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Abbey Discs - The End Of An Era

  • 11-11-2008 11:34am
    #1
    Closed Accounts Posts: 184 ✭✭


    Sad news indeed.

    On behalf of Abbey Discs will all DJ`s copy and paste this into their Blog, Bebo, Facebook etc

    (Mods please excuse the CAPS, Im pasting this in as is)


    banner_logo-revolve.gif

    IT IS WITH SAD REGRET THAT "ABBEY DISCS" RECORD SHOP WILL BE CLOSING IT'S DOORS ON THE "25th NOVEMBER" FOR THE LAST TIME AFTER 25 YEARS IN THE MUSIC BUSINESS.

    FROM THE EARLY DAYS IN THE "ABBEY MALL" (IF YOU'RE OLD ENOUGH YOU WILL REMEMBER) TO WHERE WE HAD HAVE BEEN FOR THE LAST 12 YEARS IN LIFFEY STREET, ALL THE STAFF FROM ABBEY DISCS PAST AND PRESENT *ESPECIALLY BILLY* WOULD LIKE TO TAKE THIS OPPORTUNITY TO THANK EVERYBODY FOR THE CUSTOM AND SUPPORT OVER THE LAST 25 YEARS.


    WE ARE AT PRESENT HAVING A MASSIVE CLEARANCE SALE (IDEAL FOR CHRISTMAS PRESENTS AND NOSTALGIA) SO COME ON IN WHILE STOCKS LAST!

    AGAIN WE WOULD LIKE TO THANK EVERYBODY FOR THEIR SUPPORT AND WE HOPE TO BE BACK IN THE NEW YEAR DOING WHAT WE DO BEST - SELLING RECORD BREAKING RECORDS!

    SO WATCH THIS SPACE!



    BILLY, DEREK, TARA, ANTHONY, TRACEY, ELAINE, NIAMH.


«134

Comments

  • Registered Users Posts: 668 ✭✭✭FLYNN-DOG


    Jesus, it really is the end for vinyl. Good luck in the new year!


  • Registered Users Posts: 7,973 ✭✭✭youcancallmeal


    Wow thats sad. So many good memories of that place like buying my first vinyl and skipping school years ago and going in to listen to records. Why is it closing?


  • Moderators, Motoring & Transport Moderators, Music Moderators Posts: 12,778 Mod ✭✭✭✭Zascar


    Wow. Although i can't say I've ever bought any vinyl there, it certainly is a sad day and the end of an era for many.

    My guess is that like many others, digital downloads have hit the business hard and they can no longer stay in business. Pity they were unable to branch out into different areas etc.


  • Registered Users Posts: 830 ✭✭✭SEANYBOY1


    That is a kick in the bollox. Never got any vinyl but I did get many cd's and Asylum tapes there. The lads were always very helpful. Any of you remember seeing the girl that works in Abbey Discs in the Asylum?


  • Registered Users Posts: 6,933 ✭✭✭SuprSi


    Wow, this was probably the first place I ever bought tapes or Cd's - such a shame.


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  • Closed Accounts Posts: 41 TANNAM


    Very Strange !

    I was only in there last week and Billy said he had a place to move into lined up in Temple Bar ?

    What a pity ! Sign o' the times !


  • Registered Users Posts: 10,575 ✭✭✭✭Riesen_Meal


    Many a day as a youth was spent with a walkman armed with the latest mix tapes and songs I wanted at the time, pestering Billy & Tara for tune ids that they genuinely hadnt a breeze of half of them!

    And then finally getting the tracks in a little sealed bag of vinyl next week with me name on them! (Memories!)

    One thing I certainly miss about recordshops is the relationships with Djs and them getting tracks in for you etc, the personal touch, as such!

    :o

    Why doesnt beatport talk to me!!!!!

    :p


  • Registered Users Posts: 16,288 ✭✭✭✭ntlbell


    "throw us out a bit of progressive bill"

    it was a shame they moved from abbey mall i used to love that spot


  • Registered Users Posts: 10,575 ✭✭✭✭Riesen_Meal


    Or "Billys Bogey Bootlegs"

    You could barely even hear half them as they were pressed on top of other vinyls!!!!

    Remember the vinyl cutting machine they used to rip the promos from?

    Piracy at its most olskool ! ! !

    :D


  • Subscribers Posts: 8,322 ✭✭✭Scubadevils


    TANNAM wrote: »
    Very Strange !

    I was only in there last week and Billy said he had a place to move into lined up in Temple Bar ?

    What a pity ! Sign o' the times !

    I was in there a few weeks ago talking to Billy and he had said he planned to close up alright but would probably look for a smaller shop elsewhere... Temple Bar would seem a good move alright. He needs a niche to focus on again and a smaller shop somewhere like that could be the answer.

