Comments
Nick Fielding
05 Apr 2024 at 09:49
Bought my first single here ('Love Me Do' by The Beatles, I think) in the mid-sixties. It cost me 6/8d and LPs were 17/6d. Originally based in the Arcade before moving to the town square. I have a vague memory that it was run by the Evans family (?).
Lee Bowler
04 Aug 2024 at 03:08
My grandparents lived in North Stoke and Wallingford was their local town. I remember Astley's and The Music Box well, from 1980 onwards. I remember buying so much vinyl and seeing them move into the CD era, buying my first CD single there! Memories of buying Madonna picture discs 1984/85 onwards. Very much a highlight of my childhood.
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Name: Tony S
Comment: I remember The Music Box well from my time in Wallingford in 1984-85.
Always surprised that the town could support TWO good record shops, here and Astley's.
Where Astley's also specialised in good hi-fi to play your records on, The Music Box was also a musician's shop, and the local supplier of guitar strings, clarinet/sax reeds, sheet music, manuscript paper, guitar leads and the like.
Generally had the hits of the day, together with related albums, and a good selection of Country/Folk material - of the two stores, it was The Music Box which catered for the needs of the thriving local folk club, hence the guitar strings, small selection of harmonicas, and so on.
I seem to recall they were quite badly squeezed when a large-ish local newsagent tried to mimic the music section of WH Smith - at the point in the late 1980s when some of the record labels became a bit like the ladies of the night, and sold their wares to anyone who was interested.
Sad - they were nice people, served a good section of the local community; shared customers with Astley's and co-existed in the town well. Another victim of profiteering, characterless non-specialists (stationers/newsagent) trying to be jacks of all trades, and pushing the masters off the market.
Name: Steven Davidson
Comment: Used to shop in here from 1972-75. Loved the place.
(2022)