Liverpool has a number of small record shops, there’s the ever present Probe Records and then here's he likes of 81 Renshaw Street in the City Centre and the Defend Vinyl on Smithdown Road just to name a few. Out in County Road Walton for nigh on twenty years there has been Good Time Records run by proprietor Jeff Holmes. We’ve persuaded Jeff to answer a few questions about the shop, music and the like.
Jeff (Good Time Records), RBY (Last Stop Sounds).
RBY: Ok Jeff, who are you?
Jeff: I’m Jeff Holmes, born in Anfield 1969 making me 50, been a record shop owner for 18 years and counting. Before then I was a roadie and a painter and decorator.
RBY: Roadie? Who'd you work for?.
Jeff: Lots of bands that passed through Liverpool from1999 to 2002 Status Quo, The Beach Boys, Bob Dylan, James, Manic Street Preachers, Supergrass, Tom Jones, James. I did all the summer pops big tent, so loads of commercial bands.
RBY: How did you end up with a record shop?
Jeff: I spent my school lunch times at Juke Box Records on Breck Road, started buying and selling vinyls in my early teens. I did record fairs in Liverpool, worked the odd afternoon in the shop I now own and manage, I like the feel of record shops and fairs and even markets.
RBY: So you're already dealing (is that the right word?) in vinyl but what made you move to actually running a shop?
Jeff: I’ve always sold and traded in music from school days really, I wasn’t working in 2001 went on a 3 month business course got a few £s off the dole believe it or not to set up a shop. I went to the shop I worked in the odd afternoon and the then owner asked if I would like to rent half the shop - two separate shops in on place. I blew him out the water as he wanted the walls for his stock and the window space. I put a huge table in middle of the shop with around 2,500 items. After about a year the owner wasn’t getting a look in so he left. I spoke to landlord and took over the shop. I’ve been here 18 years and counting. I wanted to be a record shop owner since school but the 1990s weren’t the time to start up anything (bad times).
RBY: Was it always Good Time Records, or was there another name first, maybe the old owners shop?
Jeff: It was called ABCD, terrible name. The owner wasn’t the best at his job, no customer skills. I think he had seven shops that he ran into the ground, I watched everything he did wrong and did it the right way. Good Time was my Dads last band name before he passed away. He was a singer in a club/pubs all his adult life as well as a para trooper for 10 years and a docker for 20 years plus.
RBY: ABCD sounds like a dyslexic Aussie rock band…(Editor: That bad joke was inevitable, apologies to all reading this).
RBY: So around 2002 you're set up in County Road. Has your business changed much since then, what trends have you seen come and go like, Vinyl, CDs, types of music you sell?
Jeff: Trends seem to come around in 20 year cycles but I’ve always tried to stock anything to do with music. I still sell music videos, cassette mini discs, basically if it got music on it I’ll try and sell it. I’ve sold a few old 8 tracks and reel to reel tapes in the past, cassette seem to be coming back but it was never a format I liked.
RBY: What about styles of music, your shop always gets a mention in Prog Rock circles for instance?
Jeff: Prog rock punk new wave, plus 60s 70s 80s classic albums 1980s vinyl sell well as older generation had them back in the day, but sold them on and replaced them with CDs, they’re now re-buying them which is great for the big record labels but sadly not for most bands artists as royalties have well been paid out years back, record companies own the music now sadly, downloading gives artists penny’s.
RBY: Has the digital revolution affected your business or are you niche enough to weather the download storm out?
Jeff: I think the start of the internet revolution didn’t help when people were getting their music for free, but it didn’t sound right to me quality wise, the fad soon passed and people went back to cd vinyl as you can hold and feel it, plus each individual item is yours to own for ever. Ithink downloading is great for the odd track but its disposable, you wouldn’t give £10 for a iPod now.
RBY: What about your own taste in music, what do you listen to (I’m counting down from 5 before the ‘H’ word gets in mentioned).
Jeff: Growing up in my household I had an older sister and brother who bought lots a current 45s of the time.
(Editor: 4)
Jeff: My sister liked soul and R&B. My brother liked Punk, Ska, New Wave and the early New Romantics.
