Super cool record store! The prices are a little high but it's New York. Tons of options. There's a basement area that is filled too! read more

Generation Records - Store front - Music & DVDs Near Me - New York, New York

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Good variety and selection, reasonable prices, good condition of items, I liked the cheaper bins too, and nicely organized and maintained. The only thing negative I'd say is that the death metal music continuously for the entire 20min I was there was too much for me, a little variety of background music would be nice. Service was good and helpful in pointing out what I was looking for. read more

Great spot for all styles of records including old school, international, folk and more. The hip-hop section was on the smaller side but there was also a downstairs filled with more selections. I loved the music and film posters area and the variety of music tees as well. Wasn't welcomed or greeted but it's just overall a chill vibe. Excellent selection of $1.99 records downstairs. Would recommend for music lovers! read more

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Most of the cds are found in a box on the floor that are thrifted, you really have to sit down if you're trying to get something. There's also posters downstairs along with band shirts read more

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I bought a venom record for $40 only to find that it was scratched more than a dog with fleas. I could forgive it if it was only on 1 or 2 tracks, but not one song was playable. Not taking 30 seconds to listen to any song and charging $40 for a scratched vinyl is absurd and shouldn't happen read more

Wonderful record store! So much to sift through bottom and upstairs, with reasonable pricing too! A good find for those hard to finds! read more

We've visited this record store twice, and it's always fun to browse. The store is pretty big when you count in the second floor in the basement. This is a record store where there's something for everyone. I also love whoever chooses which records face the front of the bins - they definitely have a sense of humor. There is never anything like finding something you are excited about when digging through a bin. And don't miss the poster collection in the back in the basement! read more

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Great space loved the flow and vibe. The selection of records posters and vintage items was a pleasant mix, the sale crates had some gems I enjoyed searching through the crates. Overall I loved the bargains. The gentleman upstairs was not warm or welcoming. I asked him a question about some vinyl I was searching for. His response was very nonchalant and almost as if he felt bothered. I wasn't sure if it was because I was a black man or he treats all customers this way. I would hope he is not the owner are part owner with that dark unpleasant attitude towards customers. The guy behind the register downstairs had greater customer service skills. Wish made the shopping experience a bit more pleasant. read more

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Rude staff here. Not recommended. Tried to purchase a record and they wouldn't allow it.

I've been a customer of Generation Records for over a decade.. I find the staff typically pretty rude and dismissive, which I suppose is par for the course for a record shop, especially in tourist/NYU student infested Greenwich Village, but have always supported them and enjoyed buying their used vinyl particularly. I even shopped with them in the middle of the pandemic when the area was desolate and barely anything was open. I don't live in the neighborhood, but when I'm in the area on Sundays I will visit them and pick up a few things. I had a specific new release in mind tonight and knowing full well that they close at 7pm on Sundays, I rushed over in the freezing cold from 14th street/7th Ave to quickly purchase the item. I walked up to the storefront with several minutes to spare, and as soon as the girl sweeping the floor near the entrance saw me, she locked the door with my hand on it. I tried to get their attention to see if it was possible for me to purchase the ONE ITEM I rushed over to get, and saw them stifling laughter through the window as they looked down and pretended not to see me. It's such a bummer that with the way most brick and mortar stores are heading that it's impossible to receive decent customer service. I've watched as every other record store in the neighborhood has shut down.. i mourned the loss of Rebel Rebel, Bleecker St records, etc. I caught the attention of one of the sales associates lowering the gates on the window and asked "don't you close at 7" and he said "..yeah" with hesitation in his voice knowing it was not yet closing time. I told him I walked all the way over in the freezing cold to buy one thing and without an ounce of empathy he said "we're open tomorrow" and walked inside. You may be open tomorrow, but I won't be shopping with you. I'm one person and know that the store probably doesn't care to lose one person's business.. but in the end if Generation Records goes the way of so many other shops in the area, they will have no one to blame but themselves. read more

Spent the day in the city and wanted to do some record shopping in this area. So glad to have found this shop. They have a huge selection of new and used across many many genres, including a huge punk section, which I was after. Prices seemed to be fair - not necessarily high or low. I only bought two records but totally could have bought a dozen of them or more. Prices seemed to be fair - not necessarily high or low. Next time for sure! read more

Generation Records - Music & DVDs Near Me - New York, New York

Old skool record shop ... great place for promoting NYHC within our community , glad it's still here

