The good old Lighting centre, Steve Francis I think was the guy selling records, he used to have blazing arguments with the owner along the lines of "please turn that music down!".... "f**k off"!!! used to buy loads of funk & disco, Benny Troy as new release Carstairs (Pink label.. re-issue?) many others, became good mates for a few years. I used to DJ upstairs in a pub called Clanger in Hounsditch playing funk stuff of the day while a mate played Philly Int. etc etc. He used to come along, early doors (6.30 straight after work when there were only a few mates there) I used to play a bit of motown & northern, he almost had a heart attack when I played Exus Trek, couldn't get over the fact that somebody else in London liked Northern. (of course there was quite a few!) After that any 60s stuff he used to hold for me not that there was anything much. I used to go there most lunch times to hear whatever new stuff he had.
Another good one was the "proper" record shop in Chapel Street market. I used to work just around the corner about 80/81. Used to have loads of boxes of 7" motown & soul, dotted around the shop as well as stacks of 12" & albums. 7" were all 10 or 20p. Only problem was they didn't have a deck to play stuff so had to take a chance on interesting looking labels/names etc etc the usual buy blind kind of stuff. Picked up some wonderful C&W & other assorted rubbish but did find Herby Brown on Blue Ash & Tom
Emmanuel & Ron Experience amongst others. Herby I played & didn't rate it & it sat in the back of a box unplayed & gathering dust for 20 years.
I think the shops a superdrug or something these days
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