Westminster Record Fair 2

Attended yesterday's fair with great expectations of a good days crate digging.  This VIP fair isn't as big as the Music Mania event (next one in November) but probably good for those collectors willing to pay the big ticket desirable items.  I'm more of a pile it high and flog it cheap merchant as i like to sort through stuff.  One man's tat is another man's treasure.  So shorter day than expected, but met with the boys in doing so and swung by Fopp! on the way back.  Small haul in the form of Simply Red and Sinatra CDs for my son, together with the "Wondrous Stories" prog compilation and a couple of 70's Biddu albums on vinyl (to follow up meet my current disco craving).

Made In Walthamstow

I've embarked on a new project.  I'm researching into the Philips vinyl record factory in Walthamstow.  I worked there in the late 1970's for a couple of years and for PolyGram for a few more years after that.  It was local to me and for the years from the 50s through to its demise in the 80s it was part of the community.  If things go to plan and i'm up to it i'll try to write something about it.  Meanwhile I've set up a website Made In Walthamstow.com in order to collect the information and share it with others who have an interest.  I've posted images of some of the products that would have been made there; posted a short history of the record business and The Factory's place in it.  We'll see how it goes but it's been fun and interesting so far.  Here's an extract from the home page...

Walthamstow, E17. On the edges of Greater London and Essex, bordered by the River Lea, Epping Forest and the North Circular Road. This is a North London suburb with a place in the History of Recorded Music.

If you are of a certain age and purchased vinyl records in the 50s through to the 80s by Dire Straits, The Who, Elton John, Blondie, Rod Stewart, Barry Manilow, Roxy Music, Dusty Springfield, 10cc, Genesis, The Jam, The Walker Brothers, The Stylistics; the soundtracks of Saturday Night Fever, Grease, Fame or the great MGM musicals to name but a few; on labels like Polydor, Philips, Mercury, RSO, Atlantic, Stax, Decca, London, Arista, Chrysalis, Charisma and Verve; it's likely that they were made at the Philips (later Phonodisc then PolyGram) factory on Walthamstow Avenue, not far from the famous dog track.

There were many such factories in the UK during the boom years so what's the story in E17?

In the 50s Philips were early adopters of the "new" microgroove LP format that finally signalled the death of the 78; many technical processes later adopted by the industry as a whole were developed here; in the 60s Philips invented and launched the pre-recorded cassette and the first tapes commercially available in the UK were made at the factory; during its history the factory pressed releases by major artists - many of them visiting the plant on goodwill promotional visits.

From the perspective of the community - the factory was a major employer in the area; in the 70s it was progressive in its employment practices - changing shift patterns to accomodate the need for muslim workers to attend local mosques for Ramadam; recognising that flexible hours would enable staff to work around school hours and other family commitments; working for the greater good with Band Aid.

During it's existence the Philips record business went through major changes, acquiring the pressing rights for US labels Columbia, Atlantic, and Stax; The acquisition of Mercury in 1961; the joint venture with Siemens forming PolyGram the following year; the takeover of Decca in 1980 and the abortive merger with Warners in 1984. The demise of the factory reflected the changing face of the business - with regionalisation then globalisation of products, the fall of vinyl to CD and the hardening of a market for music that was once unchallenged in meeting the needs of the young audience.


These images are of products from the period when I worked at Phonodisc (previously Philips and later PolyGram).  For more go to Made In Walthamstow Images

Taz Records, Halifax, Nova Scotia

Second stop in Canada - lucky I did some research as I found a web page that claimed that Halifax is Canada's Atlantic Coast's "vinyl capital" boasting 5 record stores in the small downtown district.  That was out of date as four had gone with even HMV closing it's doors in the main mall.  What was right on the site was that it claimed that Taz was the best - and rightfully so, it had survived. My three hour visit convinced me why.

With a wide range of stock covering all genres and formats this was a real treat.  35,000 LPs, thousands of singles and a good broad range of CDs,

 T shirts and assorted stuff this was a goldmine.  The guys were easy going helpful and knowledgable.  The range was stunning and the place light and airy and comfortable to be in for long periods!  I'm too used to the dingy dark dismal shops that remain in London and the suburbs - so this was great.

After searching the soul albums I set myself the task of checking out the 45s - only for the guys there to start pointing out more and more boxes to review.  I had to take a break and go and see some of the town before we sailed but a quick fix of fresh air saw me back for another hour.  Pure Joy!

(OK you have to stay with me here - this is a collectors paradise).

