Record Store Day didn’t really happen this year, but tomorrow is the first of 3 “RSD Drops” where most of what was intended to be released back in April is finally being sent to your local independent record store. Methods of sale vary wildly from store to store so be sure to call or email ahead to find out how to wait in the queue, if you’re even able to. Records will be online much faster than ever before, so keep your eyes on the independent sellers who also sell online. For actual, final Record Store Day info, visit http://www.recordstoreday.com. And now, travel back in time to early April when I was about to press publish …
For a dozen years now, independent record stores across the world have celebrated Record Store Day. At first, a small initiative to get people to shop at their local record stores, it’s now an excuse for thousands of people to join hours-long queues at record shops across the world to buy one (or several) of the several hundred special releases made for that day that will only ever be sold in stores, and for which pre-orders are not allowed to be taken. As the list of releases has grown, the quality of those releases has diverged. While some of the announced records are long-awaited reissues of rare and important material, others are obvious cash grabs meant to appeal to the completist nature of a certain type of collector. Now, I’ll sort some of these in buckets for you, starting with the most essential, ending with the least essential.
These Are Great Albums That a Lot of People Have Been Waiting For on Vinyl and Released With No Bells and Whistles
Mellow Candle – Swaddling Songs. Released by Deram Records in 1972 in the UK, this folk classic took years to catch on. It was initially a poor seller, so getting an original pressing from 1972 will run you in the $2-$3,000 range. There have been bootleg pressings and questionable pressings throughout the years, and an extended box set in 2011 that already will run you well into the hundreds to acquire, but a solid AAA pressing from the original label hasn’t been seen. This is a beautiful album. Get it. (UK Only Release)
Robyn – Robyn. There are two distinct parts of Robyn’s career. There were her days as a teen pop superstar with songs straight out of the Swedish hit factory which has been superseded by her mogul years where she controls her sound, writes her songs, and even owns the label. While “Dancing On My Own” from Body Talk gets most of the publicity, it was this self-titled album from 2005 that set her off on this course. Absolutely essential listening.
Spacehog – Resident Alien. When Ryan Schreiber reviewed this album for Pitchfork in 1995 (yes they’ve been around that long), he said “look for reissues of this album in a green-tinted jewel box 20 years from now.” How about 25 years and a tip-on jacket? This glam rock classic was both the debut and the high watermark for this British-by-way-of-New-York band and has been at the top of reissue wish lists for years. And yet, only 2000 copies worldwide? Act fast!
The Magic Numbers – The Magic Numbers. A classic no-hit wonder from the 2000s in the United States, this band came over to the U.S. with big hype and an incredible album and then faded fast, yet they were big sellers in their homeland. Their debut record came out only briefly on vinyl, so resale prices are high. The CD is available in every charity shop in the United Kingdom for less than a pound, but the vinyl would set you back about 60 in most shops. Narrow the gap and pick this up while you can.
For Lovers of B-Sides, Demos, Remixes and Unreleased Stuff
Gorillaz – G-Sides and D-Sides. Gorillaz is releasing both collections of alternate mixes, B sides, remixes and demos that came out only on CD back in the early-00s. G-sides is a one-disc issue and comes from their debut album and D-sides is based on Demon Days and comes in at a hefty 3 discs. These are promoted as RSD First so ideally, you’d be able to find it later if these disappear before you can get to them, but some RSD First stuff ends up being RSD Only so jump on these.
Britney Spears – Oops! I Did It Again. It’s a Britney Spears vinyl that’s NOT an Urban Outfitters exclusive! What a world we now live in. Britney’s conservators are cashing in every opportunity they can, so it’s a bonanza for Britheads or Spearsies or Britnoids or whatever her fans call themselves. (This is easily looked up, I’m sure.)
Jethro Tull – Stormwatch 2. Unlike Thick as a Brick 2, this isn’t actually a sequel to the original Stormwatch album, but a vinyl release of the extra tracks from the limited extended version remixed by Steven Wilson for CD a few years back. It’s a bonanza for Jethroids or Tullies or Jethrones.
Soundtracks to Geek Out About
Original Soundtrack Album – Hackers. If you’re gonna hack the planet, you’re gonna need the music to do it. Never before on vinyl, the soundtrack to the 1990s cult classic film is getting a complete treatment. Not content to just throw the contents of the CD onto the record, they’ve gone back and added all the missing tracks from that soundtrack onto this. Don’t throw away your CD just yet, though. Licensing restrictions mean some tracks didn’t make the leap to vinyl. Otherwise, this would be extremely essential. (US Only Release)
Philip Glass – Koyaanisqatsi. The beautiful music to a film I can’t watch because sped up stuff gives me anxiety. It doesn’t mean I wouldn’t listen to this soundtrack over and over again. A much more complete version of the soundtrack that until now has only existed in a heavily edited version. (US Only Release)
Jon Brion – Synecdoche, New York. The soundtrack is coming out on vinyl for the first time, and they’re only making 500 of them. 500?!?!?! Even the CD of this is a collectors’ item. I’m not sure where this quantity came from, but if you have any interest in this, line up early! There won’t be many to go around.
