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Can you remember MAGPIE RECORDS (Film Soundtrack Specialists) in Worcester ?
Well if that is the case then let me introduce myself. My name is Bob Pritchard, founder & co owner of that company which started
trading in the early part of 1970.Our prime task at that time was to supply hard to find Film Soundtrack LP's which then were being sought after in great numbers.
For those of you that may have used us during this nostalgic time of collecting rare vynal, I'll try and fill you in on the company that really started from nothing.
Both Myself,and Bob Gammon had been working for TopRank at the Odeon cinema in Worcester as film projectionists. As we did this through out the 60's we were well conversant with the films and music scores of that time.
I remember one day I went and bought a copy of Film & Filming (I wonder how many can remember that publication) and I always remember looking
at the WANTED section and could not believe the amount of frustrated people looking for soundtrack albums. This is really what started it, on every day off from work we went off on search missions to see if we could find some of these hard to find titles, I shudder to think now the amount of miles we travelled to find these gems of gold. Amazingly over a period of 12 months we had built up a very large collection of records. It was now time to test the market place and wow!! the response was out of this world. The time had come to decide do we form a record distribution company or stay in work,as finding time to sell records was now getting hard,as the deluge of mail we were receiving each day it was getting impossible.
Well it was a do or die decision and I will always remember the fun and enjoyment we had in running this company over a period of years.
We looked at the situation very closely our only real competitor at this time was Soundtracks Unlimited which was running out of London so we felt we had enough room to fill some of the marketplace.
As we were going to be mail order only at the start of this venture we managed to find a small shop unit in Worcester, I say small as it was only 12ft X 8ft.
Our trading name went up as Magpie Records Why MAGPIE ? well think of the bird it always collects and hordes !!.
With our telephone installed,the purchase of a typewriter and Xerox printing machine we embarked on this truly amazing adventure..
It was not long before this small unit was getting too small and it was time to move..
With luck on our side a larger two storey retail shop became available just a few blocks down from where we were and we jumped at the chance it gave us the upstairs to use as the mail order unit, and the retail over the counter sales downstairs this was our domain for quite some years to come.
As time went on we were finding that more and more the demand for imported product,titles which just could not be found here in the UK. We started using a company called Charmdale in London at first although very good it was starting to get very expensive. So we started travelling to the to the United States in person to search down the titles we wanted from what they called Record Closeout Warehouses,in other words deleted records.These were indeed Aladdin's caves it was nothing for us to spend two days searching these places.We started then to import very large quantities of stock.
Through these amazing years for me we did get to see a bit of the world and even Europe as we imported from there also. From then on the company went from strength to strength I wonder if any of you can remember our special open day we used to have once a year ?
It's quite remarkable too, to think that we were exporting quite a lot of this material around the world as well. Also large companies like Samuelsons Film Services were buying large quantities from us to stock there library of records,plus many public libraries around the UK were buying our stock as well.
Sadly in the early 80's I sold out my share in the company, as in life, thing have to move on. But I will always remember these golden years,and hope some of this brings back memories to you also....
My kindest regards to you all..... Bob.
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Crikey! I remember Magpie Records too!
I got a copy of the vinyl album (well, there weren't such things as CDs at the time) of Barry Gray's Space:1999 music from there. It was a US import, as I recall. Weren't you near the railway station in Foregate Street?
Nice to know you're still about - I must say, it's taken long enough for you to discover this forum Bob... 
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Sureman That's wonderful lovely to hear you still remebered us. Great with the old Catalogue I wonder if it would be possible to scan a page off that and post it here
Thanks again great memories
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Hi Simon, Yes thats right we were just down the street from Foregate St Station in a shopping area known as The Hopmarket.
Thanks for the reply great to hear from you
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Hi Bob,
I remember, and actually visited your home there back in the 19**'s (whenever it was).
And Worcester wasn't easy to get to from London by train.
Best Wishes.
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Posted: |
Jan 30, 2009 - 10:38 AM
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By: |
MusicMad
(Member)
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I'm an old customer of Magpie Records, too, though - perhaps - my purchases were not too extensive. I had virtually no disposable income in the late 70s (as an undergraduate) and only managed the occasional purchase in the early 80s (as a trainee accountant).
But I do recall visiting and buying Jerry Goldsmith's Our Man Flint one day (when I was on audit at the local Lea & Perrins' factory) and some time later I visited Worcester with my other half (though I think it pre-dates our marriage, not that that matters) and ... having spent as much as I could really afford (and a little more) I started talking to the manager and saying how it would be great if some old John Barry scores would become available ... such as The Ipcress File. I was dumbstruck when he replied, but it is - here (an expensive Japanese import). Needless to say I was broke for the rest of the month!
I know that I spent most of my pocket money/saturday job earnings on vinyl OSTs in the early 70s and the money went to either Magpie Records or Soundtracks Direct (or was it Soundtrack & General?) in London. And later on, of course, there was Discount Soundtracks (now Movie Boulevard) in Leeds. I think I got my first (of several) copies of Thunderball and You Only Live Twice from Magpie Records - US 2nd hand imports - rather rough but at least they were the OSTs which had been OOP in the UK for many years.
Yes, a few memories of Magpie Records ... and many thanks, Bob, for the history. I now visit Worcester from time to time but usually looking to buy hi-fi equipment (when the better half allows) and I often think of those old days. Regretfully, I cannot place the shop's location.
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I remember Magpie Records very well. Purchased loads of stuff from there. There was also a guy in the same area called John Slater, I wonder if he was known to either Bob.
Happy days: I used to write to ask if a certain item was available; later made enquiries by 'phone.
- bluenose19 (aka James MacMillan).
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yep, remember you chaps. Never made it to worcester as I was at school in those days but certainly remember seeing your name and a catalogue or two - yes, Bob, also remember well the small ads in films and filming and films illustrated every month, fellow collectors buying and selling gems!
I'm sure I did get something off you at one of the filmfairs or movie jumbles?
Did you have a table/stall at one or two of these occasions in London?
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For sure, I remember you Bob! And the other Bob. Mail-order-wise. I got a lot of stuff from you in the 70s. Mostly Bond/Barry, if I recall. I lived in Weston-Super-Mare at the time.
Good to hear from you, here. I love nostalgia!
Andy
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