Paul For Music

[Guest Lobster Madras]

Back in the late 1970's on a record hunting mission in the east end of London I happened across this shop at 24 Cambridge heath road...

Inside on the walls were great lists of oldies of all types in a shop rammed to the rafters with records of all sorts, all new and very much a DJ's shop. After a quick browse round I noticed a chap by the back of shop/office space standing by a big box of import 45s. I noticed a few Detroit labels; Golden World and Revillot in there.. The chap seemed a bit protective and didn't seem to like me looking. Asking the owner if there were any more soul 45s like those for sale I was told ; " Sorry its a trade sale son.. "

Years later working at a shop round the corner (84/5) Low price records (later Gumbi records) my boss and good friend summoned me to come and look at a basement full of 60s 45s round the corner at .. Paul for Music..

The basement had been flooded and was very damp indeed.. my Asthma played up after an hour but not before I'd pulled numerous Atlantic, Chess and Motown US issues and a copy of a top want .. Roscoe and Friends " Broadway Sissy" There were 10's of thousands of 45s and Lps in there and I vowed to return now we had a deal with the owner.

Years later as the stakes were raised with 45 prices and my recent market stall opening near Brick Lane; I returned to go through the 45s as the owner had sadly passed on and his son David had taken over running and had fixed the leaking drains and roof and was keen to clear some of the 45s. It took me a week to go through the lot; lots were badly water damaged and stuck together; i found a recently dead rat and the ground floor had had sewage on it at some stage but still pulled out approximately 2000 45s over the next few months .. Unopened Chess/checker 25 count boxes of great but not expensive titles by Little Milton, Dells( Make sure ), Jo ann Garrett, Mitty Collier.. I found lots of good UK release 70s things, some very rare funk 45s ( Pearly Queen) 15 copies or more of Betty Lavette" Condition" Karen.. All sorts of great multiples like Bobby Taylor on VIP , William Hunt on Streamside.. lots of SS7 stuff , UK Reggae issues, French soundtrack rarities..etc etc.. Nothing mega rare on the Northern front but UK copies of Esther Phillips "Just say goodbye" on UK Atlantic etc etc etc.

Now this was 2001/2 and for £1.25 each I spent a fair bit but it kept me going in stock for quite a while and on the second look through months later I was still finding stuff.

Now I know this stuff came from a Leighton Buzzard warehouse, David told me, and said imports in and out of boxes were piled high on the floor and he just picked out all the good labels hence Chess/Checker.. SS7 .. Motown etc.. there must be a link with FL Moores place here ?

I'm sure my Smith namesake Mick had been through the place countless times along with every other London source ! Does anyone else have tales of finds there as I was only sifting dregs; the stock was so vast I'm sure loads of great finds came from there.. My friend Mark Taylor went through it too and continued to turn great stuff up; anyone else ?

Edited February 15, 2010 by Lobster Madras

[Anoraks Corner]

I went through the Paul For Music stock back in the late 80's...I recall Paul and David...I was their Charly Records rep at the time. I also recall the unopened Chess labelled boxes, including Dells - Make sure...if you grabbed a x25 count box out of a x200 main box then it was me who split it open! Like you I didn't get much out of it...I did however get a nice bunch of UK label 45's from a shop just off the Old Kent Road (not far from the Charly offices)...all mint and unplayed...including Roy Hamilton - Panic, Shane Martin and mutiple copies of various other bits and bobs. This would've been back in the mid 80's. Happy days when i was a knight of the road travelling up and down the land having to go to record shops as a job!

[Guest Lobster Madras]

I went through the Paul For Music stock back in the late 80's...I recall Paul and David...I was their Charly Records rep at the time. I also recall the unopened Chess labelled boxes, including Dells - Make sure...if you grabbed a x25 count box out of a x200 main box then it was me who split it open! Like you I didn't get much out of it...I did however get a nice bunch of UK label 45's from a shop just off the Old Kent Road (not far from the Charly offices)...all mint and unplayed...including Roy Hamilton - Panic, Shane Martin and mutiple copies of various other bits and bobs. This would've been back in the mid 80's. Happy days when i was a knight of the road travelling up and down the land having to go to record shops as a job!

