Human Head Records

These guys get it. I love that they price their stuff to move! It’s like, wow, they understand I’m here to buy some records. AND yes, they do have some nice collectables too, that get up there in price, but what they’re asking is fair. I usually come in with stuff to trade, and I’ve always been pleasantly surprised by what they offer to pay me for them. My favorite record shop in NYC.

Finally a record store that goes the extra distance to have well curated collection desirable vinyl instead of 7 copies of Van Halen’s «women and children first» for $ 4. Excellent selection of rock, jazz, Latin, hip hop 12s, Brazilian, punk and metal just to name a few.
Many a summer day can be spent drinking beer from the in house keggorator and jiving with locals and youngsters. Positive vibes abound at this shop.

this is hands down my favorite record store in new york, and probably even the country. i’ve been to most of the big shops in new york, chicago, LA, nashville, etc. and human head consistently impresses me more than anywhere else i’ve ever shopped.
the selections here are always amazing and i’ve found so many things in this shop that i’ve been looking around for for a long time. the blues, jazz, and latin sections are amazing. new arrivals are organized very well, which is such an important touch for returning customers.
the staff is unbelievably accommodating and friendly. travis, steve, and all of the other employees truly love music and music lovers, and are always eager to help others enjoy music in it’s most elevated form.
last time i was in the shop i asked steve if they ever got any copies of «the gilded palace of sin» by the flying burrito brothers. i’m a huge gram parsons fan and have been searching for an original copy of this album for years. steve said that they didn’t have any copies in shop but was so eager to help me out that he went home, got his own copy, and brought it back to the shop so that i could finally have a copy.
seriously, top notch service. i’ve never found another place like it, and i don’t really expect to. human head can’t be bested. RECORDS BEFORE RENT.

This is the best record spot in Brooklyn. Went in there today and got a very fair trade value for 10 records I was looking to prune from my personal collection. Walked out with 5 amazing albums in great condition, thus accomplishing my mission of bringing in a larger quantity of decent records and swapping them for less records (but of better quality and more geared towards my current tastes).
The owner is super friendly and the stock of vinyl is for everyone from the hardcore digger to the novice collector. I’m moving toward 20 years of digging in and around NYC and I honestly thought I ran out of «hidden stash spots». Those places either closed for business or the word got out on the ones still around and are thus no longer the gems they used to be. Happy to know a place like Human Head Records is around to fulfill your need for all genres and eras of music on vinyl including jazz, funk, soul, rap, disco, reggae, soundtracks, comedy, $ 2, $ 4 and $ 6 bargains, 45’s and whatever else you are willing to get a little dusty for to find.
There are plenty of expensive records here but nothing is priced to gouge the customer. Simply put, some records are rarer and more sought after than others and the owner prices them accordingly. A fantastic and tough to find Alice Coltrane LP might be $ 40 but a great Queen album in good condition will only cost ya $ 5. Due to the selection and vast price range, this store brings together music lovers from all corners. What a place!

I stepped into this store for the first time last night to kill some time before going to see Negative Approach at the Acheron nearby. Immediately I was happy with their new arrivals section which is divided by date of arrival (literally Monday, Tuesday, etc. followed by Last Weeks). Very nice if you’re a frequent customer. Good selection of Rock/​Indie/​Rap/​Classics/​Jazz/​Dub/​Reggae/​AND REALLY RARE BIZZARRO INDIAN RAGA! Very fair pricing especially for Brooklyn. The owners are willing to negotiate on price. Everyone wins. As I started to meet and talk to the owners and clerks there it instantly set itself apart from every other record store in the city. No egos! No attitude! They’re all about the vinyl community and their clients. They asked my if I wanted some beer and a few drinks later we’re geeking hard on records and laughing about life! It was definitely the first time in 22 years of record collecting that an experience went from killing some time flipping through records to a party! A great shop run by great people. I scored a first press Germs (GI) and a later Soft Machine record. They worked with me on price. An absolute win all around. I will be returning again and again! Great Head!

The selection of vinyl records here is a treasure trove, the prices are more than reasonable, and the vibe of this place is relaxed, fun, perfect. Travis and his people are really very helpful, know their stuff well, and are great to talk to. Nice to trip out here and bring home some quality organic music to listen to.

