Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP Posting-Version: version B 2.10.1 6/24/83; site charm.UUCP Path: utzoo!watmath!clyde!burl!ulysses!mhuxr!mhuxt!houxm!ihnp4!mhuxn!charm!prk 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.