Play It Again Records

I bought some posters on their website and over the weekend someone from the store calls me around 8 at night to inform me that one of the items I ordered is out of stock but their website still says in stock. They would later inform me that it would take a few days for the item to ship in which case I was patient. Again they would call and now inform me they cancelled my order and are unable to ship. This is horrible attitudes when calling and online shoppers beware when purchasing this might happen to you!!!

I was very impressed with some of the records at Play It Again– Angry Samoan’s test press??? Tons of great reissues and «Fan Club Vinyl». The girl behind the counter was super nice. Some of the collectible prices seemed a little high but the low low prices on the standard used vinyl more than make up for it. I will be back next time I visit PA!

I LOVE this place. Feels like a time portal to typical record store in the 90s.
Sometimes I drive from my town (about 1 ½ hours away) just to shop here then go back. I’ve been coming here since 1998 when my parents first moved here and I still make it a point to stop by. I’ve never had any issues with the staff or the selection. The used CD section is a gold mine of music. Just take your time and look through it all. I’m happy that this place is still going strong.
I encourage everyone to at least stop by and look.

Gr8 selection, something 4 everyone. cool employees and sometimes there are dogs there. Everything you want in a record store.

I used to come here as a teenager in the 80s to find and discover awesome new punk, post-​punk stuff. The store feels like it’s hardly changed (in a good way). My parents still live here so whenever I come back I come over to check it out, all from a vinyl perspective. They’ve got a ton of new vinyl, both new releases and reissues and the prices are very good. They had a decent but not great used section, although I found the prices to be on the high side for some records of questionable lineage and flat out high for the good stuff. Prices on average records seemed a few dollars too high for everything.
Overall, it’s a great store for new indie rock and reissue classic rock stuff, but the prices on the used stuff seemed high. It’s definitely worth supporting this place, and worth a stop in for sure, you never know what you’ll find. Hopefully Play it Again can survive as the South Side changes so much.

the best record store in the area. don’t know what those other yutzes are complaining about. the owner is a real gem. a true curmudgeon with a musical knowledge that would blow anyone away. it’s an indy record store for chrissake. of course you want it to be grungy and the owner to be chomping on a cigar. if you loved the movie high fidelity, you’ll love play it again records. jack black aka barry lives in south bethlehem at play it again.

I first visited Play It Again Records back in the mid-’90’s and was very pleased to find some harder to find, indie releases there. They were the biggest independent record store in the area and had a nice selection of local and obscure punk and alternative.
The problem with this place is that it seems like their inventory system stopped being updated around 1998. If you are in the market for older Lookout!, Sub Pop, or SST releases then Play It Again is your place. If you are looking for stuff released by a band that came into popularity since the beginning of Bush 2’s administration, you may want to try elsewhere. Also, I would avoid the «bootlegs» that they offer there as they are nothing more than burned CDRs of stuff easily found on the internet. Not worth the price of admission, for sure.
The worst aspect of PIA, however, is the staff. The few times that I have gone to this place in the last few years, I have been followed around by the owner and /​or the person watching the register. I have to fight back the urge to scream «I am looking for some Queers records! I’m not stealing anything! Leave me the hell alone!» It’s enough to make me walk out of the place without purchasing anything. With one of the finest record stores on the east coast one town over and a very nice CD store on the north end of town, Play It Again has outlived its usefulness, unfortunately.

Cool idea and great collection of merchandise. Walked in August 08 to inquire about buying one of the 4 Joy Division patches they had for sale on the wall. «Sorry we’re all out.» Walked in June 09 by chance with the same request and again I was told they weren’t in. The unfriendly dude behind the counter didn’t really give a shit either way. I guess I was taking time out of his creative brain storm session for that novel he was working on.

I love CDs, and I’m glad there’s a place like this so close to my home. The employees are happy to help and they pay a great price for used records and CDs. If you like physically owning music this place can’t be beat. They seem to specialize in Alternative music, so save downloading music for the «Jonas Brothers» fans, because real music is way to good to lose because of a computer glitch.