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From: prk@charm.UUCP (Paul Kolodner)
Newsgroups: net.music.classical
Subject: Record-store clerks
Message-ID: <745@charm.UUCP>
Date: Sun, 15-Sep-85 12:02:46 EDT
Article-I.D.: charm.745
Posted: Sun Sep 15 12:02:46 1985
Date-Received: Mon, 16-Sep-85 00:11:11 EDT
Organization: Physics Research @ AT&T Bell Labs Murray Hill NJ
Lines: 22

Asking the advice of the clerks in a record store is indeed a step
up from just deciding that one ochestra or conductor or etc is
the best one to patronize.  Every artist has recorded horrible duds,
and the famous ones tend to do so more and more frequently.
However, need I warn that not all record-store clerks are worth
talking to?  I find that Tower Records Broadway store in NYC is revolting
in all respects.  Their set-up is very glitzy, but I usually go in with
specific desires and come out empty-handed, because they don't seem to sell
records that were not released this year.  I was once present when a 
a woman asked the clerk to help her find a record with Jascha Heifetz
and Alfred Wallenstein playing a Bach concerto;  she obviously didn't
speak good English and she obviously didn't know much about music.
He told her that Wallenstein was a pianist and that he didn't know
of any Bach piano/violin cocncertos.  She went away confused.  By
a miracle, she wandered back in later, so I took her aside with a
Schwann catalog and found what she was looking for in about a second.
I then told her to show that to the clerk, but I'll bet she didn't get it.
It was an old record, you see.  Neither Heifetz nor Wallenstein
has made records in five, maybe ten years!  Caveat emptor.
On the other hand, I find J&R Classical Outlet, across the street from
the NYC city hall, reasonably good.  They have an enormous clerk in their
basement who knows a lot about classical recordings.