Ray was someone, I'm pretty sure, my Dad would mention.  Birmingham was definitely a favourite destination, but a shop opened in Burton-Upon-Trent around 1990, so that was probably visited.  He bought a lot of Japanese imports circa 1974-5 and plenty from Peter Russell.  There were trips to London, too.  Charing Cross Road, I think.  Tower in NYC?  Finally, not long before he died, he was getting me to order online stuff from the USA.  Oh, and then there was the 'Music Inn' in Nottingham, where Eric Rose was well into Kenton and Big Band and didn't really like jazz.  Last thing we did together, on a Wednesday lunchtime, was look over some CDs.  He said he'd go back the following week.  Died at the weekend.

Tower on Broadway was superb.  I bet your Dad loved it. The volume they carried was amazing.
Behind the main store for a while they owned a cut-outs store. It was ridiculously cheap. Albums for a couple of dollars.

There was also a great record store called J&R in Manhattan he no doubt would of discovered. It was a strange set up. They owned several adjacent buildings in a side street down town. A shop selling cameras, a shop selling high end audio equipment and a really large record store.
One day I was in their browsing through the jazz section and  group of musicians started playing on makeshift stage in the back of the store. It was Ray Brown's trio promoting their new album. Only in New York!

On the vocal jazz front there was a small specialist called Footlights situated on 12st not far from The Strand Book store. Unfortunately as with J&R that is no longer with us.

Judging from its website, Music Inn is now a big musical instrument shop on Alfreton Rd and doesn't appear to sell records any more. Probably wise.

Come to think of it, David must now be in his mid-seventies.  I was buying CDs in there twelve and more years ago and he'd certainly got a few years on me.  Nice guy, though, and often had good sales bargains.

I wouldn't say neoliberalism is the root of all evil but it has certainly been a dangerous experiment with disastrous consequences. At the same time, a few people have done very well out of it.

As for defining it: it has a number of specific characteristics although there's no universally agreed 'correct definition'.

Yuca: I wouldn't say neoliberalism is the root of all evil but it has certainly been a dangerous experiment with disastrous consequences. At the same time, a few people have done very well out of it.

As for defining it: it has a number of specific characteristics although there's no universally agreed 'correct definition'.

It doesn't really fit if you write correctly, there is not only a correct definition, but at the same time you type: "I wouldn't say neoliberalism is the root of all evil but it has certainly been a dangerous experiment with disastrous consequences."

It bothers me In general, that certain words (Such as neoliberalism, but also capitalism.) are simplified to political slogans with no content. If you criticize these things, you have to clearly explain how you define them and what exactly you are criticizing about them. Everything else is intellectually boring.

A quick glance at a search engine shows although the fine details of neoliberalism are debateable, its general characteristics are easily summarised:


a political approach that favours free-market capitalism, deregulation, and reduction in government spending.


neoliberalism, ideology and policy model that emphasizes the value of free market competition. Although there is considerable debate as to the defining features of neoliberal thought and practice, it is most commonly associated with laissez-faire economics. In particular, neoliberalism is often characterized in terms of its belief in sustained economic growth as the means to achieve human progress, its confidence in free markets as the most-efficient allocation of resources, its emphasis on minimal state intervention in economic and social affairs, and its commitment to the freedom of trade and capital.


The policies of neoliberalism typically supports fiscal austerity, deregulation, free trade, privatization, and a reduction in government spending.
Neoliberalism is often associated with the economic policies of Margaret Thatcher in the United Kingdom and Ronald Reagan in the United States.
There are many criticisms of neoliberalism, including its tendency to endanger democracy, workers’ rights, and sovereign nations’ right to self-determination.


Neoliberalism, or neo-liberalism is a term used to describe the 20th-century resurgence of 19th-century ideas associated with free-market capitalism. A significant factor in the rise of conservative and libertarian organizations, political parties, and think tanks, and predominately advocated by them, it is generally associated with policies of economic liberalization, including privatization, deregulation, globalization, free trade, austerity and reductions in government spending in order to increase the role of the private sector in the economy and society;

Last edited by Yuca (2021-12-13 11:30:57)

No it has a very large padded shoulder, and underneath red braces.

Scab Ivy.

I just looked at the title of the topic and thought it would be worth mentioning the lovely Vetra jacket I just purchased from Chiltern Street.
I'm not really a fan of their chore jackets and prefer their blazer offerings that I find superb.
On a recent trip down to that London ( as someone on Harry Enfield called it) I was shown a Curly-Wurly jacket.
It's a cross between a thick cardigan and a trad Vetra chore. The clincher was the soft but chunky fabric. Whilst not exactly Ivy it really is most comfortable.
I envision wearing it with cords or moleskin trousers and some chuck boots.
A lovely bit of schmatter.

Yuca - I appreciated the clarity of the definition of neoliberalism. I believe the political shifts in the UK and USA since 79/80 have destroyed the national character of both countries. Neoliberalism has shifted the national consciousness, moved the centreground much further to the right, thus shaping the whole political culture. That plus the arrival of internet has ravaged the old ways, across the classes, and the generations.

The Brooks Makers shirt is a microcosm of the effects of neoliberalism.