Norbert Trock has run “Rockpile” in Mainz for almost as long as I’ve lived here.

Back then (late 70s), there was a plethora of good (as in: “High Fidelity“- good) record stores and even department stores such as Kaufhof and Hertie had halfway decent record sections.

The one on the market was my favourite, if I’m honest. (It’s now either a pharmacy/shoe shop/Italian restaurant which tend to be the new tenants of expired businesses). I have no idea who ran it, but the two guys who sold me most of my LP collection were a Brit and  German.

I’d go in and they’d chime in unison “Have WE got something for YOU!” and that would be another DM20 and a futile attempt to smuggle an LP (for the Yoof: an LP measures 32cm*32cm. Can’t hide it in your pocket”) into the house to the chorus “You haven’t been buying RECORDS again?!”

Profound knowledge of music and they were only ever stumped once when Ms jb fronted up with a scrawled item from my wish list (piece of paper stuck on the kitchen door – Amazon was decades away….): “The Crystal Bucket/Clive James”

“Crystal Bucket” the artist , “Clive James” the album or vice versa? Neither of my mates had heard of either.

Not a big surprise.

It was a book.

I got something else for Christmas.

But the place for REALLY GOOD (i.e obsCURE) stuff was Rockpile in the Korbgasse. Stuff that even I’d never heard of, despite my regular supplies of “Rolling Stone” magazine from the States.

Norbert would never yell “Have I got something for YOU!”, but when you bought it, he’d say quietly “Good choice”.

In 2007, he moved to the Fischtorstrasse, between the market and the Rheinstrasse and it appears that I’ve never been down there during the last 4 years.

Stroke of luck to stumble over him a few months back.

Great selection of Americana,  wall-to-wall vinyl and he’s learned how to say “Have I got something for YOU!”

(John Hiatt: “Dirty jeans and mudslide hymns” €20, fits in my rucksack. Ha!)

And he’s got a vinyl of “Head, Hands and Feet” for €50 (The CD runs at $173 -used – on Amazon.com.)

It’s not actually my birthday, but Ms jb’s been shopping and it tends to be my birthday on such occasions….

18 Aug This entry was published on 18 August, 2011 at 13:00. It’s filed under Mainz, Music and tagged Clive James, Crystal Bucket, Dirty jeans and mudslide hymns, Fischtorstrasse, Hands and Feet", Head, High Fidelity, John Hiatt, Nick Hornby, Norbert Trock, Rockpile. Bookmark the permalink. Follow any comments here with the RSS feed for this post.