One of the author's most valuable punk 45s, LA's Controllers. 

I got into record collecting because of punk rock. Although my tastes have evolved to include many more forms of music, punk was the genre that first galvanized me to buy records. Punk rock was counter culture. So were records. Both were rough and physical, big and awkward: the very antithesis of small, clean, shiny CDs with glassy, inferior-sounding music and inscrutable cover art. Many underground garage and punk bands only released vinyl records back in the mid-nineties. A collective thumbing-of-the-nose at CD's and digital recording techniques (such as the Mummies exhortations of 'CD's suck!') was all part of the scene. Record sleeves were frequently hand-painted, hand silk-screened and numbered. Pressings were limited, many times for budgetary reasons.

What does this mean for record collectors? Jim Dawson and Steve Propes, authors of "45 RPM: The History, Heroes & Villains of a Pop Music Revolution," quote Andy Framzle, former owner of Hollywood's late, lamented Vinyl Fetish record shop, as saying, "My guess is that 45s are your best value if you're collecting. Especially punk 45s, they were pressed in small batches and they're highly desirable now, so they're only gonna go up and up." Andy isn't lying. Since the blooming of the internet and the unending bootlegs of rare '70s punk 45s on such compilations as Killed By Death and Bloodstains, many new collectors have been added to the fold. Mix limited quantities with high demand and what do you get? High prices, of course. Those bands -- affectionately known as 'KBD' bands to eBay frequenters -- have some of the highest-priced records on the market.

That said, there are a few places in L.A. to snag primo punk rock vinyl without signing a second mortgage:

1. Vinyl Solution: 18822 Beach Blvd. #104, Huntington Beach, CA. 92648, 714-963-1819. Huntington Beach's solution to the punk rock record collector's quandary. Great records, great prices and knowledgeable staff, plus frequent in-store performances from local and touring acts. Ask to see the boxes of collector's items kept behind the counter.

2.Headline Records: 7706 Melrose Ave, Los Angeles, CA 90046, 323-655-2125. Most of the shoppers here are teenagers more interested in Misfits t-shirts than records, so true vinyl hounds may have an edge. Collector's LPs are stocked on the left wall of the store. Rare 45s are behind the counter -- just ask to see the boxes.

3. Amoeba Records: 6400 W Sunset Blvd. Los Angeles, CA 90028, 323-245-6400. Amoeba has a little of everything, but if rare and expensive is what you seek make sure you scan the display wall behind the seven-inch section (directly behind the buyer's counter). That's where '70s and '80s punk and garage ends up. Over the years I've seen original 45s from the likes of Negative Approach, the Weirdos and X, to name only a few. The stock changes quickly, so if you see something you like buy it immediately.

4. Dr. Strange Records: 7136 Amethyst Ave., Alta Loma, Ca. 91737, 909-944-1778. I know this is stretching the boundaries of what might be accurately called Los Angeles, but Alta Loma is close enough to be a kissin' cousin at least, if not a distant suburb of L.A. Punk aficionados will want to visit monthly once they discover this gem. As the store's website proclaims, "it's 2300 square feet of pure punk rock!" Rare records are kept behind the counter and are well worth perusing.

5. Pasadena City College Flea Market: 1570 E. Colorado Blvd. Pasadena, CA. 91106, 626-585-7906. Held on the first Sunday of each month, this flea market has an entire floor set aside for record dealers. Most vendors sell old jazz, R&B or obscure folk rock, but if you look hard enough there's usually a punk or new wave offering to be had for a lower price than you'd pay in a store.