I recently came into possession of a 1951 edition of The Record Guide by Edward Sackville-West and Desmond Shawe-Taylor. More or less a forerunner of The Penguin Guide, it covers the best classical recordings then available, mostly on 78s but with some LPs coming along. I’ve found it interesting to read and thought others might too.
The first thing that might be of interest are the prices. A complete Goldberg Variations from HMV on six 78s is listed as costing £2 18s 3d (or about £80 corrected for inflation!). Figaro, on 12 discs, is £8 4.5d (about £220 today).
The new LPs were less expensive per minute of music, but the SQ was reportedly variable depending on which company a disc was from. Two Brandenburgs or a Beethoven Symphony on Decca, for example, would have set you back 39s 6d each (£60 today). Maybe we should be grateful for today’s prices.
A Decca LP of Petrushka conducted by Ansermet seems to have been the ubiquitous demo disc of the day, ‘to such an extent, indeed, that people who take a keen technical interest in gramophone reproduction run the risk of becoming heartily sick of Stravinsky’s score.’!
Only a few shops are recommended, all in London. I daresay all all long gone now, though older readers may remember some?
GRAMEX used to be not too far from Waterloo until about 12 or so years ago. That place was like a time capsule.
Imhof’s was the site of the original HMV Store on Oxford St I think.
Eddy Sackville-West and Desmond Shawe-Taylor were fellow aesthetes and critics who resided at Long Crichel, Dorset (as well as London). I’d like to see a copy of this book ! I think Eddy was Vita’s cousin and he inherited Knowle in Kent after he became Baron Sackville. Quite a character by all accounts !
On Shaw-Taylor’s death back in the 90s, ‘Sailor Ted’ Heath apparently came over from Salisbury to ‘raid’ the music collection, having been told apparently by the family that he could help himself to one or two tapes from the fine Shawe-Taylor archive. The residents at Long Crichel were outraged when he filled a couple of carrier bags and the story got into Private Eye at the time !
I don’t think so: Imhofs was in New Oxford Street, north side, a couple of hundred yards east of Tottenham Court Road. The only HMV in the 1960s that I recall was in Oxford Street, south side, I think somewhere near Bond Street.
Though well after 1951, I looked at hifi in Imhofs when originally designing and assembling my first hifi system late 1960s, and several times from then into 1970s browsed records there (and HMV, also in 1971 the original Virgin shop - a place above a clothing boutique long before “megastore” days).
