HMV RIP

[Lordgeous]

Not quite, but I still have my Dual deck with its Ortophon cartridge available for occasional use. I had 30 plus years of Vinyl enjoyment before the CD revolution and the world would have been a duller place without them and although I am (not very) temptec by streaming and downloads, CDs are ideal for now!

Me too, AND a 78 stylus! (The Dual has 3 speeds). I still have a cudboard full of 78s which Ive been meaning to transfer, though I guess when I look through them most will have been transferred to CD by specialist labels by now. Incidentally does anyone have any info on the Laser Player pictured?

[Bryn]

Me too, AND a 78 stylus! (The Dual has 3 speeds). I still have a cudboard full of 78s which Ive been meaning to transfer, though I guess when I look through them most will have been transferred to CD by specialist labels by now. Incidentally does anyone have any info on the Laser Player pictured?

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Laser_turntable

http://diffuser.fm/laser-turntable/

[Lordgeous]

Yes, thanks - had found it!

[Nick Armstrong]

Not quite sure what I'm "guilty" of - not buying stuff from a shop that no longer stocks what I want to buy? Yup - guilty, m'lud.

Quite.

Sad insofar as there are great memories of excited trips to HMV shops (especially in the sales) in the 80s and 90s.... but it's like lamenting the decline of hat shops or typewriter shops - life's moved on.

[Bryn]

Yes, thanks - had found it!

I take it you also found http://www.elpj.com/

[cloughie]

Quite.

Sad insofar as there are great memories of excited trips to HMV shops (especially in the sales) in the 80s and 90s.... but it's like lamenting the decline of hat shops or typewriter shops - life's moved on.

The Birmingham store in the 80s and 90s was marvellous.

[ferneyhoughgeliebte]

Sad insofar as there are great memories of excited trips to HMV shops (especially in the sales) in the 80s and 90s

Oh, yes - like buying the Toscanini Verdi Requiem from the Leeds store (sold by a very snooty salesman - the Saint-Saens Organ Symphony playing over the shop system, so I didn't think he had very much to be snooty about) in March 1979; or the Karajan Ring box from one of the London stores after my first salary payment on Saturday, 29th January, 1983; and countless other occasions.

But people don't exist to provide shops with customers; something the HMV management seems not to have realized. They seem to have been taken completely by surprise by the advent of the Internet (rather akin to railway companies being astonished when it snows in January every year) - Pulcie's post #42 yesterday demonstrates the lack of imagination amongst the management; why did nobody think up a Store browser, so that York (for example) could go online and order an item from the Glasgow store, and get it posted to a customer free of (postage) charge? Why did they close down their CD ordering service completely? If their profits were in such a precarious state, whose dumb idea was it to reduce the number of customers who might be attracted to part with their money?

No tears here, nor any sense of guilt or even loss.

[Bryn]

Oh, yes - like buying the Toscanini Verdi Requiem from the Leeds store (sold by a very snooty salesman - the Saint-Saens Organ Symphony playing over the shop system, so I didn't think he had very much to be snooty about) . . .

Well at least it wasn't Boney M's By the rivers of Barbieland[sic]

[Pulcinella]

Quite.

Sad insofar as there are great memories of excited trips to HMV shops (especially in the sales) in the 80s and 90s.... but it's like lamenting the decline of hat shops or typewriter shops - life's moved on.

We've got a good one of those in York, too.

Sadly, the website is being redesigned:

http://www.hatshopyork.co.uk

but Google 'york hat shop' and you should get to see some of their window displays.

[pastoralguy]

...and would you really want to removing the chalk from the record and the cheese from the stylus?

Actually, my sister was won't to spill jam on her 'Saturday Night Fever' Lp to the horror of my father and me!

[Serial_Apologist]

Actually, my sister was won't to spill jam on her 'Saturday Night Fever' Lp to the horror of my father and me!

I bet that made the rhythms more interesting!

[ferneyhoughgeliebte]

Well at least it wasn't Boney M's By the rivers of Barbieland[sic]

I think that that was playing downstairs in the "Popular Beat Combo" department.

[cloughie]

Actually, my sister was won't to spill jam on her 'Saturday Night Fever' Lp to the horror of my father and me!

Well I suppose that would be an alternative 'jam session'!

[Serial_Apologist]

Well I suppose that would be an alternative 'jam session'!

[AmpH]

Memories of fruitful visits to the large HMV Oxford Street in years gone by remain strong, where countless hours were spent browsing the ( generally ) well stocked shelves of CD's in the large classical department on the lower ground floor and regularly coming away with handfuls of CD's especially at sale times. Service was mostly knowledgeable and enthusiastic and the record ordering service pretty good. Trips up to London then would often include spending half a day in store, especially when the Rock / Pop and Jazz Departments were scoured for goodies and the freely available copies of Gramophone , Penguin Guides etc were consulted - in current parlance it was a genuine Destination Store for me at least.

The decline of HMV has been well documented and the store is now a Sports Direct ! I suppose the Foyles music department is as good as any left in London now if classical CD's are wanted.

HMV have long completely failed to meet my musical needs, so no tears from me over their decline. I prefer to celebrate the excellent specialist online providers we now have ( Presto, Europadisc, MDT, Qobuz etc and even the ubiquitious Amazon ) who can provide collectors / enthusiasts with convenient access to a vast amount of music in physical or other forms.