It's not as large as their location in SF and my fond old memories of shopping for music in Berkeley belong to the Rasputin's (and Leopold Records, RIP). The lack of a goth/industrial section is also disappointing (and not one Sleep Chamber CD). The goth/industrial selection at the SF location is definitely better. Still, their selection of CDs, DVDs, vinyl and even cassette tapes and VHS tapes is impressive and covers everything from world music to jazz to electronica. You'll find classical music on the second floor. It looks like they're phasing out the cassette tapes though (Does anyone still buy those?) Rare vinyl LPs line the walls and they sell vintage children's lunchboxes too (didn't see any that were too interesting). They do a great job of keeping things organized, even the $1.99 clearance bins. I've found some good CDs in the clearance section too and try to take advantage of the buy 3, get 1 free deal. It takes a long time to find four clearance CDs you want but it's worth digging. Students get a 10% discount. It smelled like weed inside the store - maybe it was coming from People's Park? read more

The smallest of the Amoeba stores.....But don't let that fool you! Plenty of gems to be found of these shelves! I was in Berkeley with some time to kill, and a gift certificate in hand, what better place to go than Amoeba? Great staff was ready to help and let me check out records off the wall. I also found a few bargains VS their other locations! One real downside.....LOT'S of dead stock! Great store to look for that elusive 7" at though! read more

I'd deduct one star because it smells of hippies and runaways with Alsatians in here, but it wouldn't be fare to this landmark and store considering the variety and type of products offered therein,(as they do attract the kind of afforementioned crowd, what can you do but hold your breath) . When a store has to proactively worry about thievery and make you check your bags at the door as if you have a premeditated plan to steal Milli Vanilli Ice Kids On The Block CDs that they can't even give away, it has got to be something better than paranoia. And it is if you don't mind the 3rd degree, just be glad you are not subjected to a full body cavity search instead. Diversity is the spice of life, and that is why stores like Amoeba and its comic book equivalent in the same city (Comic Relief) are still standing high and tall to this day. Sure you can specialize, but if you offer a lil' sumthin' for everyone and do it well, people will flock back again as they have time and time again. Out of countless visits in thelast 10 years, there was almost always treasure to be found in the used bins. One person's junk ends up being in someone's trunk. Collectible used CDs (limited edition promos, vinyls in the form of singles, album's EPs, DVDs of rare movies, imports from Europe, Australia, Asia, indie label stuff, jazz, classical, pop, rock, r&b, soul, world (ethnic) music, uncategorized, to all sorts of DJ dance club techno trip hop ambient rave drums n' bass for the budding hip hop, DJ, sucka MC, or all in one. If you are a buff in one of those categories, be it movie, music, media for consumption, chances are you will find something you like here. read more

Some: Morrissey - for the emotional lesbian in me not to mention the soundtrack to my first drink of the evening Alton Ellis - so me and my lady can laugh and enjoy some drinks during the evening Prince - So we can begin to feel sexy and buzzed, and start the question of the night "Where do you wanna go tonight" The New Snoop Dogg - So we can motivate our ass to start getting all sexy and gangsta, so we can be "giggin" on em Hector Lavoe - Towards the final touches of our outfits and the straight shots, so we can groove a little and have some steamy kisses before we head out. On the way out grab 2pac, Erykah Badu, Dilla, Flosstradamus, DJ Platurn, Maxwell, and don't forget all the spanish cds too!!! Bump all of the above as me and my gorgeous lady are out and about!!! Come home from a great night out put all my Sade cd's in rotation, and turn up the volume. Come up behind my girl grab her ass, kiss her on the back of her neck, remove her clothes, and wrap those pretty thighs around me all night............................. Thanks AMOEBA for always having what I need to perfect the soundtrack to my days. Couldn't have hit it so well without ya! read more

