While taking a stroll through Andersonville, I stumbled upon Rattleback Records. I had only intended on going in to check for one album but ended up exploring the store and combing through their records for nearly an hour! There were so many incredible gems to be found, spanning every single genre. I ended up purchasing a couple of James Taylor records, a Bad Bunny record, Hilary Duff and an obscure country music record. They also had a very thick guide to the town of Andersonville available for free which I found just totally awesome. It was jam packed with info about a ton of local restaurants, activities and local events. The staff here were super knowledgeable, happy to help and downright great. I felt very happy to have found this gem of a place and will def be back the next time I'm in town. read more

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I have had nothing but the most helpful people every time I go into this store I recommend this store to all my friends and the staff is helpful and knowledgeable. I give this store sevens if I could. William read more

Cool record store!!! Organized well, easy to maneuver around, spacious aisles, and fun vibes. They sell record players too. Very nice collection. I wanted to buy so many things but I behaved and only bought two records. I'll definitely be back for more. They have some seating too, which was nice because I needed a moment to deliberate. Fun find!! read more

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Best record store in Chicago. Has a great selection. May not be as big as some others, but what they lack in size they make up for in the best customer service I've experienced at a record store in Chicago consistently. If you're tired of being treated like an afterthought at other record stores in Chicago, it's worth the visit. read more

First time visit and could have stayed for hours. Awesome selection - seriously, a wide array of genres, etc. Staff super nice - great checkout experience. Everything was very organized and easy to find. Would highly recommend checking it out in Andersonville! read more

Rattleback Records - Killer Klowns from Outer Space soundtrack! - Vinyl Records Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

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There REALLY is a lot here for everyone. $1 bins and discounted below the regular racks that will cost you a bit more. A good movie selection and tons of other stuff I didn't look through since I just dug in the cut outs as usual finding a Shadow radio recording record for $1, Gino Vanelli for $1, sound effects for $1, $1 HOLLA! Good location near Wooly Mammoth, and a bunch of thrift stores really off Clark Street in Andersonville read more

This is, bar none, the most happening record store in Chicago. Walking into Rattleback is like a journey in time to when record stores were vibrant and felt like community. Paul and his team are just the best. Rattleback always has all the new and newer releases, and important catalogue, as well as, a great selection of used music as well. And if they don't have it, they will order it and it will arrive within the week, if not sooner. All the staff care about your experience. I found Rattleback and I fell back in love with record store culture. Thanks Rattleback. I'm a fan and thank you so much for all you do. I so appreciate you. read more

In the late 80's and early 90's I worked in a record store. I was an elitest, opinionated, sarcastic jackass. Twice in past month I have visited Reckless on Milwaukee. Both times I interacted with sullen, disaffected staff. Yesterday I called looking for a tshirt for a Xmas gift. I spoke two staffers, both helpful. When I arrived to Pitt Chase the shirt midafternoon it was cc packed, around 35 customers. I realized I had them hold the wrong size shirt. They were incredibly helpful, polite.....hell, they were charming. Support this store and these good people. read more

Best record store I've come across in Chicago so far! Incredible selection of records, organized beautifully, and a very nice range of prices. Truly something for listeners of all kinds. Service was fast and friendly. Checking out their website, they offer really cool services like record of the month club and other neat things. I'm going to be a very loyal patron of this store for a long time. read more

Wow. What a great selection of new and used. I expected find one or two records by any given band and was so delighted to find multiple releases by many acts. Obscure. Rare. New. A must visit. Especially if you're from out of town. They gave me a tote to carry my finds. Awesome staff. - Randall read more

Rattleback Records - Records silly !! - Vinyl Records Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

Appreciated the helpful team. The selection was vast and signage was great. I feel like I got enough bang for my buck.

highly recommend if you're into records or CD's (perks of not driving a hybrid, my friends). read more

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Very nicely organized shop. This record shop wasn't trying to charge 40 for a bee-gees record either.

Paul knows his stuff! He's happy to order anything they don't have in stock. I had an issue with an outdated stylus and Paul took a lot of care to help me get the issue solved! I'm very happy to return to Rattleback Records and can't wait to!! read more

Rattleback Records in a very short period of time has grown to become a major player in Chicago. The stock is varied across musical genres and is updated daily. I stop in at least twice a week and I always find tons of new additions to the bins. Records are alphabetized and stocked with care. This means everything If you care about the condition of your record purchases. Rattleback is a very fully stocked store yet not cluttered. There is a genuine love of music here and you'll often overhear great music related conversations between staff and customers. If you're familiar with "Andersonville" style customer service then you'll understand. The amazing, knowledgeable and friendly staff make Rattleback feel like the record stores from back in the day where you came for the ambience, camaraderie and great music discoveries. read more

I love having a go-to record store for indie and queerish music in the neighborhood. The staff is very helpful. They even sent someone to their distributor for a copy of a record that was delayed by the shipper. Excellent customer service! read more

I'm a longtime and avid shopper of records and I love Rattleback. Chicago is known for good music shopping but in a short time Rattleback has moved to the top of the list for me. I ALWAYS find multiple items I want there, Paul the owner and his staff are amazing, great location and they host fantastic parties and shows. Personally, my taste lies in post punk, goth and indie and my boyfriend loves free jazz, Afro beat and classic punk and we both are always happy with our findings. They also have everything from top 40 to classic rock to blues and anything else you're probably looking for. I love to dig but was happy to see their online shop launched so everyone near and far can shop here. read more

