The Word In Your Ear podcast from David Hepworth & Mark Ellen recently featured a brief reminiscence from Hepworth about the Wakefield Record Bar. According to Wikipedia, Hepworth was born in Dewsbury but attended Queen Elizabeth Grammar School in Wakefield. It's near the start of Podcast 448.
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It's interesting to hear David Hepworth's reminiscence about the Wakefield Record Bar and how it must have been a significant part of his life growing up. The power of music is truly amazing, and it's incredible how it can evoke such strong memories and emotions. On a somewhat related note, I recently discovered a restaurant and bar that's become a new favorite of mine.
Further to my saying that the Hull equivalent was Sydney Scarborough, I've remembered that there were several more independent stores in Hull. There were 2 Stardisc shops, Regis Records and Gough & Davy. There was also a small outlet inside Paragon Station. Was that Sheridans or Shakespeares? I don't suppose anyone knows, do they?
The equivalent in Hull was Sydney Scarborough (Under the City Hall). Such fond memories of the place. I cannot remember exactly when it closed, but I would guess late 90s? Truly missed!
I meant promo.not demo,sorry about that.
Talk about a step back in time!In the mid 70's,I was Asst manager,at the Record Bar in Matteson,Il,US.,not only did we stock and sell all the latest pop,etc,but because of our size,we could order and bring in to our store,a lot of music for people with bookshelves.We not only moved the Framptons,Miller,Boston,etc,but some of us in the store really pushed hard to play music that was off the beaten path,and different.At any rate.....one morning,the Capital rep( I know,I know,Be Bop was on Harvest,but at that time,Harvest was a subsidiary of Capitol and made by Capital Records) came in and said,hey,I've got something a little bit different for you,I know you are a guitarist and in bands,and this band may just catch your ear.He then handed over one of the very first demos of a band called Be Bop Deluxe,and an LP called Modern Music.I put it on the store stereo,and went back to work,but,for some reason,I noticed,I kept stopping and coming back to the front of the store,and checking out the LP cover,and thinking,"who are these guys?"This is pretty sophisticated stuff! Very perceptive lyrics,very fine songs,and and some frighteningly excellent guitar playing. In my humble opinion,these guys were light years ahead of a lot of others out there.For the next few weeks,I drove everybody crazy,because at every chance,I would put Modern Music on and was able to make the two others store workers,who were as deep into music as I was converts and fans.We had a big import section,and of course,ordered(doing some of the ordering for the store,guilty as charged) every import of BBD,we could find.The song that received a lot of reaction,when we played it in the store was "No Trains to Heaven"(Not off MM), As a matter of fact,two of the hardened store workers and heavy duty listeners became serious converts,after hearing that cut the first time. Me? MM,side two,yes,the whole side,please.
PS: The Capital rep came in and gave me two tickets to go see Robin Trower,and said you will really like whos on the bill with him........and I did!
Thanks for the link @Perfect Monster which I now realise I would have found if I hadn't used the Dreamsville site search instead of the Forum search box. D'oh!
http://www.britishrecordshoparchive.org/record-bar-wakefield.html
@davidathorp I’ll assume nothing but those appear to be Bill’s illustrations. ☺️
Both versions of the Record Bar were great...though the original one down Westgate, next to the Playhouse was tiny and with few records on display. It must have had an amazing stockroom as Ken seldom let me down when I asked for something. There was a time in the summer of 1972 when that was open alongside the brand new, bigger Record Bar in Upper Kirkgate. Plenty of display space there, the most amazing collection of obscure singles behind the counter (which being a teenager at the time I bought a lot of) and in Ken Heffer a guy who really knew his stock and who could source albums quickly. I guess Betty Bromby, Ken's business partner, was behind the scenes as she seldom worked the counter to my recollection.
I first saw the name Be Bop Deluxe on a poster in their window in the Summer of '73 advertising the Teenage Archangel/Jets at Dawn single...the photograph of the band standing round the old limo. God I spent some money in that place over the years. In the late '70s on Thursday I'd be in there every Thursday (payday) afternoon after work buying a couple of that week's releases. I seem to remember a poster for the Record Bar that was very much in the style of the cover of Northern Dream from the early/mid 70s. I'll see if I can dig it up.
Record shops in those days weren't like the music supermarkets they became once Virgin and Our Price got their act together and set about commoditising music - even the original Virgin Records store in Queen Victoria Street in Leeds had a hippy vibe about the place, far different from what it became later in the decade. I don't think there's been a single record shop that gave/still gives me as much pleasure as the Record Bar
Yup. https://www.billnelson.com/forum/william-s-world/david-hepworth-music-journalist-and-wakefield