For me, music shopping is all about the hunt. I approach it with the same sweaty-palmed rush of adrenaline that many get from sex, sports, gambling, or a hundred other vices. I'm not talking about just popping in to pick up the new Arcade Fire album. Oh no! I'm referring to the prolonged visits to a music store where my fingers turn black with grime and my eyes start to hurt from excessive browsing. I fall into a trance where all surrounding noise vanishes and it's just me and the "clack-clack-clack" of flipping through row after row of compact disc. I've been like this since high school--I can't help it! Amoeba on Telegraph has been my first choice for hundreds of hours of aimless music shopping. Nowadays I only have the time and energy to do this a few times a year, and I have to be alone or in the company of fellow music freak Renee E (who I've shopped at Amoeba with for nearly a decade!). Anyhow, here's the way my most recent trip to Amoeba went down when I had some time to kill the other day in Berkeley... First, I hit up the New Release displays...I'm usually aware of what's recently come out, so no surprises here...but I always have to check. Then I zeroed in on the two discs I planned on getting with premeditated surgical precision. (This time around, it was the BRMC Baby81 outtakes and "100 Days, 100 Nights" by the lovely Sharon Jones). Now that I had what I came for in hand, I was free to really do some damage. First, a cursory walk through every aisle of the pop rock section, stopping at my favorites (David Byrne, The Smiths/Morrissey, and Patti Smith)--a futile maneuver to be sure--there's not a chance in hell I wouldn't have anything they'd put out within a second of it hitting the stores. Alright, so then it was off to the R&B/Soul section where I combed through every single row of music. This is where the agony always happens. Give me 5 minutes and I can come up with at least a hundred soul albums that I can't live without--and can't afford all at once. So instead, I limited myself to one or two. Alright, alright. Three. Then it hit me that I needed some stuff by Eydie Gorme and Peggy Lee, so I headed all the way to the back corner of the smaller room where they keep the vocalists/easy listening section. It's a small section, so I got what I needed fairly quickly and headed back over to the soul section to further torture myself, and then up to the counter to pay since they were closing soon. A hundred dollars later and I had Sharon Jones, the BRMC, Eydie Gorme, Peggy Lee, Freda Payne, Gwen McCrae, and Honey Cone all securely stashed away in my manbag...dance party to follow! **I dedicate this review to Renee E who first fanned my musical flames when I was but a freshman in high school.** read more

I've been to all 3 locations and I just have to say that my experience at this particular location was really sour. The employees just seemed really bothered. Employee made a mistake on our purchase and got mad when we pointed it out and he didn't know how to correct it. It didn't end up getting corrected and we left with the wrong stuff and not what we intended to buy. We drove out of our way to stop here as our "fun" thing on a long road trip and we just left the place feeling like they probably talked smack after we left. Not a good feeling. We just wanted to support the iconic amoeba. read more

First of all let it be known that I love Amoeba and I was a patron of the Hollywood location for years before moving to Berkeley. With that said, I have a complaint. I really wanted this album I discovered the night before and I take 5 CD's with me to trade in at Amoeba. The guy at the trade counter offers me $10. The CD I want costs $10.76. I kindly explain the situation and ask for the difference in trade-in value. The guy says no (saying he can't because they're all scratched, I won't go into the problems with this situation as they are many) and having no cash on me, I take the offer, buy the CD I came for and I am thus forced to charge 76 cents on my credit card. FAIL! Now, from an objective standpoint I would say that this store is mediocre at best. This is the case not only when compared to Amoeba's other locations, but especially when one considers Rasputin Music, which is literally next door and offers a wider and larger selection, at equivalent if not cheaper prices. Sorry Amoeba, you still have your place, but it will unfortunately be a back-up one from now on. So I wrote the first part of this last week and I wasn't going to post it, as I decided to give the benefit of the doubt. And then... I go there again this morning before class and this time experience what I can only call poor customer service. I'm the only one waiting to buy, that's right I wait for at least a good minute before one of the clerks breaks from his conversation to help me...wait, what's this?...he's not done with his conversation, he 's going to continue it while he checks me out, which normally would not bother me, but when he answers my question in a curt manner and then, because of the aforementioned conversation, doesn't realize I'm waiting on him to hit whatever button he needs to to complete the transaction, yeah I got a problem. FAIL! Again! What the heck Amoeba? I thought we were cool. I'm not sure I'll be back even as a last resort now. read more

