I worked at HMV in Dean Street around 1967/68. I got the job by responding to a notice in the window asking for a "Young Man" (or something like that) to work in the shop - had I not seen the notice, who knows where my life would have led. A couple of things really stick in my mind from my time there: sourcing music for strippers and being the nearest shop to the cinema showing the movie "If" and we sold a lot of the Missa Luba Sanctus LP, the music from which featured heavily in the film. After about a year or so, I went to work in the larger HMV branch in Cranbourn Street running the pop department before moving on and getting a job in the record business where I worked at various companies until 1978. The sign above the shop in Dean Street actually said "B Feldman". They were a famous music publishers who had a tremendous catalogue including early Bob Dylan.
(Feb 26, 2016) Wow..I worked at Feldmansi Music upstairs 67/68 also, lots too remember....I did a lot of running around there with demo discs like Dusty Springfield etc off to Publishers in Soho Square like Francis Day And Hunter some times to Egdon House at the BBC. I Was looking after Song Sheets down in the Basement at Feldmans like Bob Dylans Blonde on Blonde.Frank Sinatra Etc....My wages were £8 per week. Comment: Mike.
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I was manager of this store from 15 March 65 - 18 Feb 66 and inherited the lovely Jean Pritchard as my assistant (still a close friend). We tried to make the store another jazz hub in competition with Dobells (Jean was married to jazz trumpeter John Pritchard) - only moderately successful - but we were the bane of the management upstairs who knew very little about the retail record business - particularly a guy called Smits - and so were both sacked at the same time - but were never given an adequate reason. However I made some interesting window displays, though, sadly, never photographed them. As I lived close by I was often called out at night when the security alarm went off! Jean and I had some great times there and had many well-known faces for customers - Kenneth More, Vicky Wickham, the Shadows et al!! Ah, happy, long-gone days!!
Name
Paul Daniel
(2020)
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