• Welcome to this forum . We are a worldwide group with a common interest in Birmingham and its history. While here, please follow a few simple rules. We ask that you respect other members, thank those who have helped you and please keep your contributions on-topic with the thread.

    We do hope you enjoy your visit. BHF Admin Team

Record shops in Bham

Hello Everyone

I've had a good look through the posts - but I can't be the only one who can remember The Music Box in High Street Erdington? It must have operated in the late '60s and early '70s. It was a small shop in a row that was almost opposite where Tesco's had it's original shop in Erdington - and next door to a Barber's shop. I remember buying ex-Juke Box singles there, and a window display with "Let It Be" by the Beatles when it came out in 1970. W.H. Smith's further up the High Street also used to sell records upstairs - but always at full price. They were good with orders though - very professional. I bought Marvin Gaye's "What's Going On" there. Boots used to sell chart records - and Woolies too (but usually the "Music for Pleasure" (MPL) LPs). I think there was a Graduate Record shop later on in late '70s/early '80s - further up the High Street? - where Sainsbury's used to have their shop? Graduate Records were the company that took a chance on UB40 and released their first LP "Signing Off." Virgin Records in town near to the Law Courts was also treat! The first time I was able to buy an proper album for £0.99 (Frontline Reggae) and later the Faust Tapes.

If anyone has a picture of the Music Box I'd love to see it again!

Best Wishes

Dick
 
Margaret,going back to post #87,this is a picture of Burden's record shop in Wheeler Street.Moss.
 

Attachments

  • s,record shop..jpg
    s,record shop..jpg
    125.7 KB · Views: 32
Last edited:
Havent seen a mention of Poolway Records. Apart from the shop in the Poolway which was pretty good, they used to supply electrical shops and smaller retailers around Brum, i worked for a few shops that were supplied by them in the late 60s. I'm not sure how it worked, might have been on a sale or return basis.
 
Dick Frak said:
Hello Everyone

I've had a good look through the posts - but I can't be the only one who can remember The Music Box in High Street Erdington? It must have operated in the late '60s and early '70s. It was a small shop in a row that was almost opposite where Tesco's had it's original shop in Erdington - and next door to a Barber's shop. I remember buying ex-Juke Box singles there, and a window display with "Let It Be" by the Beatles when it came out in 1970. W.H. Smith's further up the High Street also used to sell records upstairs - but always at full price. They were good with orders though - very professional. I bought Marvin Gaye's "What's Going On" there. Boots used to sell chart records - and Woolies too (but usually the "Music for Pleasure" (MPL) LPs). I think there was a Graduate Record shop later on in late '70s/early '80s - further up the High Street? - where Sainsbury's used to have their shop? Graduate Records were the company that took a chance on UB40 and released their first LP "Signing Off." Virgin Records in town near to the Law Courts was also treat! The first time I was able to buy an proper album for £0.99 (Frontline Reggae) and later the Faust Tapes.

If anyone has a picture of the Music Box I'd love to see it again!

Best Wishes

Dick
Click to expand...

I remember the Music Box, Erdington well. I had a Saturday job at Boots the Chemists almost opposite the Music Box. The Music Box was one of those shops that had the door set back giving it more window display space. Used to display loads of LPs in the window. Often went over there in my lunch break. Viv.
 
#123 Remember going buy The Beatles LP Help from Wheeler St....They were playing Rugby Songs when i entered the shop BUT TURNED IT OFF ...... It was mild compared to what you hear now.
 
I remember the "Music Box" music store in Erdington High Street. My eldest brother and some of his friends used to go in there every Saturday to see the new releases. I used to spend all , well, I say all, any money I had on shoes, dancing and clothes so didn't have any left for buying too many records. I had access to a Perdio transistor radio and listened to Radio Luxembourg so I was fine. BBCRadio 2 has a programme running on Listen Again this week called "Last Orders of the Spinning Disc" all about what is happening with the record shops these days. https://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/console/b00sds2d I really enjoyed listening to this today.
 
I used to buy records from the Music Box in the late 50s.You could go into a booth and listen to them before you bought them.
 
As a teenager in the 60's when I worked at Newtons Factory, we all looked foward to payday when we used to rush round to a small record shop in Nechells Park road to buy the latest single and then go home and repeat play it on the Dansette Record player much to the annoyance of my parents.

Fogotten the name of the record shop now but maybe someone else can remember it.

