Record and music shops in the city

Hi Midland Red I think the market for compilations remains pretty good (eg Now That's What I Call Music Volume xxx) but it's still true to say that the majority of younger people (including my kids) never buy CDs. Once a track has been downloaded you do effectively own it and can download it again in the future if anything happens to it. The reissues market for CDs is also still quite strong but it is the new music market that has suffered. Like a lot of people I don't listen to that much new music.

I don't really understand downloads - I want a CD to play in the car or on the CD player at home I can't think of any other time I would want to listen to music And I don't buy "new music" nor listen to it!

The music scene is thriving. There are a lot of excellent new jazz and folk bands around, and there's a very good local Coventry Progressive rock band called "Luna Kiss" who have released an album. I buy a lot of CDs, this week was the new Deep Purple, Queensryche, and a jazz CD by the Modern Jazz Quartet. Coventry's music stores are rubbish, though. I go to HEAD in Leamington to browse. HMV in the precinct has a lousy selection.

I remember going into W.H.Smith, when it was the other side of the road to Coventry Telegraph on Corporation St. You could order from their "Golden Oldie Catalogue" of out of date, or hard to come by, LP's or 45's. I got a few old records from them until they stopped that service in the early 80's. For a short time there was a record shop in Lower Ford St, I can't remember its name, but I remember the 45 I got from them, "Swords of a Thousand Men" by the punk band Tenpole Tudor. Just for the record, I was not a punk, I collected records way back then as I used to do disco's.

Here's an old record bag for an album I found in my garage. I think Revolver took over the HMV store just before the ramp leading to Lower Precinct when HMV relocated to Hertford Street.

And this is the front of the bag.....anyone remember this?

When was revolver around? I came to Coventry in 1989 and there were two HMV stores - one just at the top of the ramp to the Lower Precinct and one on Hertford Street. I thought HMV might improve after being saved from administration, but it seems worse now than it ever has been. It's as if they don't really want to sell me anything - and I have wide, and eclectic tastes. (Coventry Kid Roye Albrighton's Nektar are releasing a new album next week! It's called Time Machine and sounds very good.)

Revolver was around early 1980's. Maybe they went and HMV took the over the premises by the ramp, I can't remember. I DO remember when ZZ Tops's Eliminator album came out in 1984, guitarist Billy Gibbons sent his car (that adorned the album cover) for a tour around shops that stocked the album, and it was parked outside the shop under discussion....and that was HMV at the time, so maybe Revolver was pre-1984. Looking at the bag, it sells Records/Tapes/Videos, you don't get a shop selling that lot now!

I don't know if is any use to anybody, but there were two record retailers named Bernard Smith and Co, one was in North St on the corner of Shakespeare St and the other was directly opposite the Humber gate in Humber Rd . The one in North St also sold tv's, radios and also carried out a repair service

Yes it is, thanks Bernard

Hansons in a 1937 ad! and Crane's from 1951

I remember Revolver - I think your're right that they had the HMV shop in the Precinct by the ramp although I know HMV were there by 1985/86 as I remember buying Bryan Adams' Reckless CD there as it was the first CD I had ever bought.

I can remember buying Steve Vai's FLEX-ABLE lp in the Precinct shop in 1984, & I'm certain it was still Revolver. But then again......