In an Oasis treasure hunt, casual fans could be forgiven for being confused as to why a record shop in Didsbury is such an important landmark.
The answer is found in the song Shakermaker: “Mister Sifter sold me songs, When I was just sixteen.”
So let’s meet Peter Howard - Mister Sifter himself.
The answer is found in the song Shakermaker: “Mister Sifter sold me songs, When I was just sixteen.”
So let’s meet Peter Howard - Mister Sifter himself.
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00:00My name's Peter Howard. I was owner of Sifter's Records, which I was lucky enough to be mentioned in Shaker Maker,
00:09off a Definitely Maybe album, and it doesn't happen to many people, you know, getting referenced into a rock song.
00:17Hi, I'm Theo with Manchester World, and today I'm out front of Sifter's.
00:20Now, of all the places in Manchester that's associated with Oasis, and Liam and Noel Gallagher in particular,
00:25this is one of the most infamous. It's probably got the biggest cult following,
00:29because this ordinary-seeming record shop is actually where they used to buy their own records at the age of 16.
00:35And the owner, Peter, who we're going to talk to in a minute, was actually referenced in a song,
00:38and was called Mr. Sifter, obviously after the name of the shop.
00:42In just a minute, we're going to go in and we're going to talk to Peter, yes, about Oasis,
00:45but more importantly, about his store and about his legacy, and essentially,
00:50what it means to him to have been able to keep this shop going for so long, with such great success.
00:56They rang me up, you know, and they asked if they could do it, basically.
01:01You know, like I was going to say no.
01:03Not many people have got, sort of, verses in rock songs, have they?
01:07But they had to find a new verse, you know, so Noel was driving past here, apparently,
01:12and I got lucky, didn't I? Very lucky.
01:16Sort of thing happens to other people, innit?
01:18I just, I like good songs, and good tunes, really.
01:21I always had a few of them, you know, so they were fine.
01:24You know, I do like some of the stuff, you know.
01:27I knew they were popular, but I had no idea they were this popular.
01:30So, I mean, that was sort of a shot in the arm for me.
01:33I've been going since 1977, and I'm just making a living, really,
01:36and then there was renewed interest.
01:38And now, of course, it's another shot in the arm, you know, for the music industry,
01:42when they've got not just Oasis fans, but it's, you know,
01:45and it's coincided with the increasing interest in vinyl.
01:48They've always come from around the world, Japan and South Korea and places like that.
01:53They're very big there, but honestly, so many people have come in, you know,
01:58and I can't get the stock, so it's proved to be a bit embarrassing.
02:02I'm a second-hand shop, you see.
02:04I'll be remembered for Oasis, probably, the most, you know.
02:08I would think that that would be the main memory, you know,
02:13because I built up a following, you know, long before Oasis came in,
02:17and, you know, I've got to, and if you can stick here this long,
02:20I mean, people are going to carry on coming.
02:22I mean, people remember where they bought the first record.
02:25Noel did an interview in here in the middle of June, you know.
02:28It was a long interview, and he must have known then, you know,
02:33that they were getting back together again, you know, but he never let on.
02:36I was sort of sworn to secrecy about this, and we were, why?
02:40You know, people were looking through the window, saying,
02:42what's Noel doing in your shop?
02:44I said, I'm not telling you.
02:46No, I wouldn't go, no, not that keen.
02:49As the sort of first week progressed, I mean, I wouldn't dare ask anybody.
02:53I mean, they'd just laugh you out of the place, you know,
02:55because they're a cool band, really,
02:57and they sort of appeal to all generations, you know.