Does anyone still shop at HMV?

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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

The old Our Price in Hamilton used to stock Foetus cd's and tapes.

― Brigadier Lethbridge-Pfunkboy, Tuesday, 20 March 2007 12:14 (seventeen years ago) link

I think I got a Foetus CD in a sale in that Oxford St. HMV - Jesus, what a disappointment, played it once

― Tom D., Tuesday, 20 March 2007 12:15 (seventeen years ago) link

I got into Godflesh and The God Machine when that Our Price got the cd's in.
Infact most of my 18-25 years music was got via either that shop or Impulse or Missing Records in Glasgow.
Moving from Prestwick back to Lanarkshire at 18 then was just perfect.

― Brigadier Lethbridge-Pfunkboy, Tuesday, 20 March 2007 12:23 (seventeen years ago) link

What some of the general Oxfam shops do is: find out how much an LP is worth, and price it accordingly.

Without checking the condition...

Mark G on Tuesday, 13 March 2007 11:26 (1 week ago)

Not so - we do know what we're doing! (unlike some charity shops I admit) But then I work in one of the specialist books and music shop. We've just had a fantastic donation of 50s crooner stuff - maybe not everyone's cup of tea but it is original copies of early Andy Williams etc. Come to the Glasgow Victoria Road branch and lap it up!
There's always interesting stuff cropping up. This morning, while rummaging in the back shop, we found a Lene Lovitch cigarette case cassingle on Stiff, a bunch of vintage Elvis and Cliff. And a few weeks ago we got a bunch of Decca Dusty Springfield singles. Nice. Also,
Gavin Bryars LP - near mint! Roll up, roll up!

I've actually picked up some bargains in Oxfam music before. Kevin Ayers' Whatevershebringswesing for £3.99. Said it the vinyl was "scuffed". It's fine. Far from mint but it plays smoothly. Should be worth at least a tenner (£20 mint).

Relics (overpriced kitsch bric a brac and antiques store) in Glasgow is worth a gander as they don't give a fig about 7"s. So I got the Rutles picture sleeve Cheese & Onions/I Must Be In Love for £1. (I'll need to look it up but is probably worth a couple of quid more.) Their album pricing is highly inconsistent. They'll sell a gubbed Beatles album for £30 but a near mint original Capitol pressing of Bobbie Gentry's Ode To Billy Joe for £4! (It's worth £18 mint). Result!

― Stew, Tuesday, 20 March 2007 15:34 (seventeen years ago) link

But what is the truth behind the common perception that charity shop staff cherry pick the best of whatever comes in and just leaves out racks of Arrested Development and Mark Owen?

― Marcello Carlin, Tuesday, 20 March 2007 15:36 (seventeen years ago) link

*Coughs quietly*

Oxfam has a rule that if you want to buy something that's donated someone else in the shop must price it for you, so you can't just pick up something expensive and price it for a quid and buy it yourself.

But yeah, once I was working in the West Hampstead branch and someone donated a load of old punk/post punk records, that someone priced at 20p each and I immediately snapped the lot up for less than £2 - including a couple on Raw Records, "Bend and Flush" by the Pork Dukes, Rezillos, Saints etc. I'd always rifle through the music because we didn't usually sell records in that store, they'd get sent straight to Marylebone as we didn't have room.

― Colonel Poo, Tuesday, 20 March 2007 15:46 (seventeen years ago) link

Obviously we do get first dibs cos we're sorting the stuff, but as Colonel Poo says, you have to get a colleague to price it for you.
I doubt most volunteers could afford the expensive stuff anyway - best to leave it out for someone with money to burn.

― Stew, Tuesday, 20 March 2007 16:02 (seventeen years ago) link

It's all a racket.

― Marcello Carlin, Tuesday, 20 March 2007 16:04 (seventeen years ago) link

But in a good cause

― Tom D., Tuesday, 20 March 2007 16:04 (seventeen years ago) link

Stew: I take your point totally! The local OxMus shop is excellent in this regard.

