Music stores in London--recommendations?

Subject: Music stores in London--recommendations?
From: boldreynard
Date: 28 Jun 04 - 09:46 AM

I'll be in London for a few days next week and wondered whether anyone could recommend good record stores or bookstores where one can get English/British folk related material. Addresses as well as names would be most appreciated.

Thanks in advance,

Adam

Subject: RE: Music stores in London--recommendations?
From: McGrath of Harlow
Date: 28 Jun 04 - 09:49 AM

Hobgoblin, near Tottenham Court Road tube station on Oxford Street.

Subject: RE: Music stores in London--recommendations?
From: greg stephens
Date: 28 Jun 04 - 09:56 AM

Cecil Sharp House, 2 Regent's Park Road, tel: [phone] (headquarters of the English Folk Dance and Song Society) has all sorts of stuff for sale, a fantastic library, a folk club and other events, various events, a million leaflets lying around telling you about folky happenings, plus a cafe and bar. Oh, and I'm playing there on friday night, with the Boat Band.

Subject: RE: Music stores in London--recommendations?
From: GUEST,Peter from Essex
Date: 28 Jun 04 - 10:15 AM

There is no longer a shop at CSH but purchases can be made from the library. Check the efdss website for details of products.

Last time I looked the MVC chain of record and video stores had a decent range of the better known artists like Martin Carthy and some good samplers.

Subject: RE: Music stores in London--recommendations?
From: boldreynard
Date: 28 Jun 04 - 10:59 AM

Many thanks. I've been to Hobgoblin and Cecil Sharp House and will go again this trip--can't make the Friday concert, unfortunately. I'll keep an eye out for MVC as well.

Anyone else have suggestions?

Subject: RE: Music stores in London--recommendations?
From: Micca
Date: 28 Jun 04 - 11:05 AM

Virgin Megastore at Tottenham Court Road/Oxford St has a World music/Folk/ section on the 3rd(I think) floor, worth a visit

Subject: RE: Music stores in London--recommendations?
From: Liz the Squeak
Date: 28 Jun 04 - 06:15 PM

If you're into alternative music, there's a Mozart concert at St Martin in the Fields, Sat 10th July, 7.30pm..... well, worth a try!

LTS

Subject: RE: Music stores in London--recommendations?
From: McGrath of Harlow
Date: 28 Jun 04 - 06:25 PM

If you want to get out from the centre, there's

Subject: RE: Music stores in London--recommendations?
From: McGrath of Harlow
Date: 29 Jun 04 - 07:10 AM

Something went wrong there...

If you want to get out from the centre, there's Mandy's Irish Shop in Willesden.

Subject: RE: Music stores in London--recommendations?
From: Flash Company
Date: 29 Jun 04 - 10:33 AM

Liz- Love your definition of alternative music! Sir Neville Marriner is 80 and still conducting. Definitely keeps you young!
I've not been to London for a good few years, although I intend to get down there soon. There used to be 'Roy's Record Shop'on Shaftesbury Avenue, good for Jazz & Blues, don't know if it's still there.

FC

Subject: RE: Music stores in London--recommendations?
From: GUEST
Date: 29 Jun 04 - 02:40 PM

Both Musical Traditions and Old Rose and Crown folk clubs run good sales stalls.

Subject: RE: Music stores in London--recommendations?
From: GUEST,MCP
Date: 29 Jun 04 - 03:06 PM

FlashCompany

Roy's is above/on 1st floor of Foyles these days I think.

Mick

Subject: RE: Music stores in London--recommendations?
From: Dave Bryant
Date: 30 Jun 04 - 04:41 AM

Why not try the big HMV store in Oxford Street ?

Subject: RE: Music stores in London--recommendations?
From: The Borchester Echo
Date: 30 Jun 04 - 04:51 AM

Roy's Record Shop'on Shaftesbury Avenue, good for Jazz & Blues

That would be Ray's Jazz, as I talked about in the other thread. It moved to an area in Foyles with a cafe. Though its stock is not extensive, I've seen stuff normally unobtainable other than online.

Honest Jon's in Portobello Road and the Exchange shop on Notting Hill Gate ("anglo-celtic"...yeuk...section) have rarities if you're lucky.

