Colony Music and Tad's Steaks

Last week Jeremiah Moss passed along the sad news that legendary record and sheet music store, Colony Music is closing soon. It’s not that they want to close the store, it’s that there greedy, fucking landlord, Stonehenge Properites is quintupling their rent. You read that right, quintupling, as in five on rye. They currently pay one million a month, Stonehenge is upping that to five million a month and basically are throwing Colony Music out the door and will bring in some big box store, like that stupid fucking M&M’s store which is three floors devoted to M&M’s candy. Let’s take a trip there before it’s gone.

Darkness has fallen on the city as we make our way to Colony Music.

I thought I’d splurge tonight and take a cab to Times Square.

And here’s my view from the back of the cab. This guy is driving like a maniac, maybe this post will be about going to the hospital instead of a record store.
Well, it’s going to be about a record store after all, we made it and here we are deep in the heart of Times Square! See that big Applebee’s sign? That’s what Colony Music will be in a couple of months, some generic, piece of shit big-box restaurant or store. Why in the fuck would anyone come to New York and eat at an Applebee’s?
Here we are, Colony Music, you gotta love that neon sign!

Let’s go inside for one last bittersweet visit.

There’s a decent crowd in here tonight and I can hear people talking about the place closing.

Here’s the record bins filled with vinyl.

As you can see, it doesn’t look like they’re restocking the inventory.

Here’s some memorabilia and records from the Fab Four inside of a jewelry case. Yeah, yeah, yeah.

And for all you EV Grieve readers out there...is that Lady Gaga? (This phrase is a patent-pending N.O.T.O.R.I.O.U.S. L.I.B.E.R.A.T.I.O.N invention, use only with permission!)

The Chairman of the Board!

And here’s a Yardbirds album and I promise to write up the story of traveling to Memphis with Yardbird drummer Jim McCarty one of these years!

Colony Music is probably the last place in New York that sells cassette tapes!

But there’s much more than albums to look at in Colony Music, check out the vintage TV Guides with Mary Hartman and Chad Everett on the covers.

I love these Elvis pennants!

Who is this girl? Why...I believe it’s...Lady Gaga!

The Beatles on a copy of an old Sun newspaper. I don’t remember the Beatle blitz happening, anybody out there remember it?

Check out the Dick Clark tchotchkes and book.

Eydie Gorme looking nice on a 1957 copy of down beat. Where’s Steve?

I wonder if a “happy ending” comes with this John Travolta postcard book?

Colony Music has a large section of the store devoted to sheet music.

Sheet happens, but only for about three more weeks.

This is Robert who’s worked at Colony for years. He said that the NY Post exaggerated about the rent and the fact that there was one million vinyl albums in the store. He said the closing is partially due to high rent, but also due to the fact that more and more people are downloading music. He also said a big problem is a huge decline in sheet music sales, because people can print them off the internet for free. So the closing is a combination of an asshole landlord and the asshole internet.

And here’s Bethany behind the counter, we met her on our last visit to Colony.

After leaving Colony Music for probably the last time, I decided to get something to eat. But not here!

Tad’s Steaks is just a couple blocks away and another New York institution, let’s go get some cheap-ass steak! I know some people will say, “But Tad’s is a chain,” but I cut them slack because they’ve been here forever. And about once a year, I get a craving for a Tad’s steak, salad and baked potato. And tonight is that night!

The selections are plastered on the wall.

As soon as as I took this photo, a manager came up and told me I couldn’t take photos inside because of trademark infringement. I wasn’t sure what the fuck that meant, but I put my camera in my pocket as I was starvin’ like Marvin and didn’t want to get thrown out.

And here it is, a paper thin T-Bone steak, a baked potato covered in melted butter, garlic bread and a salad. A Tad’s feast!

Tad’s is a little like White Castle, you have the craving, you eat it and then you won’t have a craving for another year because you feel a little sick afterwards. Goodnight and goodbye Colony Music.

