I remember in about 1970 accompanying my friend Eddie (who was an unreconstructed mod and a big Motown fan, especially the Four Tops) to NEMS in Liverpool, Brian Epstein's famous emporium, (which was actually a furniture store and is now, sadly, a sex shop) to buy the Tops' latest 45. Resplendent in his pristine dark brown mohair two-tone two-piece suit and Ben Sherman - record buying was an occasion in those days - Eddie strutted up the counter, leaned on it, fixed the female assistant with his coolest moddiest expression and said 'I Can't Help Myself'. Amazingly, she didn't bat an eyelid...
(March 18, 2015)I bought my first portable stereo record player from NEMS when I was about 15 years of age. I had set eyes on it in the window a year earlier and noted its purchase price of 5 pounds…. A lot of money for a 15 year old in those days! It looked so cool with lots of chrome and, yes, dials for volume, bass and treble. The tone arm that held the stylus was so slim and high tech and the turntable with its black rubber base was huge compared to its predecessors! Well, it took me a year to save up before I could take the trip from Crosby to Liverpool to make the big purchase. Following that, I purchased several LPs from NEMS, including The Beatles White Album and Canned Heat Live. I am most sure I added many 45s to the collection during the next few years. Shame it’s gone… a landmark second only to The Cavern. Ray Comment: Ray Hilson
NEMs also had record stores in the Bootle, New Strand, shopping centre, also the Marian Square shopping centre in Netherton.
Comment: David Owens.
(April 26, 2015) There was a NEMS in Great Charlotte Street as well as the one in Whitechapel. I was in Liverpool from 1958-64 and it was there during that time. Comment: Ray Astbury.
Name Jon Clarke Comment:There was also a NEMS in Wallasey Village in the mid 1960's. (Oct 1, 2016)
Comment
I remember when the NEMS shop was officially opened in the Marion Square Netherton and I waited at the rear entrance to catch a glimpse of the celebrity who was either Jimmy Tarbuck or Ken Dodd ,I'm not quite sure?
Name
Derek Johnstone
(2018)
Comment
my mum worked in NEMS in the late 50s/60s. She looked after the Charlotte street store after Brain Epstein asked her to move there from Whitechapel. She is pictured directly in front of Brian Epstein in the photo of the opening of the Charlotte street store she also presented Anne Shelton with flowers at the opening. I have read the above article how Brian became aware of the Beatles my mum has a slightly different version of the story as she remembers it from her days when they use to come in to the store before they were famous and to listen to records and before Brian new who they were. My mum has talk for may years about NEMS and her relationship with Brian Epstein to our family but she is now 82 and her memory is starting to fade. John Lennon use to call her Brian's blue eyed girl.
Name
Lesley Hallam
(2020)
Comment
Just a follow on from Jon Clarke's post from 2018 re visiting the official opening day of NEMS, Marion Square, Netherton.
I lived very close to "The Square" and had seen the notice of the visiting celebrity. Jimmy Tarbuck.
My memory of the day was seeing Mr T, with a couple of "minders", in a grey suit, white shirt with big collars and he had stubble, not having shaved (possibly he had been working or out, the night before.
So my impression was "what a scruffy man" so I went home.
Name
Alf Berrington
(2022)
In the gallery is a Top Ten Parade poster from 1963 found at the shop in an old store room 1990.
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I am on the clip of what is a part of a video, nearest the camera serving a customer. I think this was taken 1959. I have a photo of me and staff taken in NEMS Charlotte street shop taken January 1960.i was only there from August '50 to April 1960 having worked for Rushworths since aged 15 I returned there. Brian kept me back one evening in December 1959 and tried to persuade me to go to staff xmas party. I didn't want to as had nothing to wear. Girls in shop told me later I was Brian's blue eyed girl as he wanted me to present his Mum Queenie flowers. I am 80 now but still have very strong memories.
Name
Diana nee Boden
(2022)
