When I spotted Cow records, located near Ocean Beach, I knew that I had to go in. First, though, we needed pizza down the street at Pizza Luigi's. I made sure to wash my hands before visiting the shop, though. Inside, it's wall-to-ceiling packed with records, cds, posters, even VHS tapes, cassette tapes, and other music gifts such as stickers, pins, and t-shirts. The more valuable records, like most shops, are high on the walls over the bins. I thought some of the prices seemed higher than you'd see on Discogs, for example, but I'm sure high rent is a factor. There is such a thing as a bird in the hand is better than two in the bush, however. One trend, for better or worse, and this isn't just Cow I'm talking about, is that very few used records, especially original pressings (OGs), are available anymore. More often than not, reissued vinyl, sometimes from questionable providence (e.g. European labels that use cds as the mastering source because of lax copyright laws). Not to say that all reissues are bad because some are well mastered and pressed. Fortunately,more artists are having new albums released on vinyl, which is great except that the average release costs $25‐50 now. Anyhow, my rock and jazz collections are so vast that I only browse what's high on the wall nowadays, except for a few audiophile reissues by Blue Note records, especially their Tone Poet and Classic programs. Great store and vibe, support your independent record shops! read more

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What an amazing place! I found an awesome record and the store owner signed it, it's his band. Lots of interesting and cool stuff in here! read more

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What can I say about The Cow? Loved this staple of OB at the old and new location. Greg is the man! Check out The Cow today!

Stumbled upon this place while taking a walk around the neighbourhood of our airbnb. Pretty cool record store, it's covered from top to bottom and every wall with music. Huge vinyl records place but they have cds and cassette tapes too. The guys running the store is very knowledgeable and had cool stories. It's been around since the 80's. If you love music definitely pop on in and check it out read more

Very enclosed space, small store, but filled with all kinds of stuff! The place is decorated with cool stickers and posters. They got vinyls, CD's, Cassette tapes, A-Tracks, 45's...etc. Good service, and everything is at a decent price/value for all music. read more

Cow Records - Store - Books, Mags, Music & Video Near Me - San Diego, California

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Every RSD that I've been to the records I want are in stock, they even opened early one year because we were early and waiting. Great service, great records. read more

Great selection and variety but prices were kind of steep for CDs. Workers were very nice and I will definitely be back!

Very chill store. Good selection. Helpful employee. Great set up and decent offerings I found a Best Of The Specials and used Dare by Human League there. Good selection of genres. No B.A.D. though. read more

The place is located in a touristy part of town but it still feels sketchy. Parking is tough. The place is pretty small. Lots of new and used vinyl but I didn't find anything I want. Staff is friendly but distracted. read more

This store had a good mix of new and used vinyl. Their prices were reasonable. The back wall had a bunch of random vinyl records. That was their bargain bins but it was very difficult to look through the albums. I'm sure there were some gems there and I hope to have more time to check it out next time. Parking is difficult because of the proximity to the beach. read more

What's going to get your record player mooing better than a Cow by mooing I mean rocking out to your favorite tunes with the two tone beat because it's just ever so neat! Records are like one of my favorite things ever to come across as I have a ton and I keep feeding my addiction to them almost every time I visit a record store because you can never have too much music as it's one of the best things in life! This is a small little store that packs a bunch of music into the spot they have I must say they do have a good selection here as there's pretty much something for everyone so your sure to find that vinyl you really want to get spinning! Another thing I always look for when I visit a new record store is the pricing and here is definitely fair for the market on just about every record I picked up as nothing was higher than it should be! The store it self is really awesome and just a few short steps away from the beach so don't forget to stop by here on your way home as I know your going to want to because music is the best! Overall this is an awesome little shop that's full of tunes who knows when I'll get back here again but if I'm in the area it's definitely worth a stop because i found a good amount of artists here last visit that I listen to and I can always use more music! read more

