Jim Russell Rare Records

Jim Russell’s Records is a business that I used as a hangout while working for Hope House, New Orleans. I started working there in November 2007 and became acquainted with Jim Russell’s shortly thereafter. It was managed at that time by Denise Russell, daughter-​in-​law of Jim Russell, Sr., who opened the business in 1969. Denise and I became good friends, and I enjoyed talking music with her. Also, I bought several CD’s while shopping there. Unfortunately, I lost that job a year later, then described it all in my book ONE YEAR — AND BEYOND. Latest I heard, Jim Russell’s has also closed, and I regret that, too.

My boyfriend had come here on a previous trip and was eager to return. He regretted that decision. This place was disgusting, filthy, holes in the ceiling (and i mean like, room sized holes), trash that hadn’t been emptied for weeks, and buckets of old, stagnant water lying around. He gave it the best effort he could, and he’s a crate digger, but man, we walked out of there and vowed to never return.
As another reviewer said — you might think you contracted a disease walking in here.

If you’re into crate diggin’ then this is the place for you. A lot of hidden gems, you just have to have the time and patience to work through the massive amount of records. The woman who works there gave me a great deal so I’ll definitely be back. Just make sure to check out the vinyls before buying them, as they may be damaged.

Full of character, great experience!
I stumbled across this place, and it’s full of character! Yes the lady that works there is a little different but she’s super friendly and was very helpful.
I’m no music expert, but I picked up 2 Armstrong records as a souvenir for $ 10 for the pair. You can probably buy 2 fridge magnets made in china for that!
I could have spent hours in the rummaging for bargains!

If you have never been here, please take a look. If you have ever wanted to toss the dice at contracting a rare yet virulent respiratory disease, this may be the place of your dreams.
The ceiling is caving in, there are puddles of standing water on the tarps on the floor and shelves, and the smell is just rank.
The one employee was quite talented as she was simultaneously greeting customers, playing a video game in which she was riding a pig and shooting at something, and watching Restaurant Impossible all while discussing the numbers of hamburgers consumed by Americans per year with her friend on a headset. In addition, at one time, I observed her first hand, messaging someone on a lap top. Talk about multitasking.
I can’t imagine what the prices are, but many items were marked 8 dollars and higher…(for old tapes, please)
Oddly enough there was no music playing, I was disappointed because I wanted to see what type of tunes a place like this would share with the great city of New Orleans. It would have boosted the street cred of the place to hear some Rastafarian love ballad piped into the gloom.
I would venture to guess that if you want to find any song, they have it here… somewhere…but who knows how they would find it.

I finally got into Jim Russell’s. It’s been a challenge due to limited hours, and that they often don’t open according to the hours, today they opened almost an hour late. I was dialing the store at about 11:50 when the female clerk walked up to unlock the store. Anyway, WOW, how disappointing. Dark, dank and smelly. Looks like some rain damage has occurred. Anyway, I travel to NO from Denver often, and I’ve been trying to get into this place for about a year. I was disappointed. Bright spot, while waiting for them to open I stopped at Lily’s Café a couple stores down for lunch. OUTSTANDING PHO! Give it a shot. It truly dampened the disappointment of Jim Russells.

Another disappointed customer here. Even after reading the other reviews, I still had high hopes for this place. Unfortunately, it was even worse than expected. Not only is the place smelly and dark, but apparently they’ve recently had a lot of water damage in the building. Whole areas where LPs used to be are covered in tarps and overflowing water buckets. Many LPs I looked at around the edges of the stores showed signs of water damage. On top of the moist, dark, smelly atmosphere, the place is not air conditioned (at least it wasn’t on the day I visited). Overall, it’s a place I couldn’t wait to leave despite the fact that I love digging through records.
I don’t buy 45s — the selection looked interesting but it’s not my deal. Other reviews characterize the selection of LPs as a treasure trove of forgotten classics — I think that’s overly poetic. Most of the inventory I saw was beat up, unwanted garbage. The rock section in particular was extremely heavy on 80s records you don’t want to hear ever again. The jazz section was okay and I did buy a couple of reasonably priced selections. Records with prices marked seemed overpriced to me. Those without a price are $ 5 for a single LP or $ 10 if its a double album.
If you’re looking for new vinyl or a selection curated by a music lover, keep looking. If you’re looking for collection filler, or if you particularly want a record store experience with character, this place has it in droves. For me, there are other record stores in New Orleans and even Baton Rouge where I’d much rather spend time and money.

The low reviews of Jim Russel’s had me apprehensive. If you are looking for pristinely organized vinyl in gem condition, keep walking. The place is a dump. The stacks are disorganized chaos and yes, the peculiar smell. Although I appreciate a well organized store, once in a while diving into chaos for vinyl is quite thrilling – so I dove.
I caught Jim Russell’s at the tale end of the day but came away with some good jazz finds. It’s definitely not the place to look for new vinyl and yes examine your purchases carefully. The abundance of 45s is pretty impressve. The prices were a steal in my opinion. I’d definitely give this place another go.

