LA's oldest record store is also its lowest rated

[Big Beat Steve]

3 hours ago, Steve Gray said:

The Hitchcock film was "Strangers On A Train"

Yeah, right. And that was almost all the way in the 78 rpm era (1951).

3 hours ago, Steve Gray said:

This BBC film about Hifi in the UK in the 50s is hilarious all the way through and is well worth watching but it also contains a scene in HMV in Oxford Street of a row of booths with different music coming from each booth.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T9o_eZGaaMk

 

Great film. Thanks for the link. Too bad the image is so blurred (14th-generation recopy? ) No way to capture well enough the details (records, etc.) of the scenes at the HMV shop. But the music snippets (right up to Barber, the crooners and Lord Rockingham) are fitting (and hilarious, as you say ...).

[Brad]

On 7/21/2024 at 12:10 PM, Brad said:

I posted the article at Hoffman and one poster linked a thread about this place on Reddit.

 

The thread over at Hoffman turned into an argument and was closed over whether someone pushing a customer out the door was assault and battery. 

Edited July 26, 2024 by Brad

[Dan Gould]

34 minutes ago, Brad said:

The thread over at Hoffman turned into an argument and was closed over whether someone pushing a customer out the door was assault and battery. 

Gorts run amok.

 

To be clear Brad, was there a claim that the LA storeowner had pushed someone out the door or was that brought into the conversation about some other unpleasant record store owner?

[jcam_44]

I've been to this shop once, it was an unpleasant experience. Grilled upon entering about what I was looking for when it wasn't anything in particular. I just left. 

[JSngry]

1 hour ago, jcam_44 said:

 I just left. 

YES!!!

[Brad]

1 hour ago, Dan Gould said:

Gorts run amok.

 

To be clear Brad, was there a claim that the LA storeowner had pushed someone out the door or was that brought into the conversation about some other unpleasant record store owner?

Dan, one poster who is from LA claimed that he pushes people out the door and then the conversation seemed to degenerate. The Gort thought that since I had started the thread I should have been on top of things but I hadn’t looked at in a few days. 

[Big Al]

On 7/21/2024 at 12:05 PM, rostasi said:

Locally, we had one guy who was so revered that they made a film about him and his store - even tho the guy was, at best, for many years, a tax
evader and, at worst, a pedophile.

I heard those stories back in the day. No doubt you (and @Joe and @JSngry ) are familiar with the local store that practically has a shrine built to the guy. It's run by two of his former employees who speak glowingly about him, which makes me curious about what they know about the guy.

I only ever visited that store twice, both times I got the same vibe (as well as overpriced records) as y'all did.

To the credit of the current store, they do a much better job of pricing records (and decent prices for the most part) and an all-around good shopping vibe that I never got at the old place.

[Joe]

11 hours ago, Big Al said:

I heard those stories back in the day. No doubt you (and @Joe and @JSngry ) are familiar with the local store that practically has a shrine built to the guy. It's run by two of his former employees who speak glowingly about him, which makes me curious about what they know about the guy.

I only ever visited that store twice, both times I got the same vibe (as well as overpriced records) as y'all did.

To the credit of the current store, they do a much better job of pricing records (and decent prices for the most part) and an all-around good shopping vibe that I never got at the old place.

Thanks for that report! I should probably see what the new and improved version of that place is all about.

Recycled Books and Records up in Denton is usually worth a visit. The owner is quite knowledgeable about jazz (and has a pretty large personal collection.)