The best second hander I ever knew was Reddington’s Rare Records in the middle of Birmingham. Danny Reddington was an old rocker, a ted who not only saw off the mods but the skins as well. Stacks of Chess singles brought in from the States. I even picked up a demo of Wake Up, Little Susie there, God knows how he got that. Stupid me flogged it when we were broke and the kids needed stuff.
I was meant to be reading Althusser and Adorno, seen, for reasons that still escape me, as essential pre-requisites of writing about Chuck Berry at the Centre for Contemporary and Cultural Studies where I was, allegedly, doing a PhD. But, frankly, I was so much happier in Danny Reddington's record shop seizing copies of Get A Job, Little Bitty Pretty One andWestern Movies.
And Danny was great, still in his Teds' get-up in those days. He was more important to me than I realised at the time: because I understood, instinctively, that Danny understood Chuck Berry without even thinking. And it was he who showed me the piles of reggae singles that illuminated Birmingham at that time; and he who rang me to tell me he'd got the Chuck Berry EP I craved (Rhythm and Blues with Chuck Berry', the 1956 Chess 'Maybelline' EP). One of those rock'n'roll heroes who are largely invisible. And a bloody sight more fun than the Frankfurt School of Critical Theory.
This could be some event:
http://www.birminghammail.co.uk/news/mi ... od-7596476
Pete Flower Sound of the world forum.
I used to go there when staying with Deb's parent's in Birmingham. I needed to get out for a bit, as you can imagine, and Reddington's was always a good mooching place. It was the only shop I managed to find an Arthur Alexander LP, at a time when there was virtually nothing of his around - his Warner album, "Rainbow Road". An import! What excitement! Norman Sound Of The World Forum
Tim Bought the single Airport by The Motors at Reddington's Rare Records in 1984 with my first ever wage earnings.