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I love this place! Awesome vibes.... location makes for great business. The owner is amazing, it's always good to talk music with people who know their stuff. Support the locals! I was on vacation but had to buy some vinyl. So in and see for yourself! read more

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Gary is very knowledgeable and helpful. He responded quickly to my dishwasher service request and arrived as promised. I plan to use him for all my appliance repairs! read more

Ugh I loved this shop! My boyfriend and I are huge record shop junkies and we absolutely loved this place. Highly recommend it if you're into record shops. There is so much to look at. Their Vinyl is organized very well which is a huge plus for me. I hate walking into a record shop and everything is all over the place or in boxes still. Super clean and very well maintained. They also sell books and magazines and a few Knick knacks. The employee that was there during our visit was friendly and helpful. A definite must stop! read more

It's gratifying to come across a record shop like this. It reminds me of my teenage years (dating myself, I know). It's such an engrossing experience to flip through bin after bin of vinyl. Cow has a terrific range that's organized well. My husband and I were giddy with excitement shopping here. If you're into vinyl, this is a must do. read more

Super cool store! They have a huge selection of vinyl, CD's and DVD's. It's over all just looks cool inside and is a nice place to check out. read more

Cow Records - Books, Mags, Music & Video Near Me - San Diego, California

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I still have a cassette player in my car. Cassettes at Cow's are 99 cents. You can't really go any lower than that. The bread and butter of the place are the records--they've got plenty of them. You could spend a day flipping through their collection. They also have an interesting used DVD section and a few CDs. If you've gone completely digital and you're looking to get rid of your old music mediums, I've heard that Cow's is pretty fair with their pricing. Go milk the Cow for all the quick cash you can! read more

Cow Records - Cows are pretty cool. - Books, Mags, Music & Video Near Me - San Diego, California

The owner Greg is super cool and all the vinyls are in really good condition. I am impressed. They don't have the most obscure stuff that I am looking for most of the time but for what they do have it is good quality at decent prices and an overall good selection. I wish they had more dancehall reggae though. read more

In town from PDX and decided to explore this shop. I saw vinyl here that I haven't seen anywhere else. Great place to pick up some vinyl and take a stroll on the pier. read more

Great store full of all the oldies! Plan on spending lots of time to find the hidden gems inside. They have records, tapes and cd's. Some of the more coveted records are expensive as much as 150.00 but they have tons of records priced at 1.00. They also have a selection of newer bands and records that are around 20.00! I love this place glad I walked by. The guy running the store was very helpful and kind! read more

Cow Records - Oh ya glad to find this - Books, Mags, Music & Video Near Me - San Diego, California

Five dollars for a cassette? Really? Does Cow expect to sell any at that price, or are they just hoping that some hipster with way too much time and money on his hands will buy out your stock in a wave of irony, suddenly making them wealthy beyond their dreams? As much as I love independent music shops, I just couldn't get enthused about this place... Cow doesn't feel welcoming. Or interesting. read more

My kind of store. This place still sells records and cassettes. Remember those ? Well I do and I still own some. Records, not cassettes. Im in OB pretty regularly so I stop in every now and then to check things out. They even get blu rays every now and then. This store always have flyers or postcards with upcoming shows and events by the door so its also a cool place to get up to date on whos coming to town for a show or whos playing where. Check them out and support your local mom and pops. read more

I cannot believe Cow Records sells cassette tapes. That is beyond cool. It also makes this place feel like a really nice booth at the swap meet, and that may not be "beyond cool" but it is actually a very nice quality in a music store. It means that they have a good collection of used CDs and LPs (and, of course, cassette tapes for you technophobes), and that said collection is relatively inexpensive. I haven't tried to bargain with them ... yet. AV read more

