Caroline Music
Belfast. it felt like a pretty bohemian, enticing, esoteric place - not unlike the place in the Hi Fidelity film. It was run by one Kyle Leitch, who later went into record distribution and national singles buying for Woolworths during the 80s's. Kyle's now a good pal and we have endless fun discussing his role as the 'real' 'Godfather of Punk' in Belfast. Local character Terri Hooley - who ran the Good Vibrations shop/label in Belfast from the late '70s onwards - has more or less made a career out of being 'the Godfather of Punk'. And the very best of luck to him (in fact, there's a biopic on him currently being filmed). The irony is that - as Tel well knows - Kyle was running a record shop selling huge volumes of punk records two years before he was! Caroline Music probably sold three times as many Good Vibes label singles as the Good Vibes shop itself did (I can only recall being in the shop once in that era - it was a bit off the beaten track, and quite forbidding to a kid!). But truth should never get in the way of a good bit of mythologising. As for me, I never bought punk records at all! I think reissues/imports by Jethro Tull and Arlo Guthrie would have been my earliest purchases...Colin H
I would say that Caroline Records was the first shop in Belfast with both a wide selction of music and a knowledgeable staff. I remember buying 'Tonight's the Night' and 'Nils Lofgren' on the same day; memorable because I couldn't usually afford to buy 2 LPs on the same day. Oh how I miss independent record shops with staff who could introduce you to bands/singers you hadn't heard before. Wezz
(Aug 2, 2013) Anonymous said:I think you will find that your facts are incorrect on this!
Keith M. 'Many memories and records bought. Great staff that went onto dr Roberts. Angus and the guy that looked like Ricky Skaggs . Bought many records in diff locations. The street down near north street that became a rip off Tshirt shop. Recall buying the doors and new order there in 84.' ( May 22, 2016)
Name Malcolm Emery Comment: Just found this and what memories...bought Zeps first album there, Blackfoot marauder and stray Saturday morning pictures all same day in August 1981, 16 years old and starting my record collection. Made many happy trips to Caroline Music. Thanks for preserving. ( Sept 30, 2016).
Name Andy Boyd Comment:...need to correct Colin on the above, as it's not factually right....Kyle didn't run the shop, he only worked in the latter stages of Caroline Music in Ann St. Long before Kyle, the shop was owned by Lawrence John, and was run by Robin Brown, and Jerry Lang, now a U105 presenter, who both went on to run excellent shops of their own...Robin owned Dr Roberts, and Jerry owned Musique in Bangor...another person who worked there was Ivan Martin. (April 17, 2017).
I would say that Caroline Records was the first shop in Belfast with both a wide selction of music and a knowledgeable staff. I remember buying 'Tonight's the Night' and 'Nils Lofgren' on the same day; memorable because I couldn't usually afford to buy 2 LPs on the same day. Oh how I miss independent record shops with staff who could introduce you to bands/singers you hadn't heard before. Wezz
(Aug 2, 2013) Anonymous said:I think you will find that your facts are incorrect on this!
Keith M. 'Many memories and records bought. Great staff that went onto dr Roberts. Angus and the guy that looked like Ricky Skaggs . Bought many records in diff locations. The street down near north street that became a rip off Tshirt shop. Recall buying the doors and new order there in 84.' ( May 22, 2016)
Name Malcolm Emery Comment: Just found this and what memories...bought Zeps first album there, Blackfoot marauder and stray Saturday morning pictures all same day in August 1981, 16 years old and starting my record collection. Made many happy trips to Caroline Music. Thanks for preserving. ( Sept 30, 2016).
Name Andy Boyd Comment:...need to correct Colin on the above, as it's not factually right....Kyle didn't run the shop, he only worked in the latter stages of Caroline Music in Ann St. Long before Kyle, the shop was owned by Lawrence John, and was run by Robin Brown, and Jerry Lang, now a U105 presenter, who both went on to run excellent shops of their own...Robin owned Dr Roberts, and Jerry owned Musique in Bangor...another person who worked there was Ivan Martin. (April 17, 2017).