I've reviewed before but we popped in for a record crawl and grabbed some solid 45s. My brother found a Grade record he's been looking for and I found a new press of a Fugazi record I had but wanted another. HUGE selection and constantly turning over incoming used inventory. Dig the new adds and you'll find something wonderful. I think the only shop I've been to that sorts the new stuff into ABC sections which is I think a saving grace if you're just popping in here for lunch. Don't forget to go downstairs. read more

If you're looking for a classic record store that isn't highly commercialized, this is it. It's a space that manages to maintain authenticity while being in a tourist area. read more

At first we stopped at Bleeker St. Records. When I asked about the Punk record selection, they said we have a huge selection of Punk at our "other" record store. Well then, we're waiting... Where is this other store? Its called "Generation Records"on Thompson st. Hurray! Walking into the store, there is a really fun vibe. Somehow we're directed to the basement where all of the Punk, Rock and Jazz records are located. We walk downstairs and immediately see some classic punk rock posters. My teenager looks at me and says, ooh yeah. We spent a solid hour looking thru the bins and found a few punk rock 45s, a Robin Towers album (who the HELL is this yahoo? I just wiki'd him, holy smokes) Like any record store, they play their own records. This guys are cranking Sonic Youth?! Very very cool. I highly recommend Generation Records. They have great tee shirts, posters and of course lotsa cool vinyl records. read more

Generation Records - Very cool store, one of the best vinyl and clothing shops in NYC - Music & DVDs Near Me - New York, New York

So back in the day and time we piled into our crappy cars and head for the city, you could almost guarantee we'd be hitting generation. We were always going to shows and drinking at bars, thinking we were badass like kids do. Ah the good old days. Generation always had a ton of band posters, movie posters, used and new vinyl. A basement full of punk. 45s, jazz, always as used to play awesome music. You never knew what you were going to stumble upon but you always knew there'd be somet read more

Generation Records - Kitty on dem records - Music & DVDs Near Me - New York, New York

I will admit, they were my 2nd fav to bleeker Bob's because I'm a metal head and like punk too. Now that there is no more bleeker Bob's they are my favorite haha. They can be higher priced on some things, but I'm still giving them 4 stars because they satisfy my nostalgia craving really well. This place is like comfort food to me. Whenever I'm in the area they are in my top 5 places to check out. If you haven't yet, you should! read more

Been here a few times over the last year and never left disappointed. All of my visits were pretty casual strolls, so I was never looking for anything specific, but they all ended with some decent finds! I've also found the staff to be generally friendly and not too overbearing. They do often have a great selection of cassette tapes, and all the ones I've gotten from them were in great condition. While I understand the complaints about their selection of CDs, there are a few gems every once in a while-- so it's worth to browse through 'em if you have the time. If you're seeking something specific, you might get frustrated with the selection. However, if you like shopping for music and looking to fill gaps within your collection, Generation Records is a good place to visit! read more

After walking all around midtown in search of a decent record shop, we found Generation Records... and were not disappointed! Two floors of new and used vinyl and more, everything from pop albums to Thundercat to any artist you can think of. Except Beyoncé and Whitney Houston (we asked). But still, phenomenal little shop, NOT tolerant of anti-maskers :). read more

This place used to be amazing. A must stop anytime I was in NYC. (I'm from Virginia.) The last 2 times have been really disappointing though. Apparently last year Bleeker St Records closed and it's stock was moved to Generation Records, so Generation Records isn't as metal/punk focused as it used to be. Beyond that, they basically carry ZERO new metal releases on CD. And even in vinyl; very few new releases. It's 2018 and Immortal just released a new album. How do you have just one copy on vinyl and no CDs? Additionally, the used CD stock is the exact same stale offerings that were on the shelf in 2015. The last time I was there, I literally had money burning a hole in my pocket and I left empty handed. I have no reason to ever even bother going back, and that's a shame. read more

A mainstay for vinyl lovers, specializing in rock, punk, and alternative. The staff and owner are cool, chill people. Always love shopping here. read more

Love this place. So glad the Village is still home to a few spots like it. Great assortment of treasures down in the lower level at reasonable prices. The 2 for 99 cent bargain bins are especially amazeballs. I don't adore it quite as much as the Bleecker Street Records sister store, mostly due to the fact that Generation's got no obese cats running around. But if you want a unique browsing experience in the presence of a staff who's friendly when needed but mostly pleasantly leaves you to your own devices to explore, this is your spot! read more

