A Look Back at Music and the Stores That Sold Them

I found this picture on Twitter and saved it. These are record store listening booths in England circa 1962. Nowadays they are known as vinyl stores if they sell records, or music stores if they sell music in different formats. In this article, I will be showing my age.

The first way I'll do that is to admit that I have owned Led Zeppelin 2, originally purchased new in 1969, in every format. Great album but the changing technology has cost me a lot of money for it over the years.

When I was finally old enough to go to record stores, there were listening booths at the back of larger record stores but more up-to-date than the one shown here.

Growing up in Willowdale, the closest music store to me before Fairview Mall was built in 1970 (yes, I am that old) was the Sam the Record Man in Newtonbrook Plaza at Yonge and Cummer.

When you came through the door, the cashier's counter was on the right. Mounted on the wall behind it was a large slotted shelf with 50 slots, almost like mail slots, each one number from 1-50. The slot would hold a stack of 45s, single play records and the number represented its place on the Chum Chart.

I know further explanation is need for what I just wrote.

A "45" was a small record that had just one song on each side. The "A" side had the feature song on it and the flipside usually had some crappy filler song. The record had a big hole in the middle that required an adapter so it could be played on a record player. Why was it bigger? Likely to sell the piece required to play it! It was interchangeable but if you wanted to stack the records on a player, then one was needed for each. We all cursed it!

The next question would be ... what was a Chum Chart?

Toronto had a rock and roll radio station with the call letters C-H-U-M, which, of course, spells chum and was located at 1050kHz on the AM dial and was known as 1050 Chum. Each week it put out a pamphlet with the record ratings for the week, based on sales. From 1957 to 1968, it was the top 50 and after that the top 30. Kids like me waited in anticipation each week to see where our favorite records stood.

The middle and sides of the store had large bins with albums (33 rpm records with six to seven songs on each side) stacked vertically so shoppers could flip through them. In the downtown Sam the Record Man store on Yonge Street, they had a basement full of bins of old and discontinued albums. Gems could be found if you flipped through patiently. I personally spent hours flipping through those bins.

The store closed in 2007 and the large iconic sign that hung above the store, which everyone knew and was a piece of Toronto history, was put into storage by Ryerson University who promised to put it on a building they were constructing on the same spot. They lied, though, and claimed the neon would clash with the new building's architecture and could be dangerous if the sign broke and there was a mercury spill.

So basically they lied when they submitted to take down the sign, which had a historical designation from the city, and obtain a building permit. The bastards! I wonder if they teach fraud to their students.

The sign was resurrected above a building at Yonge/Dundas Square but is so high and set back it's easy to miss. I hate Ryerson for it!.

Now they way people obtain music has completely changed. It all can be done from home. There is so much to say about how accessible music is now but there is also something to be said for the way it was. You could hold on to what you bought. Read the album liners. Lend it to friends. Now a person's music sits in a program on their phone or laptop.

No doubt it is better today but there is a part of me that misses records and albums.

Lady Gaga at the ACC

Tonight Teena and I went to the see Lady Gaga at the ACC. It was the second of two shows as she did one last night.

There looked to be three stages. The main stage behind the lights to the right and the two circular ones.

Here we are.

The show was scheduled for 8:30pm but she didn't come on till 9:15pm. Although she is coming off a bout of laryngitis which forced her to cancel Monday night's show in Montreal, her voice was in full form. She can really belt out a tune.

Lady Gaga sings at all her shows. No lip syncing phoniness here.

We were pleased to discover that a tent was raised off an area at our end of the arena revealing another stage. It was great to see the show planned so everybody, no mater what end they were sitting at, could see her close by. Bridges came from above so she could walk stage to stage.

Not only is the show a full-tilt spectacle of dancing, lights and fire, Lady Gaga also showed some of her personal side. I don't believe it was an act. She talked about being broke, her father's sister dying at 19 and read an emotional letter that a fan had handed her. That was unscripted, for sure. It was too emotional for her and the fan.

