Does anyone still shop at HMV?

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I can't. There's nowhere to download stamps illegally.

― Brigadier Lethbridge-Pfunkboy, Thursday, 15 March 2007 15:50 (seventeen years ago) link

and there are v few rural post offices left

― RJG, Thursday, 15 March 2007 15:54 (seventeen years ago) link

I remember when the Virgin Megastore opened in Union Street in 1980 and it was amazing - loads of improv and post-punk records; total heaven, and HMV two doors down had no option but to raise their game (though they never really did).

― Marcello Carlin, Thursday, 15 March 2007 15:54 (seventeen years ago) link

Marcello is old.

and there are v few rural post offices left

I don't live in the countryside but they actually shut down the general post office in Hamilton.

― Brigadier Lethbridge-Pfunkboy, Thursday, 15 March 2007 16:26 (seventeen years ago) link

i just got a £20 hmv voucher. but where oh where can i spend it?! :(

― That one guy that quit, Thursday, 15 March 2007 16:30 (seventeen years ago) link

Not at the post office

― Brigadier Lethbridge-Pfunkboy, Thursday, 15 March 2007 16:30 (seventeen years ago) link

I remember the Virgin Megastore in TottCtRd being a dingy place of wonder, and also when they closed it down for 2 weeks, and then what it was like when they opened it up again!

― Mark G, Thursday, 15 March 2007 16:31 (seventeen years ago) link

What was it like when it opened again?

― Brigadier Lethbridge-Pfunkboy, Thursday, 15 March 2007 16:33 (seventeen years ago) link

So, I take it that HMV is much bigger in the UK? My girlfriend used to work at the one in Cambridge, Mass., as their in-store DJ and it sucked the soul right out of her. But they're pretty rare here in the states.

― I eat cannibals, Thursday, 15 March 2007 16:40 (seventeen years ago) link

st. vincent st. post office now sells cheapo DVDs and cheapo children's toys and other cheapo tat, Brigadier Lethbridge-Pfunkboy

it's in glasgow

― RJG, Thursday, 15 March 2007 16:41 (seventeen years ago) link

I know where St Vincent St is.

― Brigadier Lethbridge-Pfunkboy, Thursday, 15 March 2007 16:44 (seventeen years ago) link

All I can say about the Virgin Megastore in Tottenham Court Road is that it acts as a useful shortcut if you want to avoid the crowds around the tube station entrance.

― Marcello Carlin, Thursday, 15 March 2007 16:45 (seventeen years ago) link

when it reopened, it was like um, well basically like it is now.

― Mark G, Thursday, 15 March 2007 16:51 (seventeen years ago) link

...which I have no idea of what it's like.

― Brigadier Lethbridge-Pfunkboy, Thursday, 15 March 2007 16:51 (seventeen years ago) link

it's in london

― RJG, Thursday, 15 March 2007 16:52 (seventeen years ago) link

I am old. And am happy to be such.

― Marcello Carlin, Thursday, 15 March 2007 16:59 (seventeen years ago) link

The rest of you lot will also be old someday. If you are lucky.

― henry s, Thursday, 15 March 2007 17:03 (seventeen years ago) link

Oh I guess i'm old too. (34) Just not old enough to remember record shops opening in Glasgow.
I did buy Madness 7"s from Woolies in Hamilton when i was about 7 or 8 before we moved to Prestwick(via EK again)

― Brigadier Lethbridge-Pfunkboy, Thursday, 15 March 2007 17:11 (seventeen years ago) link

"All I can say about the Virgin Megastore in Tottenham Court Road is that it acts as a useful shortcut if you want to avoid the crowds around the tube station entrance.

Marcello Carlin on Thursday, 15 March 2007 16:45 (13 minutes ago)"

I popped in there t'other week to use the handy free toilets in the basement (the other useful aspect of the Megastore, besides the tube-crowd-avoidance aspect) and I was really surprised to see that the whole basement area (apart from the crappy cafe bit) has now been let out to some musical instrument shop! Looks like they too are in a (deservedly) dire situation, too!

― M Carty, Thursday, 15 March 2007 17:23 (seventeen years ago) link

One too many too's at the end there, but you get my meaning.

― M Carty, Thursday, 15 March 2007 17:26 (seventeen years ago) link

It's only a matter of time till the basement's blocked off and sold to a budget clothing store, accessible only from Oxford Street. Then they'll close the top floor (jazz and classical). Give it 5 years, Virgin and HMV shops won't exist any more, you mark my words.

Is this the thread for a CD's vs. downloads discussion, or are there millions of them elsewhere on ILM already?

― Matt #2, Thursday, 15 March 2007 18:33 (seventeen years ago) link

Probably loads but you may as well do it here

― Brigadier Lethbridge-Pfunkboy, Thursday, 15 March 2007 18:58 (seventeen years ago) link

an RIP thread always pops up when a beloved record shop shutters it's doors...

― henry s, Thursday, 15 March 2007 19:15 (seventeen years ago) link

"i just got a £20 hmv voucher. but where oh where can i spend it?! :("

Waterstones.

― jed_, Thursday, 15 March 2007 21:15 (seventeen years ago) link

And of course LOUIS to thread.

― Brigadier Lethbridge-Pfunkboy, Sunday, 18 March 2007 01:52 (seventeen years ago) link

YEAH I KNOW

fucking Biffy Clyro-recommending floor-manager FUCK YOU

― unfished business, Sunday, 18 March 2007 01:53 (seventeen years ago) link

Now you and marcello have some hate in common!

― Brigadier Lethbridge-Pfunkboy, Sunday, 18 March 2007 02:12 (seventeen years ago) link

Town I live in, town I went to school in and record shop I work in all mentioned on this thread. Too close to home, ilm. Too close.

