Was thinking the other day about the time I went to peps shop in Wolverhampton, and just started wondering what happened to him,is he still about.also the likes of Alan Rhodes and other well known characters from the early days

Pep runs a hotel in Tywyn, North Wales

Bloody hell, forgot all about visitng that shop, was in the town centre I believe, just round the corner from a hotel I was staying in for a conference....

Come out of the station, go to the end of station approach, cross straight over and it was sandwiched inbetween the Old Vic hotel and the Grand Theatre

i used to buy records from alan rhodes and he was working in halfords but that was a few years ago

that was his first shop there was one across from the Vic and his last was the street behind the vic

that was his first shop there was one across from the Vic and his last was the street behind the vic

Thats the shop everyone refers to Tim, not his video shops.

he had the old co-op store in 82-83, then the last shop was in queen street, think it was called watchdog but mick will correct me on that one. the coop was amazing...it had a huge cellar which ian duely filled with all the record collections he had purchased over the years.....it REALLY WAS a CELLAR FULL OF SOUL & every other genre you could imagine, there wasnt an inch of floor space...you could literally have to walk over records. however, the one nestled between the grand & vic was the place to be in its heyday...all those brilliant releases, in particular from the late 70's/early 80's...ian got them on their release dates...many of them now are collectors items and gone on to be massive tunes but back then you would pay the going rate...£1 for most of them.

he had the old co-op store in 82-83, then the last shop was in queen street, think it was called watchdog but mick will correct me on that one. the coop was amazing...it had a huge cellar which ian duely filled with all the record collections he had purchased over the years.....it REALLY WAS a CELLAR FULL OF SOUL & every other genre you could imagine, there wasnt an inch of floor space...you could literally have to walk over records. however, the one nestled between the grand & vic was the place to be in its heyday...all those brilliant releases, in particular from the late 70's/early 80's...ian got them on their release dates...many of them now are collectors items and gone on to be massive tunes but back then you would pay the going rate...£1 for most of them.

The Queen Street one was last known as "Toontown Video" !

call me old fashioned but I do like reading about people's fond memories of record shops they frequented in years gone by.

But what I really like looking at is them old creased black n white photos of said record stores but there must be something in the human psychia that either takes for granted those common everyday items or we simply never think on to take pictures of our favourite haunts.

I'm just as bad as everybody else.

derek

I've just had an idea! Mmmm

Once whilst trawling for records somewhere north of Miami I found an old electrical store that supposedly sold some of them old 45s.

As I got to the front door I noticed in the window a small hand written note that said 'I sell soul records'.

Come to Pappa.

I did take a photo and I know I've still got it somewhere in amongst a thoussand and one boxes....

used to swap tapes with alan rhodes around 2004 said he was enjoying getting back into buying a few tunes and had one or two from me back then, then lost touch with him

Any one remember Memory Lane records in Willenhall .Used to pop in there after night shift and can remember a few times coming out of shop after four or five hours having to be back at work with a couple of hours sleep. Sorry cant remember guys name who ran the shop but he liked to play a tune and you had to guess artist. and title.

Any one remember Memory Lane records in Willenhall .Used to pop in there after night shift and can remember a few times coming out of shop after four or five hours having to be back at work with a couple of hours sleep. Sorry cant remember guys name who ran the shop but he liked to play a tune and you had to guess artist. and title.

Bald guy, Malcolm, other guy John.

They had a very very big falling out hence the shop closing.

I still see John now and again, he sometimes has records for me.

Cheers Pete had some nice stuff out of there shame it closed

Pep is still around, has a hotel like Pete said, but Helen is VERY poorly with Cancer at the moment.

Cheers Pete had some nice stuff out of there shame it closed

Yeah it was mate, also a great place to hang out and talk about records, Dave Kilworth, Roger Nicholls, Big Frank etc, good times.

Pep is still around, has a hotel like Pete said, but Helen is VERY poorly with Cancer at the moment.

I dont really know Helen, but I always used to chat to her on the door of the old vic, I do hope she gets better...

Mal

Helen is a very formidable lady hope she can fight it

Does anyone know if pep had any brothers, 20 years back I worked with a dusky skinned guy at LDv vans.worked with him for years when for some strange reason we started talking music and he told me his brother was a northern soul dj called pep, was peps surname ullah as that was this guy I used to work with surname. Are there any other big characters from the past who anyone has some good stories about

peps name is ian peripar sumut like that

wish I wasn't some bloody obsessive....

only spent an hour or so trawling old photos on the web when I should've been roasting my chestnuts or summat

Lichfield Street Wolverhampton

Old Vic Hotel on left facing old Co-op store on right.

derek x

peps name is ian peripar sumut like that

PEP - real name Ian Pereira.

So sad to hear about Helen.

Edited December 24, 201113 yr by Brian Ellis

Does anyone know if pep had any brothers, 20 years back I worked with a dusky skinned guy at LDv vans.worked with him for years when for some strange reason we started talking music and he told me his brother was a northern soul dj called pep, was peps surname ullah as that was this guy I used to work with surname. Are there any other big characters from the past who anyone has some good stories about

the name ullah was the sir mane of little john from scunthorpe who sadly pass away a few years ago will find out of is wife on box day if i see her it just seem uncanny

Alan Rhodes used to run a pub about a mile from where I live, quite a while ago. I didn't know at the time (found out much later) or i would have gone and had a word with him.

The strange world of....

Alan Rhodes used to run a pub about a mile from where I live, quite a while ago. I didn't know at the time (found out much later) or i would have gone and had a word with him.

The strange world of....

Are you talking Al Rhodes Wigan Dj who used to run The Oval Ball Soul Club York? Was the pub a Samual Smiths pub by any chance Steve, or are we talking about a different Al Rhodes?

PEP - real name Ian Pereira.

So sad to hear about Helen.

ian did have quite a large family, brothers & sisters etc, i think he originally moved from stourbridge or somewhere in that region and supposedly most of them still reside there. he moved houses several times whilst living in wolverhampton, always remaining private but to a select few friends. the first record shop he set up was in walsall, in stafford street, always amazing tunes...i used to spend every lunch time in there when i worked in the town. of course there were a number of record shops and great junk shops in walsall during the early/mis 70's. i remember when neil rushton opened his first floor premises in lichfield street, he'd been there a short while when he came back from the states with an absolute motherlode of tunes, many in 50's & 25 counts....again tripping over stuff!!