The best record shop!

Travis, the owner, is a true record nerd. He is an inspiration to young vinyl junkies everywhere. Fair priced, good selection, and he goes the extra mile. Often carries a good range of used record players and speakers. Fairly priced at that. Shopping here gives you a sense of what it was like to shop for records in the 80’s and 90’s — in all of the good ways.

So this store still kills for jazz lovers. Human Head is the best kept jazz vinyl secret in NYC and while I would like it to remain so, Travis and the guys need to make a living. Travis offers great deals. I recently purchased first pressing mono VG+++ copies of Coltrane’s Soultrane, George Russell’s NYC NY, Jackie McLean’s One Step Beyond and others. Not cheap, but totally fair and reasonable.

Seriously the best record store I’ve found in the area (including Williamsburg, Bushwick and Greenpoint). Spent $ 60 and walked out w/​12 killer lps in great condition. Should have gotten twice as many — will be back soon!

Staff is friendly and helpful. Love the records they get in. I thought going once a week was enough but with new arrivals every few days it’s hard to stay away. Very quickly became my favorite record store in the city! Keep it up guys!

This place is awesome. They’ve got fancy stuff on the walls (and bins), plus loads of affordable ($ 2, $ 4, $ 6) bins for when you want that random record, but don’t need a super clean expensive copy of it (though even many of the cheaper records are in great shape).
The new arrivals are replenished regularly, and they have a couple stations so you can listen to things you don’t know, or see if you can tolerate the scratches on that embarrassing $ 2 record you will take home and hide in the far ends of your collection so nobody but you ever sees it.
And they are friendly dudes! Gives the place a relaxed vibe and you often find yourself talking to other people browsing records, it’s kinda like hanging at your friends’ place.

place is chill as hell and staff is super nice but all the pics on their instagram profile look like they were taken with a 2004 Audiovox PM8920 flip phone:
I don’t like how the organize their stock. not trying to look through 2000 assorted $ 4 records to find what i’m looking for

These guys seem ok from other Unilocal reviews, but I had a poor experience selling records to them and don’t recommend it. He will buy records, play them for two months, lend them out to his friends, and then will demand a return for refund after two months. He will do it all with with an attitude that because he owns a record shop he knows more than anyone else and the rest of us should cave to his whim or suffer his wrath.

Great selection, great staff. This place is a real gem in a city filled with record stores. Managed to find a bunch of records I was looking for last time I went in. Haven’t managed to leave empty handed yet.

What a cool store. Steve helped me fix an old Texhnics record player that had been kicking around my family for years. I wanted to fix it for childish nostalgic reasons (I used to listen to Halloween sounds records on it and couldn’t get enough of them).
Anyway he was super cool and fixed it fast for a reasonable price, and I think I’m going to listen to my mom’s old «Jesus Christ Superstar» record. What a cool shop.

Everyone that works here is super informative. They can easily pick up on what genres you’re into to better help you find new music. Records are in good condition and prices are extremely reasonable.

Quite new in NYC (i’ve been there 3 days after their first anniversary) and what a killer !
Great variety, fair prices, very nice atmoshere, easy to reach.
Found some really fine 4 and 6 $ records and a cool scorpions pic.
The super nice owner (yes there are record shops with cool owners/​staff, but still rare as tigers) summed up my records and after thinking some seconds he discountet very generously.
A perfect record-​shop experience.
Go there — you won’t regret it !!

Pour moi, un des meilleurs disquaires de NewYork (j’en ai fait une bonne dizaine).
J’achète plutot du rock 70, psyché…et j’y ai trouvé des trucs vraiment bien à des prix très raisonnable.(«It’s a beautiful day» à 3 $…le premier «Atomic Rooster» dans un état parfait à 20 $)
En plus les types qui tiennent la boutique sont très sympa!

What a great shop, we love this place!

These guys are doing it right. Very much in the style of great record stores in other cities. The selection is diverse.
Unlike a lot of spots in NYC, theres TURNOVER.
They also gave me a fair deal on trades. Glad they’re here and so close to home. Keep it up!