Update your hours. Drove 3 hrs to find out it wasn't open. Something that can easily be done

I love this store more and more. First of all the staff is really friendly and helpful. I love the fact that the employees (mostly in their 20's and 30's) always make me, an aging Baby Boomer feel welcome. There are some place that are too hip and snobby to those of us not in the correct demographic groups......Amoeba is NOT one of these places. Yay! When I walked in I asked if I could leave my bag (containing leftovers from Bongo Burger) and the staffer gently picked up my bag, treating it like a Ming vase (hey no exaggeration) and put it in a numbered cubby and gave me the matching clip. Everything is well organized with easy to read signs above the aisles and in the sections. What a great collection of DVDs, CDs and Vinyls! I am so impressed that their collection of vinyls is so huge! I even saw the first LP I got as a kid when my dad proudly bought our first stereo---Alvin and the Chipmunks! I played that record at least a thousand times and will forever remember the lyrics to every song including the immortal hits--"Ragtime Cowboy Joe" and the "Christmas Song." I was tempted to buy it but I let my self control take over (for once) I actually came in to buy a gift certificate which I did purchase. Son of Rinky found a couple of items. Amoeba is the main reason I ever attempt to navigate the ambiance of Telegraph Ave! read more

Pondering the reasons for the inconsistent experiences one gets at Amoeba - Telegraph is heady philosophy. First read other reviews -- same mixed experiences from many, many people. Same as many people, I've been shopping at the local music stores for a lot of years (more than 20 for me). Now it's a 20 mile drive to Berkeley and all the pain-in-the-ass aspects of Telegraph (parking, parking meters, filth, addicts, stinking incense, etc.) make a return trek that much more reliant on the store experience. So when my partner tells me that my negative store experience has ruined our entire evening, it's another nail in the coffin. Took in a few cds and dvds so that I'd have some trade to play with, but the staff was all bitchy last night and the buyer I got (the big dud with a black birthday-cake hat and beady eyes) only bought 1 cd and 1 dvd and gave me $3 total -- stuff I had paid more than $15 for at Amoeba. He didn't look anything up, and was snarky when I asked him about it. Just another ugly experience to go along with the growing list of reasons not to return. I stopped dragging books to Moe's, clothing to Buffalo Exchange and perhaps it's time to add Amoeba to the list. Unfortunately, the competition hasn't been better in this regard, but it's donating to Goodwill is becoming more gratifying. For years, the bricks-and-mortar independents have been railing against shopping at the big chains that carry music, and the ever-growing number of on-line options, and the trend toward digital downloads from home, but when they take away the remaining reason for going -- getting some trade-in so you can happily browse the racks for an hour or two -- they aren't doing themselves, their customers, nor the music industry any favors. Telegraph dishes out more toxicity than the Rasputin experience in Vallejo, Concord, Stockton, Campbell or Mountain View. Perhaps Amoeba will soon be added to the gravestones on the Rasputin shopping bag. If you don't know what that refers to check out the music-store cemetery on the bag. It's great and sad all at the same time... and maybe that's why Amoeba employees get into their funk and now frequently cheat their customers out of a good experience. read more

Oh, how the might have fallen..... Ok, granted, having being a vinyl collector for now over 20 years---If you would have asked me to rate Amoeba in the first 18 years, they would be well past 5 stars----but...........the last 2 years they have become tired, ----I never thought I'd say this, but Rasputins Berkeley just stomps them when it comes to vinyl selection and pricing. I almost always see Amoeba employees shopping for vinyl there There are probably numerous reasons why they have fallen From an ownership/management perspective, I heard one of the uber-wealthy owners is pretty clueless and full of ego- but there is also blame due to their often too cool for school hipster employees. You know, a simple example, some obsure cool record, you will never find for a fair reasonable price----the hipster employee will know the coolness factor and will price that record or CD for 3-4 times \what it should be,---that record will sit for months and months and months trying to find that 'right' buyer who will spring for it--but in our wired day and age, we can now find the same thing on Ebay for a fair and reasonable price........sure, it is cool to find scores locally, but their pricing has removed the fun in that read more