I have a large collection, mainly converted to CD but with some remaining vinyl and a recent revived passion for singles (I blame the wonderful 45Cat) - most of the 7" stock here are canadian pressings and sell for $3 with some slightly higher but nothing for more than $10.  I also checked out the back sale room with LPs/CDs for a dollar a pop and picked up a first edition Osborne Collectors Guide from 1976.  My gains were not particularly rare, not particularly different but all in great condition, many with original bags and they all mean something to me - which is what collecting should be about.

I recommend this store and whilst the website doesn't list a full inventory they do trade internationally and are a well established long standing firm with a good reputation.

www.tazrecords.com

email: info@tazrecords.com

A geat fix on an otherwise vinyl-free holiday - what a find.

My 7" Haul

Bunny Sigler - Love Train; Ronnie Dyson - One Man Band & Just Don't Want To Be Lonely; Young-Holt Unltd - Who's Making Love; Bobby Womack - More Than I Can Stand; Undisputed Truth - You+Me=Love; Jerry Butler - September Song; Joe South - Games People Play; Johnnie Ray - Just Walking In The Rain; Hugo Montenegro - Tony's Theme/Good Vibrations; John Sebastion - Welcome Back; Kenny Nolan - I Like Dreamin'; Dells - Sing A Rainbow/Love Is Blue; Honey Cone - Want Ads; Billy Stewart - Summertime; Solomon Burke - Light In The Window/Time Is A Thief.

plus a few CDs and a couple of LPs and that Collectors Guide

Long Player Goodbye - Travis Elborough

One of my cruise reads was to finally finish this affectionate look at the history and life of the beloved vinyl LP format.  This follows on from a number of record industry histories that I have read but with a different twist in that it speaks not only about the business end but also the development of music from the 40s - todate, and gives a great deal of cultural context (and explains the impact of the LP itself).

A great read if you grew up with vinyl and still see CD and downloading as interlopers that have shifted the world away from a revered, fragile and treasured format (like me).  Travis Elborough is younger than me I guess given his dissing of a number of major artists from the 70s and 80s (each generation does this - I dismissed my brothers love of blues in the 60s - until I knew better) - but he identifies that the LP changed listening habits and gave the already tribal teens something to use as identification  - you were a mod or a rocker; a Smiths fan; Pink Floyd follower; a fan of introverted singer songwriters; a loud rocker etc.  The LPs you had identified the type of person you were (well certainly gave you a starting point.)  These days it would be what phone you have, i-pad? apple or PC? X-Box or Nintendo? in addition to clothes and all the other material goods now avaliable and promoted as the "must have"

This is a wonderful book and one i'm sure i'll pick up again and re-read - I recommend it.

Newbury Comics, Boston, Massachusetts

Back to Boston, almost ten years to the week.  Our first trip being in the immediate aftermath of 911.  This was to be a long day stopover - we would re-visit some of the sights via the city's Duck Tour (they do this so well) and then visit some of the stores that I had found on that first trip.  Time ran out on us and I made it to the two branches of Newbury Comics.  The original on Newbury Street has changed in that it was a real vinyl collectors paradise before but has gone a bit upmarket or perhaps simply a bit more organised (forgive me I like my second hand stores a bit scruffy!) obviously Cd has become dominant.  Good that their used stock is filed with new and sale copies which is a great way of searching for your wants.  Nice stores (the second one is firmly on the tourist trail at Quincy Market).

Finds: New Ry Cooder, Youngblood by Carl Wilson, Blues'n Soul by Little Milton, The rarities CD from Exile on Main Street, Soldier of Love by Sade, Last Name..By Charlie Wilson and a Best of the Spencer Davis Group - nothing rare but all good finds at great value beyond just the sterling/dollar rate gain.

Where Have All The Good Times Gone?

It's hard to think that 120 years ago the only way of sharing a song was to sing it or play it on the piano that sat in most middle class families' parlours. 

Sub-titled "the rise and fall of the record industry" this book by Louis Barfe is one of the best I've read about the history of commercial recorded sound.  The benchmark here will always be Roland Gelatt's "The Fabulous Phonograph" and this comes close but as the former was written during the sixties boom there is a lot to say by way of updating the history.  This does so admirably, pulling on interviews with those who were there, from artists, managers and industry figures - reflecting on innovations like the advent of CD; the decline of former majors like British Decca; or giving a picture of the personalities who drove an industry both up - riding the various booms of the post war baby boom teen explosion or the re-marketing of established catalogues on new formats and; down - failing to realise that you can't control internet distribution in the same way that you can physical product.

