Reminisce And Speculate Part 1
Lawrence Himelfield
In 1967 I became friendly
with a girl who I got to know at the Jewish Lads Brigade youth club in North
Manchester. She was called Susan Creme and she told
me she had a brother also called Lawrence who was in a group. I remember her
saying he also liked The Beach Boys and The Beatles. I grew up in Prestwich, not far from Heaton Park. For my 1969 Christmas
present I was bought my very first STEREO record player. My dad said he would
take me to Eddie Godley's shop on Shudehill,
Manchester. My dad and Eddie were friends from childhood days. I used to buy
second hand records from Godley's. Kevin used to work there sometimes on
Saturdays. I remember he served me when I bought an old MONO copy of Rubber
Soul by The Beatles. they sold ( monochrome ) television
sets, radios, two way walkie-talkies, crystal radio kits, batteries, mono
record players, stereophonic record players, portable ( 45 RPM ) record players
by the name of Discatron, reel to reel tape
recorders, reels of tape, electrical tool kits, light bulbs, remote control
toys, torches, second hand 45 RPM singles, second hand Long Play ( L.P. )
records, Extended Play ( E.P.) records. It was a real Aladdin's Cave, and
everything at affordable prices. Cassettes and cassette players were not really
a feature of the shop. There were always selections of very large glass valves
on the shelves, along with an array of different thicknesses of wires.
Kevin also served dad and me when we went
in the shop for my new stereo record player. A Grundig
I recall. Kevin later married Susan Adelman on June 17th 1973 at The Manchester
Reform Synagogue, Jacksons Row, off Albert Square, Manchester. I have been
married there twice! And they honeymooned
in Barbados, Susan was a friend of mine who loved
music. I took her to the Free Trade Hall to see the Keef
Hartley Band, just before she started dating Kevin.