So yesterday I was rolling around on a whim trying to find the Madonna Record Store Day vinyl. Normally I go to Rasputin's (the best one around) but i parked close to amoeba so what the hell. I immediately was swept into an area that was soooo dusty etc. as I wondered aimlessly around trying to find the Madonna section, I noticed that there didn't seem to be any worker in the floor (who was noticeable). After walking pass the same guy many times, I finally asked him if he worked there and he was like,"yea" dude, I'm just here like an animal and you're just standing there? Never again. Go to Rasputin's. read more

If you're looking for a specific artist or work and can't find it at a certain ice cream store up the street, you're bound to find it (or at least have a much better chance of finding it) at Amoeba. Great diversity and quality of selection here. Although I can see why people have complained about selling to them, Amoeba's picky curating is precisely the reason why their cult films don't just consist of 10 copies of Nicolas Cage's Wicker Man remake and why their experimental music section includes much more than just the same few Throbbing Gristle and John Zorn albums. It's not perfect, but it's certainly a breath of fresh air to know that weird tastes still have a niche here in Berkeley. read more

It's like Disney land for music junkies! If you haven't been, call in sick or leave work early and go down there!!! Oh baby do you know what that's worth, oh heaven is a place on earth!!! read more

Looking for obscure music to gift to your eclectic loved ones who enjoy CDs? Look no further than Amoeba! I used to find myself in the huge main room seeking out mainstream artists, but now I find myself heading directly to the smaller back room to pick up various hits by artists whose names I cannot pronounce. Yet, the staff *always* see to know *every single* artist and where they are located in the store. Props to them. I made out like a bandit, thanks to my Groupon, their low used music prices, and a plentiful selection. read more

I love Amoeba. I give it five stars because going there is always a 5-star experience. Amoeba may not have the perfect selection of super rare recordings that uber music fans hope for, but it has a great selection. And plenty of vinyl. They have a lot of good stuff covering many, many genres and sub-genres of music, from show tunes to dubstep to death metal to...whatever your heart desires. Their jazz collection is awesome, and they always carry the latest rereleases, many in vinyl, lovely 180 gm vinyl! And folks, if they don't have exactly what you are looking for, they will be happy to special order it just for you. Ask and ye shall receive. Their used selection is the best around, and is always changing, so I love to check it often. I've found some awesome stuff there. And let's acknowledge Amoeba for being there for us since 1990, as an independent store the whole time. That means something to me. Five stars for Amoeba. read more

What with Father's day right around the corner, I've been revisiting a yearly tradition of mine: freaking out about what to get dear ol' pop that shows him how much I love him. You see, the problem is that my father isn't like most men in his hobbies, and exactly like them in his dislikes. Let's take a look. He's Chinese (=cheap), middle aged, doesn't like sports (nothing besides hackey sack and tai chi in Chinatown, anyway), doesn't grill (naturally, he prefers stir fry), and isn't interested in cars (he's going to drive his 12 year old Toyota until it dies). But, he has a life long love of music, world music in particular. Amoeba, with it's stupendous variety and great prices, is his candy shop. So, this year in the middle of June, after I freak out I'll take a hike to Amoeba and buy him a gift certificate. He's bound to show up by 3:00 on Father's day, gift certificate (and coupons, cheapie that he is) in hand. *Father's day is June 17th, in case you forget. read more