This place has it all if you’re willing to put up with a few peculiarities. Call it laziness or typical New Orleans laissez faire with a little lagniappe thrown in, Jim Russell’s still has charm.
Yes, it smells of mold, dust, smoke, and general decay. Every record I’ve ever gotten from there gets aired out for a day or two and a thorough cleaning before going anywhere near my turntable. But all that being said I’ve found some awesome deals here. Most of the records aren’t in pristine condition. Actually I’d say that accounts for about 90% of them. These are the long lost relatives from your mom and pop record collections that you never thought you’d see again.
I wouldn’t expect most hipster audiophile type people to jump for joy when they walk in. This is a place more reserved for the people old enough to remember gold mine records, yes I’m one of them… barely. Jim Russell’s is the type of place you can dive in and look through piles of musty boxes and come up with a rare gem that you’d never come across at any of the other local shops. Their 45′ collection is extremely impressive and surprisingly well laid out. I spent a few hours there the other day just looking at their impressive local music section just for all of the interesting album liner notes.

I just came home to wash my hands after thumbing through the records at Jim Russell’s. Good Lord. Everything in the store is covered in a film of grime, and only 1% of the albums are inside of a protective sleeve (not that it matters, anyway, since every single record in there has entered a varying level of decay). As another reviewer mentioned, yes, a worker was also smoking in there; also, there was no AC going, only fans, so I can imagine the mold has had a rollicking good time over the years. If you care about the condition of your records and their sleeves, GOOD LUCK!
I have no idea how this store stays in business. Maybe some poor saps out there really don’t blink at these laughable prices. Maybe the people who love this place have never left the Garden District to shop at other record stores. Or maybe they have no qualms with paying $ 30 for a corroded, moldy LP. If you are the type of person who doesn’t care about album condition then hey! YES they do have a vast collection of records. The 45 bookcase in itself is impressive.
I always try to give my business to independent record stores, but this place is a dirge.

Overpriced, dusty, and the records seem to be put out in the bins regardless of condition. For example, I saw a Tower of Power «Live and In Living Color» for $ 8. More than that record should be, but if it were absolutely pristine, then perhaps you could stretch. Unfortunately, it had several significant scratches.
It’s out of the way if you’re staying in New Orleans, being near the Garden District. There are some very good to great shops in or near the French Quarter. This one is not worth going out of your way for, in comparison.

If you still have a record player then youre in luck here. Its very old school.

First let me state I am not a turntablist basement bargain hunting for the obscure 80’s pop albums to include in my next mash-​up dance party playlist. Nor am I a twenty-​something, bent on hiptser aesthetics, who buys records for their street cred. I am first and foremost a music lover and an audiophile.
For some reason Jim Russell Rare Records has fallen under my radar. It was through a Groupon that I became aware of this Magazine St. collection. Overly excited at the prospect of a new location to buy music I pounced on the $ 30 for $ 15 deal. Upon arriving at the dimly lit store I was pleased to see the size of the collection. However a strong odor of cigarette smoke stopped me in my tracks. I looked around and saw no one smoking an just assumed one of the two other patrons was a heavy smoker. As I perused the merchandise I noticed my hands smelled of smoke. I lifted an LP to my nose and sure enough it wreaked of cigarette smoke. When I turned to leave an employee was indeed in the corner smoking and talking on the phone. I left immediately and have no intention of returning.
It is a shame this business has no consideration for its patrons or its merchandise.
If I could have give it O stars I would have. Yes, I am that disappointed :(
Go to Euclid Records or Skullyz or Louisiana Music Factory or Domino Sound Record Shack or any various thrift stores.

Overpriced. I don’t really like the whole «look up online» price. Great selection of course and awesome staff. One of the best stores otherwise.

This is place is my second home. I know the place is a little unorganized but if you dig a little you can find many treasures! Great place to get your back catalogue up.
Hip Hop section is hurting but soul and rock are on point.

I’d give more stars if they kept better care of the inventory.
That place is a crazy mess but yes, they have a lot.
They were very nice but I don’t suggest business owners smoke in front of customers. Doesn’t seem like you’d have to explain that to people, but… okay.
WAY. over. priced. It reminds me of one of those price guide books.
The value is in the grooves, people… not an ebay account.

A charmingly dilapidated little joint with a bunch of great stuff, the sticker prices of which are outrageous to the point of hilarity. Will they take lower offers? I don’t know.

So I finally visited Jim Russell’s. Note I love Domino Sound Record Shack and Euclid so maybe that alters my love for this place. It was cool, some impossible finds in there, which is definitely cool. It’s not the best system in there but it works. I didn’t really get any help while I was in there everyone seems a little busy talking and the such. Cool place for rare buys though.
It’s definitely in a good location on Magazine closer to Downtown. Parking really not a problem in that block of Magazine.

How is it possible that one of, if not THE, most incredible record stores in New Orleans has no reviews?
Located in the Garden District in an assuming building with blocked up walls, Jim Russell’s doesn’t look like much. In fact, it kind of looks like crap, even after you walk inside: record sleeves strewn across the crown, 12 inches haphazardly piled, crates and crates of unsorted gems stacked precariously on each other. It’s cold inside, the roof is leaking, the Food Network is playing, and Denise, Jim’s wife, is smoking a cigarette and talking up different needles with a skinny nervous hipster.
Greatest hits are 10 or 12 bucks, 12 inches are generally 3.50, 45s are less. There are tapes, CDs, and a wall lined with amazing never-​opened rarities costing in the three-​digits.
Daniel and I stopped by yesterday to fatten our meager collection (I left all my records in California… although of course I remembered to pack the record player). We got Marvin Gaye, Michael Jackson, the Commodores, the Shirelles, Cash Money Millionaires, Jimi Hendrix, and Billie Holiday… for about $ 60. Oh, did I mention that for every 2 records you buy, you get a 3^rd free?
Well then what’re you waiting for?? – get your ass moving and pick up some Xmas shit, jazz, R&B, rockn’roll, or whatever else you can pick out from the mess!