(Editor: 3)
Jeff: The first band that caught my ears were Kraftwerk (Computer World was my first purchase with my own pocket money).
(Editor: 2)
Jeff: Then I fell for…
(Editor: 1)
Jeff: Hawkwind.
Jeff: I still buy their music and follow them about when they tour. I love Oz rock, early UK and American Punk. I’ve still got a soft spot for Van Der Graf generator. I love the Pink Fairies who I published 6 fanzines on from 1990 to 92 it was called UHCK (From two titles by them ‘Uncle Harry’s’ and the classic ‘City Kids’).
(Editor: If you stand in Jeffs shop, you cannot fail to notice the large amount of Hawkwind material on the walls and he extremely large Hawkwind banner hanging from the ceiling across the centre of the shop as well as the shop logo being related to the band. Photos are supplied below).
RBY: What made you do a fanzine (says the person who's doing a fanzine)?
Jeff: I couldn’t find any real info about the Pink Fairies or the Deviants Mick Farren and the cool as hell Larry Wallis, so I got an old typewriter from a mate and put together the first issue. It was very good, but I got contact numbers of Pink Fairies members from an old manager Boss Goodman, who wrote a superb page in the future mags. I had Mick Farren do the middle section called Postcards from the USA. That was a big coup, as Mick was a superb writer. Farren had written for IT, Friends and he was an NME Editor in the late 1970s. Everyone should check Micks writing out he was a man of the time. Sadly Boss, Mick and Larry left this planet over the last few years
RBY: Yeah I remember one of his books ‘Give the Anarchist a Cigarette’ with his take on the 60s was really good.
RBY: You are re-opening Monday? How's the lockdown affected the business? Are you looking forward to reopening?
Jeff: Yes opening Monday, shops ready to go. It’s affected every business, but I got the small business grant so financially I am on good legs. I just need customer base to come back over the coming months. The first three months of 2020 were really good taking wise. I’d had a total refit in 2018 which seem to push up sales. Hopefully we will not get a second wave of this terrible virus, I’ve kept the shops social media going with quiz’s videos etc, so I’ve kept in touch with most of my loyal customers/friends.
RBY: Yeah the online album cover quizzes warped my mind, I mean how can anyone get an album title from seeing a sliver a millimetre thick and then the bloody album is something obscure 'Oh yeah Jeff, is that The Higgleswades ‘Enumerators in Paris’ on the German 2nd issue reprint from 1962?'
Jeff: Glad you got your head hurt a touch haha.
RBY: I'll include a photo of one so anyone reading gets to share my pain.
RBY: Your customer base seem to be quite dedicated vinyl collectors, any special moments over the years, think what I'm saying is you must get all kinds in there?
Jeff: Yes vinyl collectors are a special breed of collector. They know what they want and don’t buy anything they don’t really need for there collections. I’ve had a few famous musicians, actors painters, writers, film editors in plus doctors, school headmasters, all kinds of interesting people, I also met my wife to be, Karen, in he shop. All of his mix of people is a plus in my line of work. Knowing and having them as customers/friends is cool as my background is a a kid from Anfield who left school with no qualifications but a box full of common sense which you can’t learn.
RBY: You also put on a gig there (Peter J Smyth late of Mugstar and now in Clinic). That was a good event, very friendly atmosphere and just right for a small shop. Any plans for any more (assuming the plague goes away ever)?
Jeff: Yes the Pete Smyth gig was a cool event decent turn out for him, I first meet him at his last Mugstar gig in Liverpool St George’s hall were they were supporting Thurston Moore from Sonic Youth. He gave me a copy of his solo album Black Smoke. I liked it, totally different from Mugstar, got his number from a mate, he came the shop and agreed to do a gig here. We keep in contact still and we were in the middle of arranging a return gig but the lockdown and social distancing have put it on hold, will get acoustic gigs on in the future hopefully.
RBY: Good luck with your shop reopening Jeff, I’ve seen the photos of he new screen on he counter and the distance markers on the floor and one-way system in the shop, keep safe.
Good Time Records, 182 County Road, Walton L4 5PH. 07709 136 834
Words - RBY, Photos - RBY, Jeff Holmes