Have religiously visited Stranded Records location in Rockridge and prior location just off Piedmont Avenue over the years. I also frequent the shop in the SF Mission District and have visited the NYC Lower East Side location. What makes Stranded unique is that it feels like a well curated shop of eclectic music. They carry new and used genres - Jazz, Rock, R&B, Hip Hop, Electronic, African, Reggae, Soundtracks, etc.. It's always a pleasure to stop bye because you never know what you will find. So be prepared to spend some time there if you are a true digger. The guys in the shop are also pretty friendly and welcoming. It also helps that the shop is located on a nice stretch of College Avenue in Oakland that has a lot to offer and close to Rockridge BART Station - shopping (groceries, hardware, bookstore, bakery, coffee/tea, home decor, etc.) restaurants and bars at different price points. They also have a small couch that can come in handy if your friend or partner just wants to hang out while you are browsing. Prices can vary and are comparable to other record shops. Anyone that enjoys vinyl would be well advised to check out this shop ! read more

Stranded Records - Oakland - One of the main walls of highlighted records - Vinyl Records Near Me - Oakland, California

They stayed open late for me. Got 4 records will come back for a 5th and 6th..and 7th..and.. Staff was so nice. My dog Mia and I enjoyed our visit. Thanks! read more

Not sure how I missed the upstairs but this was a neat shop. Easy to browse, friendly staff who played a track on the record I purchased because I was concerned if a visible dimple on the record would be audible. It wasn't and I bought the record. Would definitely visit again. I did not have any issue with cigarette smoke or anything like that. I feels those reviews are sus. read more

Excellent selection and excellent customer service. When I was in the store yesterday I asked them to look up a title for me and even though they were sold out it turned out their SF store had one copy! They offered to have it put on hold in SF and have transferred here to Oakland. I ended up going and picking it up right away but it was so nice of them to do this for me. I will definitely be back to BOTH stores soon. read more

New or used, you never know what you'll find at Stranded. Impeccably stocked. Always some ultra rate stuff you may never see again in your lifetime. Is it cheap? No. They stock the good stiff. And the good stuff ain't cheap. Steve and the crew are always helpful. read more

This place usually has what you are looking for ... whether it's David Bowie or an obscure Tropicalia record from Brazil. Next level curated vinyl read more

Yo, Stranded is a fine establishment. YES, their prices can be a bit high, but if you're shopping in there, then you know this already, and you probably know that many of the records they stock are hard to find, and always in great shape. Not to mention you're buying from a local/small business. Vinyl WAL-MART, it ain't. Stranded has a beautifully curated selection of JAZZ records (amongst other genres: folk, rock, punk). Probably the best in the Bay (concerning Jazz) for the size of the store. I've found quite a few hard-to-find, and rare Jazz records there. Every time I go in there (once or twice a month) I find something that I can't pass up. As for all the people complaining about the staff being rude, stand-offish etc., just try saying HELLO once in a while, or maybe asking for a recommendation. You'll find that the staff at Stranded are more than happy to talk shop with you, and connect you with something that might strike your fancy. Courtesy goes both ways in this world. Real recognizes real. The shop also runs an amazing reissue label called: Superior Viaduct. Stop in there, and check out their wares, I'm sure you'll find something you enjoy. read more

The collection here for hip/hip and soul very surprising! Will find both new and old classics like Etta James. They also play some records as you shop! Great experience and easy going employees !! Definitely worth the visit read more

Stranded is either part of the new wave in recordings or the end of it. they feature old and new vinyl records. while i have old beatles and similar aged records, i haven't plsy them for awhile... Stranded is open to buying old vinyls. i may be interested in buying some. need to time to peruse available stock. aslo need to see if my turntble still works. vinyls start at $15+. read more

