British Record shop archive

[theboyfromxtown]

http://www.britishrecordshoparchive.org/

I like this site about record shops in the UK

[Hotspurman]

Strawberry Fields in Rickmansworth - the first record shop I visited! I used to walk home from Rickmansworth Grammar School going by the back route so we could smoke without getting caught by the teachers. Always popped into Strawberry Fields and bought my first records in there - Rainbow by Marmalade and All Right Now by Free.

[R. Mark Desjardins]

John, Thanks for posting the link above about record shops in the UK. Very timely in light of April 21st being Record Store Day. Of course, I went to three in the Vancouver downtown core, and was treated to live hard core rock at one shop and to songs sung by Amanda Maiden [[Daughter of Tony Maiden Lead Singer of Rufus) formally from L.A., who lives here now. Her set was broadcast live on CITR.FM, the local University Radio Station.
To keep a Tamla/Motown tip to my reply to your post here, look what I found below on display. It wasn't for sale, but what a cool find!

[theboyfromxtown]

Ooo..nice. What's the writing say Mark?

[R. Mark Desjardins]

John, I'll go back this week and copy out what I can decipher. I think it was autographed in 1981 during a reunion tour, but not sure. Mark

[R. Mark Desjardins]

Without the distraction of being jostled by record lovers hugging their large hoards of unearthed vinyl treasures buried deep in the bins in the shop I was in last Saturday, I returned today to have a much closer examination of the blue Marvelettes recording pictured above. What a disappointment. The record was alleged to have been signed by "The Marvelettes" while on a Japanese tour, and one autograph is dated 1981. To the best of my ability, I could decipher the names Denise Edwards, Marilyn Thomas and Brenda Williamsom. Certainly not "Marvelettes" I'm familiar with. The store owner said because of it's "rariety" he was asking $150! My pal is DJ and knows a lot about R&B music, but obviously nothing about the Marvelettes. I didn't haven the heart at that moment to tell him that these women were a faux touring band that authentic members of the Marvelettes have been trying to stop legally in court. I guess if there is any good point in all of this, is that at least they didn't sign Gladys Horton's name.
From time to time I see what appears to be authentic autographed records being flogged on eBay and one can follow the latin adage, Caveat Emptor. Let the buyer beware!