...
, San Lorenzo
San Lorenzo, California
San Lorenzo , also known as San Lorenzo Village is a census-designated place in Alameda County, California, United States. The population was 23,452 at the 2010 census.-Geography:...
, and Vallejo
Vallejo, California
Vallejo is the largest city in Solano County, California, United States. The population was 115,942 at the 2010 census. It is located in the San Francisco Bay Area on the northeastern shore of San Pablo Bay...
. Two additional locations have opened up in the Central Valley
California Central Valley
California's Central Valley is a large, flat valley that dominates the central portion of California. It is home to California's most productive agricultural efforts. The valley stretches approximately from northwest to southeast inland and parallel to the Pacific Ocean coast. Its northern half is...
cities of Stockton
Stockton, California
Stockton, California, the seat of San Joaquin County, is the fourth-largest city in the Central Valley of the U.S. state of California. With a population of 291,707 at the 2010 census, Stockton ranks as this state's 13th largest city...
and Fresno
Fresno, California
Fresno is a city in central California, United States, the county seat of Fresno County. As of the 2010 census, the city's population was 510,365, making it the fifth largest city in California, the largest inland city in California, and the 34th largest in the nation...
.
The original Rasputin Music store was located in Berkeley, on Telegraph Avenue where Blondie's Pizza now operates (Ken Sarachan also owns Blondie's). Rasputin's moved across the street into a larger space when Odyssey Records went out of business. In the late 1970s it split into two separate locations, with one store serving rock music and the other serving soul and jazz (and other) music. In July 1982, a suspicious fire at next-door Steve the Greek's restaurant caused the destruction of the soul and jazz store. Rasputin's Berkeley operation was then consolidated back into one store location. It currently operates at the corner of Telegraph Avenue and Channing Way.
Rasputin's was first known for low prices on both new and used CDs, DVDs, and vinyl records. Its selection of new vinyl is unusually rich, as is its selection of used CDs and DVDs. Although in recent years its prices have become competitive with those of other music stores, Rasputin often features in-store performances by top musicians and bands, one of the reasons why Rasputin remains a destination for music and DVD shoppers and a general Bay Area institution. Metallica
Metallica
Metallica is an American heavy metal band from Los Angeles, California. Formed in 1981 when James Hetfield responded to an advertisement that drummer Lars Ulrich had posted in a local newspaper. The current line-up features long-time lead guitarist Kirk Hammett and bassist Robert Trujillo ...
made its first in-store appearance in almost a decade at the Rasputin Mountain View store as part of the April 19, 2008 "Record Store Day
Record Store Day
Record Store Day is an internationally celebrated day observed the third Saturday of April each year. Its purpose, as conceived by independent record store employee Chris Brown, is to celebrate the art of music...
".
Rasputin's in-house magazine and web site, the Rasputin Manifesto, is highly regarded for its in-depth reviews of both mainstream and independent music and DVDs.
On February 4, 2008, the Newark location closed down indefinitely due to redevelopment of the shopping complex in which it was located..
Acquiring Tower Records locations
Rasputin acquired the leases of 4 former Tower RecordsTower Records
Tower Records was a retail music chain that was based in Sacramento, California. It currently exists as an international franchise and an online music store....
locations: one in the East Bay
East Bay (San Francisco Bay Area)
The East Bay is a commonly used, informal term for the lands on the eastern side of the San Francisco Bay, in the San Francisco Bay Area, in California, United States...
city of Concord, where the Pleasant Hill store was relocated, one in Mountain View, and two in the Central Valley
California Central Valley
California's Central Valley is a large, flat valley that dominates the central portion of California. It is home to California's most productive agricultural efforts. The valley stretches approximately from northwest to southeast inland and parallel to the Pacific Ocean coast. Its northern half is...
cities of Fresno and Stockton. The Concord store, despite having been under Rasputin's management since 2007, still bears the Tower Records signage (with no mention of Rasputin's) as of March 2010.
As of September 2010 there is a poster displayed in the window of this location stating that the Tower Records sign is simply a "Historical Anomaly".