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Record Store Day

Does Cambridge actually have any proper record shops left? Given the age demographic of the city it seems odd that it couldn't support one if it was properly run.

For WANers of a certain age - I'm running to Andy's erm...........not!!

Published by Dr Rhythm at 12:29am on Sat 21st April 2012. Viewed 11,789 times.

Rhythm Online is Cambridge based and run by former Queen of WAN Jude1's husband

http://www.rhythmonline.co.uk/

Published by ed____ at 9:18am on Sat 21st April 2012.

Andy came to our gig in Bury St Edmunds last Saturday... he looked fit and BGO is still going strong!

Published by happyted at 11:08am on Sat 21st April 2012.

"looked fit" lol

Published by ed____ at 11:12am on Sat 21st April 2012.

I know about Rhythm Online of course, was thinking of your actual physical shop though - something like Banquet in Kingston would surely work in Cambridge.

I spoke to Andy not that long ago - wish the BGO shop still existed!!

Published by Dr Rhythm at 12:10pm on Sat 21st April 2012.

fit as in slim and toned and still playing sports at 60+... jeeezeee... book him Mal...

Published by happyted at 1:24pm on Sat 21st April 2012.

How was Andy, Dr R? I haven't seen him in years.

Published by John Techno at 6:42pm on Sat 21st April 2012.

Well enough to bring happyted to his knees with raw animal lust, apparently

Published by ed____ at 9:46am on Sun 22nd April 2012.

He was good JT, had to speak to him for business reasons and I think it must have been at least 10 years since we had had a chat.

Published by Dr Rhythm at 7:47pm on Sun 22nd April 2012.

Dr Rhythm, r u a regular listener of Radio Cambridgeshire?

Published by jude_28 at 8:27pm on Sun 22nd April 2012.

Somehow I doubt it.

Published by Boudicea Bambaataa at 9:02pm on Sun 22nd April 2012.

BB is correct - I haven't listened to Radio Cambridgeshire for many years!!

Published by Dr Rhythm at 10:19pm on Sun 22nd April 2012.

BB is correct - I haven't listened to Radio Cambridgeshire for many years!!

Published by Dr Rhythm at 10:19pm on Sun 22nd April 2012.

I know about Rhythm Online of course, was thinking of your actual physical shop though - something like Banquet in Kingston would surely work in Cambridge.

I spoke to Andy not that long ago - wish the BGO shop still existed!!

for those who may not of heard, Jacko who ran the BGO shop for many years sadly passed away a couple of weeks back.

Published by goatwolf at 10:18am on Mon 23rd April 2012.

What was his full name? Derek was manager for ages and when I worked there it was a bloke called Paul and then a blond haired guy whose name I can't remember - he was a big metal fan. Then it was Sam until the end of the shop when it moved to the Grafton Centre "megastore".

Published by Dr Rhythm at 1:09pm on Mon 23rd April 2012.

Oh shit, hadn't heard the Jacko news. He was a great bloke - taught me all I know about record collecting during the six-month period I ran BGO during his (often quite lengthy) lunchbreaks.

Published by John Techno at 3:40pm on Mon 23rd April 2012.

Ah, so this is upsatirs at The Grafton Centre, yes? What happened to Sam?

Published by Dr Rhythm at 4:12pm on Mon 23rd April 2012.

I know where Barry is!

Published by Dr Rhythm at 4:12pm on Mon 23rd April 2012.

Sam may have been before my time - I only worked for Andy in the last six months before the shops closed.

Published by John Techno at 4:22pm on Mon 23rd April 2012.

Hang on, hang on - was Sam the softly-spoken thin chap, about Jacko's age? (I'm sure he wasn't, but can't recall the name of the person I'm thinking about.) If so, he was made redundant towards the end when the company was running short of money.

Published by John Techno at 4:26pm on Mon 23rd April 2012.

Sounds like him - he'd been working for the company for years. I don't know who Jacko was though, that was long after me

Published by Dr Rhythm at 6:51pm on Mon 23rd April 2012.

Jacko basically became Mr. BGO - had a better knowledge of collectible soul music than the Record Collector Price Guide. Andy told me he hadn't got a clue why he chose me to run the shop in his absence because I'd once told him that as far as I was concerned soul (along with Irish country and western) is one of the few musical genres that has contributed absolutely nothing of any worth to humanity's artistic output so far.

Published by John Techno at 7:43pm on Mon 23rd April 2012.

I heard about Jacko from Andy and Bob (another ex employee), very sad he was a nice guy and all the staff liked him. Chatted to Barry a few months back at the Alma. Still at the BBC. I worked for Andy from around winter 1970 (I was at The Grammar School) when he was first on the market and had a stall at Bury St Edmonds and Felixstowe Pier. When he decided to open shops (Alan Freeman open the Mill Rd one...) the BGO came up on Regent Street and I started there from the beginning with Martin and we ran , then some lad from Royston joined (the blond hair metal fan whose name escapes me), I left in late 1978 then Martin went and Derrick came in before going to Backs... all a blur. I see Billy (Andy's brother) now and then. Dave (another former 'director') is in Bury St Edmonds now. I'm seeing Andy and Mike next week on business, I'll remind them there are still some ex BGO employees out there...

