Rockpile, in Westport, was a popular Record Exchange shop that cropped up on the scene in the early 80's.
In the mid 80's, I used to visit them regularly as one who sold them records when I was gradually offloading the mountain of vinyl I had amassed.
Well now it's confession time - 2 of the albums I passed onto them were missing a couple of items!
The top image is a set of art prints done by Peter Schmidt that were a free gift with an album by Eno called "Before And After Science" which I bought in 1977. The set of four 12 inch prints came in a kind of presentation folder in the record sleeve.
The other photo is of a free bonus album that I got with a record released by Bill Nelson in 1981 called "Quit Dreaming And Get On The Beam".
It turned out that the free album "Sounding The Ritual Echo" was one I played more often than the actual official LP it was with, so just as I had decided to hold on to the art prints when I sold the Eno album to Rockpile, I also opted to keep the free Bill Nelson album, considering it too good to sell!
I do remember peeling the "INCLUDES FREE ALBUM" sticker off the record sleeve before innocently handing over the "Quit..." album!
So if anyone can recall buying either of those 2 albums out of Rockpile - well, I still have your stuff!
If you want to claim the missing items, you'll need to show me your receipt as proof of purchase!
Meanwhile, especially for the person who missed out on it, here's a wee taster of one of the tracks from the bonus album, a track called "My Intricate Image". All the "experimental" tracks on the LP were recorded using faulty equipment Bill had at home!
"Sounding The Ritual Echo" was officially released in it's own right on CD later in the 80's, I think I'm right in saying.
When I first went to Rockpile I am sure they were up Blackness Road somewhere but my memory is cloudy. I really liked Rockpile and the folks that ran it, I always felt a bit less ripped off by them compared to Grouchos
ReplyDeleteremember buying dark side of the moon on vinyl and it still had original posters and stickers in sleeve! ace!
ReplyDeleteYes, Rockpile was in.. I think Annefeild road off Blackness , Run by Ian Walker , then when they moved to westport , Ian had help from his brother in law Mike Stachan (drummer in VEX) , then after Mike went to glasgow to open his own second hand record shop (realistic records)whilst training to be a nurse , Ian employed Brian Hutton (Altres) to help , they were very fair and I remember Ian getting a batch of really rare Zappa bootleg L.P.'s in and He taped them , I made covers from the original covers and he sold them cheaply because he wanted people to have them and share the music ! Thats the sort of guy Ian is ! maybe not a good business man but a fair man , and retro I also had the eno pictures will have to search them out!
ReplyDeletemike
i can still smell it yet
ReplyDeleteyep good lads in that shop, once refused to sell me "kind of blue" as it was in poor nick
ReplyDeleteyea I spent many a time in Rockpile chatting to Ian fine guy good times
ReplyDeletecharlie mcd
Rockpile was indeed on Blackness Road certainly between about 1977 and 79 (while I was a the Logie/Harris Annexe). It was a couple of doors down from the Ironmonger.
ReplyDeleteLike Stoo I always felt welcome in Rockpile rather than Groucho's where I always felt a wee bit imtimidated.
Bought my first vinyl copies of Rattus Norvegicus, No More Heros and Black & White there.
Incidentally, I won a competition to choose the track-listing of Bill Nelson's compilation album Vistamix. I think my original choice was tweaked a bit but it was essentially my Bill Nelson mix tape...but on vinyl.
By the way, Ian (Mr Rockpile) was in my place watching his son's band recording at the weekend there. He hasn't changed at all over the years; was a rare blast from the past having the authentic Rockpile patchouli aroma about the studio for the afternoon too!
ReplyDeleteAh the smell of patchouli and the sound of prog rock in Rockpile. I miss it.
ReplyDeleteye that was my dads shop i remember was very young at the time
ReplyDeleteThat was my band recording at seagate
tell your dad thanks :) his shop is sorely missed - and I'm still saying that even thought I haven't been in it for nearly 30 years....it was THAT good a shop!
Deletewent in there, april '83 for 1st time.
Deletegot 'inflammable material' for 4 quid. nearly
fell over. was a mint copy of a 4 year lp.
was 14. kept going in every other week 'til
early '90's. moved away, came back late '90's and bought a few things through 2000.
didn't say much or know anyone, so showed
up one day in 2001 i think after a while
away and rockpile was gone forever. welled
up, even at 32. only other times this happened was at grandparents passing.
never emulate that feeling of walking in there. of the 59 bus into rockpile 2 or 3
hours, wee break for juice and a roll at
shop on corner next to pub, then back in
for another good while. had about 7 or 8 quid max in the mid-80's schooldays and not much more when i was older, but amazing memories. eyes are burning as i type. i've
been in a ream of record shops, but, Ian
your place was total magic. i could hardly do my lessons at school for making lists in my head. lp's, singles, tapes. genius.
got 'fishcotheque' too. who ever heard of that? 3 quid i think and that was 1990!
took some lps in one day when i was a bit skint and Ian asked me how much i wanted for them! WTF Marko
Good memories of Rockpile - popped in there regularly when my family moved to Dundee inbthe 90s, wish I had the chance to visit even more.
ReplyDeleteI lived in northeast England but whenever I came to Dundee in 1980/81 I'd check out Rockpile and Groucho's before going on to McGonagall's for a pint. Bought my copies of Damned Damned Damned and Brand New Age at Rockpile. Returned to Dundee in 2009 for the first time in years and was kinda miffed that Groucho's had survived while Rockpile had gone. Mind you, that whole neighbourhood had changed radically - it was no longer seedy! What a liberty.
ReplyDeleteNice guy, he went out with my friend Jackie mcG 95-96
ReplyDeleteIan died yesterday. RIP
ReplyDeleteSad to learn of the untimely death of Ian Walker. I too was a regular visitor to Rockpile and always found Ian as a very nice person. Thanks to Ian I was introduced to John Prine.
ReplyDeleteSorry to hear of Ian's death. Rockpile was a fixture of the west Port in the early 80s - along with the Scout Bar and the Ascot Bar, in either of which Ian could often be found. Bought my first Che Guevara T-shirt from a batch Ian got in. That whole area has lost the wonderful atmosphere it had in those halcyon days. Tempus fugit....
ReplyDelete