I was particularly interested in the sections covering the rise of PolyGram and the launch of CD as I was there and I know that Barfe has captured the mood of the industry at the time perfectly.  The earlier sections covering the format battles of Phonograph and Graphophone, the mono and stereo debate and the "speed battles" of the 40's and 50's with the arrival of 45 and 33rpm microgroove reflect similar battles repeated later over VHS/Betamax, Cassette, MiniDisc, 8-tracks etc.  Makes you wonder why they didn't learn.

The epilogue chapter in the book (which was published in 2004) covers the aftermath of the Napster cases; the resulting threatening stance of the industry taking legal action against users of peer to peer networks and filesharing sites in a dogged determination to hold onto the past irrespective of technical innovation and; the arrival of Apple into the music business with i-Tunes and the i-Pod.

I would highly recommend this to anyone interested as a background to what's sitting on their shelves (or indeed stored on their hard drives) - it's not only an informative but a well written and entertaining history of our times and those of our parents and grandparents.

link to amazon page - Louis Barfe

The Persuasions - "Gonna Keep On Tryin' Till I Win Your Love" (1974)

And try I did for about 30 years to find this single again (why - see ""The Lost And Found") and like the proverbial London buses two come along at once.  After a determined search through many a singles box at the London VIP fair in April, I tried ebay for the 100th time.  Amazingly a search produced the single and the vinyl album it came from.  Thinking that if I go for the single only and the quality is poor, I might not have another 30 years of search left in me,  I bought both.

This is a real gem of a single.  A live performance of the Motown song, written by my faves Norman Whitfield and Barret Strong, recorded by many artists usually as an album track or B side.  Marvin, Jimmy Ruffin, Edwin Starr, but for me the definitive Motown version was always the Temptations take on the "Sky's The Limit" album.  The Persuasions are an accapella group with a history dating back to the mid 60s.  Still going strong they have a definitive sound with gospel, doo-wop and soul to the fore.

The album "More Than Before" has a live side with covers of Bobby Womack, Gladys Knight and the Pips and Temptations songs. This was their first album on A+M since switching from Island and the new label caught some of their regular set to start the next phase of their career.  Another change was the studio side is with instruments and added to the usual flavour.

I love this and it was worth the wait.


A+M - AMS 7123 (UK Single) -
A+M - AMLS 63635 (UK album "More Than Before")
45Cat entry - http://www.45cat.com/artist/the-persuasions

GT Moore and The Reggae Guitars - "I'm Still Waiting"

Lost and Found indeed.  In 1974 I went to see Kokomo and Betty Wright (riding high at the time with "Where Is The Love?") at The Roundhouse in North London.  At the bottom of the bill was a band with one single to it's name.  They were wonderful - looking more hippy than hip, more psychedelic than soul, more rock than reggae - but they were GREAT. 

Signed to Charisma which was then a small label
(pre Genesis success) with a diverse roster but mainly in the rock genre and mainly album releases.

This single (their first) is a cover of the Diana Ross classic written by Deke Richards.  It's a pop gem.  See what you think.  I found this on ebay for £5 - worth every penny - 36 years old and in mint condition.  There was an album which has varied reviews across the web - I think this is the highlight.

Charisma Single CB 236.

http://www.45cat.com/record/cb236

PS - The B Side " Judgement Day" is also a lost gem.

All The Fun Of The Fair

I spent a long day at the VIP Music Fair on 16th April, something I've not done for some time.  Interesting to see how the dynamics of these events has changed.  To me there were less specialists with the big displays of high value items and more of the "pile it high and flog it cheap brigade" frankly I like the latter as i'm not a completist wanting a particular item due to a particular colour on a label or a catalogue number.  I just want the music on a good condition/quality carrier.  On occasion I buy stuff for old times sake (see my posts labelled "the lost and found") but they can be available in the £2 singles box just as much as some specialist with singles marked up for exorbitant prices.  I did see the Chuck Jackson single i've been after but for £30 i can afford to buy the CD when I can find it (it's been deleted too now).

I particularly liked the two german guys with a stall full of new unused 7" singles from the 70s and 80s - who cares that they're on the european label or catalogue numbers.

So what did I get

Singles by Splinter, The Original Mirrors; Rare Earth; Pacific Eardrum; Steve Winwood (Valerie); New Birth (a fantastic version of Bobby Womack's "I Can Understand It"); One from my wants list Monsoon "Ever So Lonely" classic!; as is The Maisonettes "Heartache Avenue" and "Latin Hustle" by Eddie Drennon; Another gem in Wah! "The Story Of The Blues" - amongst others.

It Was A Good Day.