    I too bought my first 12" in the Abbey Mall shop in about 1994 - it was the remix pack of Paraglide by Paragliders -

    http://www.discogs.com/release/109081

    I really hope he can sort something out and get a new shop open in the New Year - best of luck to him and the rest of the Abbey Discs crew :)

    Must drop in and grab some bargains in the meantime :D


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  • Registered Users Posts: 5,672 ✭✭✭seannash


    jesus
    i used to make a pilgrimage to that place every two weeks with all the money i could save up in between.
    once i started going to college i used to go there 2 or 3 times a week,miss class alot of the time to because i was listening to stuff.
    remeber thre thrill of being let behind the counter to have a look for yourself ha ha ha.
    sad times indeed


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 5,332 ✭✭✭311


    Doesn't billy have a shop in northside still ?
    The mall was a much better buzz for buying records ,the cafe next door:)


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 5,531 ✭✭✭jonny68


    ah jaysus that's a shame, i used to be in Abbey Discs 2/3 times a week not only to buy records (although that was the main reason) used to like a meeting point for Dublins commited Ravers on the scene, i used to divide my time between there and the other old record shops in the old Abbey Mall, not been in there in about 3/4 years though.

    Best of luck to Billy and all the rest of the gang (is Tara still knocking about;))

    the end of an era.


  • Registered Users Posts: 18,625 ✭✭✭✭BaZmO*


    Ah it’s a sad day indeed, although if my record collection is anything to go by Billy should have plenty in the back to retire early if he wanted to!

    I used to spend so much money in Abbey Discs, although I’d normally always deal with Derek rather than Billy. Used to love going into them when they were in the Mall and Derek would hand me a pile of vinyl and I’d head over to the decks and go through them. God, remember that Citronic (I think?) double deck/mixer combo that they had behind the counter?! Ha

    I’d often spend all my spare cash on tunes and it’d leave me broke for the rest of the week. Total vinyl junkie at the time. I think I even bought my first 1210’s off them. Well Derek put me in contact with a guy that was selling his. That was over 15 years ago and they’re still going strong.

    It’s certainly sad but it’s a bit like when Bewleys on Grafton St. was closing down, a lot of people complained but it was because the very same people had stop frequenting the place it just made the place financially unviable. I know no one here is complaining but I think you know what I’m getting at. I’d also imagine that digital downloads and the availability of vinyl online has put a huge dent in their profits.

    Don’t think you’ll ever be able to talk about the heyday of the Dublin dance scene without mentioning Abbey Discs.


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 677 ✭✭✭RaverRo808


    Bought most the first records I ever bought here,then discovered the joys of shopping on the internet,realised could get a rare tune on discogs or ebay for 8 euro including p and p,when Id probably pay Billy 50 quid in Abbey Discs,like the shop and the staff but at end of day why pay mad amount of money for a record when can get online for virually nothing,hence why place is closing down,sad though as it carries alot of history,Dublin is really changing and for the worst,its gonna be one big Commercial dive


  • Registered Users Posts: 18,625 ✭✭✭✭BaZmO*


    RaverRo808 wrote: »
    Bought most the first records I ever bought here,then discovered the joys of shopping on the internet,realised could get a rare tune on discogs or ebay for 8 euro including p and p,when Id probably pay Billy 50 quid in Abbey Discs,like the shop and the staff but at end of day why pay mad amount of money for a record when can get online for virually nothing,hence why place is closing down,sad though as it carries alot of history,Dublin is really changing and for the worst,its gonna be one big Commercial dive
    Ha. You're saying that Dublin is becoming one big commercial dive but yet you're lamenting the closing down of Abbey Discs and their €50 rarities. :P


  • Registered Users Posts: 430 ✭✭moralproduction


    really is a shame,the shop in northside closed over 6 months ago


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 677 ✭✭✭RaverRo808


    So you'd be prepared to spend 50euro in a shop when you can go online and get it for under a tenner?Im sad that a part of our history and a old instituiton with character is closing down,but im not stupid either not getting ripped off becuase I feel sorry for em


  • Registered Users Posts: 18,625 ✭✭✭✭BaZmO*


    RaverRo808 wrote: »
    So you'd be prepared to spend 50euro in a shop when you can go online and get it for under a tenner?Im sad that a part of our history and a old instituiton with character is closing down,but im not stupid either not getting ripped off becuase I feel sorry for em
    I think you're missing my point. You were lamenting the closing down of Abbey Discs saying that Dublin was becoming a commercial dive almost insinuating that all the good guys were being put out of business by cut throat business men. But aul Billy was never shy of making a little bit of profit.


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 677 ✭✭✭RaverRo808


    Yeah your actually right,he was a robbing bastard,but he was our robbing bastard haha


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  • Registered Users Posts: 1,687 ✭✭✭Dun laoire


    Havent shopped at Abbeys for years but still a shame it's closing down.

    Hey JDee, tell Tara she's a great arse.


  • Registered Users Posts: 4,111 ✭✭✭joker77


    Spent a small fortune in Abbey Discs over the years. Would have been most active there probably between '93 - '00, from then I started buying records online, and then moved to digital. I was working in the local chipper from 16 to 20, and a good deal of my wage packet went on vinyl every week....

