Yeah, Ray Avery's Rare Records was one of the first collectors shops I went to. I wasn't a real "collector" yet, so I was not permitted to venture to the vaunted second floor. Ray, as most of us know, was also a fabulous photographer of jazz musicians and one helluva nice guy. Softspoken, polite, and would acknowledge you with a smile every time you came in. About the direct opposite of Murray.
Cary Ginell
> Date: Wed, 18 Aug 2010 16:24:34 -0700
> From: [log in to unmask]
> Subject: Re: [ARSCLIST] music man murray / Highland record shop
> To: [log in to unmask]
>
> There was a used record shop on Highland blvd in Hollywood ca.
> It was a block north of Santa Monica Blvd, corner of Lexington, in ground floor of a 2 story building.
> Floor to ceiling 78s a lot of classical sets.
> As i remember prices were high so i didnt go very often.
> My favorite was Ray Averies on Robertson in the late 40s and later when he was in Glendale in a 2 story building. The average stuff on the ground floor and the goodies and transcriptions on second floor.
> Sure miss those real record stores.....
> dn
> --- On Wed, 8/18/10, Michael Biel <[log in to unmask]> wrote:
>
> > From: Michael Biel <[log in to unmask]>
> > Subject: Re: [ARSCLIST] music man murray record collection & Murray Gershenz, music collector extraordinaire, is parting with his entire music library.
> > To: [log in to unmask]
> > Date: Wednesday, August 18, 2010, 12:34 PM
> > On 8/18/2010 2:22 PM, Historische
> > Aufnahmen wrote:
> > > I recall the excitement when first moved to LA at the
> > prospect of going to
> > > Murray's. Then I went. Dashed hopes.
> > Only to be outdone by the music shop
> > > on Highland at Santa Monica, with a shopkeeper even
> > more arrogant than
> > > Murray.
> >
> > What shop is/was that? THe History channel program on
> > retrotech I mentioned last week that had a segment at the
> > Rainbo pressing plant interviewed the owner of a store The
> > Record Collector on Melrose near Fairfax which is south of
> > Santa Monica Blvd and not far from Highland. Their
> > website -- which hasn't changed since 1999 -- states they've
> > been in the same location for 25 years, was founded in 1974,
> > and as of Sept 1999 are located at 7809 Melrose. That
> > means they were at another Hollywood location for 25 years
> > and have been here for 21 years. (I looked at the
> > site's earlier versions on the wayback machine to see if the
> > earlier address could be found, but the Nov 1999 version is
> > the oldest and is the same as the current page http://www.therecordcollector.net/Doc/Review.htm
> > except for the deletion of the fax number.
> >
> > > I hate to see record (and book) shops
> > close but when their "owner"
> > > behaves as these folks have, give me the internet any
> > day.
> > >
> > > Alan Carrie
> >
> > This guy seemed nice enough but the shelves were
> > full. If you want nice guys and interesting (but
> > smaller) stores and stock, I recommend Pops Resale in
> > Lexington Kentucky, and Whistlin' Willie in Pittsburgh Pa.
> >
> > Mike Biel [log in to unmask]
> > > On Wed, Aug 18, 2010 at 12:23 PM, Cary Ginell<[log in to unmask]>
> > wrote:
> > >
> > >> The point differentiating "stock" from
> > "collection" is well-taken in this
> > >> case. To my knowledge, Murray as never been
> > anything but a shopkeeper. He
> > >> has no private collection to my knowledge and
> > really isn't all that
> > >> concerned with the finer points of discographical
> > research as are serious
> > >> collectors. He never worked hard to make his a
> > better business. He just
> > >> opened his doors and expected to sell his schlock
> > for whatever ridiculous
> > >> prices he posted on them. He has been reviled in
> > L.A. for decades as being a
> > >> grumpy, mean, brusque, and difficult person. The
> > last time I visited his
> > >> shop was maybe 25-30 years ago, when it was on
> > Santa Monica Blvd. near
> > >> Western, a bad part of town even then. What he's
> > got now is most likely the
> > >> same stuff, only rifled through even further.
> > There may be some choice items
> > >> that he set aside (some of which he has displayed
> > during interviews), but I
> > >> can almost guarantee that they are a miniscule
> > percentage of his holdings
> > >> and certainly not representative of all that is
> > there. If his business were
> > >> doing well, he wouldn't need to find a new
> > profession at his advanced age.
> > >> He could have just dumped what was left and gone
> > off to some island in
> > >> blissful retirement. But creating a new image of
> > himself as a "lovable old
> > >> coot" on TV shows is easier for him and probably
> > earns him a much better
> > >> income than selling records. If these records end
> > up in a land fill
> > >> somewhere, they probably won't be missed.
> > >>
> > >> Cary Ginell
> > >>
> > >>
> > >
> >
>
>
>
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