From The Archives: Rich Rosen And Wax Trax Records

Update reminiscing:  While Rich Rosen gets raked over the coals in reviews, I still find him to be a very interesting man.  I pretty much stayed over in the CD section and didn't venture into the vinyl that much. Once you get to know him he's really not that bad.  While I did invested about 170 dollars into my trip to Wax Trax, most of the CDs that I did find were out of print even at that time.  I hope to be like him someday in the aspirations of picking up record collections and starting up a music store.  Or maybe I'll will him my collection when I go since he'll probably outlive me.  BTW, he also has lots of cassettes too!

Back in 2005 I made a trip out to Las Vegas in search of records or CDs for that matter.  The cheap ones for at that time the pawnshops had a good selection of cheap music.  So I found a out of way place called Wax Trax Records, a little house on the corner of Decatur and Mena and met a interesting gentleman, asking me what I was looking for, and basically I told him I'm looking for bargains!

Get out of my place!  We don't have bargains here!  You're wasting my time!

And so I met Rich Rosen, the owner of this place.  Kinda of took me back there.  I told him ya know I came a long way to find your place and if you don't think the old money I have here spends well, there's others.   To which he pointed toward the CD selection on searching for a Soul Brothers Six song on a import CD he sold me for I think 16 bucks. Which was the going price at that time and even though I did find a few bargain bins for 8 bucks apiece, I think the big deal was a Ultravox CD on Island that he may not known about.  But I think the majority of stuff I did buy from him were 60s compilations.  But in my hour and half of being in there we did talk about the good old rock and roll days and his radio show that he has on on weekends.  And we had a good chat too although I have Rosen isn't too well liked in the area.  Plenty of scathing reviews of his place is plasted on Google or Yelp or even the LV weekly mag.

 https://plus.google.com/101572483214604188346/about?gl=US&hl=en-US
http://www.yelp.com/biz/wax-trax-records-inc-las-vegas

Make no mistake Wax Trax is perhaps the most hardcore professional record store that I have ever frequented to and when you deal with Rich Rosen, you're taking on somebody who knows his records inside and out and he tells you right off the bat what he has is hard to find and expensive.  And Rich reminds me of the Soup Nazi guy from Seinfeld.  He is not for everybody, especially the ones that come in and don't buy anything, ya think he'd get the Vegas Mafia after those who do that.  I'm sure he has no time nor patience for the casual looker who say he can find that certain album much cheaper on EBAY or Amazon or Record City.  Sometimes he'll match that price.  Sometimes he throws them out anyway.  Which is why he has survives in a world of dying record stores, a originality that borders on the gruffness and arrogance that brings out the negative reviews.  The reason why the prices are high are that they hard to come by and he knows it and is in to make money as well.  But he has his fans and a big following all across the world (George Carlin for one).  And he may be the biggest record collector that I have ever known, known to close up shop to find that ultra rare 78 or 45 doowop song that few know about.  He also hosts  The Street Harmony Revue, the last show dedicated to doo wop anywhere in the states. (Note: the show ended in June 2015)

The more I thought about it after leaving his record store, the more I thought it's more of a museum of records rather than your true record store.  Which is why he has so much music and nostalgic things that came with the records era.  The old RCA His Master's Voice Dog for one thing.  I'm sure Rich does have that picture sleeve of Jimi Hendrix' Hey Joe somewhere but I don't think I'll take a second mortgage on the home to get it.   Nevertheless, Rich might be a bit expensive on his records and he might come as corrosive and challenging at times, but he knows music and one of the best lovers of record collecting.  The History Channel since they have Pawn Stars based out of Vegas, should consider giving Rich his own reality show about music collecting and people he meet. I'd watch that. 

Update 2020:  While I didn't quite understand Rich's tendencies back then, I do seem to think I'm a lot like him if I should open up a record store.  No nonsense and get to the point. I doubt if I ever venture out to Vegas again, but I shall look him up in search of the obscure 45s and see if I need a second mortgage should I find that certain single I had that is hard to find nowadays.
 

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