Stumble at this record place and we enjoyed going through their music selections. Staff is great and definitely worth checking out. read more

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Great Vinyl (and other media) shop. The selection that's here is great, but could use a larger selection. Hopefully it'll build. I'll flesh out my review as they flesh out their inventory. read more

Todd Rundgren book signing event was wonderful. The establishment was helpful and courteous, giving us constant updates on the progression of the line. The event was well organized. The staff was very friendly. Rattleback Records had a variety of awesome albums (with a great ambiance) and I will surely return to purchase more of my favorite records. PS. Thanks for helping me find my glasses. read more

Awesome store! Much welcomed to Andersonville. Rattleback has a great selection of Vinyl and a ton of stuff! Highly recommended!

This store has a nice selection of records. The prices are a little bit steep for new records, but they have some great used bins where records are only $2. The staff here is super nice and helpful. Everything is organized and neat. I recommend checking out this store if you are in the area. read more

Great record store, super friendly staff! Great addition to the neighborhood. I found a My Life With The Thrill Kill Kult album I have been searching for, for a very long time! read more

Great staff, excellent selection of new and old records, reasonable prices. Everything you want in a neighborhood record store!

Excellent selection. Jazz, Rock and musicals. The employees are very knowledgeable employees and reasonable return policy. Both New and used records are reasonably priced read more

I've been collecting music for over forty years, especially vinyl LPs. I've been to literally hundreds of music and record stores over the years, and Rattleback Records is one of the best I've been to. The store is very nicely laid out and it's very easy to peruse the ample large bins filled with an excellent selection of vinyl LPs of varying genres. The prices are very competitive and it's easy to always find something new on every trip (which is saying something since I have over 1200 vinyl LPs). The owner/manager Paul is a true music guru and can answer questions or make suggestions for a wide variety of music types and if he doesn't know the answer (very rare), he'll find out for you. Overall, this is an excellent store for either the seasoned LP/music collector like myself, or a new LP fan. It's also for anyone in between. They also carry CDs but the main focus is good old, dependable vinyl LPs. If you love music, go to this store. You won't be disappointed and most likely will come home with some new treasures. read more

This is going to be my go to record store since i just moved here to chicago i wanted to go to a record store that just had a nice feel and vibe to it and with rattle back records it was just all there i'm happy to say i will become a regular there. read more

I won't be shopping there ever again. Their used records are over priced and often the condition of the record is in question. Several times I've tested records in store and have been disappointed (I expect crackles and pops but skipping on a record priced above $20 is unacceptable). I hope they get the quality control in check and start testing the used records they sell before they are just another failed business in the area. I want these guys to succeed but sadly they have already lost my business and I doubt I will return. read more

Pete who works at Rattleback really made me feel welcome today. Let's face it. You can pretty much go anywhere, including the web, to buy records these days. But I really enjoyed having a brief seat and chatting with him about music. I bought a repress of Hot Rats by Zappa. Now my fourth copy of this album on vinyl. Rattleback had such a nice, wide selection of vinyl. I was so pleased to have the time to shop there. Customer service is strong here. Thanks for the chat and the smile, Pete! I'll be back next time I'm in town. Great store! read more

Rattleback (stupid name IMO) has a better selection but you still have to check any used vinyl before you buy. They won't think twice of asking a high price for scratchy vinyl. It feels like a mall record store and the staff does not seem very passionate or knowledgeable about music. Put it this way, Reckless Records (next to the Belmont CTA Red Line stop) will never lose me as a customer. read more

Love this place. Great selection and knowledgeable staff. Everything you want in a local record store.

Really liked this place. Looks great and a real nice atmosphere & staff. Good selection, especially considering the store is relatively new. I'm personally much more into browsing through used stuff (as opposed to new records, which they also have a good amount of), so definitely will be stopping in occasionally to see what has arrived. Happy with my purchase this time and looking forward to the next one! read more

Outstanding place and staff! We went to the Todd Rundgren book signing held there recently. It was so well organized. The staff was very helpful and really kept things in order. They had a wonderful display of Todd albums and dvds. They must have a lot of fun doing their display merchandising there! The store itself was very nice with a wonderful selection. I would definitely recommend it to music fans of all types! I can't thank them enough for hosting this event and I sure hope to get back there sometime! read more

Been to this store a few times and I like the place and the staff. People are very helpful and try to help you find whatever you need .LP s dvds,CD,s etc.you name it in . Plus for me they are just around the corner . I will tell this being in the biz for over 50years this is my kind of store, friendly people with great attitudes unlike others store , and also honest when comes to pricing unlike afew other stores. Yep this is a great store folks support them . And right across the street is another resale shop you need to see but go here first that is my recommendation . read more

posting here to counter the review which complained about condition of the records. in my experience, the used records here tend to be in great condition - like where does he get all these near mint records! plus you can check the condition before you buy. so wtf complaining about condition. despite that review no worries there. owner is friendly and knowledgable. selection is great, esp for the size of the shop. clean. organized. yeah - five stars it is. read more

Very knowledgeable and friendly owner with excellent selection of records, record players, cds and cultural ephemera! Support this shop!