Colony Records
Growing up in NYC in the 1960’s had many advantages for someone hooked on music and the Colony Record Shop was one of them! Located at 1619 Broadway at the corner of 49th St., this store had everything! 45’s, LP’s, sheet music, posters, you name it!
When you walked in the store, it had a sort of scary vibe to it. Perhaps it was its proximity to Times Square. Perhaps it was my young age.
In 1965 I got my first taste of what would eventually be one of my favorite bands, the Who. With the release of “I Can’t Explain,” I was immediately hooked. I took the M 104 bus down Broadway and picked up a copy.
What I did not know at the time was that the original US pressing misprinted the label with “Can’t Explain, not “I Can’t Explain!”
On January 6, 1966 I got to see the Who on Shindig, a national music show on the ABC Network. Not only did they do “I Can’t Explain” they also did ”My Generation”
In March of 1966 I was watching The Clay Cole Show and he showed a clip of the Who performing “Substitute” I was so excited that I went to the Colony Record Shop the very next morning and picked up the 45! What struck me was that it was not on Decca but on Atco Records. Apparently it was issued through an arrangement with UK Polydor Records, due to the dispute The Who was raging with their producer Shel Talmy and their contract with US Decca and UK Brunswick.
This was the only single Atco issued by the Who.
August 5, 1966 was another important date for Colony Records and me. Revolver by the Beatles was released and it seems that the Colony was the only store that had it in that day. Now my obsessive/compulsive behavior to music and record collecting got the better of me and would not allow me to wait even one day! I knew it was more expensive there but I wanted that record!
As I said before, the Colony had everything. In 1977 walking by I saw 2 of my bass instruction books in the front window.
To me, I had finally arrived!
I would like to talk to you about the Murray the K Music in the FIfth Dimension concert
in 1967. Could you please email me back with some contact coordinates? Much
appreciated. Craig
Hi Craig, Do you want to speak or email? And what is it you would like to know
Thanks
Good morning David. Don’t know if you’re still active with this, but I was looking for a decent cover scan for my digital copy of the Vagrants’ Lost Album when I stumbled on your blog…wandered around a bit & realised I was at the same Murray the K show in March of ’67 you mentioned…and that you sounded every bit as music-crazed as I seem to be these days, though re-located much further north just outside of Kingston, Ontario, Canada. I’m always looking for new music sources if you’re into trading digital copies of albums & live shows, but also feeling much like a dinosaur out here halfway to the back of beyond, so your occasionally wistful recollections– many of which mirror my own–have gotten me this far (& for the first time “responding” to a blog of any sort). Go figure. I hope the world is treating you well & imagine it would be a pleasure to hear from you for any reason… Galad
Nice to hear from you Michael! I have been running into people who have been to the same show recently. Thanks for the kind words regarding my blog. I am still crazed as it were over music and proud of it!
BTW, if you are interested in another blog that will also mirror your experiences, go to my old friend Binky Phillips posts on the Huffington Post
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/binky-philips
Thanks again MIchael!
David,what a wonderful body of work!!! made me smile with memories, something to be
said about saving stuff….thank you and keep the beat movin!
Cheers!
Where did you get the photo of the Colony from? It’s really great.
David, really enjoyed what you had written. I grew up in Northern New jersey back in the mid 1960″s what I was wondering do you remember a music tv show, shown on WNEW channel 5 on SAturday morning either from 10 am till 11am or 11am till 12pm
Not sure John. I know the Lloyd Thaxton Show was on WPIX but not sure about WNEW
Thanks for posting!