VIP Record Fair - Olympia 16th April 2011

VIP Record Fair at Olympia on 16th April - a One Dayer coinciding with Record Store Day.

http://www.vip-24.com/index.htm

Fings Ain't Wot They Used Ta Be

From Pick 'n' Mixed

Oh for record shops like this again.  I'd love it. This is from a great kids book called "Making A Record" by Josie Karavasil.  It's out of print but sometimes available on ebay and via used at Amazon.

The book "Last Shop Standing (Whatever Happened To Record Shops)" by Graham Jones is a real good read with the first half telling his tales of him working in retail and then wholesale followed by the stories of a number of stores that had coninued in the face of the onslaught of supermarkets, the internet and the digital file sharing age.


Here's a few requests made to record shop owners by customers that Graham has included in the book....... If you were one of these customers best keep it to yourself..........

A copulation album? – The shop suggested ‘Songs for Swinging Lovers’ by Frank Sinatra (I guess they were after a compilation album)

The ‘I’m arsehole, man’ song? – I’m a Soul Man by Sam & Dave

My grand-daughter is a big fan of The Mad Donna, do you stock her CDs?

And here's a message from the author whose cause needs all the help it can get:-

Graham Says...'To read a key reason why so many record stores have closed check out vatloophole.co.uk I am currently writing a follow up to Last Shop Standing - should you have any music-related humourous or serious stories I would love to hear from you. Keep supporting independent record shops and don't forget Record Store Day, 16th April! In the mean time, below are some of the funny things people have asked record shops for...'

Seek the book out (or follow the link to the website) and have a good read which is bittersweet in that there are some very funny moments but ultimately it documents the end of music retailing as we know (and love) it.

Published by Proper - ISBN978/0/09561/2120/2 order no. PMO100

or find it on Amazon via this link

45Cat - A Must For All Collectors

A catalogue of all the UK singles ever released; Scans of labels and picture bags; Reader and owner ratings; Sign up and compile your own collection, add comments - print your collection catalogue.

I stumbled upon this via a number of blogs so I thought I would check it out.  Wow! what a great idea.  Rather than compiling your own catalogue why not join the hundreds of collectors who have contributed to this brill web site - it's easier if we all do it together.  So far (today) they have 80,000+ entries of different releases.  It's creating a history of pop released on 7" 45rpm singles in the UK.  I urge you to go and join in.  It's really fast to add your collection and once you have scanned in any that they don't have on there you'll have a full list of your stuff owned (you'll never have to think about whether you do have something or not at that record fair)  They're working on an i-phone app - so you will be able to keep your lists in your pocket.

bloody brilliant!

click on the logo above to go there (now!)

p.s added 12th February 2011 - now I have all my singles up on 45c i'll link all future posts to the corresponding entry.

You Been Playing My Records? (Diner - 1982)

I know how he feels - not about the filing but about knowing what was playing at certain points in your life.

I Love Fopp!

Here's a great idea.  Let's keep record shops.  Have them stocked with good cross section of catalogues.  Include the obscure at appropriate higher prices but overall be cheap.  Plenty of bargain basement stuff.  Offers for £3, £5, £8.  New (but not mainstream) releases for £10.  Special offers for local events - London Jazz Week - sell some old but classic Columbia jazz sets for £3 in cool vinyl cover copies.  Include books about music, film and anything ... well anything really.  Most of all have staff who want to help, know their stuff and like customers.  Fopp went bust a couple of years ago and was bought out (they say saved) by HMV.  Interesting as Fopp is what i'd like to have seen HMV become.  Ask most HMV staff a not too difficult music question and not only will they not know but will show you they don't really care (my experience granted but there you go).  Compare it to my Covent Garden Favourite and there is no contest.  I will support this store for as long as they support my record buying habit in this way.  Power to the Fopp!

Lost & Found Department

I Need These
No I really mean it. I do. I'm no different from any other record collector I know. We've all been collecting records for years but at some point in the period we have given them up for some other desirable item (in my case at just turned 16 a Mark 3 Ford Escort which had the looks but not enough working parts to fulfil it's initial promise). Anyway you guessed it things had to go and the one thing I had plenty of was vinyl. I had a cassette recorder and (guessed again) mr not-so-bright-as-it-turns-out-now went all modern and converted all his music to tapes that then slowly disintergated over the years. I got probably 50p per album (rrp was about £2.50 at the time and about 20p a single (rrp 79p). Bugger. There are some stories and pleas about my quest to regain collection here in the pick 'n' mix. remember it's sometimes cruel to laugh at others misfortune or even their poor judgement - really you had to be there.

See The Lost and Found (which hopefully will include tracks when they are reunited with me)