Lost record shops

[Gordon]

....I know the owner - he, his brother and sister......

Was that David? I remember buying a Quad 44/405 from him years ago!! The 44 is still in service [few pre-amps have the flexibility] as an adjunct to the system but the 405 was retired after the Quads and sub-woofer went and is still in the loft!! Must have a clear out.

There was also another specialist classical shop in Winchester. It used to be called something along the lines of Hampshire County Music, but switched to the more memorable name of Caruso's. Now the only place to purchase in town is HMV. Grim.

Yes, I had forgotten Caruso's, it was in an alley between the High Street and St George's. Hardware store now! Smiths used to have some classical CDs but I didn't get much there. HMV still there but classics are "greatest hits" variety - at least it was the last time I darkened its doors.

[amateur51]

Direction Dean Street anyone? Wasn't that the one with Ivor Pfuell? And the one where there was a chap who was the spitting image of Gennadi Rozhdestvensky? Can't remember his name unless it was the aforesaid Ivor.

Collets in Charing Cross Road where I bought loads of Melodiya LP's.

Music Discount Centre in Rathbone Place near the Post Office sorting centre. Spent loads there.

Forsyth's in Deansgate, Manchester and Gibbs as mentioned already.

Anyone remember Michael G Thomas? Can't remember the London address of this one but it was the most chaotic record shop I'd ever seen.

Ivor Pfuell died quite a few years back, still a young man sadly. He was a colleague at Henry Stave Great Marlborough St, with Sally Rettig & Colin Butler, and he moved with them when Rediffusion closed Staves & they opened Direction Dean Street. Ivor later worked at MDC Rathbone Place, with Sally's and Colin's shop Caruso & Company just around the corner. Caruso was also nearby the British Museum for a while.

I only visited Michael G Thomas once: it was in a terraced house in Paddington all his stock in a messy bedroom with a big bad-tempered cat on the bed Great stock tho

Another loss was Tower Records at Piccadilly Circus, the old Swann & Edgar building. I went in the very early days & was delighted to find my old manager from Staves, Michael Zubrot was in charge. I was greatly saddened to read last year that Michael had been stabbed to death in his home aged 68

[amateur51]

Another, less obvious, source was (I think it too has now gone, despite various Google hits) Steve's Sounds in Newport Court. Though principally a dealer in used popular music recordings, they always has a classical section which was well worth browsing.

Agreed Bryn, a great source

I often mused that it was also a purveyor of other goods too

[mangerton]

Rae Mackintosh in South Queenferry Street, Edinburgh. Talk about a mis-spent youth?! There's one part of the shop still active as a music shop but no records and only a rack of Naxos cds.

The part that sold records is now a burger bar! There must be many ghosts amongt the fries...

Just caught up with this thread.

I remember Rae Macs in the sixties when it was in much larger premises in George Street. I don't know what's there now - probably an over-priced wine bar. All very sad.

[Il Grande Inquisitor]

Was that David?

Yes! I worked with his wife for many years and got to know David well. I last saw them a couple of weeks ago.

Yes, I had forgotten Caruso's, it was in an alley between the High Street and St George's. Hardware store now! Smiths used to have some classical CDs but I didn't get much there.

Smiths had a decent stock at one time. In fact, the only time I've ever asked to audition a disc was in Smiths. I was after a disc of Vivaldi Lute/ Mandolin concertos and there were two discs there with identical repertoire. How to decide? I asked if they could play a bit of each - opening movement of RV93. First disc up was from the Parley of Instruments; very pleasant, I thought... and THEN I heard Il giardino armonico and my listening has never been the same since! No idea what the other customers in there made of it. I didn't care!

[Bryn]

Agreed Bryn, a great source

I often mused that it was also a purveyor of other goods too

It was a great place to visit on New Year's Day, or indeed on Steve's birthday. It was drinks for all. I also recall, when wheel clamps were fairly new thing in the area, one of his staff/mates got a fake clamp and 'fixed' it to Steve's car, parked on yellow lines round the corner for a few minutes.

Before he moved across the Court, the site most recently occupied by Steve's Sounds was dedicated to classical records (again mainly review copies, recent deletions and used LPs). Can anyone here remember what it was then called? It was run by pretty knowledgeable people.

[amateur51]

It was a great place to visit on New Year's Day, or indeed on Steve's birthday. It was drinks for all. I also recall, when wheel clamps were fairly new thing in the area, one of his staff/mates got a fake clamp and 'fixed' it to Steve's car, parked on yellow lines round the corner for a few minutes.

Now that's the way to run a business in my book

[Bryn]

Oh, and how about upstairs in many Singer Sewing Machine shops?

[amateur51]

I think Direction Dean Street in London started a London trend of serving freshly brewed coffee to customers - now you don't get that with a download - yet

[EdgeleyRob]

Forsyth's in Deansgate, Manchester

Still going strong.

[ferneyhoughgeliebte]

Still going strong.

(#72)

[EdgeleyRob]

(#72)

Ah, didn't see that fhg.
It's a wonderful shop.

[Stanley Stewart]

#81 I think it was Collector's Corner, Bryn. I was also trying to remember the name of the owner - previously an opera singer - Colin? who ran the shop for many years from the 1940s. Indeed, Steve inherited the wooden outside boxes which used to stock the 'review' LPs (around 22/6d each) and the huge stock of 78rpms were kept indoors. Steve was related to the Millers who used to run the small shop opposite. The irony is that the 'singer', always a bit precious, used to get upset when Steve moved into the opposite small shop and played pop music throughout the whole day. "It gives me a sore throat", he used to protest. He retired with his partner in the late 70s and his career and record business were generously covered in the Opera magazine.

Apart from many CDs on my shelves, Steve also had useful contacts for reference books: as I write, I'm looking at the 2 vol set of American Song; The Complete Musical Theatre Companion, by Ken Bloom, (1985) which he reservedfor me. And Michael Scott's 2 vol Record of Singing with substantial LP sets. Happy memories.

[LeMartinPecheur]

Whitwam's was responsible for much of my musical explorations in my student and early career years. It was the only place I was aware of in Hampshire which housed CDs, musical instruments and sheet music in decent quantities, along with an excellent audio equipment section. I bought my first clarinet from there, under a rental scheme which transferred into a purchasing one after six/ nine months.

Whitwams fed me from c1970 till it closed. I went to school in Winchester and worked for HCC from 1976 till 2001, and particularly remember the main man in the CD department in the latter years who had a sideline as an alto in the cathedral choir. Or would he have said that the other way about??

I wonder how he survived after the shop closed...

[Bryn]

"Collector's Corner" does ring a bell, Stanley. I also got the odd LP from Chappells, then near opposite the Coliseum.