Clerk avoiding eye contact? Check. Music blasting uncomfortably loud? Check. Bunch of thrift-store garbage in the dollar (and $1.99) bin? Check. High prices? Check. Visibly filthy records, even for $10+? Check. The icing on the cake was being told that there was no listening station, even though there was a turntable and headphones on the counter. Not that it would have made that much difference anyway, since, as mentioned, the records I was interested in were covered in dust. So, while they had an album that I've been trying to find for a few months, it was a little more than I wanted to spend, and without any way to audition it, I wasn't going to take a chance. If it had been cheaper, I would have bought it. If it had been cleaner, I probably would have bought it, but overpriced + filthy killed the deal. read more

My favorite record store in NYC!! Great selection of Hardcore and Punk along with everything else. Cool in store performances every once and a while. Awesome selection of pins, patches, and t-shirts. Bonus points for Star Wars collection for sale! read more

Out of all the record stores I went to this one was the best. Affordable. Good selection. Nice staff.

Very nice slection of new and used vinyl as well as new and used CD's. They also have some collector import vinyl. I had a problem finding used CD's as they were way out of order. The clerk told me they were in stock but he couldn't find several titles either. I found a shrink wrapped edition of Stephen Stills band called Manassas. It has a classic photo of the the band in front of the Manassas train station. That baby is going in a frame! read more

Good for vinyl, poor for CDs (which was my interest). GR used to have many imported live CDs, but very few these days. All in all, a disappoinmtnet compared to previous vists over the past 20 years. read more

Fucking amazing! Now, I'm writing this from the perspective of an Angelino- where a really good record store is hard to find (and even harder to find a good punk or metal record store). I loved Generation Records. The prices on the vinyl were pretty good. And they had a great selection! Loved the shirts... never seen that many metal shirts in one record store... although some of them were overpriced and there was an overwhelming amount of L and XL sizes (but that can too be expected of metal band shirts). Loved the pins!!! tons to choose from! Loved the pretty kitty that wanders around the store. And contrary to popular opinion, I had great service...from some really nice staff!! read more

Generation Records - credit: from generation records myspace page. oh! look at the cute kitty! seeeee..... - Music & DVDs Near Me - New York, New York

Honestly, a little underwhelming. I was hoping they'd have a better selection, since their Facebook was filled with alternative gems, but I'm starting to think the staff reserves these for themselves just to tease people into coming in. We've got better record stores in Richmond. C- read more

I come by this shop when I'm in the Village looking for more alternative/punk music. This shop has a great selection of bands and genres for usually good prices. The staff are friendly, not overly pushy, which I always prefer. Admittedly, I feel like some of their prices for LPs and CDs are kinda high, but I also don't blame them 'cause they're in the middle of the Village and god knows what their rent is like... With that being said, I tend to stick to searching through the used section of CDs in the basement area. Those tend to be more bank-account friendly, and there's always plenty to look through. They've got a slew of posters and other merch available as well, should you be interested in that sorta stuff. Solid store, solid selection, always worth a look. read more

I'm not from NYC, but have had to visit the last two times i've been in the city. Best selection of records ever. My only problem is the guys who work there. It's a shame they can't be friendly, especially when you hand over $200 for records. We were also charged sales tax twice- is this normal?! :s Only noticed when I looked at the receipt later on. We didn't get a hello, or even a polite smile. The guy looked me up and down and looked pretty disgusted when I walked in and said 'hey' to him, but that was about it. Not very welcoming! Massive shame. I don't remember them being this rude last time I visited. They were chatting about girls when we walked in.. hey, maybe I wasn't hot enough to be spoken to. Who knows. Best record shop all the same. I'll ignore the staff next time. read more

Located on two floors with lots of obscure titles and clothing, Generation Records has both CD and vinyl collections. Our friend snagged seven off-the-beaten-path titles and paid less than sixty bucks for cds. He was happy to find them and we all found the store well organized and packed with audiophiles of every shape and size.. Probably one of the better spots to find something rare for your collection. read more

Though I didn't pick up anything from the place, my rating is based on the depth of variety that Generation Records brings. If you're into vinyl records you'll be into this place as they have quite the assortment of low and high priced vinyl. The new and used cds are also well represented, even if they're market price and not very cheap. They did have a solid range of artists to sift through. Generation Records is a necessary stop if you're seeking out New York record stores. You may or may not walk out of there with anything, but the friendly staff as well as the colorful and informative displays make it worth taking a look at. read more

