I Love Cob
A Love Letter to Cob Records, Porthmadog
Safely nestled in a quiet corner of Porthmadog in North Wales is one of the most important holiday spots for habitual music buyers in the world. This place offer more joy and pleasure than the golden Welsh beaches, the laid-back railway journeys, the beauty of the valleys, the curiosity of Portmerion and all the ice cream you can eat in a week. On a good day you can spend all the daylight hours and all the money in your visa account gathering all the juicy CD bargains that you can carry. All it takes is a trip to Cob and a little patience.
So important to Portmadog is Cob that the signmakers for the area have included directions to the place on the signposts in the area, although it's easy to find... You either follow the slightly excited-looking men who flock there or walk in the opposite direction to the way the the poor-looking blokes walking away with the distinctive yellow bags that Cob give out.
Cob Records has been going since time began. It specialises in second hand CDs and LPs, but also stocks DVDs, videos and cassettes for those who are looking for them. They have facilities for seeking out items that customers want and they know their stuff generally. There is also a branch in the town of Bangor. Prices are generally good for all items begin priced between £4 to £12 for the most part. There is also a healthy selection of rarities on offer for the sweaty masses too.
As well as being known for being a great music shop, Cob are also well known for causing martial strife for their customers. You can often see father-less families sitting outside the ice cream shops or watching the boats on the water, whilst bored children pester hassled mothers as they wait for their menfolk to stop "pissing about in that record shop wasting all our holiday money". I personally always await the grilling from the good lady about how much I've spent and what "crap" I've bought after a "quick half-hour" two hour visit to the shop. Most blokes tend to buy something that they can pass off as a CD that can be classed as a "I got this for you" peace offering. As a strategy for getting out of hot water, it rarely works!
So, if you are in North Wales, or even South Wales for that matter, make a detour on whatever journey you make a pop into Cob. I do!
Visit the Cob Records website at www.cobrecords.com.
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© 2006 Graham T. Ebbrell