Niece wanted uncle Matt to waste his energy, gas, and valuable time to drive all the way to the city of Berkeley and pick up a CD gift-set @ Amoeba Records for her friend's birthday party. What puzzled Matt is that, "why she can't purchase the gift-set at the sister San Francisco store?" Just like the San Francisco Store, finding parking was a total nightmare, but somehow we manage to a space not to far away from the record-store. She picked up a limited-edition Japanese-animated DVD series from this place, which is rare to find after doing the research. Matt was not in the mood to browse around for any music. With the invention of downloading music to the I-Pod, the world of the CD format might be an obsolete item really soon. Matt hung around at the popular "listening-station" while waiting for niece to complete her visit. She found Matt at the station and he was listening to Midnight Star's hit "Slow Jam." She never heard of the classic R& B hit, so she was next to uncle and listening to that same slow song for the very first time. We both listened to that song in unison with the store's headphone and she was so into the beautiful song that we both danced together to the beautiful song at the station. Next we chose Michael Jackson's classic album and song, "Off The Wall." We both played the same song, and the next thing we did was, we're dancing to classic hit with each other, strutting and pumping our body like we're in a club. "So Tonight, Gotta Leave That Nine To Five Upon The Shelf And Just Enjoy Yourself C'mon And Groove, And Let The Madness In The Music Get To You Life Ain't So Bad At All If You Live It Off The Wall" After the song and our ridiculous dance together, the associates and other customers stared at us,and gave us a dirty look thinking that those Chinese couple is a little "Off the Wall" themselves. read more

Amoeba Music in Berkeley has been and will continue to be here forever and there are a whole lot of reasons why. If you have not yet made the trek down Telegraph then this should definately be one of the stops you look forward to the most. It's at the south end of Telegraphs one way existance and so if you're on foot and you hit this place, after you're done looking through the massive selection of audio and visual wonders, it's time to turn aroud and head back up the street toward campus. ...But wait just because you now know where the place is, don't begin to think that we're done here. You still need to know what you're in store for, (no pun intended). So let's talk about what to expect on the inside. There are three Amoeba Music stores last time I checked, but this one's my favorite. The selection is less mainstream than your average music store, a fact which will become very obvious the more you look around. Part of this is use to the fact that they are also their own indy music label and therefore seek to promote local artist and also other local labels. Another reason they carry all of the oddball ins and out's you might be looking for is just that, they know that everyone's looking for something they can't find elsewhere so they do their best to suply that demand. Amoeba has you covered for cd's, lp's, movies and just about any rarity you may be searching for. You will find albums your brother broke way back when and things you forgot even existed all within the hallowed walls of this indy mecca of wondrous treasures. So, when you've got the time and a little money head on over to Amoeba Music with some friends. I'm sure you will find something to love there and if you can't, just ask the staff, they don't bite qnd in fact they'rs super helpful in ensuring you find that oh so unique item of yours. What are you waiting for? Go! CHAD read more

I have been shopping here since it opened. I have certainly had some great experiences and found some great music, however I have never spent so much money at a place and had so much poor treatment as a customer. The owners are great guys but they continue to hire hipsters with huge power trips, 5 or 6 run ins with them over the years after spending tens of thousands of $$ over the last two decades just does not sit right no matter how many great albums I have found there. They stand at a crossroads of making the decision to be the last ones standing at the end of dying industry or go right down just as fast as the rest of it. Customer service and treatment will likely be the deciding factor. I am going to spend my money elsewhere for a while, at least. I recommend: http://www.emusic.com read more

According to my iTunes, I could listen to it for over 80 days, or roughly two Ark-worthy floods back-to-back, without the same track playing twice. So you would think it would be possible for me to go into Amoeba Records without walking out with an arm full of used CDs. You'd think wrong. Herein lies the problem. That rare ________insert band name you drop to give yourself indie cred_______ album? It's there. You can count on it. Though lately, my addiction has been going through the $1.99 Used CDs and telling myself "It's only two bucks" as an excuse to put the stuff from the 90s that I listened to in high school. Normally, I pick up three and then get told I can get another one free, so I run back and get that Poison CD nobody really wants (there goes any bit of indie cred I may have had right there). As an added bonus, if you need to kill off an hour while the significant other shops for, um, "less manly" things, there are thousands upon thousands of CDs and DVDs to ogle and dream of owning. It's really a win/win/win situation. Yes, in the end you have to pay the piper to the angry glower you'll get from the girlfriend when you walk out of the store with another armload of used CDs. But, what can you do. We all have issues. read more