I stumbled in here for the first time after being on Piedmont for other things. It's a nice, small store with a good variety of albums. I bought a used album for a price that seemed fair, if the album is near mint. I took it home and put it in a stack of other others I've bought recently and wanted to clean first. A few weeks later I finally got around to cleaning them all and noticed that the album I bought from this store had substantially more defects than I was able to see from a quick glance in the back of store with less than ideal lighting. Playing it determined that the album was indeed 'VG' at best (quite noisy) so I basically paid twice the value for a record that I may never listen to now. I'll stop back in occasionally but doubt if it'll be on my frequent visit list. read more

A pretty good little record shop with a surprisingly interesting and eclectic selections of LPs. What stood out immediately was that, for the most part, they don't have all of those crappy used rock records that either nobody wants or everyone already has, which clog up the picked-over aisles at places like Amoeba and Rasputin. On the contrary, when you flip through Stranded's inventory, you'll notice that a good portion of their records tend towards more elusive gems that these days you'd have to go online to find. They seem to be particularly focused on jazz, and there are loads of great jazz records in their new arrivals section. But they also have some not necessarily easy to find post punk, punk, metal, psych, and indie stuff. I walked out empty handed on my first visit (the Happy Family 'Man on Your Street' LP I wanted to buy was covered in hairline scratches, so I had to pass on it), but I'll definitely be back. They seem to go out of their way to stock interesting records for more discerning music obsessives, and as a music obsessive myself, I appreciate that. That said, expect pricing to be in line with what you'd see on Discogs or eBay, i.e., generally higher than Amoeba or Rasputin. But also expect to find some things that seldom ever make it into Amoeba or Rasputin. read more

If you're serious about your vinyl, avoid like the plague: employee spends most of his time in the doorway smoking (illegal in Oakland), with smoke wafting into the store. You can smell it inside the store. As anyone collecting vinyl knows, cigarette smoke finds its way into every nook and cranny, and the intrinsic static charge on vinyl attracts it. Not only is smoke about the worst thing you can do to a piece of vinyl, prepare to wonder why your room smells like stale cigarettes after you bring your pricey purchase home. If I can figure out how to upload an image of the smoker puffing away in the doorway, it will be added. On the note of pricing: you will pay a bit more in most cases I've shopped here vs other venues. read more

The owner is super unfriendly and the shop reeks of cigarette smoke every time I've been in. The prices are super high and the selection is quite small. read more

Hands down my favorite record store in the bay. They moved to a slightly smaller location but still the same great selection. I picked up a copy of the reissue of Terry Riley's Descending Moonshine Dervishes. read more

Probably the best record store in the Bay Area. They are pretty chill about helping you find something or letting you know your chances of running across it. I found a rare Ryan Adams record there years back and suspected they wouldn't know the true value... then I checked the price. Nope. They know what's up. Smart cats. (Bought it anyway.) They just took over Book Zoo's old place off Piedmont Ave which is perfect since Stranded is basically the Book Zoo of record stores. read more

Simple review: 4 stars for an interesting selection of vinyl. 2 stars for the high prices. 0 stars for the unhelpful, pretentious pr*ck working the counter who guaranteed that my first visit will be my last visit. read more

Brown paper bags Wax paper for sandwiches Vinyl records These are things I've missed dearly but are now in everyday use once again. It was a beautiful cloudless day so I drove my 1966 Mustang convertible over the Bay Bridge. When I arrived at the Oakland-Berkeley border, I and my vehicle seemed to enter a vortex. Gas was 39 cents per gallon. On the corner of 65th & Telegraph, children and dogs frolicked in dappled sunlight outside of a new RECORD STORE . How could this be, I thought, applying the brakes rather too strongly and adjusting my cat-eye glasses to take in the scene more fully. The voice of an angel wafted through the open front door of the shop. I had to investigate. Parking was abundant. Inside, I found the angel's voice belonged to Penelope Houston, who was singing music from her new album. The atmosphere was jovial. I went to flip through the Blues section and was pleasantly surprised to find a neatly alphabetized, excellent selection. No Classical yet, but they are working on it. The co-founders of this gem are very knowledgeable and friendly. When I purchased an album, the title was written down on a clipboard. Comfortingly old-fashioned way to keep inventory. I found out the live music will be an ongoing thing for Saturday afternoons. Well worth a visit. read more

