Record Shops

[Hugh Weldon]

The only record shop that was a bit different in Newcastle really was Listen Ear in Ridley Place - Virgin opened a Megastore in 1976 and that was where I spent most of my time, especially as I knew a girl who worked there who often let me buy stuff using her staff discount! Windows was a traditional old fashioned sort of place with a big selection, Callers which was mainly a furniture store used to specialise in soul a bit.

I think Judy only mentioned Les Aldrich in Muswell Hill as it had quite a good folk section but besides that they only had classical - I doubt you'd find it very exciting. I used to go there for guitar strings rather than the record selection. But good to hear they are still going.

Oh there was a Newcastle story which comes back about the The Dickies visiting HMV in Northumberland St for a personal appearance and the window going through because of the crush that built up outside. Yes, the band whose only hit was a cover of the Banana Splits theme...

[AndyM]

I know the album you bought - Inflammable Material. You were waiting on the new Green Day and the film pointed you in the direction of Belfast punk!

I have rarely been more insulted!

[AndyM]

Oh there was a Newcastle story which comes back about the The Dickies visiting HMV in Northumberland St for a personal appearance and the window going through because of the crush that built up outside. Yes, the band whose only hit was a cover of the Banana Splits theme...

But their version of 'Nights in White Satin' is a hoot.

[Jude]

I think Judy only mentioned Les Aldrich in Muswell Hill as it had quite a good folk section but besides that they only had classical - I doubt you'd find it very exciting. I used to go there for guitar strings rather than the record selection. But good to hear they are still going.

Ahem!! Don't just assume my interests were merely "folk" please. The musical interests of my friends and I were eclectic and wide ranging at the time from Ornette Coleman to the Kinks, from Scriabin to the Byrds and all nooks and crevices of music in between. And there was rarely a record shop anywhere that we found ourselves in that we didn't have a snoop around.
I haven't been to Les Aldrich for obviously many years, it may have an enormous selection of blues and world records these days or it may have only cinema organ recordings, but really you shouldn't dismiss it without checking it out..

[Rob Hall]

There's a review in today's Guardian of a book ('Original Rockers' by Richard King, ex of The Pop Group) about the author's time spent working in an indie record shop in Bristol:

http://www.theguardian.com/books/2015/j ... ive-attack

A little more information here:
http://bookshop.theguardian.com/catalog ... l-rockers/

[Hugh Weldon]

Sorry Jude I didn't mean to cast any aspersions on your tastes, I just never remembered Les Aldrich as having a very wide selection. I always saw it more as a music shop than a record shop anyway but next time I'm in Muswell Hill will take a look and report back!

[Jude]

It's ok!! their website says they have a big selection of all sorts of vinyl

[Garth Cartwright]

I've read Original Rockers - it's a Fever Pitch-style story of working in a cool, cultish indie record shop in Bristol and all the minor foibles this involves. The author obviously feels he has to tell readers who the cult artists are so Can, Lee Perry etc get wikipedia style biographies after the story of how they came to play/sell them. Would have been better as a 10,000 word memoir rather than a 70,000 word book. Not bad but a bit trying.

[john poole]

"Shades of Violet - Remembering Sheffield's Vinyl Goddess" by John Firminger & Gus M. Chapman is a British record shop book that I did like - a slim 88 pages, but lots of nice stories and photos, mentioned here by Leon a few years back (belated thanks)
viewtopic.php?f=45&t=17394
http://www.sheffieldtelegraph.co.uk/wha ... y-1-456983

A brief mention heard on 6 Music today for Squires at Ealing, the "very good record shop" where Pete Townshend bought country blues records ca. 1959 (later than the time that Dusty could have worked there I imagine)
http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b05zq4m1#auto

Also on 6 Music recently Vicki Wickham remembered accompanying Dusty on regular visits to Dave Godin's Soul City - probably the only record shop opened by the writer Brigid Brophy (Dave was a big admirer)

Short silent newsreel clip of NEMS, Liverpool in the mid 60s
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P29j2IP7nYA

[uiwangmike]