However, yr common/garden OxClosBricBrac shop, previously that'd sell "all LPs 50p" now ring up someone and/or check a valuation book without checking the condition...

And that BritHeartFound shop, forgetaboutit!

― Mark G, Tuesday, 20 March 2007 16:11 (seventeen years ago) link

BritHeartFound shops are GREbT!

― Marcello Carlin, Tuesday, 20 March 2007 16:11 (seventeen years ago) link

Not the one in RG1

― Mark G, Tuesday, 20 March 2007 16:13 (seventeen years ago) link

It's not like the back store is full of mint copies of The Heliocentric World of Sun Ra Vols 1-2 or Al Bowly 78s...

It's pretty much what you'd expect of any second hand store in Glasgow - lots of Jim Reeves, crap early 90s house 12"s, and numerous Rod Stewart and Simple Minds albums. With the odd decent, but hardly valuable thing in between.

― Stew, Tuesday, 20 March 2007 16:14 (seventeen years ago) link

Ah yes, I forgot about the Jim Reeves factor.

There are several charity shops in London I could name whose back stores are full of mint copies of limited-edition hand-painted Saturn releases...

― Marcello Carlin, Tuesday, 20 March 2007 16:16 (seventeen years ago) link

Where's sydney and fran and anna? Shops aren't complete without that in Scotland.
Max Bygraves and Des O'Connor elsewhere of course.

― Brigadier Lethbridge-Pfunkboy, Tuesday, 20 March 2007 16:37 (seventeen years ago) link

I did mention Mr Devine some way up this thread. Arguably bigger in Hamilton and Bellshill than Glasgow as such.

Fran and Anna, though, bloody hell...

― Marcello Carlin, Tuesday, 20 March 2007 16:38 (seventeen years ago) link

Glen Daly's where it's at

― Tom D., Tuesday, 20 March 2007 16:39 (seventeen years ago) link

Even when Marti Pellow took over his mantle after his sad passing.

― Marcello Carlin, Tuesday, 20 March 2007 16:41 (seventeen years ago) link

I browse HMV sometimes but then go buy it in Fopp. Still hit the New Year sales though, can't complain about £2 dvds

― Slumpman, Tuesday, 20 March 2007 16:44 (seventeen years ago) link

[Removed Illegal Link]

― Brigadier Lethbridge-Pfunkboy, Tuesday, 20 March 2007 17:03 (seventeen years ago) link

Oops
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/technology/6471649.stm

CD Wow lose case on cheap cds.

― Brigadier Lethbridge-Pfunkboy, Tuesday, 20 March 2007 18:08 (seventeen years ago) link

Glen Daly - yes, I've seen quite a few of those. In fact, I have a copy of his 70s Scotland world cup song my dad found me in a carboot sale years ago. I think he thought it might be valuable. It's a top tune - "We're on the ball, Scotland's on the ball, We're going to show the world that Scotland's forever when we bring that cup back to the land of the heather!"
Anyway...

Not actually seen any Fran and Anna, but we did come across a 7" of Stanley Baxter's allegedly hilarious Parliamo Glasgow.

My favourite find is a single by the Scottish Parkinson himself, BA Robertson. I haven't listened to it of course. That would be a fate worse than death.

The artist that's ubiquitous in any pile of 7"s in Glasgow is Frank Ifield. His singles turn up EVERYWHERE!

― Stew, Tuesday, 20 March 2007 21:36 (seventeen years ago) link

In 30 years time I bet charity shops are still full of Sydney Devine lp's and cd's

― Brigadier Lethbridge-Pfunkboy, Tuesday, 20 March 2007 21:44 (seventeen years ago) link

good old frank ifield

― RJG, Tuesday, 20 March 2007 22:09 (seventeen years ago) link

Scottish Parkinson?

Is that where he's gone?