Very small but nice records store in the northern part of Oakland. It's pretty narrow and consists of two levels plus the back patio area. Some of the prices were a bit outrageous but the staff and owner seem pretty nice. I hear they even carry some of the rarest of LPs and collections. read more

Found this place by accident and it's my new favorite record store. Really wide selection and a ton of hard to find albums, everything I picked up was in great condition and the guy at the counter was really friendly. Nothing bad to say at all, the prices are reasonable and there's definitely something for every taste here. read more

This is well-curated shop. The staff is polite, and will offer advice if asked. Whoever is in charge knows what they are doing. You want a Sandy Bull record? Find it here. The latest Caberet Voltaire? Check. A pristine Flying Nun comp? Sorry buddy, I bought that. Some may say the prices are high. They are wrong. The prices are fair, and what the market will bear. Somehow, they manage to renew their stock at high levels of quality. Be it known. There's no dross here. They have very interesting in-stores here as well, and seem well-organized. Hats off gentlemen. Here's to your future. I am a happy customer. read more

I finally had a chance to drop into the new Stranded location this afternoon. I had been to the old spot several times, and had fond memories of seeing Will Oldham play there, and finding several good old records. The new space is quite stunning, perhaps the best looking record store I have ever set foot in. Think of this more as a record gallery as opposed to your typical record store, as Stranded takes a bit of a different approach in that it is a highly curated experience. There seem to be even fewer records than before, and it is as though the records are presented to you, as opposed to providing you with a hunting ground through which to crawl and sift in hopes of striking gold. I would say that you pay a bit for the work that goes into it; but if you have a specific want list, go in knowing that the work has been done for you and you can flip right to the spot where you hope it will be. Sure, as some reviewers have noted, you'll find a Neil Young 'Harvest' for $15 that you could possibly find at a GoodWill for $1, but I don't think of Stranded as the place for those kinds of records. This is the best source in the East Bay for good new music that spans every genre, as well as rarer old music that you'd be hard-pressed to find elsewhere. The staff is always playing something intriguing and is very knowledgable and helpful. I usually leave having been turned on to something new. Make sure to look into their proprietary releases under the Superior Viaduct label; it's nice to see that side of their effort and to know that they value the importance of preserving and re-presenting some great regional music that never got the attention it deserved. read more

See all

Cool spot for all the vinyl addicts. My cousin and I stopped by the other day and she found a couple of rarities that were on her want-list. Nice selection of titles; new, used, reissues. The shop is modestly sized, tidy and the guy who assisted us wasn't intrusive. There was plenty of street parking (corner of Telegraph and 65th) on a Saturday afternoon. I'll be making Stranded one of my regular stops when I go vinyl hunting again. read more

Pretty great selection at this small shop on Telegraph. Went through the used records first and came across a few unexpected titles, especially in the 45s. But it was actually the new vinyl section that was most impressive. These guys do a really great job stocking the store with hard to find re-issue albums. There was some stuff in the new section that I didn't even know had been re-issued. Looking forward to coming back and combing through it some more when I have extra time. read more

As a collector, it pains me to write this review, as I've spent quite a lot of time (and money) shopping at Stranded. Their collection is well-curated, if a bit overpriced, and the layout makes it easy to browse. On a personal level, I've also enjoyed the interaction with Chris, who's there on weekends. But that all changed on Sunday, Sept. 10, when I stopped in to shop and also to sell a few duplicates I had in my collection. I also wanted to sell back a new John Coltrane/Alice Coltrane release that Chris had raved about. I hated the record, and while I didn't expect to get a full refund, I did expect something more than what I got, which was nothing. To add insult to injury, Chris offered me a total of $8 for the four duplicates, all of which were in excellent condition and by important artists. It shocked me to be blown off in such a cursory manner, especially since, as noted above, I've spent a lot of money at the store. But it was clear to me that Chris didn't care about the relationship I thought we had established. My mistake. But it's not a mistake I'll make again. As a serious collector, I will continue to buy records. But I won't be buying them from Stranded. read more

Eclectic selection with decent Jazz and R&B sections. It's pricey, but the finds are worth it.

