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Unsung Forum » Newcastle's record shops of the past |
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Fitter Stoke 2577 posts |
Edited Mar 19, 2010, 01:46
Mar 19, 2010, 01:30
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Anyone from my part of the world fortunate enough to have lived as long as myself may harbour memories of Virgin's first Newcastle store: a real hovel on Ridley Place smelling of josticks and ganja, with all the empty LP sleeves curled over the front of the racks and a slightly menacing atmosphere. I got my 58p copy of 'Camembert Electrique' there, Free's 'Heartbreaker' (still a fave) and 'Machine Head'. Much more flash was the bigger store Virgin opened on High Friars in Eldon Square in 1976. God, I loved that shop - especially what I considered an uber-hip little jazz section that was situated in the middle of the shop up half a flight of open stairs. That's where I bought Mal Waldron's krauty 'The Call' album (reviewed by some illiterate bozo somewhere in these very pages) and started my Keith Jarrett obsession. Funny how you always remember where you acquired each one of your records, innit? Callers (pronounced 'calus') was a big furniture store on Northumberland Street on the site of HMV's current premises. It had a belting record department on its top floor which had amazing sales twice a year. I got my prized Sassafras cassette there for pennies, and J J Burnel's mighty 'Euroman Cometh' for a pound, though I still feel robbed at paying the same price for the Buzzcocks' dire second album. Callers also had a smaller shop at The Nook in South Shields, which being close to my school was the place where I spent most money on records in my teens. I got 'Rotters' Club' there, and the post-pubescent hots for a sales assistant called Mandy. Unfortunately, the only physical action I ever saw from her was the graffiti variety - when she sold me a copy of the album of that name. Downstairs from that first Newcastle Virgin shop became Listen Ear (great for punk 45's: Nosebleeds, anyone?) and, later, Volume, where I started buying Cope records ('Treason' on Zoo being my first). The still extant Oldhitz had a fine shop next to the long demolished Farmer's Rest pub, where I secured my precious pink labelled 'In The Wake Of Poseidon'. Across Percy Street, along from the much missed Handyside Arcade (home of the Kard Bar, THE place for posters and badges) was Jeavon's, a real old fashioned shop with listening booths, where my old man used to buy brass band and classical records, all of which still reside chez moi. And on Northumberland Street was Alderson & Brentnall, the shop where the family's joanna was purchased (over about six years) and whose record department was the only one in Newcastle stocking Robert Wyatt's 'Rock Bottom' when the man had his first taste of chart success with 'I'm A Believer'. Unfortunately my copy was warped so I had to take it back. (I ended up buying it from Image in South Shields instead - where I also bought 'Faust IV'.) A few other good north east record shops, which may resonate in some folks' memories, were: Atkinson's, Atheneum Street, Sunderland (a real Aladdin's cave that still had new copies of Faust's 'So Far' and Kevin Ayers' 'Joy Of A Toy' in stock in early 1976); Mr Smith, Fawcett Street, Sunderland: ultra-hip mid 70's clothes shop with an even hipper, very personal selection of records. I discovered The Doors and War here; The New Record Inn, Sunderland (comments as per that first Newcastle Virgin shop apply here too...but it had Iggy's 'Raw Power' when nowhere else in the area did); Discount Records, Jarrow (great source of rock'n'roll and country records. Can't listen to Johnny Cash or Lefty Frizzell without thinking of Scottish Billy and his marvellous shop); Fox's, The Galleries, Washington (more of a keyboards shop, but with an eclectic range of LP's. I bought loads of those Fly TOOFA double sets by Tyrannosaurus Rex, The Move and Procol Harum there); Comet, Sunderland and Jarrow - yes, the electrical dealers - which once upon a time had amazing record departments upstairs. 'Fotheringay', 'Blind Faith', Cat Stevens' 'Mona Bone Jakon' and the first BJH album all found their way into my collection from these shops. Much as I'd love a Tardis to take me back to those days (and buy all those LPs I couldn't afford at the time), I've still got the records I DID get to take me back there: every one a twelve-inch memory machine. Int records brilliant? Thanks for the indulgence, guys!
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Joolio Geordio 1300 posts |
Mar 19, 2010, 01:35
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The Kard Bar - yes!! used to buy my Spiritual Sky Jossticks there and it had a class Hendrix poster high up on the wall in 1987 which I really really wanted but could never persuade myself that it was worth sacrificing a weeks worth of record buying money for - my Giro didn't go so far!!
