A Little Rough Trade

A Little Rough Trade

Photographed: May 18th, 2013

On the Saturday that we were in England, Laura and I braved Portobello Road which was made famous again most recently in Notting Hill.

The plan to go on a Saturday might not have been the best idea as it was incredibly busy but in the end the visit turned out well worth it for me.

Looking down one of the side streets I noticed a Rough Trade record store and it turned out it was THE Rough Trade record store.  

Rough Trade is a series of record stores stared in the 1970s that also became a record label and helped produce some of my favorite albums and groups. Here are a few Rough Trade artists that have forever shaped my love of British rock music.  

If there is one band I wish I could bring back and have them be a stable "going concern" it would be The Libertines.  This is my favorite song from their debut album and it talks about how we need to appreciate the times we have now because THESE are "The Good Old Days." It also has possibly my favorite lyric ever which is "if you've lost your faith in love and music/oh, the end won't be long."  

The Libertines -- "The Good Old Days"

Antony and the Johnsons -- "Fistful of Love"

A group that I started listening to on a lark, this song has become one of my all time favorite unrequited love songs...and that is the late Lou Reed speaking the lines at the beginning of the track.

The Smiths -- "There Is A Light That Never Goes Out"

Rough Trade is the label that brought the world The Smiths and that's pretty much all I need to say. My "favorite" Smiths song changes over time but "There Is A Light That Never Goes Out" certainly is the song that I come back to most often.