Vinyl-hunting in Tewkesbury

Ever since it opened in July 2020, I've been meaning to visit Tewkesbury's new independent record shop, To Have and To Hold Records. Finally, as pandemic restrictions were gradually relaxed, I was able to head down the M5 to Tewkesbury on the first Sunday in May. 

I know Tewkesbury very well and my late wife Sue and I used to visit this lovely historic market town regularly. For those who don't know it, Tewkesbury stands at the confluence of the River Severn and the River Avon in Gloucestershire and is made up of medieval streets, Tudor buildings and a magnificent Norman Abbey. The Royal Hop Pole Hotel (in recent times a Weatherspoon's pub) is mentioned in Dicken's The Pickwick Papers and The Battle of Tewkesbury, which took place in 1471, was one of the decisive battles of the Wars of the Roses. The town normally hosts a splendid medieval festival which I've featured previously on this blog. 

After years without a decent record player, I've just treated myself to a new stereo that can play vinyl and CDs (and can even play Spotify and iTunes via Bluetooth.) So, I felt even more vindicated in visiting a record shop and maybe making a few new additions to my collection of hundreds of old LPs and singles. 

I found To Have and To Hold Records easily enough. It occupies a Grade 2 listed building - a former butcher's shop - at Number 6, Church Street. I was greeted by the owner Mel and we chatted about how long I'd waited to come and explore his shop. I think I confused him a bit because, when he asked me what music I was into, I mentioned singer-songwriters from the 1970s and then went ahead and bought two albums - one by Cocteau Twins and one featuring electronic music pioneer Delia Derbyshire (neither of which could be described as being in a singer-songwriter genre or from the 1970s.)

I've loved Cocteau Twins since I first heard their Sugar Hiccup in 1983 (a single from their second album Head over Heels.) Surprisingly, though, I had only ever owned one of their LPs on vinyl, their 1984 album Treasure (although I've got a 'Best of' on CD.) With its gorgeous cover, I couldn't resist buying Four-Calendar Café - their seventh album. It sounds great on my new stereo. 

The other record I bought is a bit of a curiosity, to say the least. The Synth And Electronic Recording Exchanges is essentially a tribute to Delia Derbyshire pioneer (composer and arranger with the BBC Radiophonic Workshop during the 1960s, who is probably best remembered for her ground-breaking electronic arrangement of the Doctor Who theme. It turns out Martin Hannett - record producer famed for his work with Joy Division, The Stone Roses and many other famous names of the late 1980s - was a great admirer of Derbyshire's work. In the 1970s the young Hannett corresponded with Derbyshire, and they sent each other tapes of their electronic experiments with a view to one day releasing them. Both Derbyshire and Hannett died before agreeing on a release but it was issued posthumously in 2019. 

The beauty of a good record shop (like a good bookshop) is you'll find things you didn't know you were looking for. My early May trip back to Tewkesbury reminded me of a couple of things: Tewkesbury is one of the finest historic market towns in England and, while streamed music is all very well, you can't beat visiting a good record shop or the feeling of having and holding some new records.