Last Shop StandingWhatever Happened To Record Shops?
By Graham Jones
Whatever happened to record shops?
Not long ago there was one in every High Street.
However, 540 have closed down in the last four years.
The book Last Shop Standing lifts the lid on an industry in tatters. Graham Jones has worked at the heart of record retailing since the golden era of the 1980s. He was there during the years of plenty and has witnessed the tragic decline of a business blighted by corruption and corporate greed.
Undertaking a tour of the last remaining independent record shops in Britain, Graham has collected a wealth of entertaining stories that explain why the best are still standing, and how the worst of them blew it.
This is a hilarious yet harrowing account by a man who has been there and sold that. It is a book that will bring a wry smile to the face of anyone who has ever bought a CD or attended a concert, and still has the promotional T Shirt to prove it.
Graham has amassed a fantastic collection of anecdotes on his travels around the record shops of Britain including:
· How Take That were conned out of the Christmas number 1
· The hysterical tale of the band that faked a murder
· The hilarity of the UK’s worst record shop
· Why Mr Blobby has a special place in the heart of record shop owners.
· The most hyped records ever and how they cheated their way into the charts.
· The rock star who’s hobby is touring record shops being horrible to staff.
· The shop that sold £45,000 worth of records for a fiver.
Hear about the band that started their UK tour with the original 3-piece line up.
After the first day due to drink one member was left in the hotel and an impostor brought in. By day two a second member was left behind in the hotel due to drug problems and a second impostor brought in. The band finished the tour with only one member and two impostors on the stage, however the public were none the wiser (until now)...
Last Shop Standing is a unique slice of social history and record industry folklore. It is also a damn good laugh.
Available from Proper Records
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