Flyover Records
There was a brilliant brilliant shop called Flyover Records - where? Under the Flyover of course at what is now Hammersmith Broadway and tube complex where they had an amazing array of vinyl (of course - what else them days!)- it's where I first found Fela records and fantastic stuff like Batti Mamzelle - Caribbean fusion and lots of other related stuff It was mid 70's something like 75 or 6 - I got Zombie 12" there I know that! Comment: Outerglobe Debbie Golt
Regarding the record shop Flyover Records - I'm from Denmark but lived in London in the mid seventies for 14 months. I shared a flat in Notting Hill, but very often I went to Hammersmith just to visit Flyover Records. I bought dozens of Beatles records imported from Japan, the US and Mexico. The shop was located at 15 Queen Caroline Street on Hammersmith Broadway and just the thought of it, brings back great memories. I spent hours in the shop and still have the old catalogues and price lists. Just for the fun of it
Japanese imports were
Single album £ 8.99
Double albums £ 15.95
Treble albums £ 24.50
Singles £ 2.65
EP's £ 3.60
Those were the days! atb2008 Sound of the world forum.
I knew Flyover Records in the late 1970's. The owner was Louis Rayner. The shop was the size of the average living room and the office was the size of a telephone booth. The shop was well known for imports and Louis was the first to sell Dylan's Japanese live album. All round it was a great place to go. Elton John was said to have spent over a grand there one day...Flyover Records also did some distribution of indie labels. Louis sent out a load of our ( Left Hand Drive)singles in 1978 and to our surprise they sold...He was a nice guy and a great busines man too... a rare thing. Comment: John Brassett.
(July 30, 2013) Richard@SmartCall.co.uk said:I worked for Charmdale the record import company who, along with compettor Vixen,supplied a lot of Frlyover's imports. We used to break open the shipments at Heathrow, stow them in a racked out Transit and hammer down the A4 in a race to get the latest imports into the shops. Being on Hammersmith Broadway Flyover Records sat directly opposite the end of the motorway, so Louis was often the first shop to stock a new album in the UK. Louis was a great guy and a good friend. He had such a nice personality that even traffic wardens let him park his BMW 2002 on the yellow lines outside the shop all day long. When the store closed down prior to redevelopment he gave me his contact details in Cyprus (if I remember correctly). Unfortunately I mislaid them, but over the last 35+ years I have often thought about him, such as today when I found this forum. I hope he is well. If anyone knows where he is it would be lovely to hear from him.
(Jan 17, 2013) Gary Critcher said:I'm originally from Chiswick, so Flyover Records was a short bus journey on a Saturday morning for me. I remember buying the Japanese import copies of quite a few Ian Gillan solo 'live' albums from Flyover (would have been around 1979 methinks) because they hadn't been released in Europe. I remember it as being a brilliant place where you could just stand there going through the racks for as literally as long as you wanted.
(Oct 18, 2012) robert negri said:I remember this place vividly. For dome reason a Plasmatics album sticks in my mind. Loads of records in plasticsleeves on the wall. Ask remember that it was one Olathe first places I ever saw Japanese import vinyl. Would pop in almost every day with a friend on our way home from school, early eighties.
(Jan 28, 2012) h said:Thanks for your nice comments.. Yes it was agreat time. Keep well..Louis:)
(March 26, 2015) Hi Louis, remember me, I turned down major store management offers to travel everyday from Hatfield in Herts (2 hours each way) to "manage" your store. I learned all about the importing business from you and still remember fondly searching for hours trying to find albums in your masterbag filing system!!! Went on to have a successful career in the music business, much learned from my short sojourn at always "Your Joint" Much love and fond memories, Mick (Mike)Warlow
Regarding the record shop Flyover Records - I'm from Denmark but lived in London in the mid seventies for 14 months. I shared a flat in Notting Hill, but very often I went to Hammersmith just to visit Flyover Records. I bought dozens of Beatles records imported from Japan, the US and Mexico. The shop was located at 15 Queen Caroline Street on Hammersmith Broadway and just the thought of it, brings back great memories. I spent hours in the shop and still have the old catalogues and price lists. Just for the fun of it
Japanese imports were
Single album £ 8.99
Double albums £ 15.95
Treble albums £ 24.50
Singles £ 2.65
EP's £ 3.60
Those were the days! atb2008 Sound of the world forum.
I knew Flyover Records in the late 1970's. The owner was Louis Rayner. The shop was the size of the average living room and the office was the size of a telephone booth. The shop was well known for imports and Louis was the first to sell Dylan's Japanese live album. All round it was a great place to go. Elton John was said to have spent over a grand there one day...Flyover Records also did some distribution of indie labels. Louis sent out a load of our ( Left Hand Drive)singles in 1978 and to our surprise they sold...He was a nice guy and a great busines man too... a rare thing. Comment: John Brassett.
(July 30, 2013) Richard@SmartCall.co.uk said:I worked for Charmdale the record import company who, along with compettor Vixen,supplied a lot of Frlyover's imports. We used to break open the shipments at Heathrow, stow them in a racked out Transit and hammer down the A4 in a race to get the latest imports into the shops. Being on Hammersmith Broadway Flyover Records sat directly opposite the end of the motorway, so Louis was often the first shop to stock a new album in the UK. Louis was a great guy and a good friend. He had such a nice personality that even traffic wardens let him park his BMW 2002 on the yellow lines outside the shop all day long. When the store closed down prior to redevelopment he gave me his contact details in Cyprus (if I remember correctly). Unfortunately I mislaid them, but over the last 35+ years I have often thought about him, such as today when I found this forum. I hope he is well. If anyone knows where he is it would be lovely to hear from him.
(Jan 17, 2013) Gary Critcher said:I'm originally from Chiswick, so Flyover Records was a short bus journey on a Saturday morning for me. I remember buying the Japanese import copies of quite a few Ian Gillan solo 'live' albums from Flyover (would have been around 1979 methinks) because they hadn't been released in Europe. I remember it as being a brilliant place where you could just stand there going through the racks for as literally as long as you wanted.
(Oct 18, 2012) robert negri said:I remember this place vividly. For dome reason a Plasmatics album sticks in my mind. Loads of records in plasticsleeves on the wall. Ask remember that it was one Olathe first places I ever saw Japanese import vinyl. Would pop in almost every day with a friend on our way home from school, early eighties.
(Jan 28, 2012) h said:Thanks for your nice comments.. Yes it was agreat time. Keep well..Louis:)
(March 26, 2015) Hi Louis, remember me, I turned down major store management offers to travel everyday from Hatfield in Herts (2 hours each way) to "manage" your store. I learned all about the importing business from you and still remember fondly searching for hours trying to find albums in your masterbag filing system!!! Went on to have a successful career in the music business, much learned from my short sojourn at always "Your Joint" Much love and fond memories, Mick (Mike)Warlow
