Neal Price's Firestone was a neat store, especially at Christmastime, stocked with lots of sporting goods, toys and games. In reality, it compared to a couple of aisles of any of today's big box stores. But in January of 1965, two teenage boys strolled past everything to the small music section in the back. My friend, finding the new Beatles single, immediately grabbed "I Feel Fine" and a new song, "This Diamond Ring" by Gary Lewis & the Playboys. We headed over to one of two tiny record booths and spun the records on the turntable as loud as the player could be set. It sounded so good! It was a given with anything the Beatles did, but I couldn't believe that one of my childhood heroes, comedian Jerry Lewis, now had a son playing drums and singing on a great pop original.
Like the Fab Four, I was feeling fine until two cute teenage girls crammed into the booth next to us. Today, that same awkward moment may occur with someone scanning a CD label and sampling through headsets in the music section. Music could be the bridge to the opposite sex, but in this trying moment I was attempting to be nonchalant and cool. It wasn't working. My booth buddy had his eyes closed, feet tapping and mouth synching the words to the Playboys' tune. When we finished, I was ready to head for the front door, maybe lingering awhile to try on a catcher's mitt. But as my friend made his purchase of two records, I quickled scanned the shelves and spotted one I really liked, Del Shannon's "Keep Searchin." It would just edge out Herman's Hermits "I'm Into Something Good" as my first 45 record purchase.
The girls in the booth weren't watching as the blue-haired lady behind the counter checked the very breakable black disc for scratches, and then returned it to its sleeve. No thief-proof, shrink-wrapped packaging here. She placed it into a bag along with the week's WLS "Silver Dollar Survey" and I was on my way to being a true music collector.
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