Along with Academy Records, this is my favourite NYC record shop. I didn't really appreciate it in its entirety though, until I took my cousins from Maine here this weekend and it blew their minds. I'm used to record shopping in Chicago and Columbus and here in New York, where true music geeks abound and record stores are, while not in multitudes, well-stocked and relatively plentiful - but I forgot until my cousins reminded me that there are no real record stores in Maine. I cried a lot as a child, as you can imagine. I've been spoiled as hell as an adult, and Generation is an example of how lucky we are to live in NYC and have access to almost anything we want musically. Downstairs at Generation is where it's AT. Looking for more than one used Stryper record (me too!)? Generation is your place. A ninety nine cent bin with actual gems (New Order) in among the junk (Kenny Loggins... the entire discography)? Yup, they have that too. Oh and that super sexy Nick Cave in 1977 poster? You know I'll be back for that betch (*tingle*). Generation has an excellent selection of used LPs (and CDs) for decent prices (my cousin got a mint condition Tesla record for $4). They have plentiful selection of used punk, hardcore, oi, reggae, and metal, along with a substantial rock section, and massive amounts of band tshirts (though the girl shirt sections is sad sad sadly small). And I had to laugh at the number of Skrewdriver 45s hanging out in the singles section. Most importantly, this is a record store in every sense of the word, they way they're made to be, the way the 80s and 90s woulda wanted it - complete with odd characters looking for a that obscure Swervedriver single, nerdy dudes in white sneakers and safari hats fighting you for the last used My Life with the Thrill Kill Kult record and yes, the required "High Fidelity"-esque cast of employees. Sometimes I think I should quit my professin' and just work in a record store. GENERATION!! read more

Good records horrible customer service. 10 minutes to close telling us hes closed. He lets us in and then 5 minutes later as we have the records in our hand ready to purchase he says "you guys gonna buy something or not". My friend had a 45 dollar purchase in hand he started mouthing off to us and literally hit the door on us on the way out. read more

Their used CDs were a little overpriced compared to other stores I've been to, but I figured they would be good quality. The used stuff was downstairs and it was a large basement. I went to purchase 2 used CDs and brought the cases to the young, unpleasant dude at the counter. He went to go fetch the CDs and came back shortly. Since I was going to pay with a credit card he said I had to go to the register upstairs on the main floor. No problem at all. I go upstairs and the guy at the main register saw me holding cases and asked if the dude downstairs got me the CDs. I said yes. I paid, he might have said thank you or bye, but all I know is he wasn't really friendly. Both employees there looked like they thought they were Gods gifts to the record store biz. Get over yourselves... Hire someone who is at least friendly or cracks a smile. I GUARANTEE you would sell more records.... But it gets worse. On the way home we pop in a cd and a few songs in it starts skipping like crazy. This is kinda expected since it is used. I eject the cd and expect to see some scratches. The thing has GASHES on it. Granted I probably should've checked before I bought it, but that's their job! I can't believe they accepted the GASHED cd in the first place and would sell it. Waste of money and time. Won't be back. read more

I stopped by during a recent visit to NYC. The selection of used stuff was OK but the attitude of the guy working here pretty much turned me off of returning to Generation Records. It's a shame to see the "record store guy snob" attitude making a comeback. The person was unfriendly to the group of college kids buying records in line in front of me and seemed like he wanted to be somewhere else when ringing my items up. Remember, it's a business so please don't be indifferent to the customers. There are many other places to buy records these days so don't give them a reason to go elsewhere. read more

Generation, I love that your staff is cooler than I am. I only wish I could reach the requisite level of coolness required to work here. But alas, I think I have to tattoo my hands for that, and I just don't know if I'm ready. Ok, most of the ladies T-shirts here are punk, buy every once in a while I'll find a metal one and I'm oh-so-happy, because they print those suckers on American Apparel shirts and they fit SO NICE. So, so nice. Boatloads and boatloads of used metal at not so reasonable but not so unreasonable prices! So many posters, many of which are very, very tacky! Can waste many hours/monies in this retail establishment. read more

When my cousin NEEDED to go here to get some cds, I didn't understand why she didn't just go to Amazon.com. Don't they have everything? As soon as you start looking through the racks you realize how amazing this place is. There's stuff there you really can't find anywhere else (not even Amazon). There were so many live performances on DVD that I've never seen before (for my favorite bands), and I thought i was a DVD junkie. They even had live DVDs for obscure Seattle bands from the 90's that I thought NOBODY knew about. Surprisingly enough I was able to walk out of there without buying anything, although my cousin bought $250 worth of Depeche Mode stuff. I kept hearing my fiance's voice nagging. ("$30 per DVD!?!") Next time I'm in NY and (and have some extra money to spend) - I'll be back! read more