Further Reading: Jeremiah’s Vanishing New York, Dangerous Minds and New York Daily News.

A vinyl solution,
Ended my confusion,
I heard a voice in the noise pollution.

Surprise link...click on it...I dare you!

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Bonus Offer for TWM Readers!
I bought the John Travolta postcard book and there’s 20 postcards in there. If you’d like one, you don’t even have to leave a comment, just email me your address and I’ll send one off to you!

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Bonus cartoon sent in from Jaws!

Jaws the Cabbie sent in this cartoon after reading the sentence about the M&M store. Thanks, Jaws!

Midnight At Colony Records

New York is known as the city that never sleeps and to cater to such a city, there’s a lot of place open late if not all night. I thought it might be fun once in a while to go somewhere at midnight and see what’s happening. To kick off this series, I’m going to go to a record store I visited when I was doing MAD, called Colony Records. When I originally went there, I just kind of stumbled on it and didn’t know the history behind the store. The original Colony Records was founded by Harold S. “Nappy” Grossbardt and Sidney Turk and was located at Broadway and 52nd Street. The store kept late night hours, making it popular with musicians and the late night shift in Manhattan. It moved into the famous, Tin Pan Alley Brill Building in 1970 and that’s where it still operates. Some of the famous clientele that have walked through the doors here include: Benny Goodman, Chet Baker, Madonna, Elton John, John Lennon and Michael Jackson. It’s a little after eleven, so let’s hit the rode and see what midnight is like in Colony Records.

It's kind of a miserable rainy night out tonight.

And through the magic of the internet, we're magically transported to the corner of 49th and Broadway, home of Colony Records.

Colony Records has been housed in the legendary Brill Building since 1970.

Let's go in and check it out.

Here's the front half of the store...

And here's the back half of Colony. Let's go exploring this place.

Let's take a look at what's in the front glass display case.

There's plates with original John Lennon art on them.

Directly above is a Kiss plate and memorabilia.

And below is the guy often known as the 57th Beatle, Beaver Cleaver. I think he went on to drum for Spinal Tap.

Richard works in sales here at the store and is very knowledgeable in the history of Colony Records.

He wanted to show me an album that has a historical significance to the store.

The album is called, "The Bebop Singers," and the in the center photo behind singer Joe Carroll is the corner of 49th and Broadway before Colony Records moved in. The ground floor space where Colony is now was a restaurant called, "Turf" and above it was a nightclub called, "Bop City."

Next Richard took me over to the book section of the store to show me another photo from a photography book.

This is a photography book showcasing the work of legendary New York photographer, William "Popsie" Randolph.

And here's another classic photo of the corner where Colony Records eventually ended up in. Richard told me that the floor above Bop City were music publishing offices thriving off Tin Pan Alley tunes.

Richard had to get back to work, so I roamed the store on my own. Check out the vintage TV Guides.

Here's some rare Beatles memorabilia on display at the back of the store.

Blowin' in the display case, a signature Bob Dylan harmonica.

Fun in Alcapulco with Elvis. Thank ya...thank ya, very much!

Colony Records is the largest seller of sheet music in the world.

"Hooray for Hazel" by Tommy Roe. Ha, I had this 45 as a kid.

I love this Gilda Radner poster!

And the front counter has reminders of the two latest celebrity deaths, Whitney Houston and Davy Jones.

Bethany was working the front counter. She's worked at Colony for about a year and a half and is an actress who's done some off Broadway work. I'm holding onto this photo, maybe I'll be able to sell it to TMZ one day!

Colony Music
1619 Broadway (@49th St.)
212-265-2050

Further Reading: NY Rocker, Manhattan Lullaby and Talkin’ Bout My Generation.

Dry your eyes and play it slowly,
Like you're marching off to war,
Sing it like you know he'd want it,
Like we sang it once before.

Surprise link, click on it...I dare you!