B-SIDE: CD City, 2890 N. Campbell Ave. The brainchild of the man who owned the original Zip's location (University and Park; three albums for $9.99), CD City began as an outlet for thousands of $1 CDs that no one else wanted. And it didn't take long for many of them to find their way into our homes. The store still carries these bargains but has expanded its new CD section to include hard-to-find and out-of-print items in a wealth of categories. (They're the only store where Moby Grape comes after Moby.) Box sets also adorn the walls, so allow yourself at least 30 minutes for a proper visit.
Best Retail Music Store
Zia
READERS' PICK: Zia's got everything a good record store should have--CDs, vinyl, video and DVD. And lots of "rock accessory"-type trinkets that you'd usually find only at Spencer's--cock rings and such. OK, so they don't have cock rings. But they should get them. It used to be harder to find some releases there, but these days the selection is tremendous and there's a speedy ordering system in place. They're generous on trade and have lots of easy-to-use listening stations, as well as an excellent selection of music, tattoo and weed periodicals. Plus, there's a damn cool in-house music publication: ZiaZine. Zia has become indispensable to the Tucson music fan. If it were a smash hit: "Record Shop," Split Lip Rayfield.
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