Music shop in Saltcoats

[irejim9]

Listening to the radio in the middle of the night I woke up immediately when I heard the town of Saltcoats mentioned. Interview with Colin Hay, rhythm guitarist with Men at Work who said his parents owned a music shop in Saltcoats from about 1948 - 1957 ? Can anyone recall this shop, where it was and the name?

[Sarah]

Remember it well, his father was Jim Hay, the family moved to Australia, both parents have past away..

[hahaya2004]

Irejim9, this might be of interest to you

http://www.threetowners.net/forum/viewt ... =colin+hay

[morag]

Yes, think I posted before, Dad went in there to buy a disc for my mum for their anniversary, she'd hinted at Jim Reeves 'put your sweet lips'. dad went to the shop and they didn't have it so, told what was the next best seller, he bought Roy Orbison's It's Over..

[bonzo]

I'm to young to remember this shop but I do remember wee rays on dockhead St across from the broo. I seem to remember I spent a fair bit of my pocket money in there

[Vinegarjoe]

Seem to remember it was called "Thomsons" in my day ('60s)(Correct me if I'm wrong) Best place to buy stylii for my record player. Also a large record collection. Used to be a toss up between them and Harris's on Dockhead St, who also stocked records upstairs. Wee Ray's came a number of years later at the other end of Dockhead St.
Coming from Stinston, we could also buy the latest singles (not big on albums!!) at Union Electronics on New St, run by Frank Gilmour, who also had another electronics shop adjacent to Ardeer Parish Church manse on Shore Road, and at one time owned a "supermarket" at the Station gates on the corner of Warner St.
I remember going after school at Stevenston High and buying the single (6/8d, if I remember!!) Whistling Jack Smith's "I was Kaiser Bill's Batman" from the shop on New Street......oh dear!!! I'll get my coat!!

[bonzo]

Also remember in John menzies and woollies you could change the price stickers on the albums and get them cheaper, obviously I only heard of people doing this as I was far to honest to do it.

[aland]

think of colin hay and think of this

got a few why's when we played it while out campaigning

[little plum]

Can anyone recall this shop, where it was and the name?

I dont recall Hays music shop on Hamilton St, a bit before my time, but I remember the location of the music shop after it was acquired by Ray Humphries, Bill Underwood and Barcley Fullerton (sp). At a guess I would say it was situated at aproxomately 50 yards up from the La Scala picture house.
In the late 60's the shop was known as " the music shop and keyboard centre", it had the booths to let you listen to records of your selection, it sold music sheets of the latest releases and on a Saturday Joe McGrath, a teacher, would play the Hammond organ in the extention to the main shop

[Jim McCreadie]

lrejim9 wrote:
"Listening to the radio in the middle of the night I woke up immediately when I heard the town of Saltcoats mentioned. Interview with Colin Hay, rhythm guitarist with Men at Work who said his parents owned a music shop in Saltcoats from about 1948 - 1957 ? Can anyone recall this shop, where it was and the name?"

"Hays Music Shop" was situated on Hamilton Street. From Stark's the Tobacconist, move towards the War Memorial approximately 3 doors and their shop would have been directly across the road. I think part of the structure was / is a Tanning Salon (yes, in Saltcoats ).

A court case regarding copyright and their hit "Down Under" cost the band a considerable sum and Colin believes it contributed to his father's death;
http://www.news.com.au/entertainment/mu ... 37974ea1ce

[creamolafoam]

I'm to young to remember this shop but I do remember wee rays on dockhead St across from the broo. I seem to remember I spent a fair bit of my pocket money in there

Bought my first record in their in the very early seventies (cracklin' rosie - neil diamond). Old fella and a young hippie type ran it, & I've noticed he is in a local band still.
Also remember one just after that, up in Hamilton st opposite where starks is just now, can't think if they moved up their or if it was someone else. On a wee side note my favourite all time record shop was 23rd precinct in glasgow, long since gone.

[Retsum]

I remember the record shop in Hamilton Street in the 50's. As I recall you had to go upstairs. I bought my first LP there. It was Bizet's Carmen and it came on 3 LPs. I could only afford to buy them one at a time with quite a gap between. So on the first record I had the beginning and end of the opera. I felt a real sense of achievement when I was able to stack all three on the record player and listen to the complete opera (incidentally, I'm not a great fan of opera but Carmen is different). My purchase coincided with the family buying a Dansette? record player - prior to that it had been a windup mechanical gramophone.