This is officially the first record store that I have visited in NYC, and perhaps the first business I have visited with the specific intention of vinyl hunting, since I heretofore found my records on the street, in friends' parents' garages, in sketchy co-op basements in Berkeley, and dusty bins of suburban charity stores. I frequented music meccas like Amoeba and Rasputin's, but it being the early 2000s, it was all about CDs and non-HD DVDs. My reasons for targeting this place place were the Yelp mentions of a 90s/high school vibe. This place did remind me not of high school itself (because that would have been fucking boring), but of the times during which I attended high school. The approach from SoHo was the perfect way to celebrate the shocking extension of natural light afforded by daylight savings today. As I got closer to the West 4th area, I was blindsided by sudden memories of school trips when they let us loose in this infinite kingdom of grooviness, where there were vintage clothes, rings, posters, incense burners, and compact discs that we could never hope to find in Boston, let alone our hometown. This was also the place where I had my first half pound (as opposed to third or quarter pound) cheeseburger at a place called McDougal's (long since closed) and consciously realized for the first time that I loved burgers. A Keith Haring mural was the last throwback before I entered Generation Records. Yes. Totally '90s, but not in terms of Nirvana memorabilia, but in lack of advertising and a guy with LONG HAIR in the basement where all the used LPs were. On my way down to the basement, I had an overwhelming sense of deja vu from a composite memory or a dream. I knew when I saw all the shelves that I would make myself sick flipping past each and every album. I would rate a good selection by its LACK of Linda Rondstadt, Melissa Manchester, Barbara Streisand, Dean Martin, and Man of La Mancha, and Generation had very little of these common and annoying elements.The 2 for 99 cent sale shelves above the unpriced "not for sale, DO NOT TOUCH" shelves that some rifled through anyway was crap - random singles, the above mentioned aural weeds, and a few classical collections, but nothing you'd pay for. The repertoire lacked Hip Hop and World Music entirely but had Reggae, R&B, and Jazz sections, at least. Each record was encased in a plastic sleeve, which I first viewed as wasteful but gratefully reused later to protect my shabbier treasures at home. Some artists had their own category, but you knew ahead of time that nothing would be there (i.e. Led Zeppelin, Jimi Hendrix, Prince, Talking Heads, and Nico obviously had only new pressings in their slots). The guy with long hair was actually really nice, and didn't mind when I sneezed repeatedly and urgently asked for tissues. He said that it was fine to take my armloads of finds upstairs to view the New Arrivals section. There was some great stuff here; records by The Police priced only slightly higher than what would annoy me at a thrift shop ($2.99 to $5.99). There was pretty much everything by Tom Tom Club except their eponymous album; the one I wanted. Will have to resort to eBay for that. Stuff I was relieved I had inherited or found for free long ago: Elton John, Neil Young, Journey, Mr. Mister, Rolling Stones, Fleetwood Mac Things I had the compulsion to buy for no good reason: *Empire Records Poster *Random Emmylou Harris albums I'd never heard yet *Great White, just for its iconic art *A damaged Roy Orbison *An organ collaboration titled "ORGANASM" Stuff I had every reason to buy, but resisted with all my might: *A new press of Under the Great White Lights by the White Stripes *A new press of Grace by Jeff Buckley *$9.99 used Indigo Girls *Used copy of Jimmy Buffett's Son of a Son of a Sailor *Used mint of Janet Jackon's Rhythm Nation When it was time to shave down my selections, I started talking out loud, and the two guys at the desk, rather than sneering and turning away, offered gentle guidance (i.e. "You might not HAVE to have the Dirty Dancing soundtrack...Rick Springfield will still be here if you change your mind..."). One of them had the quirky quippiness and reddish beard of Zack Galifianakis but was in no way hideous, ugly strange, or inappropriate. He mentioned Watership Down when I said that the Velveteen Rabbit was the most depressing work of children's literature in existence. Touche. My loot after some angst and $43 and change later: *Elvis album with MY faves on it *2 albums by The Police *2 albums by Men At Work *Soundtrack to a PBS production of the Velveteen Rabbit narrated by Meryl Streep, accompanied by George Winston *Something RANDOM called "The Pet Clams" that I could NOT resist *A mint issue of Marvin Gaye (the one with SEXUAL HEALING on it) *Joe Walsh (with Turn to Stone) An average of $5 a pop is something I can live with. I deeply regret not getting Dirty Dancing, though. Could've been the time of my life. read more