As a wayward teenager during the Reagan/Thatcher days, I recall thumping down Telegraph Avenue in Berkeley seeking out the best of the Empire--from the Jam to the Small Faces. A bit of Dancehall and Spirit of '69 reggae. Some Toots, a little Maytals. Pyramids, that sort of thing. We'd had a store called Rasputin's, which was High Fidelity before Jack Black was Jack Black. Picture disks. Imports. The smell of vinyl. Turntables to sample what you might nick or purchase. Ah, memories. COW embraces the spirit completely. I shan't go toe to toe with a clerk who probably has over 500,000 albums in his place. I know better. However, the COW has 'Jam at the 100 Club' and a pastiche of rare albums, cassettes, 8-tracks (Merle Haggard, primarily) and even the CDs. I greatly fear the day when all is downloable and the sheer joy of leafing through albums is no longer possible. Sure, you can create playlists and maintain a database of a million songs--but is it worth it? Thank you, COW for holding on in spite of the future. read more

My favorite record store in San Diego, with a classic OB feel. It's small, but well equipped and extremely organized. All items are categorized by genre and then alphabetically. There's a range of vinyls on sale, from new ($18-35), used in great condition ($4-8), and what-you'd-expect used (99cents). If you take the time to look, there's hidden treasures in all the sections. DVDs, CDs, and cassettes are also on sale. You can donate or sell items there as well. read more

I've been using Cow for finding "can't" finds...I feel for the reveiwer, Jen, that toppled her 5 star rating to a one, because they wouldn't offer fair price for her great condition cd/dvd's, but just because a business says "buy sell trade" does not mean they 'buy' at market used price, or 'fair price.' This is not a pawn shop, it's a RECORD store, their flagship product is vinyl. How can one say "they tried to rip me off"..don't go there to sell if you want more than a dollar for your cd's. Sell them on e-bay, that's the venue for that, they are not in business to sell used cd's. They are a business that sells hard to find vinyl, cd's, as well as new etc. I have, had to have them special order stuff, I COULDN"T find on e-bay. Professional D.J.'s are a large part of their clientbase. People, from out of town walking the tourist-y part of Ocean Beach, that didn't know places like this exist anymore. Look at Chuck M's review, he's got it. One thing I guarantee if you've never been to COW, and walk in just to browse...you will find a treasure, that you will refuse to walk out,...without it. read more

I love it, I hate it. I'm abivalent . . . kind of. If you like record store attitude that rivals High Fidelity this is your place. They have everything a true music fiend could want, but they dish out the attitude in every way you can imagine. "How much is the Radiohead button" she says as she looks in the case at the old and vintage looking items. "It's not for sale." How dare they think I'm not cool enough for the old Radiohead button, how dare they? HA HA. read more

This place is alright. The vinyl selection is vast and is on the larger side in terms of used record shops that I've been to. If you get a used CD, it may take them a while to find it because they keep some (but not all) of their CDs in the back. They say that they're trying to rectify that situation, but the job seems a bit sisyphean to me. As an aside, the CD cases all seemed to be a bit soiled. read more

This cool shop is right by Ocean Beach and you can see it while in line for Hodad's! I knew I had to come in. I just didn't find anything I really wanted. They've got a decent collection of DVD's, CD's and vinyl. I came in looking for some sweet deals on vinyl I don't have. They've got some good prices on the used vinyl, but I didn't see any that I wanted to take home with me. Their new vinyl collection was small, but had some good stuff. Just a bit on the expensive side. I'd probably drop by again just to see if there are any gems, but I will have lowered expectations the next visit. read more

I love me some vinyl. This place had a good selection of new and old vinyl. They had a 99 cent section which was pretty decent. But, the new vinyl got pretty pricey as with any other place. It was chill in there, I'd return if I get the chance. read more

Cow Records - True Widow- Circumambulation - Books, Mags, Music & Video Near Me - San Diego, California

Record Store Day, FTW! I was able to score a limited edition special release and support a rad local business all in one swoop!! The nature of the store means the selection is always changing. Just like a cow-pie in a field, there are some gems hidden here so be sure to stop in whenever you're wandering down Newport. read more

Fun store, great place to wander if you're in a waitlist at one of the nearby restaurants.

