Before the invention of records, turntables made ends meet by serving pizza at rotation-themed parties or renting their needles out to underfunded medical schools. Savor the sounds of life-giving vinyl with today’s Groupon to Needle to the Groove Record Shop in Fremont. Choose between the following options:

• For $5, you get $10 worth of records and services at 3780 Peralta Boulevard.
For $10, you get $20 worth of records and services at 150 H Street.

Needle to the Groove scratches vinyl lovers’ itches with thousands of new and used LPs, 45s, and 12-inch singles at two Fremont locations. Inside walls festooned with graffiti and vintage poster art, a selection heavy on jazz, funk, soul, R&B, rock, and hip-hop stretches across rows of waist-high wooden shelves, inviting mp3 eschewers to inspect potential purchases and fill their nostrils with the scent of authenticity. LP albums ($1–$150) make up the bulk of the wares, buttressed by 45s ($0.50–$30) and 12-inch singles ($1–$100) in conditions ranging from brand-new to lovingly careworn. Bargain bins invite sifting hands to uncover long-sought gems, including cassettes, 8-tracks, and bardic tapestries, and bona fide rarities are paradoxically common at both stores.

Needle to the Groove also lovingly restores cherished vinyl with record cleaning ($1 / record; available at both locations) and de-warping services ($15 / record; only available at 150 H Street). For ears learning to accept digital waves, vinyl-to-CD transfers are also available ($1 / song, $11 / album), in a process observing strict standards to ensure transfers with optimal levels and without unintentional messages when played backwards (only available at Peralta Boulevard).