A brief mention heard on 6 Music today for Squires at Ealing, the "very good record shop" where Pete Townshend bought country blues records ca. 1959 (later than the time that Dusty could have worked there I imagine)

In 1977, I interviewed a newly arrived piano tuner from Australia at West Ealing Jobcentre, and it just happened that Squires had notified a vacancy for a "piano engineer" that morning. One satisfied customer, or at least I hope he was. Squires had a big shopfront near Ealing Broadway. I passed it many times, but I didn't know that it sold records.
https://www.flickr.com/photos/45101643@N04/12365581714/

[Garth Cartwright]

I read Shades Of Violet last week (Leon lent it to me) as I'm heading off to Sheffield (arrived there this evening). Yes, a good straightforward celebration of a woman who had an eccentric passion for running second hand record shops. i hope to find out more out the once thriving scene now I'm here.

What show on 6 Music was it that mentioned Squires of Ealing? Travelling meant I missed Cerys but will listen once back in London.

Where did Hendrix buy records when he lived in London? And Bob Marley? There must be so many stores associated with celebrated musicians coming in to shop. Rock On seems to have served the pub rock and punk band community - tales of Ramones arriving wanting Sweet singles etc abound!

Keep the notes coming!

[john poole]

I read Shades Of Violet last week (Leon lent it to me) as I'm heading off to Sheffield (arrived there this evening). Yes, a good straightforward celebration of a woman who had an eccentric passion for running second hand record shops. i hope to find out more out the once thriving scene now I'm here

You'll visit Barry Everard's Record Collector shop I imagine. I've never been to his shop but remember buying some LPs from him by post in the mid 70s.

What show on 6 Music was it that mentioned Squires of Ealing?

Part One (of Two) - Maximum R&B: The Birth of the Who (link above) -just a brief mention by Pete about 3-4 minutes in - the shop he bought blues records from as a 14 year old.

Where did Hendrix buy records when he lived in London?

One Stop Records, South Molton Street and HMV Oxford Street
http://www.kathyetchingham.com/jimi-hen ... ollection/

Rock On seems to have served the pub rock and punk band community - tales of Ramones arriving wanting Sweet singles etc abound!

I seem to remember reading that they bought a double LP compilation of the 1964-7 Pretty Things on their visit.

[uiwangmike]

One Stop also had a branch in Dean street. I bought a couple of imports there.
https://www.google.ie/search?q=one+stop ... B800%3B840

[Garth Cartwright]

Travelling in the north has got me thinking - after London, is Sheffield the UK's most successful city at producing music that has sold huge quantities internationally? I know that Liverpool is forever home to The Beatles but no other act from that city has ever had really major international success, right? It seems that Cilla is the second biggest Scouse act as far as UK hits....

Manchester likes to pride itself as the UK's leading indie rock city and it is home to Buzzcocks, Fall, Joy Div, Fall, New Order, Happy Mondays - cult bands all. The Smiths have, since splitting, turned into a huge cult band and must have shifted a lot of back catalogue. But no international hits and Morrissey's money comes from the live circuit, not his album or single sales. Obviously, Oasis were internationally huge for a while.

But Sheffield has turned out Joe Cocker, Human League, Def Leppard, ABC, Pulp, Arctic Monkeys - all of whom, at points in their careers, sold shed loads of records. The only serious contender I can think of is Birmingham: home to Steve Winwood, Black Sabbath, ELO, Moody Blues, Judas Priest, UB40, Fine Young Cannibals.

Your thoughts welcome.

[john poole]

My unbiased guess is that Birmingham (admittedly with a bigger population) would easily beat Sheffield with only Def Lep, Joe Cocker, and possibly the Human League providing serious competition for Sabbaf, ELO, UB40, Duran Duran, the Moody Blues etc.

Not sure how successful Cilla was internationally - the Searchers, Billy J. Kramer (some with the Dakotas from Manchester), Gerry & the Pacemakers all had a number of US hits.

Most successful from Manchester - the Hollies, Herman's Hermits, 10cc, The Bee Gees (via Australia)