Subject: RE: Music stores in London--recommendations?
From: GUEST,Elfcall
Date: 30 Jun 04 - 09:35 AM

Berwick street between Oxford Street and Shaftesbury Avenue has several second hand shops (although not particularly 'cheap'). It also has a shop called Mr CD (from my vague recall) which has a folk section in its bargain basement - where you can occasionally get a real bargain. They recently had a new copy of Steeleye Span's new album Call her Babylon for £7.00. I have bought Wilson Family and Carnival Band for £3 each plus many others (They also have chart albums at £10). You do need to browse.

As mentioned earlier Virgin and HMV both on Oxford Street are not bad neither is Tower Records on Piccadilly. In fact you can walk from Virgin via HMV then through Berwick Street to Piccadilly!

Elfcall

Subject: RE: Music stores in London--recommendations?
From: Flash Company
Date: 30 Jun 04 - 09:50 AM

Mick & Countess r, thanks for that , I will be down in London in August, helpful to know where old haunts have gone!

FC

Subject: RE: Music stores in London--recommendations?
From: Herga Kitty
Date: 30 Jun 04 - 10:56 AM

FC

But Colletts is no more......

Kitty

Subject: RE: Music stores in London--recommendations?
From: The Borchester Echo
Date: 30 Jun 04 - 11:21 AM

Alas, no. There's never been anything to replace Colletts. Far more than a shop, it was a meeting place and source of information on who, what and where. Mobile phones and forums are a poor substitute.

Subject: RE: Music stores in London--recommendations?
From: Kevin Sheils
Date: 30 Jun 04 - 12:28 PM

Kitty

My memory is not what it was, I think, but was it in Colletts that we first met, chatting to Hans, or did we already know each other then?

Or was it someone else?

Ah! the sixties.

Subject: RE: Music stores in London--recommendations?
From: The Borchester Echo
Date: 30 Jun 04 - 03:17 PM

Bill Leader, Gill Cook, Piers...er..something, but Hans? Many people will have met Kevin at the shop at C# House (and possibly me too). Another long gone and much missed hang out.

Subject: RE: Music stores in London--recommendations?
From: Herga Kitty
Date: 30 Jun 04 - 04:45 PM

FC - pardon the nostalgia, but

Countess - Hans Fried (son of the poet Erich) ran Collett's Folk and Blues shop in the late 60s.

Kevin - I was definitely still in my teens and still at school when we met, at C# House at a London Folk Festival in September (1968 I think, but might have been 1969?), when you were singing with Clive, and running the shop - and I was picked to sing in the concert, and you escorted me to the basement to inspect the spare rapper sword sets and other merchantable items in stock.....

But I found my way to Colletts in 1969, and thanks to Hans' recommendations I think I might still have vinyl records of Moondog, The Band, and early pressings of the Iron Muse and Frost and Fire....

Hans told me that he'd given the YT a tune for the Lyke Wake dirge.

Colletts was an absolutely wonderful place to hang out and meet people (like Bert Jansch)

Hans was at the National at Sutton Bonington a few years ago...

Hey ho, nostalgia ain't what it used to be....

Kitty

Subject: RE: Music stores in London--recommendations?
From: The Borchester Echo
Date: 30 Jun 04 - 05:42 PM

Ah, Hans Fried. I knew him in the mid 70s when Barry Dransfield was staying in his house which, I think, inspired the sleeve of The Fiddler's Dream. In fact, I think the designer (Paul?) lived there too. Hans had two daughters who featured in the design. I didn't know him when he worked in Colletts, or at least didn't know who he was. Funny how things (and people) come around and around. A now very well-known performer recently (suddenly and weirdly) remembered me from the 1969 Keele Festival.

Subject: RE: Music stores in London--recommendations?
From: Kevin Sheils
Date: 01 Jul 04 - 04:13 AM

Thanks Kitty, I could recall you and I being in Colletts chatting with Hans when he played the just released Liege & Lief LP but couldn't recall if that was our first meeting and the Rapper Swords came later, but clearly 'twas t'other way round.

And, yes, the YT credit Hans with giving them the tune of LWD on the sleeve notes of the album, he got it from an old Scots Lady.

It woud have been Sept 69 as I worked at CSH from late Summer that year to spring 70. I think the date also lines up with the Liege and Lief release hence my confused memory.