― jim, Sunday, 18 March 2007 02:26 (seventeen years ago) link

marcello and i share quite a lot, we're two of the bigger pulp fans on this site for a start!

― unfished business, Sunday, 18 March 2007 02:37 (seventeen years ago) link

has anyone ever seen you two together in a room at the same time?

― Brigadier Lethbridge-Pfunkboy, Tuesday, 20 March 2007 10:11 (seventeen years ago) link

Doing what?

― Tom D., Tuesday, 20 March 2007 10:13 (seventeen years ago) link

Listening to Pulp probably.

― Brigadier Lethbridge-Pfunkboy, Tuesday, 20 March 2007 10:14 (seventeen years ago) link

I was in Muswell Hill on Saturday. One of the Cancer Research shops (strangely, there are two there) has a cassette of Thick As A Brick with the tape completely snapped and mangled. A bargain at £1 I think you'll agree, though clearly I did not take advantage of the generous offer.

― Marcello Carlin, Tuesday, 20 March 2007 10:19 (seventeen years ago) link

BUT IT'S FOR A GOOD CAUSE!

― Brigadier Lethbridge-Pfunkboy, Tuesday, 20 March 2007 10:48 (seventeen years ago) link

SO IS 500 BASTARD MILES BY THE BASTARD PROCLAIMERS FEATURING PETER BASTARD KAY AND BASTARD LITTLE BRITAIN!!!!!!!!

― Marcello Carlin, Tuesday, 20 March 2007 10:49 (seventeen years ago) link

I haven't heard that.

― Brigadier Lethbridge-Pfunkboy, Tuesday, 20 March 2007 11:11 (seventeen years ago) link

I'll email you it

― Tom D., Tuesday, 20 March 2007 11:12 (seventeen years ago) link

One of the Muswell Hill Cancer Research shops has had a copy of Paranoid by the Dickies in the window for ages, I wouldn't mind having that single, but it's £5! And sitting in the window for months is hardly likely to do it much good. That shop is always overpriced for vinyl though - they must price everything as if it's mint. The Oxfam round the corner is usually better priced but only has your usual charity shop rubbish unfortunately. I've got some good stuff for v cheap from the shop round by Sainsburys but I forget what charity that is!

― Colonel Poo, Tuesday, 20 March 2007 11:17 (seventeen years ago) link

North London Hospice

― Marcello Carlin, Tuesday, 20 March 2007 11:21 (seventeen years ago) link

That's it, I thought it was North London something. They do 7"s for 50p and LPs for £1-2 there.

I got an early Pavement flexi from the Sue Ryder shop for 20p a couple of years ago, but they haven't had anything much since then.

― Colonel Poo, Tuesday, 20 March 2007 11:24 (seventeen years ago) link

Sue Ryder shops are as a rule pretty rubbish for music. Best ones are in Crouch End and Euston.

― Marcello Carlin, Tuesday, 20 March 2007 11:31 (seventeen years ago) link

I haven't been in once for YEARS. Maybe I should pop in next time i'm down just incase there's something good.

― Brigadier Lethbridge-Pfunkboy, Tuesday, 20 March 2007 11:36 (seventeen years ago) link

Oh my good lord Marcello is RIGHT about the Oxford Street HMV!!! I went on a massive CD bender yesterday, starting at Piccadilly Circus (nothing was bought there owing to the disgraceful paucity of goodies at both HMV and Virgin), continued down Berwick Street (a little more fruitful), and finished at the Oxford Street HMV, which was some kinda Holy Grail. Jeez, it's an ENTIRELY different store to the other branches I've been to (excepting the prices). They have a quite absurd, exhaustive selection, including, for the first time in any store, independent or mainstream, FOETUS records. Yay!

― unfished business, Tuesday, 20 March 2007 11:51 (seventeen years ago) link

This will show you my age (yet again) but I can remember much of my initial excitement about coming down to London in the eighties being down to things like going into the old WH Smith shop at the Marble Arch end of Oxford Street and finding Foetus records in their racks. You wouldn't get that happening now.

― Marcello Carlin, Tuesday, 20 March 2007 11:53 (seventeen years ago) link

They have a pretty decent 7" section at Oxford St HMV. That's about the only thing I find it good for though, yeah they have a lot of stuff that's hard to find at average record stores but the prices are too high, I'd rather just get it from Amazon or Ebay. Or Sister Ray if they have it.

― Colonel Poo, Tuesday, 20 March 2007 11:58 (seventeen years ago) link

Sister Ray is awesome, but VERY expensive. Except for the odd 'special offer', which is why I was able to buy Clearlake's latest album for 2.99 yesterday. Not listened to it yet; apparently Marcello is a fan, though, so...

― unfished business, Tuesday, 20 March 2007 12:03 (seventeen years ago) link

Sister Ray has the Rough Trade disease of categoryitis. Maybe they do have the Scars CD buried in there somewhere under Post-Punk or Post-Punk Funk or Post-Funk Punk or Pre-Funk Punk Skunk Junk but, you know, A TO FUCKING Z AND THAT SHOULD BE THE END OF IT.

― Marcello Carlin, Tuesday, 20 March 2007 12:04 (seventeen years ago) link

Sister Ray's not expensive

― Tom D., Tuesday, 20 March 2007 12:04 (seventeen years ago) link

... I mean the old Selectadisc

― Tom D., Tuesday, 20 March 2007 12:04 (seventeen years ago) link

huh, well, I guess it seems expensive because of the higgledy-piggledy categorisation system (agreed, Marcello, it SUCKS big-time), which you'd expect to find at a cheap second-hand place, along with the CD-less cases. With '12.99' on them. It would be a much, much greater world we live in if everything there cost 7 or 8 quid.

― unfished business, Tuesday, 20 March 2007 12:06 (seventeen years ago) link

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