Published by happyted at 1:12am on Tue 24th April 2012.
This reply has been edited, last edit at 1:39am on Tue 24th April 2012.

I've just remembered - the blond haired metal fan was called Dick - no idea what happened to him or Tony who was manager of the Grafton shop when it first opened. I recall that Paul who was at Mill Road and then came to BGO as manager went off to Garon Records (remember that one, jazz specialist in Kings Street?) but no idea after that.

Published by Dr Rhythm at 9:46am on Tue 24th April 2012.

^ Tony Mallone maybe?

Published by DeFrev at 10:14am on Tue 24th April 2012.

Paul now has his own bookstall on the market since Garon closed up. Nick of Rhythm was at Red House Records and then Andy's. Jim who was on the market for donkeys years is at Comet.

Published by happyted at 10:23am on Tue 24th April 2012.
This reply has been edited, last edit at 10:28am on Tue 24th April 2012.

And then, of course, there is Dazzling Dazza - now a photographer extraordinaire!!

Yes, I think it was Tony Mallone.

Published by Dr Rhythm at 11:05am on Tue 24th April 2012.

yeah Dazza got in touch via FB. I remember he regularly lent me his immaculate Rickenbacker 12 string without a care in the world, and his work is great... and I recently bumped into Andy Monk who is back in the area and also this guy Alistaire who was on the market and moved to the US. Andy's son Charlie is quite a well known photographer in the film world now.
www.charlie-gray.com

Published by happyted at 11:10am on Tue 24th April 2012.

The guy that worked with jacko for the last 3 years or so on Andys was Mick - he runs a record shop in Ely now. Jacko was a real legend, I worked at Andys for over 3 years - 2000-2003 and used to run BGO on Fridays when Jacko wasnt in...

Published by goatwolf at 12:36pm on Tue 24th April 2012.

In that case, Goatwolf, I know who you are - I joined Andy's on Feb. '03, not long before you left and worked there until it closed. I took over the Fridays in BGO after you went, then every day when Jacko went. Mick is indeed the chap I'm thinking about - I'd forgotten he opened a shop in Ely and am glad to hear it's still going. I'll go in an say hello next time I'm up that way.

Published by John Techno at 1:13pm on Tue 24th April 2012.

mmm... i might know who you are too!

Published by goatwolf at 9:47pm on Tue 24th April 2012.

I think you probably do, not least of all because I was called John Techno back then, too... ;-)

Published by John Techno at 8:51am on Wed 25th April 2012.

I know this thread is very old but I wondered if anyone could help with some extra info. I used to live in the Cambridge area in the late 60's and 70's and, among other fond memories, remember spending time at The Red House in St Edward's Lane as well as browsing through the records on Andys' record stall on the market. My son is visiting Cambridge and I sent him on a little trail past my old school (the Grammar for girls') and Christ's College ( we were asked in our sixth form if there were volunteers to join the choir and we did) and then I thought I'd send him to where the Red House used to be. It's now The Haunted Bookshop. He is an illustrator so had planned to go there anywhere but he was very impressed that it was the same building that I had talked so much about, when recalling my past. Now, just to tie up loose ends, I remember an Andy's record shop opening up in the Mill Road area and being managed by Dave, who worked in the Red House. Am I right? This would have been in the mid to late 80's when I came home for a visit. Does anyone else remember The Red House?

Published by Becky13 at 12:12pm on Mon 10th April 2017.

Five years later we have at least two record shops in Cambridge now, probably more depending how you define it.

Published by Silent Rob at 5:51pm on Mon 10th April 2017.

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Becky13 - Andy's first shop in Cambridge was indeed on Mill Road (his first shop), and later moved to Fitzroy Street. I can't tell you anything about Dave, though - he would have been long before I worked for Andy! (His record label, BGO, still exists: https://www.bgo-records.com/)

Published by John Techno at 10:44pm on Mon 10th April 2017.

Thank you for your replies. I remember the shop in both places. I had a look at the BGO website the other day while I was checking out what had happened to both The Red House and Andy's Record stores. It is a real shame, as with many independents, that they all closed. And yes, Silent Rob, I am going back quite a way in time so there won't be many others who would have memory of those days. I bought my first LP (Pentangle's Basket of Light) in Millers when they had a shop on Sydney Street. I think they only sell instruments now.

Published by Becky13 at 10:46am on Thu 13th April 2017.

I was working for Andy's when the company went into administration and assisted the man himself in, ahem, "retrieving" some stock he wanted to hang onto, which gave me the opportunity to have quite a good chat with him (the first time I met him, I didn't talk to him much because I thought he was a tramp who'd wandered into the shop and was keeping an eye on him to make sure he didn't nick anything). He told me then that he'd be back - which makes me wonder if, now that vinyl sales are growing rapidly, we might not have seen the last of Andy's Records.

Published by John Techno at 10:49pm on Thu 13th April 2017.

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