I personally like Rasputin's up the street a little better, but you just can't go wrong with Amoeba---both stores are evil in that I ALWAYS in end leaving with a lighter wallet. They have their music divided into some of your basic genres, but I like how within some genres they're sub-divided into more useful categories (i.e. World--Latin--Cuban or Electronic--Chill--Compilations). They also have the cool bar-scan listening stations (just like Rasputins), which helps when determining whether to buy a whole album or waiting to get the single electronically later. It goes without saying that a huge store like this has an awesome selection. In this age of the Invasion Of The MP3, it's nice to know that stores like Amoeba still thrive. read more

They carry way more horror pins than the SF store! Horror patches too. As well as other stuff. Some good vinyl finds as well. As far as horror pins go, compared to the SF store which only has a tiny plastic rotating rack with a very limited selection, and virtually no horror ones! Berkeley's has a huge glass case and almost an entire shelf is horror pins. So they are a good place to get pins since if you order online from anywhere you pay a good chunk in shipping cost. And they do a random enamel pin day sale which is rarely once in a blue moon. read more

It's much smaller than the Amoeba in L.A. and creeps abound in front, but the selection is still rad. I picked up the fairly obscure Brightblack Morning Light's debut album for $7.99 when Amazon sells it for $15.98. It came with the trippyest pair of rainbow glasses covered in weed leaves that makes my Christmas tree look out of control when the lights are on and is hazy fun otherwise. Score. If not for Amoeba, I would probably have missed out an album that is a ultimately total experience. They also had a great Hitchcock section and I picked up Taxi Driver for a tenner. And while the curmudgeonish guy ringing me up was rather loathe to extend the discount to me, if you have a student ID (that is five years old but conveniently has no date on it) you can save ten percent on your purchase. read more

When it comes to CD stores in the Bay Area, no one tops Amoeba. Their CD selection is huge and the prices are the best. They carry a very large selection of DVDs as well. Their vinyl selection is pretty good as far a jazz and classical music goes, they are more known for their rock and indie vinyl. The thing that sets Amoeba apart from all of the other used CD stores in the area is their quality control. I have never bought a CD for Amoeba that was in a condition that was unacceptable for the price (unlike a store down the block). They have special cards that they put in a scratched CD case that lets you know you are buying a "guaranteed to play" scratched CD, if it doesn't play or it skips they will refund your purchase. No surprises from this store. Of the two Amoeba stores in the Bay Area, this is my favourite. Though the turnover is less than the SF store, but I have found more gems and surprises here than the SF store. read more

One of the few Record Shops still standing after the MP3 take over. In my younger years I have always walked in with the hopes of diggin for rare finds with plenty of success. And even till today I still feeling that it's that same feeling that keeps me coming. Unfortunately I do more "window diggin" than before, but the fact is, I'm still walking in to the store everytime I'm in the area. Not fancy, not the most cheery staff, but staff is knowledgeable (Of their favored genre that is.) And you can almost always find what your looking for. read more

Not My favorite Amoeba, but it's still one of the greatest record stores in the world! I never leave an Amoeba without finding something I absolutely need, wether it's an out of print Woody Allen Movie, or some cd I have been looking for, for years, or an Lp that I can't find anywhere else! The staff at this store was great, and helpful, and I want their jobs! Actually I don't cause I would just spend my pay check every week! This is a mecca for music fans, if you are in Berkeley, you must stop! read more

Do people even buy cds anymore? I thought everything could be bought, downloaded, or streamed on youtube. Music in the digital medium saves space and no longer do I have to carry a CD bag around with me. No longer do I have CDs taking up space in my house, no longer with the exception of a few albums do I have the need to hoard CDs. I used to go to this place all the time. It's your typical record store with all the cliches. *upper middle class kid(trustafarians) with tattoos who listens to music you've never heard of. *rude employees, stand offish employee who think they are so fetch. *Old crazy guys who have cool taste in music. *over priced "out of print" music. The hippy/electronic musician in me loves places like this. But as music becomes easier to get via digital download. I find myself going to places like Telegraph ave even less. I am not a college student anymore and with Codys closed. I see no point in going to these places. It is just another place in Berkeley I'll avoid as I go to the Ethiopian store or indie bookstore. read more

