Vinyl Solution Christmas Card Hereford Road Image Phil ENTHUCOL
Ive been surrounded by music and vinyl from an early age; my Dad worked in a record store, bringing home all the latest releases to me. Enterprisingly, I would slyly slip them into my schoolbag and take them to school, subsequently selling them to my friends.
When anything came out, my Dad would bring it back to me: I had the first Specials record, the first Electric Light Orchestra record... Hed also bring me little boxes of returns and stuff. Wed sell them at school fairs. All the other kids would be doing Bob the Apple, and wed be getting these twenty seven year old punks coming up from the Kings Road for Clash box sets for twenty quid a go. We knew what was going on...! This grew up with me, and I went on to work in Quaff Records and Vinyl Solution, two of Londons finest record stores. Phil Asher
Re your future-pop-star-working-in-shop intro…
Shane McGowan of the Pogues (or Pogue Mahone as it still was at the time) used to work in Vinyl Solution in Hanway Place off Oxford Street (behind the Virgin Megastore that was) in the mid 80s… or at least he was the say I sold some (apparently) rare vinyl to him over the counter (including one of those Beatles red Parlophone label singles, I recall). Some months later he was a star! So close you could touch, type thing! Ronnie East Dulwich
As far as I remember Stan first ran Vinyl Solution with Yves. At some point he left to open Rocks Off. Of course there was the link between Rock On, the stall in Soho (wasn't that also called Rocks Off or Rock On?) Shane worked at the Soho stall and later at Rocks Off. Apart from Stan, there was Phil (the tall one)but I can't remember if Bob jumped ship from Rock On or not...Commnet: Robin Wills.
(Sept 17, 2012) Jacob Turner said:I am sure the shop in Hanway Street Where Shane worked was ran by Stan and was call Rocks Off. I worked in Vinyl Solution in Hereford Road and also when it moved to Portobello Road.
Hi your article on Vinyl Solution brought back many memories, I used to buy many rare records from the Hereford St shop (my mum ran the laundrette across the road)in the early 80's and I remember Yves. I collected Beatles and Apple records and amongst the records I bought was a Butcher Cover and also many rare Apple 45's including Brute Force "King of Fuh" and an acetate of Badfingers "Name of the Game", both of which I still have (I collected every Apple single from 2-49). I remember paying £80 each which in those days was a fortune! I remember I could not afford an Apple Acetate of Lennons "Sweet Mary Jane" for £80 and "Our First Four" promo pack for £120! when they where for sale. Regards Rich
Stan Brennan and Phil (Sorry cant recall surname) were working on the Rock On Stall in Soho open market (Now a multi storey carpark on the site which was behind the Fire Station on Shaftesbury Avenue) when I first met them. At that time the stall was owned by Ted Carroll whose first and then concurrently trading record stall was on Golborne Road W2 (The record stall immortalised in the Thin Lizzy song 'The Rocker' - Ted was managing the band at the time). At that time Jailhouse John of Northolt, Weat London Rockabilly revival mobile disco 'The Wild Wax Roadshow' and Shane McGowan (Then in a band called 'The Nipple Erectors' later shortened to 'The Nips' in pre 'Pogue Mahone' days) worked on the stall on Saturdays. Ted Carroll subsequently opened the 'Rock On' shop in Canmden Town and eventually sold the stall to Stan and Phil who rebranded it 'Rocks Off', some time after that they opened the shop in Hanway Street under the 'Rocks Off' brand. From memory the 'Vinyl Solution' shop in Hereford Road opened prior to the Hanway Street shop (Which I think opened after the Soho open market stall was closed when the site was acquired for redevelopement) and was a joint venture between Stan, Phil and French Record Dealer Yves (Sorry cant recall his surname either). One of the real delights of the shop was the constant stream of European picture sleeve 45s and EPs which in the UK most collectors hadn't seen up to that point and because of the availability of highly desirable items like those it attracted top end UK rarities as trades so the quality and rarity of the stock was unmatched in London at the time. I still have the shop Christmas Card from 1978 (I think) which can be viewed here http://s125.photobucket.com/user/ENTHUCOL/media/VinylSolutionChristmasCard.jpg.html?sort=9&o=394
