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.

13/08/19: No more CDs (Cancer Research)

Cancer Research on High Street Kensington have stopped selling books and CDs to make space for Christmas cards. A real shame.

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.

24/02/18: The Who by Numbers (Cancer Research)

Cancer Research, North Finchley. Good to see another No Parlez. It is still THE charity shop LP. I bought the Heaven 17 album and the Sarah McLachlan CD. The album by The Who was missing the disc. But next to the empty sleeve was a different record called The Story of The Who – in badly scratched condition. I went to the till and asked if they had the record for The Who by Numbers and the sleeve for The Story of The Who, but they didn't, so they gave me both for free. So now I have an unplayable Who album in the wrong cover.

26/08/17: The Sound of Music and Big Wednesday DVDs (Cancer Research)

Cancer Research, North Finchley. The Sound of Music (1965) and Big Wednesday (1978) were a pound each and between them provided almost five hours of solid entertainment. One is about a nun-turned-governess in Austria. The other is about three friends who go surfing and slowly grow up as the world around them changes. The shadow of war (WWII and Vietnam) hangs over both stories, but that's about all they had in common.

29/07/17: Charity shop hop, Finchley Central

1. North London Hospice. Bought All is Lost DVD, still shrink-wrapped, for £1. This is a tremendous film starring Robert Redford about a man whose boat sinks. Basically: Gravity at sea.

2. Cats Protection League. Joan Baez – "Silver Dagger" 7" EP was £1.99. Tempted, but didn't buy. Also on the shelves: several Duran Duran CDs.

3. Cancer Research. Several Primal Scream CDs, plus an entire shelf of guitar tutorial CDs. There was a man sneezing a bit too close to me, so I didn't hang around.

4. Sue Ryder. Seriously overpriced. A Shirley Bassey vinyl compilation was £3.50. A water-damaged paperback was £2. No, thanks.

5. All Aboard. Tiny selection of CDs virtually hidden behind the till, making for awkward browsing.

6. Oxfam – small shop, overpriced vinyl. Weary by this point. Headed back to the car in the rain.

29/07/17: Charity shop hop, North Finchley

1. The Bothy – saw a white-label record with a message written on the sleeve: "To Steve, Thought this would be a good first record. Good luck, Sam." But what's on the record? Nearly bought the Substance CD by Joy Division. Not sure why I didn't, actually.

2. Cancer Research was closed, even though the list on the door said it should have been open for an hour already.

3. All Aboard. Plenty of DVDs. "Two books for 50p" special offer still running, but couldn't find two I wanted. Or even one. Nearly bought £1 vinyl copies of Commoners Crown by Steeleye Span and Johnny Cash and His Woman, but they were both too beaten up.

4. North London Hospice. Nearly bought CDs by the Sex Pistols (NMTB), Queen (Greatest Hits) and Talking Heads (Stop Making Sense), but again the condition wasn't quite good enough. Various Anne McCaffrey fantasy novels on the crowded bookshelves.

5. RFFR. Bought three vinyl LPs for £1 each:
• Many a Mile by Buffy Sainte-Marie (1965).
• Back Home Again by John Denver (1974).
• Songs of the British Isles by Nana Mouskouri (1976; one of 200-plus albums Nana released).

02/07/17: Row of CDs (Cancer Research)

North Finchley. Nice row of CDs on the shelf, including...

• Portishead – Dummy (fairly common)

• Belle & Sebastian – two CD singles

• Belle & Sebastian – Storytelling (was tempted to buy this, but didn’t)

• Strictly Commercial: The Best of Frank Zappa (very unusual to see any Zappa in a charity shop)

• R.E.M. – Murmur (a nice change: usually you find at least one copy of Monster)

• 24-Hour Party People (film soundtrack)

• Goldfrapp – Black Cherry (two copies: see this one a lot)

• Art Garfunkel – Across America (was tempted to buy this, but didn’t)

• Supergrass – Life on Other Planets

• Daft Punk – Discovery

• Daft Punk – Homework

• Van Morrison – Audley End (a live concert bootleg: tempted, but only slightly)

• Oasis – Be Here Now (three copies: this can be found almost anywhere)

25/03/17: L'Image head (Cancer Research)

Cancer Research, North Finchley. Price sticker (£5) on forehead. Gift aid sticker on cheek.

08/01/17: Beach Boys/Simon & Garfunkel/Wolf of Wall Street (Cancer Research)

Cancer Research, Finchley Central. For one pound each I bought the Beach Boys' Surf's Up and Holland, Simon & Garfunkel's The Concert in Central Park and the DVD of The Wolf of Wall Street.

I asked my little helper to select one album to play first. Holland was the preferred choice.

Even a wolf needs to sleep sometimes.

11/06/16: Row of CDs (Cancer Research)

Cancer Research, East Barnet. I love to peruse a row of CDs and this one did not let me down. An interesting mixture of Britpop, 70s rock and punk – at £2 a go – including:
• Catatonia – Equally Cursed and Blessed
• Goldfrapp – Seventh Tree
• Various artists – Northern Soul Memories
• Manic Street Preachers – Everything Must Go
• Suede – Sci-fi Lullabies
• Led Zeppelin – Early Days
• Morrissey – You Are the Quarry
• ACDC – Live
• The Who – Songs from Quadrophenia
• Sex Pistols – Never Mind the Bollocks, Here's the Sex Pistols
• PiL – The Greatest Hits So Far
• Banarama – The Very Best Of
• Various artists – The Very Best of Power Ballads

• Various artists – Party Starter: The 15 Tunes That Rocked 2001

• Dire Straits – Brothers in Arms

• Blur – Blur

• Radiohead – The Bends

06/09/15: Cher (Cancer Research)

Cancer Research, North Finchley. I was very tempted by this Cher T-shirt, except for the fact that it is sized XL. Price was £4.50.

23/05/15: Inside Out (Cancer Research)

Cancer Research, East Barnet. The CDs were £2 each. That seems pricey by modern-day charity shop standards – especially when those CDs are by Dido and David Gray. Had a quick scan of the books. They had a copy of Nick Mason's Inside Out: A Personal History of Pink Floyd, but very little else of interest.

17/01/15: Live is Life (Cancer Research)

Cancer Research, East Barnet. The 1985 hit single “Live is Life” by Opus was playing on the radio and people in the shop were singing along. Usual suspects on the CD shelf, including Bryan Adams, Johnny Cash and "classical music babes" Bond. Was slightly – but only slightly – tempted by the Paul McCartney anthology Wingspan. No purchase made.

16/01/15: Britney and Steps (Cancer Research)

Cancer Research, Marylebone High Street, W1. More Britney. Charity shop regulars Steps also put in an appearance. In the unlikely event of being absolutely forced to choose one of these discs, I would probably have gone for the Meat Loaf (I read his autobiography last year and warmed to the man).