Going for a Song: A Chronicle of the UK Record Shop by Garth CartwrightMy rating: 4 of 5 stars
Going For a Song. Phew! I started reading this in April - taken me almost eight months to complete! Large pages and small print are daunting to say the least. So, I've read it a few pages at a time. It is truly an in-depth history of the rise, fall and rebirth of the UK's independent record shops. From early 50s and Dobell's Jazz, Blues & Folk shop, Levy's of Whitechapel and Transat Imports for soul 45s. Virgin and Beggars Banquets build empires out of rock shops. Our Price, Rough Trade, Small Wonder and Good Vibrations are all here. And then they are gone...
Across England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland there remain several hundred record shops and stalls. Among them is my favourite: Resident Music in the North Laine, Brighton. The loss of record shops may appear inconsequential when compared to events currently overwhelming the UK. A good local record shop tends to be proudly provincial. Deprived areas come in all shapes and sizes and when your neighbourhood no longer supports independent retailers, it enters into a decline that may, initially, appear invisible. Independent record shops can attract people to a locale, encourage communication and investigation.
Sadly, there remain far too few....
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