A Record Shop

Another Sunday, another Bond movie; Goldfinger this time. A bit disappointing, I'm afraid, after "Dr No" and "From Russia With Love" both of which surpassed expectation. I think Goldfinger was brought down by a silly plot despite some good acting from the players of Bond, Goldfinger and Gallore. Too many smart alec wisecracks too. I'm not sure whether I'll go to On Her Majesty's Secret Service, although I'd like to see Diana Rigg. I could go on about Bond's women and Ursula Andress and Honour Blackman are much more plausible as real women than many of today's stick insects but I'll move on to the real topic of this posting.

When I leave the midday Bond movie I get to walk up Park Street and visit the shops at leisure. This is a rare treat as I work on some god forsaken "business park" miles from anything remotely interesting. And it has lead me to forming a relationship with Fopp. I don't think I'd ever been into a Fopp until a couple of years ago when I bought something ("Sound of Speed" by The Jesus and Mary Chain?) which was going cheap. And I certainly didn't think of Fopp as anything other than a cheap shop. But since I've started to go to the Bond movies at the Watershed, I've found that Fopp is more interesting than that - it shows all the signs of being a real record shop. I don't mean one which sell vinyl (which it does) but one which is full of people searching through the racks - people who look interested in music - and which plays interesting music. Today, wandering around the top floor, I heard this music which sounded like it came from 35 years ago. It was interesting, parts were excellent and compelling, parts were self indulgent and minimally musical. "What is it?" I wondered. It wasn't familiar so maybe it was new. So I asked. I was listening to Egg's "The Civil Surface". So, older than I thought, but it would have been 35 years since I heard any Egg. A interesting band from the Canterbury Scene; although not band members, many of the musicians later to be in Henry Cow played on their albums. Henry Cow's Concerts was my favourite album for many many years. Unfortunately I find most of my favourite music of that style, from that era, somewhat unlistenable to - with the possible exception of Hatfield and The North's The Rotters Club so I slipped downstairs without purchasing. But I didn't make it from the shop without The Eels' Electro-Shock Bluesbeing purchased. Oh the joys of record shops.