After speaking about her early life she did a solo on the piano, a slowed-down fabulous version of The Edge of Glory. For me that was the highlight of the night. She didn't sing Judas, which was one of the songs I really wanted to hear but she can be forgiven after hearing her do The Edge of Glory. I wish she would record that version.

She ended the show by putting her hat (she wore many during the show and being a hat guy, I enjoyed it!) on the piano bench before the piano and her was lowered below stage. Cool ya to end it!

It was a great show that had a little of everything in it. I'm glad we managed to get tickets for it.

David Wilcox in Concert with Kim Mitchell

I am a huge David Wilcox fan and so is Teena. When we heard he was going to be playing at the Phoenix, we had to be there.

The concert hall has a capacity of 1,350 and it was full.

Wilcox was his usual fabulous, energetic self. I have always enjoyed his music and feel he outperforms most musicians onstage.

Here is the first David Wilcox song that I ever heard, My Eyes Keep Me in Trouble.

Kim  Mitchell followed. He played songs he had done on his own in the past and when he was with Max Webster. The fans loved him.

It was a fun night. David Wilcox is very unique and I look forward to seeing him play again sometime.

Sleepy Mean at Canadian Music Week

Tonight Sleepy Mean finished Canadian Music Week by playing at the Nightowl with bands from Sweden, Ireland and the U.S. In fact, they were the only Canadian band on the schedule tonight. My friend Mark, who alternates between bass and lead guitar, is in the band and was the reason I was there. That and the fact that they are good!

I wanted to record the band but my zoom broke so everything was shaky. Too bad as I could have shown you some great songs, but instead here are some pictures.

Sleepy Mean has a new album out, or what ever you call it these days, on June 24th. Hey guys! Teena and I have no plans for that night!

Garth Brooks in Concert in Hamilton

Teena and I headed to Hamilton to see Garth Brooks in concert at the FirstOntario Centre (the old Copps Coliseum). It was the first of five shows in Hamilton. We parked across the street and had supper and a couple of drinks at The George Hamilton, the city's oldest pub, which we both enjoyed.

We arrived at the arena when the doors opened. Teena wanted a teeshirt but the size of the other fans wanting one too was incredible!

 

Teena gave up and headed downstairs to get one and she said there was hardly a person there.

Brett Kissel, from Alberta, opened the show. I really enjoyed his stuff. His music was quite lively.

Brett was followed by Karyn Rochelle, who is the usual opening act for Trisha yYarwood.

What was very cool was the announcer called out it was five minutes to Garth Brooks. With a minute to go, the countdown hit the screen on stage but about every five seconds an image would come up about the city. This was my favorite!

Garth time!

And out he came!

 

 

The River got the lights in the crowd going.

Garth on the screen over the stage.

 

Trisha Yearwood came  out to do a duet with Garth, then performed a set of her songs. She has been married to Garth since 2005.

 

 

She finished with She's in Love With the Boy and they did the Kiss Cam during it.

I put the camera away and enjoyed the rest of the concert. When Garth did the "revised" version of Friends in Low Places, I had to record it.

I really enjoyed the concert. Teena did too. Garth puts so much energy into his shows and knows exactly how to work a crowd. It was a great night! We both said that if he came back to the area we would be clambering for tickets as soon as they came out.

Jann Arden Live at First Canadian Place

I have been a fan of Jann Arden since she first came out with Insensitive from her Living Under June CD in 1994. It's been a long time but she has finally come out with a Christmas CD, A Jann Arden Christmas. To promote the CD, she put on a free performance on the Waterfall Stage at First Canadian Place.

I am not a fan of Christmas music but if I heard that Jann Arden was going to sing the alphabet, I would go see it. Not only does she have a great voice, but she is also gifted with a great sense of humour.

The session started with a short interview.

Another guitarist, who also sang harmony, accompanied Jann on stage. She sang a few Christmas carols, starting with her favorite, Silent Night, which I recorded and is posted at the bottom of this post, and ended with Good Mother, one of my favorites.

At the end, Jann stayed on stage to sign CDs. Of course, there was a long lineup but She took her time with each person to chat.

This is the first time I have seen her live, which is hard to believe. One day I hope to see her do a full concert. Here she is doing Silent Night from her concert today.