Name: Shaun Howard.
Comment: I have just come across the picture of the Recordsville bag. What memories! I started Recordsville in November 1963 and the shop remained in business until 1982. It had a 'hidden' side trading as Central Record Suppliers to most of the London Borough Council libraries and some in the home counties. We also specialised in imported records from Spain including LPs for the then little-known Julio Igeslias. I also owned Town Records in the Kings Road for a while. We had a reputation for finding obscure records and actors such as Peter Sellers and Wilfred Bramble visited the shop because of this facility. It seems that Recordsville was the local centre of the punk phase. You will also find references to John Etherington who was the manager there for some years and John (Jonny) Rogan who always worked during staff holidays in the summer and at Christmas. John wrote a well-known book on The Byrds.
Name: Mark Griffiths.
Comment: I bought from Recordsville from around 1980 until it closed, particularly those packs of half a dozen 45s or however many there were for a couple of quid (and you'd never know which ones were in the middle!). I bought a rare 12" Joy Division/Warsaw Pakt in there, and 'Being Boiled' by The Human League.
Back then, there were several record shops in Victoria, where I've worked since 1977. There were Harlequin branches in Strutton Ground and Victoria Street (the latter later taken over by Our Price), one in the little arcade by the District line entrance to Victoria station, two WH Smiths, the Army and Navy Store record department, and another independent at the very end of Vauxhall Bridge Road run by an elderly lady. (I bought the Jam's 'Going Underground' in there, so easy to date as early 1980.) Now there are none left!
Name: Karl Eldridge.
Comment: I lived and worked at 126 Wilton Road and Recordsville was my local, so to speak. It was a typical record shop run by slightly intimidating males (they probably weren't, it was probably just me being a 15-year-old twat) some of whom were in a band called The Gas. The one outstanding memory that remains of Recordsville is my purchase of The Adverts' Gary Gilmore's Eyes and Elvis Costello's Watching The Detectives by candlelight. It was possibly a bit after the three-day week so must have happened during a power cut. These could still happen anytime, anywhere, and for no particular reason up until about 1978... a bit like Racey singles.
(23 November 2015)
Name Simon Drew
Comment: Those were the days! some of my most formative (socially and musically) years were spent here, working for Shaun and John Walters.
Memories? Millions of them... and now still have contact with Jonnie Rogan, albeit too infrequently. First manager when I started was Chips. I was eventually offered a job working for The Faces, Billy Gaff their manager at the time had offices around the corner from Recordsville. They were fabulous times to work in those stores (1968-72), music was the key that opened almost everything. I also worked for Charmdale... a seriously dedicated import company.
(3 August 2016).
Name: Cathy Martin
Comment: As a young teenager I used to work Saturdays in Roger Hart Chemists in Warwick Way. As soon as I got my day's wages I'd go straight round to Recordsville and spend the lot... every week!
Never had any money but always had every record in the top 20. Ah, those were the days.
(2017)
Name: Colin Price
Comment: I would often buy from Recordsville during the early to mid 1970s, in fact, the first record I ever bought I bought there. We would often make the trek from Pimlico School and spend our lunchtimes browsing the racks and asking staff to play the latest sounds over the shop system. I believe that they took on the vacant store next door and extended? Perhaps someone can confirm that? Happy memories.
(2020)
Sue Dudley
Recordsville Wilton Road where most of my pocket money and paper round money went , money well spent x
Loved the place, One if the few shops where you could get non chart records, Remember getting stuff by Sam and Dave, Judge Dread and many others in there