Birmingham, UK had one of the most vibrant record shop scenes in the country

During the 70s and 80s, Birmingham became a Mecca for record stores. You could find almost anything, and what you couldn't find someone could import it for you,

This list of 30 stores in the city brings me find memories of how I used to take the bus every Saturday from my town to Birmingham, for £3.50 return:

https://www.birminghammail.co.uk/news/nostalgia/nostalgia-30-birmingham-record-shops-7607715

I'd leave on an early bus, the take the last bus home, spending all day at my favourite store that is strangely not on this list — Don Christie’s. It was THE place to get the best Dub, Reggae and Hip Hop imports of the time.

The base was so loud, the shop windows vibrated almost to breaking point. Warnings were posted to ensure you closed the door when entering the store. What great times I had.

5 November 2019 — French West Indies

Matthew Cowen @matthewcowen