Reddington’s Rare Records
The best second hander I ever knew was Reddington’s Rare Records in the middle of Birmingham. Danny Reddington was an old rocker, a ted who not only saw off the mods but the skins as well. Stacks of Chess singles brought in from the States. I even picked up a demo of Wake Up, Little Susie there, God knows how he got that. Stupid me flogged it when we were broke and the kids needed stuff.
I was meant to be reading Althusser and Adorno, seen, for reasons that still escape me, as essential pre-requisites of writing about Chuck Berry at the Centre for Contemporary and Cultural Studies where I was, allegedly, doing a PhD. But, frankly, I was so much happier in Danny Reddington's record shop seizing copies of Get A Job, Little Bitty Pretty One andWestern Movies.
And Danny was great, still in his Teds' get-up in those days. He was more important to me than I realised at the time: because I understood, instinctively, that Danny understood Chuck Berry without even thinking. And it was he who showed me the piles of reggae singles that illuminated Birmingham at that time; and he who rang me to tell me he'd got the Chuck Berry EP I craved (Rhythm and Blues with Chuck Berry', the 1956 Chess 'Maybelline' EP). One of those rock'n'roll heroes who are largely invisible. And a bloody sight more fun than the Frankfurt School of Critical Theory.
This could be some event:
http://www.birminghammail.co.uk/news/mi ... od-7596476
Pete Flower Sound of the world forum.
I used to go there when staying with Deb's parent's in Birmingham. I needed to get out for a bit, as you can imagine, and Reddington's was always a good mooching place. It was the only shop I managed to find an Arthur Alexander LP, at a time when there was virtually nothing of his around - his Warner album, "Rainbow Road". An import! What excitement! Norman Sound Of The World Forum
I was meant to be reading Althusser and Adorno, seen, for reasons that still escape me, as essential pre-requisites of writing about Chuck Berry at the Centre for Contemporary and Cultural Studies where I was, allegedly, doing a PhD. But, frankly, I was so much happier in Danny Reddington's record shop seizing copies of Get A Job, Little Bitty Pretty One andWestern Movies.
And Danny was great, still in his Teds' get-up in those days. He was more important to me than I realised at the time: because I understood, instinctively, that Danny understood Chuck Berry without even thinking. And it was he who showed me the piles of reggae singles that illuminated Birmingham at that time; and he who rang me to tell me he'd got the Chuck Berry EP I craved (Rhythm and Blues with Chuck Berry', the 1956 Chess 'Maybelline' EP). One of those rock'n'roll heroes who are largely invisible. And a bloody sight more fun than the Frankfurt School of Critical Theory.
This could be some event:
http://www.birminghammail.co.uk/news/mi ... od-7596476
Pete Flower Sound of the world forum.
I used to go there when staying with Deb's parent's in Birmingham. I needed to get out for a bit, as you can imagine, and Reddington's was always a good mooching place. It was the only shop I managed to find an Arthur Alexander LP, at a time when there was virtually nothing of his around - his Warner album, "Rainbow Road". An import! What excitement! Norman Sound Of The World Forum
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