King Bee In The Guardian

[Reg]

Great to see KingBee get a mention in the Weekend guardian on Sat. May cheer Les up after that result :-)

Here's Jon Savage's article follwed by the link to the whole thing:

　

Jon Savage Author of England's Dreaming

I have several favourite record shops: Piccadilly in Manchester, Cob in Bangor, and the cluster around Portobello Road, west London - Rough Trade, Intoxica, and the soon-to-disappear Minus Zero/Stand Out. Whether selling new or secondhand records, all are mandatory visits, with large selections and knowledgeable staff.

But for Record Store Day I'd like to celebrate Kingbee Records in Chorlton, Manchester. Presided over by the long-suffering yet perennially enthusiastic Les Hart, the Kingbee offers a veritable treasure trove of CDs and vinyl, racked thematically but with enough overspill that there's always the chance of a major discovery. The prices are reasonable - £1 or £2 for mainstream 60s hit singles - and the stock changes constantly. I've discovered long-sought gems there such as Chris Clark's Love Gone Bad and the Tornados' Do You Come Here Often? I'd been hunting the latter for 20 years.

Once you enter Kingbee, you won't want to leave. The ideal record shop should be a world unto itself. It should also contain CDs, records and magazines that you can't find in the mainstream, that you wouldn't necessarily have thought about before you went in. It should offer - that misused but still important word - an alternative.

There had been a vital secondhand sector in the 70s, but independent shops as we now know them received a massive boost from the banning of the Sex Pistols' God Save The Queen in June 1977: they were the only places where you could buy it. Many started labels, and a whole generation was schooled in the idea that there was another way of doing things.

It just depends on what you want from music. The best record shops - like all those mentioned above - offer an education and an arena. They bring people together rather than leave them atomised on the computer: you can meet like-minded souls, start a conversation, hear something that you've never heard before. They are the lifeblood of popular culture.

　

　

https://www.guardian.co.uk/music/2010/apr/16/independent-music-stores-musicians-favourites

[Jez Jones]

Great to see KingBee get a mention in the Weekend guardian on Sat. May cheer Les up after that result :-)

Here's Jon Savage's article follwed by the link to the whole thing:

　

Jon Savage Author of England's Dreaming

I have several favourite record shops: Piccadilly in Manchester, Cob in Bangor, and the cluster around Portobello Road, west London - Rough Trade, Intoxica, and the soon-to-disappear Minus Zero/Stand Out. Whether selling new or secondhand records, all are mandatory visits, with large selections and knowledgeable staff.

But for Record Store Day I'd like to celebrate Kingbee Records in Chorlton, Manchester. Presided over by the long-suffering yet perennially enthusiastic Les Hart, the Kingbee offers a veritable treasure trove of CDs and vinyl, racked thematically but with enough overspill that there's always the chance of a major discovery. The prices are reasonable - £1 or £2 for mainstream 60s hit singles - and the stock changes constantly. I've discovered long-sought gems there such as Chris Clark's Love Gone Bad and the Tornados' Do You Come Here Often? I'd been hunting the latter for 20 years.

Once you enter Kingbee, you won't want to leave. The ideal record shop should be a world unto itself. It should also contain CDs, records and magazines that you can't find in the mainstream, that you wouldn't necessarily have thought about before you went in. It should offer - that misused but still important word - an alternative.

There had been a vital secondhand sector in the 70s, but independent shops as we now know them received a massive boost from the banning of the Sex Pistols' God Save The Queen in June 1977: they were the only places where you could buy it. Many started labels, and a whole generation was schooled in the idea that there was another way of doing things.

It just depends on what you want from music. The best record shops - like all those mentioned above - offer an education and an arena. They bring people together rather than leave them atomised on the computer: you can meet like-minded souls, start a conversation, hear something that you've never heard before. They are the lifeblood of popular culture.

　

　

https://www.guardian....ians-favourites

Great stuff --I do enjoy a good rummage at Les's . Last time I went in I was in the queue for the deck behind a trance DJ with his 12 inch and a hippy type grasping what looked like a 'Floyd' album

SWONS or what

[Souledtrafford]

Great stuff --I do enjoy a good rummage at Les's . Last time I went in I was in the queue for the deck behind a trance DJ with his 12 inch and a hippy type grasping what looked like a 'Floyd' album

SWONS or what

Yes, a top shop King Bee and a great guy behind the counter.

Always try to pop in whenever I'm down from Scotland as you never know what you will find.

[grant]

havent been for years but now ive started buying again i may well just pop over there - fantastic shop!

[Guest JIM BARRY]

havent been for years but now ive started buying again i may well just pop over there - fantastic shop!

thats right grant, les is a big blue as well

[grant]

thats right grant, les is a big blue as well

really didnt know that jim, defo pay him a visit again then

[Guest Phoenix8049]

Thanks for that Sharon.

King Bee is a great shop.

And you wont meet many nicer guys than Les.

He is a great bloke and very fair on trades too.

Stu.

[Britmusicsoulfan]

Kingbee is one of the best record stores in the UK. Les is a top chap! His store is the first place I go to after grabbing a nap after the flight arrives from the States!

I always find good bits here and usually find a healthy pile of items and run out of time!

The tram extension for Chorlton will be complete sometime next year, so the tram will drop off just up the street.

Cheers.

[Micksmix]

thats right grant, les is a big blue as well

nice article,still go to the shop most weekends,not too sure if les is happy with the name change(les hart)

[Souledtrafford]

thats right grant, les is a big blue as well

Bloody hell, didn't know that.

Must give him some stick next time I pop in.

Still a top lad though.