Reddington's Selling Up

[Mal C]

I useded to go to Reddingtons from the early eighties to mid 9ts I guess, never had much but I did pick one or two up there, from the late 8ts I'd do every record shop in town on a Sat, just on the off chance. But I'd be looking for house as well. 

 

Best place for me, for soul was Second City Sounds, which has been mentioned, and the flea market, I always got great 45s from there, one old chap had got a collection, and I bleed him dry over some weeks, couldn't afford to buy it in one go, but being a beginner I put back stuff like Ray Merrell & 21Century cause they sounded crap names. What a fool...Second City sounds would get collections in from Time to time, and I'd occasionally be allowed to go through them, there was some chap called Dave English, who worked at the Gay record shop, loading bay records, he and the owner were mates so he generally had first refusal.

 

the Diskery was always good, but I have to say the life line in the early 9ts was when I started to go to the record fairs, there was one Mick Smith used to go too very near the old site of Reddingtons across from Moor street station, he had stuff for allot of money, remember flicking past the Groovettes, but most things were a tenner, can't believe how much some of those tenner records are worth now...

 

Reddingtons were never into soul, they just didn't have anybody who knew anything about it, certainly not from a Northern point of view.., and folk are right, they could be right miserable sods....

 

Malcolm

Edited August 15, 2014 by Mal C

[Pete S]

Thanks. My first thought was that that shop on Bull Street was one of the early Virgin shops. But then for some mad reason I decided it was Graduate Records.

 

I think the Graduate shop I was thinking of was the one in Wolverhampton. A bit similar looking? That's my excuse anyway. So I am sure you are right that there wasn't a Graduate Records in Brum.

 

Anyway to get back on topic just by chance came across these images re Reddingtons. Shows 2 of their addresses i.e. Moor Street and Cannon Street.

 

https://www.britishrecordshoparchive.org/reddingtonrsquos-rare-records.html

 

Graduate Records in Wolverhampton was at the top of Broad Street next to the big Blunts shoe shop.  It briefly became Sundown Records, then Sundown moved 100 yards away on the corner of Lichfield Street and was there until maybe 1980.

[Guest MBarrett]

Graduate Records in Wolverhampton was at the top of Broad Street next to the big Blunts shoe shop.  It briefly became Sundown Records, then Sundown moved 100 yards away on the corner of Lichfield Street and was there until maybe 1980.

 

Thanks Pete. I think it was a bit similar in style and size to that early Virgin shop in Brum hence my confusion. That's my excuse anyway.

 

The Graduate shop in Wolverhampton was only a stone's throw from where Bob Crocker and Alan Smith had their shop wasn't it? Stafford Street. I remember it being a really basic, functional place. I can't even remember it having a name but I guess it did. Did it carry on after Bob Crocker died?

Edited August 15, 2014 by MBarrett

[Pete S]

Thanks Pete. I think it was a bit similar in style and size to that early Virgin shop in Brum hence my confusion. That's my excuse anyway.

 

The Graduate shop in Wolverhampton was only a stone's throw from where Bob Crocker and Alan Smith had their shop wasn't it? Stafford Street. I remember it being a really basic, functional place. I can't even remember it having a name but I guess it did. Did it carry on after Bob Crocker died?

 

I never went there, didn't even know about it, but there was a shop in Stafford street I used to go in late 70's which moved to opposite the Express & Star building, think it was called Time Machine records.

[El Corol]

I went to the Diskery and several of the other places mentioned, whilst on the rounds with Dave Evison...it was my "one day of training" on joining Charly Records as a rep! I actually did rather well and can still recall that I picked up: Charles Anthony -Film Town, Edward St.Ann - USA, Amanda Humphrey -USA, James Bryant -Renee WD...all for peanuts. Took them back to Guy Hennigans place that evening, as I was staying there for a couple of days...he had just covered up Bunny Shivel "Top Twenty".

Why do I remember such useless information

Weren't you supposed to be selling not buying?

[Guest MBarrett]

I never went there, didn't even know about it,

 

If it closed when Bob Crocker died (1971 I think) you might still have been in short trousers!

 

I just did a search on this forum and came up with some info. posted by Nige Brown in 2011. It was in a thread about the first NS record you bought.

 

He has almost identical memories of that shop as I do . . . . means that at least a few brain cells are still firing properly. And Graduate  Records gets a mention too.

 

BRITISH Human Beinz - Nobody But Me - Capitol UK From AS Records Wolverhapton,,( Bob Crocker & Alan Smith's Record Shop)

 

From around 1970-71 ,,,,,, used to love AS Records in Wolvo on a Sat

 

Coming from Stafford it was just as you come into Wolverhampon Town centre it was on Stafford Street just before you turned into Broad Street!! where im sure later Graduate records was !!!

Alan S shop was a very sparce affair ,,, with just a counter, there was a smaller record player on the counter and a few posters on the wall ,, and in the winter it was always bloody freezing in there,,,

 

[Eddie Hubbard]

I used to go in reddingtons on a saturday about 76, always thought they were clueless and stupidly overpriced, saw a woman ask for abraham martin and john only to be told it was £12 !!!!  used to go in graham warrs in the oasis, anyone remember it?

Yes I used to buy the new releases off Graham in 70's and Northern off Steve Glover upstairs in Soul Galore Records ...