Great place and location. For some reason unlike the San Francisco's location I found it hard to find what I wanted. The San Francisco store has a clearance section in each genre, Berkeley's location I was having a hard time finding them. They did have the seven inch record album books that I was looking for. Nice place will probably go back at some point. read more

I'm not thrilled by the exhaustive breadth of their disorganized new & used goods, but I've found accidental treasures while meandering through the DVD section. This is a great spot for finding discontinued mainstream, indie and foreign films. Sometimes. read more

They did not have the Drop Nineteens the last time I went there. Either I am old or they suck. Okay, I'm old. It isn't as good as the one in Hollywood, but maybe that one no longer has the shoegaze selection of yore now either. So I'm saying yay. Then again, I really hate the parking, the parading past 300 people trying to sell you newspapers about crackwhores or something. That kinda gets on my nerves. read more

My favorite spot to go digging for used CDs! I lived on College however, I always found an excuse to walk home on Telegraph just so I could stop here for some new music. I could spend hours in here and do some major damage. They even have used movies here too, which I think is way better than paying full price! Just be warned ladies, if you have a bag (or a backpack in my case) they'll want you to check it in. So be sure to grab that wallet if you plan on buying something! read more

A huge collection of records at decent price! Save from 2 hours to 4 depending on your digging speed :) I do not give the 5 stars because there is no listening points for vinyl records. I could have bought more if so! I recommend this shop if you are looking for some records and music related stuff. You will also be at just 1 block from Rasputin Record shop which is nice as well. read more

The original Berkeley Motherstore was once the vanguard of what a record shop should be, but probably because of sheer size, her fat San Francisco son ( an ex- bowling alley) totally out-stocks and out-files his mom, these days. Lately, Berkeley seems a bit shabby, half-assed and hap-hazard by comparison and I can no longer count on getting what I go in looking for. There are an awful lot of empty file cards in the bins these days that never seem to get replenished. For me, more often than not, I now have to go on-line to sites like: Boomkat U.K., AB-CD ( local, S.F.) or Forced Exposure (Mass) to get the latest releases in the small label, mostly import-based, ambient world. I used to live in the city and would excitedly Bart over to Berkeley once a week just to go to Amoeba to augment the S.F.store's selection. Now, I live in Berkeley and take Bart over to the city to prowl the other shop. I don't know about you but I didn't like it, when both stores decided to merge the new and used sections. But, either way... they still get my money and vote...lol! One suggestion: When I spend a hour ( or more, sometimes) flipping through the CD racks, the tips of my fingers get filthy-black and disgusting. Wouldn't it be nice if Amoeba provided a little wet-wipe packet to its customers at the checkout? Just a thought I'm sure many of you have had. (I bring my own) read more

I was able to make my first extensive visit to this store recently and came away highly impressed. This Amoeba branch and the Amoeba in San Francisco (I visited both on a recent trip to the Bay Area; I have yet to see the Hollywood store) are so far the most impressive record stores I've ever visited, and I've been to many in different parts of the United States, including several (Waterloo in Austin, Texas; Twist and Shout in Denver; Electric Fetus in Minneapolis; Sound Garden in Baltimore; Banana's in St. Petersburg, Fla.) that have national reputations. The Amoeba in Berkeley is a huge record/media store filled with CDs, vinyl records and DVDs/Blu-rays (movies and TV shows) of all descriptions. I consider myself a collector of all those kinds of discs except Blu-rays, and there were so many items that interested me that I was practically overwhelmed in the 2 1/2 hours I spent in the store. The used CD selection is incredible, with many out-of-print items, including choice box sets, in the bins and on the shelves. Just about every genre of music you can think of is represented in the store. I wouldn't describe the prices as cheap, but I didn't think anything was overpriced either. The used/new CD selection was the most impressive part of the store in my opinion; there's plenty of vinyl, too, but I didn't have time to flip through as much of that as I would have liked. The DVD/Blu-ray selection was the largest I've seen as well, though, again, I ran out of time to look at those items. They also had a music book selection that was pretty solid. Bottom line: Amoeba is an incredible independent music/media superstore that tops anything of its like that I've ever seen. I'm jealous of Bay Area residents for having two of these incredible stores in their backyard. read more