― Mark G, Wednesday, 21 March 2007 09:23 (seventeen years ago) link

I've clearly been away too long.

― Marcello Carlin, Wednesday, 21 March 2007 09:31 (seventeen years ago) link

No, no, it was just a joke. I vaguely remember him from childhood but didn't he have a chat show back in the day - those youtube clips of his painfully awkward interview with the Associates are hilarious.

This is what he's up to today...

http://www.barobertson.com/biog.html

I had no idea he wrote Wire For Sound. I have a friend who contends that it's actually a very good song. He may be right actually...

― Stew, Wednesday, 21 March 2007 10:58 (seventeen years ago) link

Sp - Wired

― Stew, Wednesday, 21 March 2007 10:58 (seventeen years ago) link

Oh yeah, didn't he do some for The Tube or something?

― Mark G, Wednesday, 21 March 2007 11:01 (seventeen years ago) link

Also he wrote the greatest football song ever - "We Have A Dream," Scotland '82 with added John Gordon Sinclair.

Unfortunately he also wrote "The Living Years" which is the worst song ever as of today.

― Marcello Carlin, Wednesday, 21 March 2007 11:03 (seventeen years ago) link

This morning at Oxfam was amazing cos we had a large and fantastic donation of vinyl.

WHITE NOISE!!!

Unfortunately, it's the second issue and is completely gubbed, so it's unsellable. We can put the sleeve up in the shop though for hipster collector points at least.

Great Cherry Red 82-83 comp with Marine Girls and Quentin Crisp on it. Thee Headcoats on purple vinyl, Pete Hammill, loads of JMAC 12"s. Johnny Kidd and the Pirates, Jerry Lee Lewis plays soul LP with an awesome Shine A Light on it, two Gallon Drunk albums, Gilberto Gil and Gal Costa stuff, Jonathan Swift, Bumpers...

I was very excited. They should be going out front in the next couple of days, so roll up Glasgwegians!

― Stew, Thursday, 22 March 2007 14:28 (seventeen years ago) link

So was it Jim or William Reid who brought all this stuff in?

― Marcello Carlin, Thursday, 22 March 2007 15:33 (seventeen years ago) link

MURRAY DALGLISH!!

― Mark G, Thursday, 22 March 2007 15:37 (seventeen years ago) link

Is that 2nd hand CD,record and tape exchange still there in Glasgow? The one near Sound Control.

― Brigadier Lethbridge-Pfunkboy, Monday, 26 March 2007 11:11 (seventeen years ago) link

They've moved a couple of miles south. It's now just off Pollockshaws Rd, just north of Shawlands Cross, opposite the 5 a-side place in Queens Park. Even though it's ten minutes from my flat I've never been in. I really should have a look sometime...
Was mostly full of crap 80s metal and rock vinyl but you might find the odd gem hidden away.
Also see Record Fayre opposite the Tron Cafe.

― Stew, Monday, 26 March 2007 11:23 (seventeen years ago) link

Yeah i know Record Fayre though haven't been in there for years. That's great for old prog rock vinyl.

The CD Tape And Vinyl exchange was amazingly expensive. They would give you £1 for a cd then sell it for £10.
I did once buy a Groundhogs lp there .

― Brigadier Lethbridge-Pfunkboy, Monday, 26 March 2007 11:26 (seventeen years ago) link

for another Foot Locker

Do all Foot Locker people come with ennui written all over their faces or is that just the ones that are shipped out to Belgium?

― nathalie, Monday, 26 March 2007 11:39 (seventeen years ago) link

I bought that Cherry Red comp in my local Oxfam on Friday!

― gnarly sceptre, Monday, 26 March 2007 13:28 (seventeen years ago) link

That's odd - is it the picture disc or the ordinary LP? I know a few of the songs on it - shall give it a spin in the shop tomorrow hopefully.

― Stew, Monday, 26 March 2007 14:14 (seventeen years ago) link

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