Music journalist Giles Smith worked as Christmas staff in 1984.
The branch in Southend on Sea was run by one of the rudest men I've ever met in my life - he looked like Beethoven and smelt like a goat, and I don't think he knew anything about the muisc his customers were interested in. Once I asked him if he'd put up a poster for my band's forthcoming gig, he refused, saying there was nothing in it for him. I boycotted the shop after that. Once I was walking along the road one evening and he was standing at a bus stop. He saw me coming towards him and hid in a shop doorway until I'd gone past, which made me smile to myself.
(Oct 12, 2014) Debby said:Don't forget that 'lovely Southend manager' went on to the Basildon shop
(Apr 16, 2014) Anonymous said:Oh god yes. I remember asking him to order in the Art of Noise's first album on Vinyl and he was adamant it was cassette only. I even took in my friends copy as proof but he was still said it didn't exist. Ermm..
(June 7, 2013) Anonymous said:There was one in Romford too by the antiques market. Not a great shop though
(Jan 1, 2013) Paul Cooper said:We also had a Parrot in Romford
(Jan 30, 2015) The Chelmsford shop was in the High Street and we used to go in there after school and browse the bins. I think the first record I bought there was Tonic for the Troops by the Boomtown Rats in 1978. Comment: Gareth Nevitt
Steve Lamacq as a youngster brought records here.
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We loved Parrot Records, Romford. They used to order a lot of vinyl from Mute Records for us. @TransistorBros
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Paul Saint
(2019)
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There was a Parrot in Duke Street, Chelmsford too. Very cool shop with 7" pinned to the wall, full of punks, who were great entertainment and lovely bunch of people. My mate sent his mum in to buy 'Fuck Off' by Wayne County & The Electric Chairs!
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Alan Williams
(2019)
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Many school lunchtimes spent at the Chelmsford one in late '70s. Great place to buy krautrock and all the kind of stuff we'd heard on John Peel the night before
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Ray Pyne
(2019)
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I used the Parrot Records shops in Duke Street Chelmsford and the one in New London Road.I bought so many punk records from the Duke street branch but also Pop Inn In Baddow Road.I always like Martin that ran Pop Inn.
Alan Norrington (RIP) used to be pretty good company in Duke St and New London Road Parrot stores,as was ‘Boston Martin’ .Duke St was great for the ‘Deletions Bin’,I bought several NY punk scene albums from there.
I used to chat to the Chelmsford punks,Ian F and Donald R in particular as they were friendly and not ‘up themselves ‘ like some of the others.
In early 1984 ,Alan opened his Record stall in Chelmsford market,it was a hangout and a social club too,it was also like the Jungle drums as a message service,tell so and so i’m In this pub etc etc.It was a place of merry japes,banter and general drunken (at least) balderdash,as I would invariably be at the stall in an ‘advanced state of refreshment’. Great days with great people,Alan,George,Saturday Sal,Alan Norrington (again),partner in crime and grime Bob,and at the time Paul ‘No money’ Chester,also Craig from Broomfield,I remember taking you into the Colville in Portobello Road,that was surreal!.
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Mr. Wishmore
(2019)
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I worked in Miss Selfridge in Chelmsford. We used to buy vinyl from Parrots to play in the shop. Eventually I dated the guy who ran the Parrots shop. It was a fun period of my life - many happy memories - like going to Crocs on Saturday night
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Angie Lawrence
(2020)
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I bought so many records at Parrots in Duke Street, Chelmpsford - as a Marconi student apprentoid from 78 to 81. Now my daughter has inherited my 45’s, and is still enjoying the music - after 44 years. It’s interesting to read the snippets of echos of news.
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David Shaw
(2022)
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I lived in Colchester from age 11 till I was 18 - 1974 till April 1981. I often went into Parrot records in Balkerne Passage, Colchester. They always had a fan section of Rock'n'Roll & Rockabilly & even stocked 'New Kommotion'. Brilliant shop.
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Nick martin
(2022)
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I was at the Chelmer institute from 1978-80, and spent a lot of my free time (and limited cash) in Parrot records buying punk and ska records. I remember buying the 2nd Clash LP there one day in and there had been such a heavy snowfall I had to hitch back to Billericay where I lived. I didn't get a lift until I had reached Galleywood common totally freezing hold the LP!!
I also sometimes dj'd in the student union bar on Fridays with a mate, and often played tracks there, which soon got the punks up, but cleared the floor of other punters.
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Stephen Halden
(2022)
John Carrigan
Does any one remember a smallish record shop in Balkern Passage, I think it was called Parrot Records. I got most of my records from there, including the banned Pistols tracks of the time.
Yes my brother used to work there for years. My sister and I used to love going into the little cubicle and listen to different records. Then tell my brother which ones we wanted as he got discount. They were the days, love the vinyl .
I remember Parrot Records very well. Used to hang out in the Rock &Roll cafe next door I'd say 1981 ish. Nigel worked in Parrots, super nice fella, got a photo of him somewhere at a Rockin Do that we put on at Woods,. Think it was the Stargazers....... Gary Robert Lock Steve Michael Kevin Aston do you remember?
Andrew's Post
Later in the decade, Parrot Records came along. Run by a husband-and-wife team in a small, two-storey shop in Balkerne Passage. Conveniently situated near The Gilberd School, I spent many an hour flicking through the racks and bought several Beatles’ albums. Later, a branch opened in Long Wyre Street, again a convenient location when I was working at the Co-op. Here, I dallied with a copy of Blue Valentine by Tom Waits and Solid Air by the late John Martyn. The moody, dark covers intrigued me. However, it was a few years later when I bought them and discovered a whole new fascination for Waits and Martyn. I revelled in Waits’ lyrical magic conjuring up images of the American small-town life I’d always imagined.
