1-2-3-4 Go! Records

1−2−3−4 is an example of a great record store — one that we all used to have around (70s and 80s) before [insert whatever socioeconomicpolitical word you want] took over.
They have a great collection of vinyl — it is what they specialize in. They have CDs and stuff, but the vinyl is king here. Items are fairly priced here with a couple of gems to be found if you look around. My daughter found a great Happy Flowers disc in excellent condition for around $ 7. Yes, the do have a lot of punk, noiserock, and other similar but they have plenty of mainstream and alt rock along with some folk and lighter stuff. They even have a nice collection of jazz.
The staff here is great — really nice and helpful — and they will either leave you alone if you want or are always ready to engage in a conversation. A lot of fun and a great independent shop. Get your a$$ over to 1−2−3−4 and enjoy.

Decent used section the few times i have been in there and decent prices. Was able to pick up a record off discogs and not pay shipping on it. Cool in house label too.

Nice records, have a ton of new ones. Go for the new indie collections. Not great for vintage

I went here for the 1^st time on RSD 2016 this past week and was very impressed with these guys. Very professional and the shop was small but well stocked and well organized. The staff knew their stuff and even had coffee, baked goods and other refreshments on hand for the long RSD line. A great experience all around. I went to 5 stores that day and these guys were by far the most squared away. The big guys could learn a thing or two from them for sure.

Walking back from The Homeroom, my friends and I found a wonderful shop like this. We were instantly drawn into the shop.
My goodness what a collection they all have. I couldn’t help but keep looking and looking at the diverse amount of things, different genres, etc.
Didn’t buy something, but I intend to return and get something for sure!

This is the first and only record store that I’ve been to but I genuinely enjoyed it. It’s got a really chill vibe as most music stores in Berkley do. There’s a wide selection of records and you’ll have no time finding what you’re looking for because everything is organized extremely well. But be warned, you might spend a lot of time rummaging through all the records. They also have a jukebox sort of thing that you can add music to play inside the whole store. I thought that was a really cool concept. No one there is really pushy about trying to get you to buy anything neither. Only recommendation is that I wish someone would’ve helped me find what I was looking for. No one ever approached me to ask if I needed help. But I guess most customers want to browse through records in peace.

How on earth did I now just discover this place?!? I’ve been a vinyl collector for years. Grew up in the east bay and now live in San Jose.
I walked into this place for the first time this past weekend. The new vinyl selection was really great. I don’t want to order my records because sleeves become damaged in the mail often and I like evaluating the condition of what I am buying. Also, a LOT of my vinyl purchases are items I didn’t realize I was looking for. Example: They had that 60s BOWIE Deram album on the wall. It was a re-​press from 1980, but in great shape. I took it home, cleaned it and it’s dead quiet and flat. Near mint shape and even better: a high-​quality German pressing. As far as not wanting to order records online, they have the business chops to carry enough copies of records in stock so I can exercise my impulse buy bug. Many times, multiple copies of each title so I can look and decide «Which one looks nicer?»
Maybe it’s just me, but I had a fantastic experience and prices were on the lower end. So if an album is usually priced $ 21.99-$ 24.99, they were closer to the $ 21.99 price point. Can’t wait to go back.

Great punk record store with a great selection!

I’ve loved record stores since I was a kid, and we happened to drive by this place on Sunday, and had to stop in. They had a nice selection of new stuff, and I ended up leaving with the new records from Built To Spill and Best Coast. Even cooler was that the official release date for the new Best Coast is tomorrow (5÷5÷15).
I’m glad record stores and new vinyl releases are making a strong comeback because I prefer vinyl any day, all day.

I dig this store the most. The staff are uniformly cool and knowledgeable, the new music selection is nice and eclectic and some real gems often pop up in the used section. I just found out they have an old time, black and white photo booth, which is super cool. I took my six month old daughter in there for her first record store experience (she was extremely patient with dad) and got some fun photo booth pics together while we were there. They also carry books about music and tons of magazines and zines. They have bands play there, as well. 1−2−3−4 Go! is a killer record store. Support them!

You know when you hear a new album, and it’s as good as your favorite album? It’s way better than all old new albums that made you feel this way. It makes you listen to your favorite album and wonder why it’s your favorite.
Later on, the new album doesn’t sound that much better than your old new albums, and your favorite album is still your favorite.

This place was a great find when I just happened to be wandering aimlessly around Oakland. It may not have the size or inventory of the larger record stores, but it definitely had some great finds!