*Sigh* I heart Cow. Cow makes me want to throw out my cd player, sell my vital organs and buy so many records I could never hear the same one twice. I have spent countless days sifting through 99 cent eps, finding those gems (Prince's 1999, The Supremes live with the Tempations) that makes you do a little dance. Find of my life came from Cow. After months of searching to Miles Davis' Bitches Brew on vinyl, I took a last stab attempt and asked at the counter as I paid for my Culture club record. To my beyond pleasant surprise they had one- right there behind the counter- being priced and in AHHHMAZING condition. It is those moments a music lover lives for. When the one thing that can make you whole appears, and those moments happen so often at Cow. read more

I love Cow's. This place rivals Target for the "I went in to look for a minute and ended up spending 2 hours there". Only at Cow's I don't come out feeling as if I've been tricked into buying something I don't need. Sure, they have a lot of crap, but I love digging through that crap to find gems. In their record bins you can find a bit of everything from the new Portishead album to an old Mace single to Herb Albert to Johnny Cash & The Cure. I mostly check out their used stuff. As a DJ, I don't find much DJ-able (is that a word?) music here, but most of my "listen-to-on-a-Sunday-while-making-breakfast" music I've found at Cow's. I've always found the staff to be incredibly helpful & knowledgeable. And if you ask if he has a record he's creepily accurate when he points to where he thinks he saw it. Helpful tip, he's got a turntable behind the counter. He usually lets you listen to a couple records over the house system. If you're into digging, this is a great spot to spend a few hours. read more

The store attendant was sweeping the sand out of the shop when I walked in. That was when I knew I was in an authentic beach community used records shop. The cow has a lot on stock. Not all of it is good, in fact I doubt most of it is, but record shops like the cow are few and far between. I don't like to download music, I prefer to buy CDs, and the Cow carries cds from a broad selection of genres that range from rock to reggae. Lou Records is a staple of North County, I think that store is a little over-rated so I guess I'll have to write a review on that place too. Yet, I think the Cow definitely has something special to offer to OB. When I visited the shop, I didn't have the intention of buying anything in particular, but I was please to see to a copy of the latest Cat Power album on vinyl. I didn't need it. I don't have a record player thus, I didn't buy it, but I liked the fact that the Cow had the item on hand. The Cow also sells DVDs. You can find plenty of B-movies there on sale for about $5. I looked for City of God, they didn't have it which was disappointing, but the Cow is all about the music. read more

Great location, great atmosphere, wonderful and friendly staff. Its limits are its size and selection... be that as it may, I still come here all the time because I love this store. If you want a specific LP or CD, its best to call ahead but if you aren't looking for a specifics you will definitely find something here that fits your interest. The vinyl prices are quite good, and I frequently come here to flip through their huge 99¢ section for some surprise deals. read more

Congrats to Chimpo's newest recordings! I had the opportunity to hear them while perusing the vinyl section. Stoked to have come across this dime of a spot. If only more like it, existed. read more

It's nice to have Cow only a few blocks away since they have a pretty decent rotation of used vinyl. I like to buy my reggae on vinyl and whenever I go to Cow I always find a few old gems for decent prices. As anyone who buys vinyl knows most new vinyl is quite pricey but some times you can find newer releases used that are like new for $10. You just have to have to patience to look around. The prices are right, the condition of everything I've ever gotten there has been near perfect, and the selection is great. They also have a pretty good sided used DVD section that you can find some good deals in. Definitely worth the stop if you're in OB. read more

This store is a gem! The owner is super friendly and helpful. He was able to help me find an awesome Door's vinyl that was discounted, and it was in great condition. read more

Best vinyl store in Southern California! I live in Long Beach and always thought Fingerprint Records had the best vinyl selection - new or used. While Fingerprints is not bad, Cow Records comes out on top. Located near the Ocean Beach pier it makes a visit to Cow an experience to remember. read more