A Book About Sci-Fi and Fantasy Soundtracks on Vinyl Which Is One of My Favorite Things
Aaron Lupton & Jeff Szpirglas – Planet Wax: Sci-Fi/Fantasy Soundtracks on Vinyl. The second in an ongoing Record Store Day series, following up on last year’s horror soundtrack tome, this one aligns with my interests more, and will assuredly be of equal quality. It comes packed with a bonus 7″. (US Only Release)
Compilations With Long Titles That Do My Job By Explaining What They Are in Excruciating Detail
The Land of Sensations & Delights: The Psych Pop Sounds of White Whale Records, 1965–1970
Behind The Dykes: Beat, Blues and Psychedelic Nuggets from The Lowlands 1964-1972
Soul Jazz Records Presents STUDIO ONE 007: Licensed To Ska! James Bond and other Film Soundtracks and TV Themes
Not Particularly Essential Live Albums But Fans of These Bands Will Buy Them Up
My Chemical Romance – Life on the Murder Scene. The unofficial band of summer, 2020, releases this live album on vinyl for the first time. It’s material from their first two records, which are decidedly more punk than their later material, and they weren’t all that tight of a live band back then, either. A cool relic, but for completists only.
Alice Cooper – Live from the Apollo Theatre Glasgow Feb 19.1982. Alice Cooper had two prime periods: one in the mid-70s when he and Bob Ezrin were working together and putting out theatrical rock classics like Welcome to My Nightmare, and the other in the late-80s when he reached near the top of the charts with “Poison,” a renaissance that led to his appearance in the Wayne’s World film. Smack dab in the middle, though, he did some material inspired by new wave, and there are some gems in there, such as “We’re All Clones,” which is featured on this oft-bootlegged live album, now officially available for the first time.
Hootie & the Blowfish – Live at Nick’s Fat City, 1995. It’s cool to like this band again. The New York Times Magazine did a piece on them calling them a “Great American Rock Band” last year and the momentum hasn’t stopped. Now everyone can relive one of the great episodes of Friends by buying this record and playing it while pretending to be at one of their concerts.
Some Records You Already Have, Now With Bonus Tracks That Make You Want to Buy Them Again
Elton John – Elton John. We’re at the 50th anniversary of Elton John’s debut album, which means we’re going to get 50th anniversary editions of all of his material sooner or later. So let’s start at the beginning with the classic album, containing “Your Song” and “Border Song,” and then throw in a second disc with piano demos and three unreleased tracks, all on translucent purple. I’ll personally skip this one, but definitely call me for the 2-disc Madman Across the Water on translucent blue.
Charles Mingus – Ah Um Redux. Coming from Get On Down Records, who mainly specialize in hip-hop reissues, is this deluxe edition of Charles Mingus’s Columbia Records classic from 1958. Not only is there a remastered version of the original record but also a second disc of alternate songs and alternate takes. This is an utter classic, so if you don’t already own it, this is a perfect opportunity to do so.
Some Records You Already Have, But Now Versions That Aren’t as Good as The Originals Because If They Were As Good They Would Have Been the Originals
The Doors – Soft Parade Stripped. One half of this record is “Doors only” versions of songs from this record, including “Touch Me” without the horns, which sounds like the worst possible version of that classic track. The second half is other versions with new guitar mixes. Why are we doing this? The original album is not only completely wonderful, but it also has the title track, which for my money is the most fun singalong in their entire catalog. The monk bought lunch!
Fleetwood Mac – The Alternate Rumours. Let’s take one of the best albums of the classic rock era and put out the rejected versions of the songs! And then let’s do it again. And again. And charge more and more each time we do it. Maybe the suckers won’t notice!
Johnny Cash – Classic Cash: Hall Of Fame Series – Early Mixes (1987). Rejected versions of rerecorded versions of classic songs. That’s right. When Johnny Cash signed a new label deal, he re-recorded some of his classics for a new compilation. Now here’s that same compilation but the versions they didn’t put out. A copy of a copy of a …
Pointless Reissues of Albums You Already Have and Even If You Don’t, the Original Is Probably Better and Definitely Cheaper
Black Keys – Let’s Rock. The newest Black Keys record you bought last year, but now with twice as many opportunities to stand up and flip the record!
The Rolling Stones – Let It Bleed. I can’t make up this sort of marketing bullshit. “Each copy of this exclusive collector’s edition is handcrafted on the press, using layers of color on top of one another to create a truly unique edition. Due to the nature of the manual process to pour each color onto the press by hand, each piece is unique in design. Hand-numbered Certificate of Authenticity included.” If your album, comes with a Certificate of Authenticity, it’s an overpriced luxury item you do not need.
New Order – The Peel Sessions. There is no difference between this and the Strange Fruit original other than a new cover that doesn’t match the other Peel Sessions releases. The tracklisting is the same. The only thing different will be the price. This will probably be double what you can pay for a pristine used copy of the original. Get the original.
Fucking Picture Discs
(Editor’s Note: Everyone knows picture discs sound like crap and rarely even look that cool. They are the worst. Some might say they’re the fucking worst.)
The Cure – Bloodflowers. Yes! Finally! This 2000 record is getting a re-release so fans no longer need to shell out $300 for the original. Way to go! But it’s a fucking picture disc.
Judas Priest – British Steel. You’ve got this Judas Priest classic and have had it for years. But you’ve never had it spread across two records unnecessarily, and never before as a fucking picture disc!
Sam Smith – I Feel Love. This surprisingly faithful cover of one of the best songs ever, Donna Summer and Giorgio Moroder’s “I Feel Love” was a welcome treat this Christmas season. Too bad they’re only putting it out on a fucking picture disc.
… and every 7″ picture disc belongs here. Every last one of them. Fuck ’em.
I’ve barely scratched the surface of what’s out there; there are many other fantastic and useless albums coming out on that day. The full list of releases is available for viewing and download at http://www.recordstoreday.com and http://www.recordstore.co.uk
