and everyone trying to make a living from them in these straitened fiscal times but there hasn't half been a lot of hooey spouted about them in the last few days.

I've been buying records for at least 25 years and never found them to be havens of musical knowledge, expertise and cool. We seem to expect such low levels of service that if you get a smile and thank you we are pathetically grateful. When I was younger the main reason to spend so much time there was just be near music the sneery misanthrop behind the counter was to be avoided at all costs.

One lunch hour recently I had money burning a hole in my pocket and tried to spend it in the dwindling huddle of shops in Berwick st. I came away empty handed as they did nothing to tempt me to spend. Their range seemed meagre, uninspired, over priced and displayed in lacklustre way. I've forgotten how many times on asking about a record I've handed my email address only to receive no reply and gone off and bought the disc online.
So like I say good luck to record shops but unless Damon records them a tune every week they are not going to be round much longer sadly.

http://www.wordmagazine.co.uk/content/a-massive-call-arms

It was very busy.

Not least because of the 11 (count 'em) police wagons outside. Probably more to do with the Reds v Blues clash rather than the DJ, cake stall and big queue for the goodies. I'll take a chance on that Pavement compilation another day.

Instead actual money was spent in the independent classical shop (Forsyth's), who deserve my patronage too, and a few bob in Vinyl Exchange too. And Fopp, sadly not that independent any more.

Jumping too.

Its unusually busy interior reminded me of "Saturday" in High Fidelity. Also, they had bands playing, DJ sets, face paiting for kids (and probably "grown-ups" too if you'd asked nicely), home baking on the counter to nibble at while you were in the queue (a queue!).

Only record shop I could see was HMV. I didn't go in...