Happy days
Louisa
 
I think (rather my husband does...)that this was the original Virgin record shop - nothing like the stores that came later, just a room with racks of records, the year probably around 1971, the store was past the old L aw Courts, near the wine bar that came later (neither of us can remember the name....!)
 
Found The Diskery today on Bromsgrove Street (off Bristol Street). Is next to The Wellington Hotel pub (not noticed it before!)

 
Michael always bought his records from The Diskery it was then in Hurst Street. This would be 60's/70's. It moved around the corner to Bromsgrove Street when Hurst Street was re developed.
 
Reddington's was good for the stuff that he didn't really rate and the rest he would charge straight or rarity prices on second hand stuff that wasn't anything special. I could leave the place alone for months and they'd still have the same records on the shelves.
 
chocks2 said:
Can't remember the name of the record store but it was under Lewis's it may even have belonged to the store but every Saturday I'd get the bus into brum, have a knickerbockerglory in the cafe under Lewis's, nip into the record store, buy the latest hits then bus home to annoy my folks by playing them too loud and too often.
Click to expand...

I was remembering that cafe the other day! Was it part of Lewis's?
I used to go to Cyclops in the Piccadilly Arcade for records.

maria
 
Glad to see this old thread has been resurrected, so I thought I'd skim through it from first to last. Lo and behold, post #2 mentioned Hobdays just inside Poplar Road, Kings Heath, where I bought my first records. I've never really been into pop music, always modern jazz or classical, and my first 78 was George Shearing's "I'll remember April". The shop has long since gone, and so has the record - worn out! The pickup seemed to weigh a ton, so it wasn't many months before the deck was replaced by a Collaro and the pickup with a light 'floating' Acos Cosmocord and a home built 10 watt amplifier as I was heavily into electonics in those days.

I too remember the Diskery when it was in Hurst Street, but I also bought several rare jazz records from somewhere by mail order. Happy days!

Maurice
 
Maurice,

Just read your thread re: George Shearing.

Dashed to find my old 78's, and there it was!!! MGM - yellow label. B side is Jumping With Symphony Sid. Also have: Don't
Blame Me/I'll Be Around & Pick Yourself Up/Little White Lies. How I have managed to keep them all these years is a miracle. They have been wrapped up, and in a box in the loft.

George Shearing Quintet shown as: Shearing (pno); C. Wayne (gtr); Helfman (vibes); J.O.Levy (bass) & Denzil Best (drums). As you correctly say....Happy Days!!
Eddie
 
I might have mentioned before on a different thread a coffee shop that also sold folk records which I think was in Albert Street. They sold records on the Topic label, and stuff like that. It would have bee in the early '70s, and possibly wasn't there for very long.

maria
 
Eddie:

That's the one. John Levy later became his manager - the first black manager apparently according to Shearing's autobiography. Chuck Wayne I think stayed a while on guitar and Marjorie Hyams took over on vibes, but the touring eventually became too much for her, and Denzil Best (after whom my youngest son was named) later moved to be with Erroll Garner. I think either "East of the Sun" or, as we to call it, "September down the Drain" was the next one I bought.

Maurice
 
First started buying records from a shop with pocket money in the 60's (can't remember it's name), it was on the corner of Heathfield Road & Leonard Road and the other local shop was on Lozells Road opposite Wheeler Street.

Lozellian.
 
This photograph brings back memories for me! Reddington's Rare Records near the Moor Street underpass. 70s/80s?
11659393_1127403803942019_8595713533162910511_n.jpg
 
brilliant photo BB will certainly bring back memories to music fans including myself...i would date it 1970s..wonder who the lad in the photo are??

lyn
 
I was never a great one for buying records, as I was never in the house long enough to play them, but I do remember the first record I ever purchased, it was in 1958 and it was Peggy Sue by Buddy Holly and I bought it from Barratts on Moseley Road in Balsall Heath.
Sorry I don't have a photo of the shop, but here are a few of some others scattered around Birmingham through the years. We have the Co-op record department, Reddingtons records in Digbeth, the Virgin Store in Bull Street, another Reddintons (not sure of the location) and a specialist record store in Loveday Street

City Co op Record Dept.jpg Reddington-rare-records-Digbeth.jpg City Bull St Virgin Records.jpg City Reddingtons Rare Records.jpg City Loveday Street The Record Centre.jpg
 
Last edited:
nice photos phil...im pretty sure that the shop in loveday st is still there..just down from the bull pub but no longer a records shop

lyn
 
Anybody remember The Music Box on the Coventry Rd in Sheldon. Bought my first LP there in 1966.
Best of the Beach Boys.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top