Yes, Dave.. Happy days indeed.. Selling 45s off Spitalfields market with beer in hand after being up half the night at Happiness Stan's the night before is an equally fond memory.

All the best mate

Edited February 15, 2010 by Lobster Madras

[Anoraks Corner]

Selling 45s off Spitalfields market with beer in hand after being up half the night at Happiness Stan's the night before is an equally fond memory.

How very civilised!

I also recall getting a Soul joe Clements in ipswich and a Tony Colton UK demo in Norwich

[Guest TONY ROUNCE]

I worked in the Cambridge Heath Road shop from about February-September 1972...

...I wouldn't even know where to begin to tell you the kind of things that were in that basement then!

Sufice to say I got some unbelievable records out of there, and had I known then what I know now I would have left all of them behind and instead bought even more unbelievable things that were there than none of us had any knowledge of at the time .

Paul also used to have two other shops that have been discussed on here before, one opposite Finsbury Park station that was run by an elderly (and highly curmudgeonly) relative of his called Sally Rubin, and another at the top end of Chancery Lane that later became Barry Paul Records. (Funnily enough, I worked there in the 80s too...).

Paul used to sell some fantastic albums for 50 pence on his market stall outside Whitechapel Station. Stupidly rare doo-wop albums on King (e g '5' Royales, Five keys etc) were three for a quid if you spent more than a fiver, I think it was.

Oh for a time machine and a lottery win!

Edited February 15, 2010 by TONY ROUNCE

[Chris L]

Back in the late 1970's on a record hunting mission in the east end of London I happened across this shop at 24 Cambridge heath road...

There were little furry rodents in that basement at Record Corner............. scared the bejeepers out of me !!

[Guest Lobster Madras]

I worked in the Cambridge Heath Road shop from about February-September 1972...

...I wouldn't even know where to begin to tell you the kind of things that were in that basement then!

Sufice to say I got some unbelievable records out of there, and had I known then what I know now I would have left all of them behind and instead bought even more unbelievable things that were there than none of us had any knowledge of at the time .

Paul also used to have two other shops that have been discussed on here before, one opposite Finsbury Park station that was run by an elderly (and highly curmudgeonly) relative of his called Sally Rubin, and another at the top end of Chancery Lane that later became Barry Paul Records. (Funnily enough, I worked there in the 80s too...).

Paul used to sell some fantastic albums for 50 pence on his market stall outside Whitechapel Station. Stupidly rare doo-wop albums on King (e g '5' Royales, Five keys etc) were three for a quid if you spent more than a fiver, I think it was.

Oh for a time machine and a lottery win!

I'm not surprised you are the one to fill in the gaps in the history, Tony !.. Low price also had some killer deals as late as the 80s.. Remember the East Ham shop having stacks of great cut out LPs and 45s.

[Anoraks Corner]

another at the top end of Chancery Lane that later became Barry Paul Records. (Funnily enough, I worked there in the 80s too...).

Barry Paul Records, bless 'em

That takes me back to my early Charly days...I can still recall visiting there for the first time and dealing with Barry and Conrad...it was everything I wished to hope for from dealing with a Laaaandan based store....'what's the deal', 'is that the best price', 'can't you leave some more free stock'...it was great...loved it...is it still there?

Record Corner...another regular 'coffee stop' as a rep...never saw any rodents in the cellar, apart from whenI was down there and maybe glanced at myself in a mirror

[Mike Goddard]

I just wanted to say that I was manager of Pauls from 1969 to 1977 and before that worked in the Leather Lane shop. The staff during that time were myself, Carla and Carole. There was no Tony so that memory is obviously wrong- perhaps post77? Anyway people here are mentioning the cellar but the cellar at Leather Lane was even more full of gold!!! We’d have 40 ft containers arrive full of US cutouts which is where the King stuff and more came from!