This is the same as my Rasputin review... these two were a tandem event, usually after spending too much at the Berkeley Hat company. The only difference is that there are too many lunchboxes at Ameoba. But I think their selection is incredibly brilliant. Sold a lot of music here too... It just seems, in the end, they give a better deal. I am sort of weird now... I can't find most stuff I need in stores. But my childhood involved that moment where the mind snaps, the saliva quickens, and the jaw drops. I was lucky to not have cable, I think... it got me to the point where I realized there was much more than they were feeding us through the cable box. And I would spot something that would blow my mind... a cannibal corpse album cover. A punk rock album with a swear word on it. Oh my, this was the quickening. This was the validation. It was the ruin..... ... and I thank that damn store to this day..... read more

I love that I can call Amoeba, asked for a vinyl record, find out that it's completely out of stock/print then chat for 15-20 minutes about that particular band and how gnarly they are. Ok I don't love the out of stock part but I still like this little shop on Telegraph. In short, it's very...Berkeley. My heart churns for Arctic Monkeys's AM Deluxe LP. Go indie record stores! read more

I love Amoeba. When I come in, I look through the vinyl. They have a great selection, it's well organized, and I LOVE their dollar vinyl section. Just yesterday I found a great Motown compilation for $1! My only complaints really are.... The holier than though hipster sales clerks. Go drink a PBR, calm down, and get over yourselves. I know you work at Amoeba, working at a music/record store, especially Amoeba is cool. I worked at a record store for a few years in high school and college, but I was helpful. I love music, and didn't look down on people for their choices of music. Plus, although, as I said you work in a cool store like Amoeba, you are still working in retail. Retail. Again, get over yourselves. and, although I love Amoeba's vinyl section more than Rasputin's (also the Berkeley location) because to me it is better organized, I find that a lot of things are often out of stock, or the new vinyl is $1-$2 more than Rasputin. Oh! Bring quarters. Lots and lots of quarters. After all this IS Berkeley, so you need to stuff the meter when you park. read more

Had a really bad experience with service here. The person helping had a lot of attitude when just asking about the price of an item. Made me feel like leaving so that's exactly what I did. Their prices are not as good as Rasputin's anyway... read more

Ive been coming to Amoeba regularly for over twenty years, but Ive had an experience in the store today that might've turned me off for good. I came in with a box of records, tapes and DVDs to sell. The clerk at the front counter took them and paged me when he was done pricing them. He said he would give me $30 in trade. I said, that'd be fine but I need to check with a friend before I could agree to the trade. I walked out of the store to put the box down and make the call. I verified with my friend that he was ok with $30 and walked right back in the store. The guy at the counter said he wouldn't give me the $30 in trade anymore. He accused me of going to Rasputins and trying to sell there. He said sarcastically, "Oh how convenient that when you left the store you walked in the direction of Rasputins.." I told him I just had to leave to verify that my friend was ok with the $30 in trade. He called me a liar to my face. After accusing me of lying, he told me he would only give me $6 in trade now. I walked right out and called the manager. He said that he wouldn't do anything to make it right. I said I'd never been treated this way in my life but he didn't seem to care. He said the best he would do is talk to the guy. Thats a poor poor way to run a business. Well, you wont be getting my business anymore. After 20 years, too! Bottom line: Never bring your CD, records, DVDs or tapes to Amoeba to sell. As other people on here have noted, they are not operating with a fair business practice and they do NOT deserve your money. read more