Telemech

Happy memories. Bill at home in Aberdeen 1963. With a new copy of Ken's LP 'The Sparkling Touch, purchased at Telemech

"TELEMECH"

END OF AN ERA
Those of you who have read through my record collection pages will have noticed the name 'TELEMECH" mentioned often, as the shop in
Aberdeen, Scotland, where I purchased most of Ken's records, as well as the bulk of my whole record collection. Telemech was, and is, Dave
Towsey. I remember way back around 1955/6 finding a new record shop just opening in Marischal Street and at the time it was so much in it's infancy that the secondhand records were still in boxes on the floor on the lower level. My very first find of Ken's 78's were Skater's Waltz &
Take Me To The Ball game, Jukebox Poka & Under a Red Umbrella and American Patrol & Casey Jones, all on the Esquire Label. Dave worked extremely hard and not only built the Marischal Street shop into a thriving Radio & TV business but eventually had two more shops in Aberdeen (Rosemount Viaduct) and the one next to his home in Ellon (Aberdeenshire). It has always been a source of personal pleasure that in spite of having left Aberdeen to live in the South Of England in 1964 I was able to keep up regular communications with Dave and always visited when in Aberdeen.

​Sometime in the 90's Telemech moved from Marischal Street into Belmont Street, where it remained until about a year ago when it came under Bang & Olsen. Sadly, Dave tells me that due to present day market forces and that radio and TV, and such, are so easily purchased in any Electrical or Computer stores as well as buying on the Internet, that Telemech has now ceased trading. Dave has been sort-of semi retired for some time now, while the family took care of the shops. Telemech has been a part of my life for so long that it is difficult to think that that it is no more! It came about in the early days of the massive growth of Television. I still used a wind-up gramophone when Telemech was born and it grew through all the technical and digital changes and was a household name all over the Northeast of Scotland, thanks to the dedication and hard work put in by Dave and the faithful staff who stayed with him over the years.

As I write, Dave is still kept busy with the clearing up and working through the legal minefield that such a business must go through before everything is finally concluded. I would like to thank Dave for the friendship he has shown me all these years. Whenever a new LP of Ken's appeared he would be sure to tell me at the earliest convenience. I would like to wish Dave and his wife, Trish, all the very best for the future and hope that they have a very long and happy retirement. They can be sure that the name "Telemech" will never be forgotten in Aberdeen and the northeast of Scotland. Telemech never quite became International but perhaps now, through these pages, it's name will become known
world wide.
JUNE 2020
It is with great sadness that I have to report that David died in June 2020.
Another great loss in my life and the loss of a very long time friend who
will be greatly missed. It is indeed, the end of an era

I sold one of the demo singles I'd bought in Telemech. This was about ten years ago now. I auctioned it on ebay and it sold for £254 no less!The reason it went for such a high price was partly because it was a rare Tamla Motown 45 that hadn't sold very well. Secondly EMI had called the group The Spinners and the UK Liverpool group of the same name objected. That meant the record had to be repressed as being by The Motown Spinners, but my copy above was an original one! How much did I pay for it at Telemech? Well if only I could remember, it may have been 2/6d but it could have been in one of their clear outs when all the singles were 6d each.