    Yea I remember the shop in the mall, used to love that place - I remember when they got San Transisco - Punchunella in - Derek had it blaring out and was dancing away in the middle of the shop - I'm sure he sold out that afternoon! Classic tune, good memories.

    The shop on Liffey Street wasn't the same - I remember they used to have to 2 and I always went into the mall first.

    It's sad that it's closing down, hopefully they get a smaller niche shop up and running, but as a lot of people have said - digital downloads have taken a lot of the market. That's progress I suppose - in a lot of ways I loved the way things used to be - going into town on a Saturday to hunt for records, having to arrange with people where and when to meet by phoning them (no mobiles in those days), getting home to play the records to see if what you thought were good choons in the shop on the sh1tty headphones turned out to be any use or stinkers (did happen the odd time!).

    I'm sure it's a case of rose-tinted glasses, but I look on those days with as some of the best in my life, and Abbey Discs will be part of those memories.

    Thanks for the times


  • Registered Users Posts: 380 ✭✭c_o_ck p_i_ss chillage


    Sad indeed. Have been shopping there from 1983 onwards and remember hanging around in the mall after school waiting for deliveres to come in on a Tuesday after being in there on the Saturday. It was the only way you were guaranteed the ltd edition Depeche Mode 12"s. Still have Cybotron "Clear" from a few years later and Mayday's "String's Of Life". I remember in the early nineties possibly '90 and/or '91 getting Liam Fitz in Sides to play records I'd bought there; some of which were - "Little Fluffy Clouds", "In Yer Face", "Satan (Rhyme and Reason mix)", "Come Together (Weatherall mix and also the Hypnotone remix) a lot of the Depeche Mode remixes and remix b-sides - tracks like "Kaleid" and "Happiest Girl (Orb mix) and even got him to play some Inspiral Carpets remixes in the time I was going there!!! He was such a nice guy and even asked me if I wanted a go one time but I politely turned him down. More fool me!!!


  • Registered Users Posts: 3,349 ✭✭✭francois


    I was promoting a gig years ago with Oakenfold the headliner, he wanted to buy some records so I went into the Mall, and Billy twigged him, so he got him to sign one of Oakie's 12" promos-he then sticks it up on the wall and goes "thanks, I'll get 20 quid for that" Legend! :D


  • Registered Users Posts: 2,102 ✭✭✭derra


    Best of luck to them , used to go into the mall meself on occasion looking for tapes and any opportunity thereafter where they are now. Used to have piles of records there to go through :D Loved going in checking out the sounds ...


  • Subscribers Posts: 8,322 ✭✭✭Scubadevils


    Does anyone remember actually the shop in the mall about 2 doors down from Abbey that just sold mix tapes? - It was called Danz Saunz or something like that, still have a few of them knocking about. Hugh Scully worked there back then if anyone remembers. Got some cracking mixes there, early David Holmes, Andy Weatheral, Billy Nasty etc.

    And yes as someone mentioned, getting to go behind the counter was always a nice treat... I loved digging through the 12"s on the floor and finding some gems. I worked in Harry Moores on Henry St from about 1994 to 1996 and spent most lunch breaks in Abbey, loved getting home that evening then and checking out my new tunes!

    I remember waiting outside Abbey one morning too after being in the Temple of Sound the night before (in a heap no doubt on a Saturday morning!), I had heard Green Velvet 'Flash' a few times at that stage but had only found out the name and just had to get a copy.. Tara arrived along in a snotty mood but let me in to get a copy before the shop was fully open as I had to hurry along to Harry Moores to sell some Walkmans :D


  • Registered Users Posts: 380 ✭✭c_o_ck p_i_ss chillage


    @Felixdhc - that's funny stuff. Do you remember a shop called Beat Records opposite Abbey and the cafe staffed by an Asian guy and a blonde haired guy called Dave? They sold some crackin' records that Abbey couldn't get.

    P


  • Subscribers Posts: 8,322 ✭✭✭Scubadevils


    Yeah I remember the other shop in there alright, not the staff as such but I do remember picking up good tunes in there. I got actually the double remix pack of 'Into the Nature' by Hardfloor in there. Funny how you specifically remember tunes that you bought in some shops but f*ck all else!


  • Subscribers Posts: 8,322 ✭✭✭Scubadevils


    francois wrote: »
    I was promoting a gig years ago with Oakenfold the headliner, he wanted to buy some records so I went into the Mall, and Billy twigged him, so he got him to sign one of Oakie's 12" promos-he then sticks it up on the wall and goes "thanks, I'll get 20 quid for that" Legend! :D

    Yeah, Billy sure knew how to make a living off us all back then!


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  • Closed Accounts Posts: 1,723 ✭✭✭empirix


    sorry but never bought nought in there, prices were outrageous, no sympathy whatsoever also never had any underground electronica, mainstream dance heaven!!! - crap


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