Comment:Phil ENTHUCOL
( Feb 22, 2016) Hi Yves was a friend of mine when he ran his record shop in Le Havre ,France.( and before too);( the town of "little Bob Story" and many others ). He was so enthousiastic he could have sold you the whole shop and made me know a lot of new groups. I went one time to see him in London and I went to this shop Hereford Road.no news for a long time. his surname is Guillemot. Comment: Pierre Morgand
( Feb 28, 2016) Phil Gaston was his name and the sequence of events went as such, I came to lOndon in 1978 to start a shop and label with Tim Crosby of Bizarre Records fame (Praed St) but he decided to pass and as I had sold my shop in Le Havre I had to find somebody to start again, I had been buying records from Ted Carroll at Rock on stall in soho and his little back shop on top of portobello before he opened Rock On in Camden and I knew Phil and Stan from there , I decided to ask them to join me and so we opened Hereford Rd , as the market was closing we had to find somewhere else in Central London,we found Hanway St and opened it, a few months later Phil and Stan decided they were better off on their own so we split the stock and went our separate ways. Comment: Yves Guillemot
Name Eamon Quinn Comment: I loved the Hereford Rd shop, was down there most weekends in the late 80s and the later shop on portobello Rd, Yves was great!!! I owe most of my knowledge of hardcore punk to him, a true gent and a lovely guy 😀👍, I miss him. (August 1, 2016)
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I remember Yves from Vinyl Solution when it was in Hereford street.I had just been down Portobello and bought the latest Johnny Thunders live bootleg album 'Pipeline'.Yves asked if he could play all the Thunders repartee between the tracks and we all had a good laugh.Yves knew i was a Sex pistols fanatic,he had several folders of flyers from gigs and 'Sniffin'Glue' fanzine.He gave me some doubles he had,like the 'screen on the green midnight special' and i think it was 'Sniffin' glue' issue six,this would have been 1982,its 2019 and i haven't forgotten that day or the kindness.
Name
ANDY CHEEK
(2019)
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I'm an original Ladbroke grove man I used to visit vinyl solutions early years late 80s in the basement was Phil Asher ,archer,n the other guy Tim I think anyways upon going in an listening to wicked choons I used to have a light banter with these guys they were proper djs even back then scratching up the decks with serious hip hop breakbeats as time marched on an a million record shops popped up I still bump into archer once in a while but I will never forget Phil and the other guy I hope his name's Tim lol forgive me but hey I wanted to be a DJ after seeing these guys it wasn't about buying records when I walked into vinyl solutions it was watching these guys destroy the decks anyways I went on to have a go myself to no avail but my jest for music n life learning comes from my hometown an the people who I will never ever forget still going forward big up Phil ,Tim,arghee gladiators legends peace. P.s my name's Longers!!
Name
Leroy Oliver
(2020)
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The Hereford Rd.shop was a goldmine..the guy eith the glasses was American or Canadian?..anyway he doubted i had a PYE issue of I Am So Blue by The Poets..i had a mint Decca pressing at home. So on my next visit i brought it in and did a swap for a Stones French ep..."fair exchange id no robbery" my Dad used to say..good times.
Name
Nai Noswad
(2020)
Junior Tomlin paid a visit to Portebello beat exhibtion on Record Shops of Nother Kensington. Having worked at Vinyl Solution. Junior said that ' you could see from the kitchen widow, the kitchen window of Kickin Records House, hardcore and techno label based in Ladbroke Grove.
Now defunct eclectic label run from the shop on Portobello Road in London. Famous for spawning Depth Charge and Eon, Bizarre Inc,Andrew Meecham. It is worth noting that J. Saul Kane and Ian B also produced and mixed a lot of the other releases.
