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Early Crabb Concertina Firm History


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I feel that I should make some comment about the content of this recording before others offer doubts as to the correctness of some of the statements made.

 

Unfortunately, this unscripted, impromptu recording was made at a time when, following some number of years of poor health, any enthusiasm by him for reminiscing about the past was on the decline. Consequently, in hindsight and with benefit of later research, it is evident that some of what he said is not absolutely correct.

 

I do hope that the recording will, however, serve to preserve the actual voice of a once great and passionate concertina maker, my dad.

 

Geoffrey

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The image looked like an album with a title in, I suppose, Greek.

 

Goodness only knows what the Greek album cover is supposed to have to do with it, whilst the recording had nothing to do with Topic Records either - it's from Richard Carlin's 1976 LP "The English Concertina" on Folkways Records...

 

I do hope that the recording will ... serve to preserve the actual voice of a once great and passionate concertina maker, my dad.

 

It's lovely to hear his voice again Geoff - I treasure my memories of the old H. Crabb shop on Liverpool Road, and meeting your father, Neville and yourself there.

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  • 2 weeks later...

 

What now occupies the spot where the Liverpool Road shop stood when I visited for a brief chat with Geoff in 1979.

 

As far as I know the old shopfront, with the name over it, is still there - it had a Preservation Order put on it by Islington Council.

 

 

From localdatasearch.com

 

Adrian

Edited by aybee
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What now occupies the spot where the Liverpool Road shop stood when I visited for a brief chat with Geoff in 1979.

 

As far as I know the old shopfront, with the name over it, is still there - it had a Preservation Order put on it by Islington Council.

 

 

From localdatasearch.com

 

Adrian

 

Oooooh! That picture brings back happy memories....... arriving there for the first time on my dilapidated moped in the very early 1970's, it was probably raining, to buy my first decent concertina from Harry, a 48key Edeophone. It cost £80 !

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Sadly, comes up as "This video is not available"....

 

Cannot see it in Canada either.

 

FYI, you can buy the recording for $0.99 US at http://www.folkways.si.edu/the-english-concertina/world/music/album/smithsonian .

 

 

Thanks, Daniel, I have that album, but hadn't put two and two together to realised that the "hidden" YouTube item was sourced from it, so its non-availability is no longer a concern. Not that I would have resented paying 99c to hear it if it had been something new and interesting....

 

Thanks, too, to Geoffrey, for putting it into context.

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I have fond memories of chatting to Harry and Neville Crabb at their Islington Road workshops...they showed me around and even showed me some very fancy duets they were making for themselves. I was new to the instrument but they introduced me to the London ( or was it North London) Concertina Band. I wasn;'t mch use to it at tjhe time- too new to the instrument - and I could not read music. But I did get to meet the legendary Tommy Williams... the tiny man with BIG hands. Remember him playing "Battersea in Springtime " The Crabb firm and family are part of our musical and artisan heritage in the UK

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