Record stores, am I right, folks? Well, 1−2−3−4 Go! ain’t like that, I promise. Tucked away in a little strip-​mall in Oakland, it doesn’t have the space for the kind of massive inventory that, say, Bop Street has, but it makes up for in quality what it lacks in volume. Prices are moderate for the selection; you won’t find tremendous bargains, but there’s none of this inflated ‘collector’ nonsense either. Staff was hands-​off, which can be a relief — it was thankfully free of the usual record store attitude. The selection of peripheral stuff (tees, ‘zines, etc.) was good, and even better — for me, anyway — was a robust and diverse selection of metal on vinyl. Absolutely worth a look-​and-​see if you’re in the area.

This place blows Amoeba and Rasputin out of the water.
It may not have the space as their competitors but they have everything in a much smaller space that you can think of.
Its not filled with product that clearly hasn’t sold in years.
Who ever does the purchasing for this place is very, very goo at their job.

I’ve had nothing but good luck when it comes to this record store. In many ways.
Friendly staff. Small talk champions! Great selection of albums as well as genres to sort through including a large punk selection. They have the best 45 collection I’ve seen in the bay. Zine supply is pretty rad as well. Albums are always circling in and out, so this spot is definitely a frequent visit must.
I love being able to go to cheap and sometimes very rare shows and easily catch transportation home. The area isn’t as sketch as it used to be!

Definitely lots of punk/​rock. Wish they had a listening station, feel like that adds to the experience, but sometimes there is nothing like stumbling across a $ 1 album from an artist you’ve never heard of (Joan Armatrading) and getting to hear it on your own system and discovering what an amazing artist you just found.

Awesome Spot!
They had a wide and eclectic selection of punk, metal, rock, RnB, Jazz, Soul, Funk.
I found that most Vinyl was priced a few bucks cheaper than the other guys. I found some great Funk and Reggae records at a very affordable price. They have a stage in the back and feature local punk and rock bands pretty often. This is the type of record store I really love. Not commercialized, but the selection doesn’t seem too narrow, either. Cheers!

Record Store Day brought all of the music nerds to this shop in the wee hours of the morning. I thought this place was a secret among the punk and indie crowd but I guess I was wrong. Maybe because they opened at 8am, everyone decided to make this their first stop. I’m not sure. In fact, someone in line told me that people were lined up as early as 5am! That’s dedication.
They offered coffee and vegan donuts to us early risers. James Williamson of the Stooges was signing records and the owners had planned a couple of other happenings throughout the day at this location.
Overall, this experience was excellent. I scored all of the records on my list and I was able to help some friends out and pick some titles up for them. I didn’t find everything for everyone but I left here satisfied. Prices here were pretty reasonable as well.
Nobody was elbowing each other… and I didn’t have to reach over people like I did in previous years at a different record store.
I even scored a tote bag for spending over a certain amount and a 10% off coupon during my next visit. You can bet I’ll be back here again, especially since I have friends and good food nearby in the area.

This place is amazing. I walked in and the sound system was blasting hardcore punk rock music. Such a perfect ambiance for a record sifting experience. Plus they have stacks upon stacks of records that cost between 1 – 3 $. A lot of it is shitty elevator music but there’s loads of classic albums in there too by bands like Journey and Dire Straits. The market value of those albums is pretty minimal given they have been so heavily mass produced (duh), but does that make them any les awesome to listen to? Absolutely NOT! They also have a lot of rarities, first pressings, and just cool bands you’ve probably never heard of!
Also, they have a cool selection of literature, mostly dedicated to the history of punk rock music (hells yes!) and one of them had Jello Biafra on the cover! Wish I could have afforded it.-_– I will certainly be back!

Great, and varied selection. Jazz, Punk, Hip Hop, Blues, Rock, Classical, etc.
Vinyl, CDs, lots of cassettes. Good turnover of used stock, I’m never flipping past the same stuff week after week in the new used arrivals.
Check out the wall items and the new used arrivals, but don’t forget to take some time to dig. Whenever I do, I always find stuff in the regularly stocked sections that weren’t there before. Not a lot of dusty records sitting there for months.
The owner has been doing this for years, and it shows. Wonderfully curated stock, good atmosphere. The older grunge guy at the front is knowledgeable and has good recommendations, and his dogs know what’s up, too. The younger woman that works there is great, super helpful and funny. It’s nice to walk into a record store and feel like I’m actually buying from peers, nerds and music fans.
Overall, a definite would.