04/03/20: More American Pie (British Red Cross)

British Heart Foundation, West Kensington. Copies of American Pie are not selling. They are accumulating.

09/01/20: American Pie (British Red Cross)

British Red Cross, West Kensington. Anyone need a copy of American Pie?

09/01/20: Erratic pricing (British Heart Foundation)

An unsuccessful trudge around five West Kensington charity shops. The only item of interest was a copy of Broken English by Marianne Faithfull, but it wasn’t in very good condition.

One of the shops, British Heart Foundation, has split the CDs into two categories: some are 50p and some are £2. It didn’t make any sense to me, because one of the £2 discs was by Robbie Williams, available in every charity shop in the land – and usually for 50p.

06/11/19: Noah’s Ark (Cancer Research)

For £1 I found an unopened (shrink-wrapped) copy of Noah’s Ark by CocoRosie in Cancer Research, West Kensington. The Pitchfork review calls it “one of the most annoying records you’re liable to remember”, which just makes me more intrigued to hear it.

05/09/19: DVDs (British Red Cross)

Couldn't resist playing "pairs" in British Red Cross, West Kensington. Romeo + Juliet meets Gnomeo & Juliet. Bridget Jones meets herself several times.

02/08/19: CD bargains (Cancer Research/British Red Cross)

After a few barren weeks I found the following 13 CDs today for £1 each in Cancer Research, West Kensington:

• David Bowie – Tonight (1984)
• David Bowie – Black Tie White Noise (1993)
• David Bowie – Outside (1995)
• Tin Machine – Tin Machine (1989)
(None of these are exactly Bowie’s best work, but I “needed” them anyway.)
• Patti Smith – Gone Again (1996)
• Patti Smith – Gung Ho (2000)
• Small Faces – Ogdens’ Nut Gone Flake (1968)
• Philip Glass – “Low” Symphony (1993)
• Captain Beefheart – Bluejeans & Moonbeams (1974)
• Van Morrison – Too Long in Exile (1993) – with "promo" sticker
• Grace Jones – Nightclubbing (1981)
• Steve Miller Band – Recall the Beginning: A Journey from Eden (1972)
• The Doors – L.A. Woman (1971)

I also found Cream’s Wheels of Fire (1968), but upon examination it sadly turned out not to have disc two (Live at the Fillmore). In its place, bizarrely, was the first album by Gorillaz. When I pointed this out, the girl let me have the surreal pairing for free. Not sure I particularly wanted it, but there you go...

In the British Red Cross charity shop, further down the road, I found:

• Rush – Moving Pictures (1981)

CDs were again £1 but the girl at the till said there was a “four for a pound” offer, so I chose another three:

• White Stripes – Elephant (2003)
• White Stripes – Icky Thump (2007)
• Blur – "M.O.R." CD single

White Stripes CDs are ubiquitous in charity shops, but for nothing (or 25p each, depending on how you look at it) it seemed daft not to have them.

03/06/19: Cuts Both Ways (British Heart Foundation)

British Heart Foundation, West Kensington. Cuts Both Ways by Gloria Estefan is one of those CDs you see a lot of in charity shops. The same goes for Starsailor and All Saints.

03/04/19: Scary story (Sue Ryder)

Sue Ryder, West Kensington.
A female member of staff points at a 1970s/1980s hardback anthology of ghost stories and asks me:
“Sir, you don’t like horror, do you?”
“No, thanks, not for me,” I reply.
The woman turns to another customer and says: “That’s terrible. Everyone is scared for horror.”

19/03/19: CD bargains galore (British Heart Foundation)

British Heart Foundation, West Kensington. The quality of CDs in charity shops has gone up a lot lately – perhaps because of the silly "declutter" fad. These shelves included great albums by Elvis Costello, The Smiths, The Byrds, Bruce Springsteen and David Bowie.

21/01/19: The Smiths (British Heart Foundation)

British Heart Foundation, West Kensington. "These are the riches of the poor."

22/11/18: Daily Mail Thatcher mug (Geranium Shops for the Blind)

Geranium Shops for the Blind, West Kensington.

28/06/18: Frank Sinatra (British Red Cross)

British Red Cross, West Kensington. A lot of Sinatra and Dean Martin.