Intrada Soundtrack Forum

Unless my search skills have rusted, I have not found a thread wishing the Intrada label a "Happy 35th" Anniversary. I know it's been 5 years since the 30th milestone, but 35 years is definitely something to celebrate. I have been onboard since release 1, the RED DAWN LP to which I still have. It is amazing to think that the passage of time has only heightened the fondness and appreciation of what you all achieved. Knowing that you're not some big, faceless, nameless, entity always made it a personal experience. I can't count how many times in the pre-internet days when you'd call Intrada to order something and Doug would pick up the phone and greet you with that passionate enthusiasm when simply asking him, "So, what new arrivals are in?" I always looked forward to receiving that catalog in the mail of in-stock titles and new releases. It was a simpler, exciting, much more personal experience to be a fan. I've been suffering from a case of nostalgia lately - going through old photos and scanning negatives. So, I thought this was a good thread to get it all down to bring a cheer or two this holiday season and end of the year.

Thirty years ago, I decided to start a journey to get some life experience after just graduating college. Four-years earlier, I had inadvertently talked my childhood friend into moving to California after raving about how we loved our family vacation the previous year, starting in San Francisco and traveling by car down the coast to San Diego. So my friend was the type of person that would commit to things on impulse and he moved to the bay area! It took a few years to catch up, but I finally made it out there from New Jersey when I had an offer to help on a project at Stanford University - which was too good to pass up. During that year in 1990, I finally got the opportunity to visit the legendary Intrada (It was already a legend in my mind) on Vallejo Street. I loved the neighborhood it was in, which had a great mix of local charm, people, and food! There were many life lessons that I learned in this area. One, when parking on a hilly street in San Francisco, I was told to turn my front wheels inward towards the curb and use the parking brake! I had been driving for 6 years at that point and nobody ever stressed the use of the parking brake! Two, most brick and mortar businesses are closed on Sundays and Mondays. This was a new concept for me, but I soon learned fast when I temporarily worked a job that maintained such hours. Anyway, here are the first pictures that I took at my first visit to Intrada. Yes, it was on 35mm film taken on a Canon D70, so excuse the crude quality. Good film was expensive back then!

Some more..

Before there were "hamsters" there was the hardest-working one who I'd met up until that point in my life.



Certainly, one of the coolest stores I'd ever been in, next to the then "Starlog Store" that was in Ridgewood, New Jersey. Incidentally, I eventually ended up buying every CD in this case!

Wonderful photos, Ed! Thanks for sharing them.

Congratulations to Intrada on their 35th!

Chris

Very cool look back.

I seem to be having a serious case of déjà vu. I remember seeing those pictures somewhere in the past. Did you post those on another forum years ago, or did I unlock some existential element that our coy creator has been trying to keep from us?