Showing posts with label Rockpile. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Rockpile. Show all posts

Sunday, 20 February 2011

ROCKPILE'S MISSING ITEMS

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.
 

Wednesday, 24 June 2009

WESTPORT & MARKETGAIT - 1970'S

A shot looking down towards the Angus Hotel from Westport in the mid/late 70's.
It wasn't just the pubs that were the attraction in Westport in the 70's & 80's - a few doors up from the Ascot Bar was a shop called Rockpile.
I became a bit of a regular to this 2nd hand record shop around this era. It was very well stocked with vinyl and was a great place to have a wee rummage. During these rakes through the racks, you'd sometimes catch whiff of some exotic fragrances wafting over, and they were not always because of the joss-sticks, if you know what I mean! Yes Ian & Brian (behind the counter) used to enjoy an occasional joint while blasting out some quality dub and electronic synth sounds - most of the dub & synth based albums being mine as well - me having offloaded lots of LP's by then.
So at least the records went to a good home anyway!!
Brian also used to do illustrations for Dundee fanzine, Cranked Up.
I also remember, along with the records, there being novelty Rizlas and Alpaca wool jerseys hanging up for sale.
In fact I actually ended up buying one of the sweaters.