Monday, May 28, 2012

NME Guide to Rock & Roll London (1978): Reggae

The New Musical Express Guide to Rock & Roll London was a cut out and keep booklet given away with the NME in ealry 1978 - my copy is not dated, but it advertises a forthcoming event coming up at Easter 1978.


I'm going to scan it and put some of it up over the next few weeks, starting with this guide to reggae venues and shops in the capital at that time. The listed venues include Dougie's Hideaway Club in Archway N18, Club Noreik in Seven Sisters Road N15 and the Bouncing Ball Club (43 Peckham High Street SE15), the latter offering 'Good Bar, plus hot Jamaica patties. Spacious club with congenial atmosphere, featuring top-line JA and UK reggae acts, plus some soul. Admiral Ken Sounds'.


Reggae record shops included Hawkeye in Harlesden, Daddy Kool (Tottenham Court Road), M&D (36a Dalston Lane E8), Greensleeves (Shepherds Bush), Dub Vendor (Clapham Junction market - which survived in the area until last year), Third World Records (113 Stoke Newington Road N16) and Tops Record Shop (120 Acre Lane, SW2) - 'Front Line rock at Tops, the leading South London dub stop stockists of all current reggae releases, plus R&B and doo-wop albums, soul imports, and a fortnightly shipment of JA pre, specialising in Techniques (JA) and Clintones (US) productions'.

See also:

NME Guide to Rock & Roll London 1978: Gay Clubs
NME Guide to Rock & Roll London 1978: Disco

6 comments:

John Eden said...

Looks wicked, but any chance of a slightly higher res scan so us old folk can read it better? ;-)

. said...

It's annoying the way blogger is now configured, but if you click on the image it comes up in a window, if you then right click on it and select 'open in new tab' it should open in a readable size - or go to http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-lqXERkubSgs/T8PKkQtv7yI/AAAAAAAAF3Y/J2jwhDyBL6w/s1600/nme2.jpg

John Eden said...

Ah yeah, much better - thanks! I should also mention that Penny Reel is the author of the excellent book "Deep Down With Dennis Brown" - some great insights in there into the 70s London reggae scene.

He also put together most of the NME's "soundsystem splashdown" feature from 1981 which is here: http://www.uncarved.org/dub/splash

John Eden said...

And finally, that end of Seven Sisters Road was, and remains in N15! ;-)

. said...

OK have corrected that North London postcode faux pas. Slightly discomfited to realize I've spent the last 30 years thinking Penny Reel was female.

Alex said...

Interestingly enough, there's still a Hideaway on Junction Road in Archway. Not at all West Indian any more though...