Masons Music Record Shop

Record shop started on Hastings Pier and moved to Queens Road.

The Big Green Cardigan Festival calls it a day…

After nine years, the time has come to put the Big Green Cardigan into the wardrobe and leave it there.
The festival has never covered its cost and as much as we love it, financially we cannot carry on.
It’s been a marvellous adventure making friends and discovering some great acts together but now it is time to move on to new things. We would like to thank everyone who has helped and supported The Big Green Cardigan since 2011 and hope you go away with some dashingly good memories.

So long, and thanks for all the fish

Mick & Dave
The Big Green Cardigan

https://www.biggreencardigan.com

Carol Arnold… oh thats a shame

Wee Jock… Sorry to read about this. It’s a tough industry and I feel your pain

Masons Music Record Shops

 

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Hastings Pier

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187 Queens Road

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190 Queens Road

Tony Court-holmes… i remember where has all the time gone

Glenn Piper… Tick tock

Julie Findlay-jones… One of the best bosses I’ve ever had

John James Shea… Most of my punk records came from mason music .I’ve still got there price tags on them a great shop and a fantastic photo thanks

Louis Comfort-Wiggett… I did some work experience there when I was first out of school. Bagging up orders or badges and Sam Fox postcards!

Andy Ives… Was the best record shop in Hastings at the time imo. Could always get the rarer stuff I was looking for a little more expensive but worth every penny. Great friendly staff too

 

Paul Marshall and Zena – Masons Music 187 Queens Road Hastings – early 80’s and early record bag.

welcome to our newest member to SMART Paul Marshall

Paul Marshall… Wow

Tony May… I think the fact that the calendars on the wall say 1983 gives a clue to the year! (lol) Great pic, good times…

Paul Marshall… I am just doing the maths as well. I just turned 51 so I would have been just 17 in that pic  and the lovely Zena.

Tony May… A really early one! I’m not sure if you even had bags when I bought my ‘MUD Greats’ single on the pier?

Alan Esdaile… probably paper bags, white for singles, brown for lp’s and at one stage would have had a rubber stamp name on the bag.

Masons Music – Hastings Pier 1978

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Tony Ham… Before my day, it was up Queen’s Road when I went there, didn’t it move further up the road at one point?

Alan Esdaile… 187 Queens Road, then moved to 190 Queens Road. Looking at this photo I think theirs an album in the window you like, The Stranglers?

Tony Ham… Black and White, definitely 1978, then.

Jim Breeds… Brilliant Photo Alan Love the badges in the window 🙂

Leigh Wieland-Boys… Whilst going for a stroll on the pier one Easter Steve Demetri (my then boyfriend) bought me a Yes album from you, it’s still got the price sticker on it (seem to recall it was £1.25) – happy days

Alan Esdaile… Also see a Sad Cafe Misplaced Ideals LP, Kris Kristofferson and Elton John covers.

Julie Findlay-Jones… I  loved working there, Alan was such a grear boss.

Andy Qunta… Excellent! Great to see this photo! Good times!

Paul Marshall… Oh my. That was my first ever job working with Alan, making badges by the zillion and discovering toons.

Jim Breeds… Have you thought to give a copy of this photo to the pier didital memories archive Alan?

Alan Esdaile… I’m pretty sure they had this Jim but didn’t use it.

 

Masons Music – 187 Queens Road Shop. Early 80’s.

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Recognise a few Toyah Singles.

Andy Qunta… What’s wrong with this picture? Absolutely nothing!

Martin Richter… it`s a mystery….?

Matt Thomas… coco lol. Oldies Unlimited. Good times,even though i didnt start until the move up to 190

Darren Holmes… memories – used to get so many old and rare records from there especially when Andy got the catalogue out!

Mark Gilham… A proper shop

Mick O’Dowd… Same haircut as today. Change your stylist Alan.

Yvonne Cleland… There was a time… when everyone had those plastic coloured strips in the doorway hahahahaha

Julie Findlay-jones… Great times there x

Andy Qunta… Yes, Yvonne, I had those plastic strip things in my bedroom doorway!

Tony May… A great picture to see. Many memories…

Iain Cobby…  I remember a sixteen year old bassist being regularly taken to your shop by one Stevie D, to hear bands for the first time such as ELP eponymous album, Santana, Genesis and any other bands that he was into. Such great memories of you the shop and of course, the man himself.

 

Masons Music – early 80’s 187 Queens Road, with Bill Prince.

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Alan Pepper…..I’ll have one from the top and five from anywhere else please Bill !!

Will Cornell…..Marley “Legend” up top…video…or did ya’ll have CD Longboxes over there? The first few years of CDs had those for security purposes (hard to stuff into your pocket). Yes, ’84 or later. Curious: what’s “staff only”? The pile of stuff employees promised to buy when the next paycheck came in? My own store’s “wish bin” looked similarly loaded.

Matt Thomas……that is actually the sign above the door to the back room – well camouflaged lo. Smiths ‘How Soon Is Now’ in the charts, 1985 – just had a closer look and King ‘Love & Pride’ is in the chart and Stephen TinTin Duffy ‘Kiss Me’

 

 

Masons Music Ads around 1982/84

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Tony Ham……Clockwork Criminals, Young And Bold ep, brilliant. I used to go to Mason’s Music on saturday mornings, order a load of obscure records and collect the ones I ordered the week before, happy days.

Phil Thornton…..expandimod !!!!!!

Matt Thomas…..”Ad from 1984 – wish albums were same price lol”

Matt Garrett – Masons Music 187 Queens Road – 1984

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Julie Findlay-jones….Happy memories, cant see the badge machine tho x

Matt Thomas….Definitely 84 Ghostbusters is in the chart and Bob Marley Legend video on top shelf lol

Tony Ham….If I had all the money I spent in there, still got all the records though!

Karen Sweatman….My friend really really fancied him!

Jim Breeds….I can almost smell the place! All record shops had the certain smell of paper, card and vinyl. Plus cigarette in this case

Alan Esdaile….I know what you mean by the smell of a record shop. I can remember the first Virgin record shop in Brighton, opposite the clock tower, you were certain to get high on the atmosphere.

Jim Breeds….OMG yes, that Virgin shop in Brighton was a revelation! After I first discovered it I used to get the train over there just to go to that store. Soft deep carpets and scatter cushions where you could squat all day if you wanted, just talking to people, listening to the music and taking in the “atmosphere”! That comment brought back memories!! Far Out Man. There was a pretty decent record shop in The Lanes too I recall, though somewhat more conventional than the Virgin store.

Mick Knights….Remember queing outside the Virgin store in the freezing cold to buy Led Zepplin tickets and not objecting to the blatant queque jumpers, only to be the first to be refused entry, as they had sold out. Not bitter or anything!!!!