The third in my trinity of favorite local record stores, Stranded definitely has the highest prices between the three, but I think that they carry more "non-mainstream" releases than 1234 Go! or Econo Jam, which is a plus for my Ryuichi Sakamoto-loving self. I've never had a bad experience at the store during my multiple visits, so it does pain me to see some of the negative reviews on here. I understand the complaint about some of the pricing, but I justify it with the size of the store. I've gotten everything from an original pressing of the Alien score, Skinny Puppy singles, used David Bowie and Oingo Boingo, and more here. I love it. read more

The east bay has been missing a solid record shop for years now and it's nice to see Stranded finally fill that void. Like people have said before, the guys that run this place know there stuff, and have diverse tastes in music. That said, it's not really the type of place you'll be able to scour for a steal. People might complain that prices are high but I think they're pretty fair, especially given the range and quality of titles they have. Some are very rare, a $1000 copy of Stark Reality for instance, which adds to the allure of the place. Reminds me of some of the better shops in NY, and as many great shops as there are in NY I think Stranded would fit right in, which is saying a lot. read more

Great little store in Oakland. The ONLY negative is that the parking in this area can be a hassle, but it helps if you think of the rewards you may find after you finally find a parking place. I have never walked out of here empty handed. Great selection of used and obscure as well as new riessues. A lot of obscure titles come through here too. read more

Small little record store with a pretty solid selection located perfectly off of piedmont next to Peet's. Vinyl lovers check it out!

Three sided review here resulting in 2 stars (if you are a local musician this place is 1 star): 5 Stars for their solid collection of records. You are guaranteed a great collection and if you're out for an adventure pick, this would be the spot because it is so well curated. 3 Stars for their prices (you might find a deal here for that record you've been meaning to replace or that you've always wanted in your collection, but is far from rare). There are many gems in the collection and you will pay for them as such. 1 Star for their consignment. As a Bay Area musician, we got ripped off of the records we sold here. We didn't give them many (I think only 2 or 3) to sell, but any sales are important. I personally know the people that bought the records from Stranded and we were given the run around for trying to get our cut of the records sold from the shop. After 2 years of emailing, calling and stopping in, we gave up. Stranded told us that the records never sold and that they were lost in inventory. read more

What an absolute joke of a record store. Never been in a record store before where the cheapest used record is $15!!! For the most part all the records in their extremely small/limited store are brand new, but I often go crate digging for gently used gems. Their "crates" in the lower shelves make browsing virtually impossible, it's like a stand up box sort of, you can barely flip from alum to album let alone see the covers clearly. Has a real snobbish "holier than thou" feel that floats through the whole store. A store like this would be better suited in Beverly Hills or something where people enjoy forking over hundreds of dollars for supposedly "rare" pressings. There are much better record stores in Oakland and the surrounding areas that don't gouge you for prices. Avoid like the plague! read more

As a place to purchase records, it's perfectly functional, but as a music store and part of the music community, this place is awful and deserves no support. There's one simple reason for this: NO FLIERS. The owner explicitly bans promoting ANY local music events on the walls, apparently preferring a drab and sterile environment with blank walls (now at the former Aquarius in SF as well). One of the excuses the owner gave is that artists never pay back the gesture. As absurd as it is to suggest that local musicians don't literally produce much of the music that is sold at the store, it is even further ludicrous to imply that there is somehow an exchange of goods being made when a piece of paper is taped up on a wall that would otherwise be blank. There are better prices and better selections in both directions on Telegraph: north, two record stores in Berkeley near the UC campus; and south, three within walking distance of 19th St BART. I won't mention them lest it appear I am writing simply to shill for them. I am not. I simply choose to support this vibrant and struggling community of local artists who make the East Bay worth living in, and am adamantly opposed to businesses such as Stranded leeching off their hard work. Sure, Stranded will stay in business, making money off soulless dispensers of disposable income who just discovered vinyl and want to impress their date with a Miles Davis reissue. But for those who make and/or appreciate new sounds, collaboration, and above all COMMUNITY, this hole in the wall has nothing to offer. Thanks for the Terry Riley record, jerks. There is no reason for me to return. read more

