Stormy Weather

[Nick Armstrong]

Much changed, now, Foyles. The music dept. is really very good indeed, very well-stocked and nicely laid-out. I have given up going to both the Oxford St HMVs. Utterly hopeless trying to find any stock items there at all. It's all owned by Citibank now who are desperate to offload it. O tempus...

The old order changeth,
yielding place to new.
...

Oh, my boys, my boys,
we're at the end of an age.

We live in a land of weather forecasts...
sh*t on by Tories, shovelled up by Labour.

And here we are... we three...
perhaps the last island of beauty in the world.

Now, which of you is going to be a splendid fellow
and go down to the Rolls for the rest of the wine?

[Anna]

I think the one thing that has improved is the food, and certainly one of the places we're staying has, at long last, earned its michelin star.

When I was on a train a couple of months ago (Southampton to Brighton as you ask) I sat with a Canadian couple who had been in Wales (Solva, Aberdovey and around that area) and what amazed me is that they thought the food had been fantastic!

I'm also off on my travels, week after next, County Durham and then Lancashire. No doubt I will have to sample the famous Bury Black Pudding and Black Peas.

[salymap]

Interesting to hear about the London record shops. When Augener sold their wonderful old building in Gt.Marlborough St, [Upstairs was the Salle Erard where GBS as music critic 'Corno di Basseto' used to go to recitals], we moved to just opposite Foyles and I used to pop over the road in my lunch hour sometimes. It aways seemed a muddle to me in those days, 50s and 60s. I'm sorry tohear aboutthe Oxford Street HMVs too. They seemedto have everything years ago. The nerarest shop to me now is HMV in Bexleyheath, which family tell me has gone down terribly. Sad.

[rubbernecker]

HMV in Bexleyheath

I'm told they have a comprehensive array of iPod headphones, and a new line in those low slung jeans the young are so fond of wearing

[salymap]

Very useful, not.

[amateur51]

All this talk of Soho record shops has me going bit misty in the eye department. Hours spent in the late 1970s rifling through the browsers at Henry Stave

That's when I was there, rubber!

It wasn't you that got barred for drooling over the Sofronitzky import sets, was it?

Nasty business

[Nick Armstrong]

That's when I was there, rubber!

It wasn't you that got barred for drooling over the Sofronitzky import sets, was it?

Nasty business

That would certainly fit the suspect's usual modus operandi, amateur detective!

[amateur51]

That would certainly fit the suspect's usual modus operandi, amateur detective!

Crikey!

I've been rumbled!

http://newsimg.bbc.co.uk/media/images/40262000/jpg/_40262263_routledge1_203bbc.jpg

[rubbernecker]

It wasn't you that got barred for drooling over the Sofronitzky import sets, was it?

It wouldn't be the first time, it's true

[salymap]

Morning all, including Hetty Wainthrop. These boards get more and more mysterious to me. I googled Sofronitzky, but why did you drool over him? Do tell, I could do with a laugh.

Have a nice day.

[amateur51]

Morning all, including Hetty Wainthrop. These boards get more and more mysterious to me. I googled Sofronitzky, but why did you drool over him? Do tell, I could do with a laugh.

Have a nice day.

Hello salymap!

Bit grey and cool here in NW2 but dry I'm pleased to report. My cherry tree is in full bud and will burst into leaf & flower this week I reckon.

Sofronitzsky's recordings were hard to get in the 1970s until Henry Stave started importing big LP sets around 1978. The place went bonkers even though they were not cheap, customers in great queues lining up with their credit cards. However there was also another type of customer, bit like me today I guess, who had the desire but no outlet ( I wish I'd phrased that better!) and they became known unkindly as the droolers.

I guess that's a disappointing reply salymap but, as Sir Terence was wont to say, that's about the height of it.

However, the group who lusted in vain after Caedmon records were called something far worse

[salymap]

Henry Stave wasn't in Dean Street was it am 51? I worked in the Music library at 36 Dean Street and once wandered into a little one- man record shop at the Oxford Street end. The owner[?] asked me to sit down and gave me a quizz to complete. I answered some of the questions, then decided to leave as he seemed rather 'odd'.
It turned out he was looking for staff and thought I would do. I told him I had a job and never went inthe shop again. Dippy or dodgy,I thought.

[amateur51]

Henry Stave wasn't in Dean Street was it am 51? I worked in the Music library at 36 Dean Street and once wandered into a little one- man record shop at the Oxford Street end. The owner[?] asked me to sit down and gave me a quizz to complete. I answered some of the questions, then decided to leave as he seemed rather 'odd'.
It turned out he was looking for staff and thought I would do. I told him I had a job and never went inthe shop again. Dippy or dodgy,I thought.

I did work in the Dean Street shop, next door to Pizza Express, usually on Saturdays salymap, but my base was the larger Great Marlborough Street shop. The manager of the Dean St shop in my time had very neatly cut silver-grey hair and was renowned amongst staff & colleagues alike for his 'attitude'. He rejoiced in the nickname of 'BJ', which stood (I was amazed!) for Baby Jane, after the fillum with Miss Davies and Miss Crawford.

Dippy or dodgy? Probably a bit of both but relatively harmless. I reckon that he had a lucky escape with you - you'd have sorted him out, of that I'm quite confident

[salymap]

Oh thanks, I think. Iwas 19 and that would have been 1949. Were you all odd at Henry Stave ??? [Runs for cover]

[antongould]

Sorry salymap that is one I cannot answer - but to a lad who lived in a small market town with half a record shop and one book shop I find the exchange very interesting. A beautiful morning here which has brought orders from "on high" that the grass must be cut!