I READ with interest Andy Scoble’s piece on the demise of Bolton record shops, for I also have been giving this some thought, as I hope to include a section on the record shops of Bolton in a book I am planning.

It is indeed a shame that we will soon have only X- Records in a town where record shops once proliferated and I have a few comments I would like to make about Andy’s article.

Ames Records was situated roughly where HMV is now and was an excellent little shop. Derek Guest only sold records and tapes.

The mainstream music on the ground level whilst soul and rock fans were catered for downstairs. Also, I’ve been speaking to Derek recently, and his first shop was on Deansgate. (I too had the yellow vinyl version of the first Devo album, but I think I bought it from WH Smiths). Oh yes, the Boots next door to Smiths did not have the record department, that was in the store where Waterstone’s is now; and back in the sixties they used to have the little booths where you could listen to a record before you bought it (and it is featured in the feature film The Family Way). Sadly, Andy neglected a few shops, namely the following: Virgin Records (The Market Place), this was replaced by Music Zone. The main reason for Virgin’s demise – and the same for Andy’s Records — was that they were more expensive than the other shops.Rumbelows was on Knowsley Street next to the Victoria Hall.

Burrows Brothers was in the Market Hall — against the back wall on the Bridge Street side.

Harker and Howarths had a small record section and there was, for a very short time, a second-hand record shop in Blackburn Road, roughly where the vets is now.

And finally, who could forget the excellent little record department downstairs in the Co-op in Bridge Street.

Such great memories, the passing of the record shop is a great tragedy and downloading is mainly to blame.

Martin Hutchinson Hill Cot Road Bolton