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Joolio Geordio 1300 posts |
Edited Mar 19, 2010, 02:02
Mar 19, 2010, 01:47
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In the late 70's /early 80's my old man and his mate, on their Saturday afternoon runs to the Toon for records and new Hi Fi separates, used to drag me into Callers (Sic). Was it an electrical store, or a department store? I can't remember but it had a huge record department. Even Shepherds in Gateshead had a decent record department - I remember agonising in there over parting with £8.99 for a copy of the Wall long before I knew what a crap album it really is. I miss the Handyside Arcade and its worn out funkyness and the little prefabs at Haymarket where Old Hitz and Timeslip (the comic shop) nestled next door to each other in perminently busy, damp, mustyness. I remember debating with the guys that ran Timeslip over should I or shouldn't I buy the Incredible String Band's 5000 Spirits or the Layers of the Onion -" Nah", they said "Too twee" The weird thing about those shops was every time you went in you saw the same customers like they were frozen in time after you left until you went back the next week!
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Fitter Stoke 2577 posts |
Mar 19, 2010, 01:51
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I just added a bit about Callers to my post while you were writing that, Mick. Great minds and all that. Callers was primarily a furniture shop, with housewares and executive toys (!) on the first floor and an amazing record department on the second. It closed in the early eighties. I used to spend hours in there.
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Joolio Geordio 1300 posts |
Mar 19, 2010, 01:55
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I thought I must be going mad - It was there when I re-read your post, but I swear it wasn't there the 1st time!! Old age! ;-)
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Joolio Geordio 1300 posts |
Edited Mar 19, 2010, 02:00
Mar 19, 2010, 01:58
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I know the Toon looks a lot better now but in some ways I think its a poorer place for the loss of landmarks like the Handyside Arcade and pubs like The Farmers! Don't you think? My fave watering hole was the City Tavern on Northumberland Road which despite being a heaving rock pub was closed and changed to a uber trendy bar called Steppes ughhh!
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Fitter Stoke 2577 posts |
Mar 19, 2010, 02:14
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Yes, I agree. Percy Street and Newgate Street in particular are shadow of their former selves, with Eldon Square having grown like a big cancer over the former and the godawful Gate complex having ripped the soul - and the much-missed Mayfair, quite the best music venue the city ever had, IMHO - from the latter. I remember the City Tavern well, but for hard rock thrills The Percy on Percy Street was hard to beat. Funnily enough I was back in there last Friday for the first time in about 20 years and it was dreadful: no longer a bikers' pub playing non-stop Rainbow and Motorhead like before, but an awful eighties' bar selling warm ale and playing dire chart hits of the period. I didn't stay longer than one pint. Also on Percy Street was The Hotspur (still a good pub, actually) and The Haymarket, where I enjoyed many a boozy Wednesday afternoon as a student. I also loved The Trent House, and still do - though obviously not on match days... These days, my fave Newcastle pubs are The Bodega on Westgate Road, The Bacchus on High Bridge, and (whisper quietly in view of my alien football bias) The Strawberry. I love the Ouseburn pubs too: The Cluny, The Ship, The Tanners, The Tyne and The Free Trade.
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machineryelf 3678 posts |
Mar 19, 2010, 08:49
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Volume-I had a love/hate relationship with this place, 3 blokes worked in there, big bloke blond hair not there that often, really nice, small smiley bloke with fu manchu pigtail,always smiling and great taste in music, and the other one, a grim supercilious smart arse cunt, typical cartoon record shop guy, if he was there i walked straight out again, I don't think it was just me as I knew a couple of other people who loathed him too.Volume was however probably the best record shop for alternative music in the toon so sometimes you had to suffer the wrath of Mr Surlyman as he looked down his nose at you. Top marks to the other two though who would quite happily spend an afternoon letting you listen to 5 or 6 lps to decide before you purchased one.
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Fitter Stoke 2577 posts |
Edited Mar 19, 2010, 11:14
Mar 19, 2010, 11:13
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I remember precisely who you mean! You've reminded me of another former disc emporium in the city where a bad experience has thankfully erased its name from my limited memory. The shop was on the pedestrianised street linking Northumberland Street with John Dobson Street in the late 80s-early 90s and sold CDs only. The owner was a profoundly grumpy middle-aged gadgie who had some weird ways. One was cataloguing the discs by the initials of the artists' christian names, a barmy arrangement which guaranteed him a daily opportunity to snap the head off any poor sod who dared to ask where a particular CD was located. Another was a multibuy arrangement from which he would not be moved, even if - as happened to me - one of the CDs in the deal had a "Do not pay more than..." price printed on the booklet that was less than each individual disc would have cost as part of this supposed bargain deal. Upon mentioning this, Mr Crotchetty sharply pointed out that the deal was as the hand-written notice specified with no exceptions, even though in this instance there was no advantage to the customer at all. I responded by silently turning around and walking out of the shop, leaving the owner with the three piles of four CDs each that I'd had my credit card flexed and ready to buy. The shop closed down shortly afterwards (long before the download revolution, by the way). I wasn't in the least bit surprised.
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riverman 845 posts |
Mar 19, 2010, 15:01
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Volume was my favourite (mid-late 80s), too young to remember the 70s ones! Then I probably switched to the original RPM (early 90s). Or had volume actually demised by then? I always pop in to RPM when I'm back (in its increasingly smaller and smaller premises!) but rarely end up buying anything unfortunately.
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