Make no mistake, music lovers. Lightweight space, heavyweight selection. Everything in its right space, uncluttered, varied genres. You can spend a good 1-2 hours in here and just lose your shit with all these OMG fan girl fanboy moments when you find that vinyl that tugs at your nostalgic slash elitist slash purist slash rare collector slash whatever-moves-you heartstrings. This place is cathartic. Definitely recommended for the music lover in your life. read more

I'm giving 4 stars not 5 because it is a little pricey for some things... To be fair, every record I bought on my first visit (7) was near mint and I have no regrets but if prices were just a little bit lower, I would've bought twice as many. I really like that the music isn't separated by genre. Many times the only thing that makes something be separated into rock, r&b or country is the artists' ethnicity. I applaud Stranded for not promoting that. Usually at most shops, I get remarks upon purchasing that I have an eclectic selection. Refreshingly, not at Stranded. I love not having to go to a whole other section for a different "genre"! I love the indexing system and the media quality. I think over time, I'll probably give 5 stars but also hoping they can come down in price a tiny bit. 10% less overall would be just right imho. read more

Very impressed with the selection of music here at Stranded. He prices are high but the music is rare. The one thing that made this less than a 5 star review is the fact that all the used music is alphabetized without regard to genre. I couldn't quite get into my record store zone as I kept flipping to music i have no interest in. I suppose it's my own fault for being a narrow minded listener but by the same token I feel like it takes away from the browsing experience. read more

Well, I saw a review on YELP complaining that there are no returns here. That review seems to be gone now, but I thought I'd take a moment to comment. Thus far, I have only purchased new vinyl here. That being said, I have had problems with a couple of pressings (these are HQ 180 gram vinyl reissues). The owner has been wonderful about accepting returns. He hasn't even asked to listen to the vinyl. Now used records are a different matter altogether. When buying used, it is my responsibility to inspect the record for scratches, warpage , etc. I don;t know the entire context of the (now vanished) review, but record collectors have to do a little due diligence. Overall, a fine new record shop in north Oakland. read more

A clean, well-lighted place for vinyl. Went in on a whim today thinking I had somehow missed this store's existence until now but pleasant proprietor let me know it's been about three months. Nice space, good selection of records organized neatly. Not the widest selection but I imagine this is not their intention and/or this may change as they get more established. They had some nice collector grade old stuff and some new vinyl as well. Most 10 gram weight stuff I've seen in a long time. Proprietor stayed at the counter and left me alone until I looked up, asking me if I needed help finding something. Will go back when I have some more money. read more

Great store! Eclectic selection of vintage and new music, with knowledgeable and friendly staff and owners. Easy parking, good communications on orders, way more interesting than most record shops. My wife and daughter agree. read more

Favorite record store in the Bay area. Great place for crate diggers and fans of obscure and outer space oddities as well as more mainstream reissues. Can't recommend enough! read more

Finally made it to Stranded and WOW!!!! What an amazing record store. First of all: it is just what you want from a classic neighborhood record store: records!! The selection is amazing. Those guys know how to get the latest and greatest vinyl reissues, from amazing bigger titles, to those obscure ones that you would never know about unless you saw them on the walls. The used section is amazing to, containing records that I have not seen in any bins in years. And again, there are tons of records to go through. Second: total mom and pop old school experience. The folks behind the counter know their stuff and helped me out big time with some of my questions about bands to look for if I liked others. And the stuff I bought from their advice did not disappoint. Finally, they are totally going for the community feel. Have already had a show featuring half of cluster (across the street) and showed Sun Ra's SPACE IS THE PLACE for free in the store itself (and the movie's producer was there). Anyway, I will be going back often (I guess the only thing that might take off a star is my wife's hesitation of more vinyl coming into the house. The temptation is too great). read more