Re: Is Accrington being dumbed down?
 

I suppose so. Not getting into a musical debate but I for one think that the younger generations music is being viewed as more sophisticated - so perhaps the shelves will be stocked more of Vanessa Mae than Pussycat Dolls in the near future!
Mind you - with the fine divide between people who like pop music & the others that detest it; the music shops could face a headscratcher...

Re: Is Accrington being dumbed down?
 

Opera and classical music isn't elitist. There are strong musical roots in the northwest, the centre of the industrial revolution, and an appreciation of music up here.

The world famouse Halle Orchestra being one example. Harrison Birtwistle, one of the most avant garde composers in the world comes from Ossy. Also, arguably one of the finest, purest voices ever recorded was a Lancashire lass from Bamber Bridge who moved to Blackburn, her name was the divine Kathleen Farrier.

I too lament the late Wardleworths bookshop, but since some of you only shop in supermarkets that sell populatr books and music, I'm afraid we get what we deserve.

Re: Is Accrington being dumbed down?
 

only since neil moved here :D

Re: Is Accrington being dumbed down?
 

You're right, it isn't. But it is my view that opera/classical music is seen as carrying a higher value, thus labelling a person with more personal worth than someone who does not appreciate or familiarise with that particular genre.

I know there are some classical music enthusiasts round here & I know a large portion are of the snobby variety - hell I go to Bacup & Rawtenstall Grammar....it's murder being an Accy lad around there I tells thee...

...which perhaps suggests that Accy is viewed as a dumb/thick/stupid town to 'outsiders'?

Re: Is Accrington being dumbed down?
 

Your view is wrong then, opera/classical music is not 'seen as carrying a higher value' only by those with closed mind.

Re: Is Accrington being dumbed down?
 

agree with hatters sentiment about when we get offered new things that go with the times, but not with his good selection of shops- unless he means £1 shops and charity shops. nowt really against them but theres just too many.the loss of wardlworths was indeed a sad day. if accy HAD a good selection of shops people might just start to return its the only town around here with FREE parking, and they still go to blackburn/burnley/bury/etc that tells its own story to me. call me old but accy had a GREAT selection of shops in the 60s. book/toy/ tailors/ etc all long gone.

Re: Is Accrington being dumbed down?
 

Exactly - the amount of people with a closed mind around these parts is shocking.
I'm sure I'm right in saying (as I was at high school with a lot of them) that the chavs with 230 bpm blurting out over some Bryan Adams track on their mobile phone on broadway would view people who sit down to listen to Tchaikovsky after work to unwind as posh, upper class & rich.
Which also works the other way round - I know I am guilty of believing that those people blurting out that music in town are idiotic, narcissistic fools with not a brain cell to share between them.
Perhaps Accy is being dumbed down; but it is this war of opinion between groups that creates the lack of choice.
It is purely the popularity in numbers of the 'chavs'; who buy sports clothing, who buy manufactured music and drink cider & mudshakes which replaces your topman, your classical music and your fine red wine.

Re: Is Accrington being dumbed down?
 

I used to love Wardleworths. I used to spend my Saturday afternoons in there when i was a kid reading the books and rooting around. Now i buy my books from Asda or Tesco or Wh Smiths. Times have changed though the pound shops have moved in but they were empty shops before that. It's what people buy. People have voted with their feet and go to Manchester, Trafford Centre, Blackburn etc instead of using their local shops. Everybody has got used to going to Blackburn & Bury to go to the pictures because there wasnt one in Accy. Now there is but how many people go to it?

Re: Is Accrington being dumbed down?
 

I'm afraid I am going to play the yoof card here. Every generation thinks that the music of their youth is the best ever. This has been going on since the introduction of the racey quick step.

I like opera, but I also enjoyed being spat on at a Buzzcocks concert in '77 and dancing naked as the sun came up over the beach in Ibizia in the second summer of love in '87.

Not appreciating anything because you don't know it is just closed minded. Try everything, then decide it's crap.

Re: Is Accrington being dumbed down?
 

That's what people need to be told, Garinda.
I often listen to the pistols, smokey robinson & bach in the same playlist; which perhaps fuels my anger at the people who reject other genres whether it be the classical fans or the maximes/monroes groupies. A little hypocritical I know - but I'm human.
I really didn't want to get into another musical debate on here...lol

Re: Is Accrington being dumbed down?
 

You're not. You agree with me, so you must be right.;)

Re: Is Accrington being dumbed down?
 

As i said i was only visiting, and I'm from a small town, I understand perfeclty where your coming from and have every sympathy, perhaps what I meant was that it could be even worse. we haven't got a music shop at all here, only the co-op and you can guess what thats like, no wh smiths, no woolworths, no asda. Think ossy but out in the sticks.
For the size of accy, population wise and town centre wise it should be better than it is though.
I could only find one pound shop, where are they? they're not on broadway are they?
I often think I wish I had migical powers, and could just magic things right, put that shop there, that one over there to replace a lost loved shop, do that street to a nice theme, magic the chavs in to decent yoofs like we were at that age, yes we could be right so and so's but we were never like that.

Rindy, I fought you still was a yoof.

Re: Is Accrington being dumbed down?
 

I agree with Gayle for once, many years ago Accrington Arts Club put plays on quite often their HQ was the old Liberal Club which is Lardies on Willows Street

Re: Is Accrington being dumbed down?
 

Back in the 60s there was a Jazz Club held every Sunday night at the old Accy Stanley club house at Peel Park, all the top Jazz bands of the day apeard on a regular basis Terry Lightfoot springs to mind, there was also Folk Club on a Wednesday at the same venue

Re: Is Accrington being dumbed down?
 

I'd actually like to disagree with some things said here. The advent of the Internet means that you have access to an enormous amount of music/opera/books etc(and I'm not talking about the illegal downloads that seem to be teh mainstay of tabloid representations of the net). You can take part in high brow discusssions with people all over the world just like sitting down in the library or outside the market hall.

You can find out when real life shows etc are and book for them without having to trapse through rain snow sleet to get your tickets.

Stop looking for whats missing and start looking for whats available you'd be surprised.